Evo's Show/People Report
The Washington Art & Rubber Stamp Festival
May 19 & 20, 2001 - Puyallup, WA
Sponsored by Heirloom Productions
3900 NW Cherokee Lane
Newport OR 97365
Voice/Fax (541) 574-8000

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Heyyy, Folks...

Moving right along...

Day #5: Monday
Play time! For Real! Well, plus a little work to be taken care of, as in... find a place to store our 6 bins. Crossing the US/Canadian border with 6 bins packed from a show would NOT be a fun thing to do, we were thinking. The hotel we were in didn't have room to store the bins during our 6 day journey, so we set out Monday morning with trust that we would find a place between Puyallup and the Canadian border. And that's exactly what happened in the easiest way possible. Amazing. Murphy's Law... you missed us this time!

Traveling north on I-5 from Seattle, I spied an exit that beckoned to me. Lynwood Mall exit, about 1/2 hour north of Seattle. I felt an internal nudge and impulsively exited and stopped at the first service station we hit. "We need two things..." (I told the girl inside) "a public storage and a post office." Voila! Public storage was 2 blocks north and a PO branch was 2 blocks south. Thirty minutes later we were on our way again, and a couple of hours later we were in Canada in line for the ferry to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.

OK. You're probably wondering just WHY we were traveling to Vancouver Island. Some years back (1997) when there was only one rubber stamping email list on the internet (RS list), there was a stamper named Bonnie on that list. Bonnie (better known as b2) was an impatient stamper ... always waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for something and constantly entertaining us with her waiting woes. I fell in love with Bonnie then.

Several years ago, Bonnie made the trip to the Marlboro, MA rubber stamping show and both Mr Evo and I fell in love with her in person. Last year, Bonnie and her DH Lyle came to the West Springfield show and well... our hearts were lost again to both Bonnie and Lyle. The suggestion from Bonnie and Lyle that we might visit them when in Puyallup this year was born then. Just a faint idea, because I really, really didn't think we could do it... but it was fun to think about.

Well, I'm here to tell you, Folks, I believe if you think about and want something bad enough, the Universe will bend over backwards to try to make it happen. And happen it did... one of the most enjoyable and memorable trips of our lifetime.

And the ferry ride (a first for us!) was just the beginning.

Days 6 - 10: Tuesday - Saturday (A brief, I promise you, synopsis)

Tuesday:
A mini tour with Bonnie while Lyle was at work... chamber of commerce (fantastic fantasy under-sea art exhibit), local stores and scenery.

Murphy Law Moment ... Evo locked keys in car. Bonnie had to call Canada's AAA (CAA?) to come unlock car. Evo hangs head in shame. :{/

Tuesday afternoon:
Evo takes a 45 minute "power nap". Wakes up to a quiet (too quiet) house. Suddenly a peal of Bonnie laughter comes from downstairs. Descending the stairs to Bonnie's wonderful craft room, I find Mr Evo teaching Bonnie how to make the 3D Pop-Up EvoMums! Amazing... how could I have slept through such a happening! :{<>

Late Tuesday afternoon... 2nd Murphy thingy:
Thirty minutes after Bonnie and Mr Evo's gleeful tale to Lyle of Evo's key blunder, Lyle discovered he had locked his keys in his truck. Lyle had to call CAA. Evo cracks up gleefully that she's not the only one that ever did that. :}>

Tuesday Night:
Lyle takes us on a drive to Golden Lake. Sightings on the way back: a baby (but still big) bear and... a turtle in the road. After doing a U-ie to go back to save the turtle, we discover it's not a turtle but a dead bird which we promptly dubbed "Turtle Dove" and mourned its demise.

Wednesday Morning:
Mr Evo gets a 1 day fishing license!

Why????? Because Lyle and Bonnie made arrangements with friends to take him fishing at 1:00. Why????? Well, it had something to do with Tuesday. Bonnie: "Muffins for breakfast?" Mr Evo: "I wanna go fishing." Bonnie: "Want to go for a ride?" Mr Evo: "I wanna go fishing." Bonnie: "Want to visit the Salmon Hatchery?" Mr Evo: "I wanna go fishing for Salmon." Bonnie: "Want to visit the pulp mill? Mr Evo: "I wanna go fishing down by the pulp mill." Bonnie: "Want to go fishing?" Mr Evo: "Yeah, you're teasing me, right?"

Bonnie and I get Tilley Hats!!!!! OK, I'd never heard of Tilley Hats either, but Bonnie and I are now each the proud owners of one and LUV them! Inside the hat it sez...
"It floats, ties on, repels rain and mildew, won't shrink and will be replaced FREE if it wears out. (YES, PUT IT IN YOUR WILL) Ten-ounce USA-Treated Cotton Duck, Solid British Brass Hardware. Sewn with Canadian persnicketiness." Now I ask you, Folks... Is this a HAT worth having or what!

Wednesday afternoon:
Mr Evo goes fishing; I go along for the ride. :}>

Thursday:
Two day trip to Victoria! And on the way... we stop in Clemaines to see the Mural town, drop Bonnie and Lyle's 3 babies (shih tzu's) at her sister's house, stop to see Bungey Jumping into an awesome Gorge.

Friday:
Toured the Capitol Bldg, ate lunch at a fantastic-famous-for-their-scones-cafe, whirlwind-toured China Town, visited two ... count them... TWO stamp stores in Victoria... Lasting Impression Stamps on Cordova Bay Rd and Stampers! on Bay. Both really nice stores.

Saturday morning:
Time to catch the Swartz Ferry back to Vancouver. :{/ As my hero John Wayne once said... "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." :{(

Saturday afternoon:
Swung by Rubber Marbles in Auburn, WA before finding a hotel to stay for the night. Funny thing... I "thought" I knew the addy but wasn't sure. Thought it was 112 Main St. Turned out it was 117 Main St... close enough. Michele (of Grandma's Attic fame) was minding the store... Darlene (of TOD fame wayyy back when she was on the original rubberstamp email list) was away on a trip... and Jutta was doing quality time with her daughter (how dare she when we're in town! :{<>).

Wonderful store! Mr Evo and I enjoyed meandering around and making nuisances of ourselves. :}>

Sunday:
Caught our flight at Sea-Tac and got bumped at the last minute into first class. Don't know why... must've been Murphy's better half practicing law. :}>

Heyyyyy, Folks... if you've hung in here this long, you might as well hang around a tad longer to see pics. Don't have pics of the Puyallup show... batteries in camera were dead :{/ but do have some pics of the rest of our trip at:
WA-Vancouver Pictures

You know... without rubber stamping we would never, ever have met Bonnie and Lyle, and I wouldn't be sitting here at the computer still typing report #2 in the wee hours of the morning 24 hours and 12 minutes after arriving home from Puyallup and still have to create the web page of pics for you to see before I send this email out.

Rubber Stamping. I LUV all aspects of it and where it takes us... and what a wonderful trip that is.

Ellen :}> Evo