Wow! What a day we had yesterday here on the Oregon Coast!! Winter finally hit with it's full force and, just a few miles north of here, wind gusts of 109 mph. Yesterday's forecast was four inches of rain, which I have no doubt we received. Lots of wind, lots of water, lots of trees down all over town, including one that pinned a man in his car.
Here's a picture of one of the downed trees. While the wind has died down, the rain continues, streets and highways are flooded, and river flooding caused one nearby town to be evacuated. With so much wind and rain, I couldn't help but remember words from an old Kingston Trio song...."The rain is Tess, the fire is Joe, and they call the wind Mariah." We'll just leave the fire alone; Tess and Mariah have been quite enough, smile.So, in the middle of the worst storm this winter, I got a call from the lovely Lily Hursh, owner of Waterlily Studio, a premier bead shop on the Oregon Coast. Lily extended an invitation to join her and some other local beaders for a trunk show with one of her vendors. Torrential rains and huricane force winds aside, it seemed like the perfect invitation. I decided to document the day with photos of the other hardy beaders willing to brave the storm.
That's Lily on the left, with two of my favorite beading buddies, Heather in the center and Roma on the right. Heather and I like to get together for a cup or two of tea and share beading techniques. A couple of summers ago, I had the great pleasure of making a trip to Tacoma, WA with Roma. We attended the classes and did some major bead shopping at the Puget Sound Bead Festival. So much fun, smile. Lily not only owns Waterlily Studios, but she's an accomplished beader and instructor.
HEATHER AND ROMA
Beautiful women with beautiful smiles
This gorgeous woman is the oh-so talented Kelly Angeley. You may recognize her name from the many pieces of jewelry she has contributed to Stringing magazine. Or, maybe you've had the pleasure (like I have) of attending one of Kelly's classes. In addition to teaching locally on the Oregon Coast, Kelly has taught in Southern California, at the Puget Sound Bead Festival, and at Bead & Button shows. Not only does Kelly have a wealth of knowledge and talent, she is very willing to share the information with her classes, which are both relaxed and fun. I'm very fortunate to have Kelly as a mentor and friend. 
This charming gentleman is Barry, Kelly's sweetie. While he wasn't shopping for beads yesterday, I felt he ought to get included in the group just for being willing to brave the elements.
The talented and beautiful Sarah, jewelry artist and mother of three adorable, active boys.
As you can see, we are blessed with a wealth of talent here on the Oregon Coast and these beaders don't let much keep them from their passion.
Vaya con Dios!
