teahouseofthedonkey

I spent many northern faires in a trailer in Snob Hill and Crew Valley. I lived with Ray Griswold at the very end of Snob Hill for the last few years that the faire was in Black Point. I would traipse through the hills daily with my faithful dog, Reuben and followed discreetly by my black cat, Serena. It was so sad when the developers were planning their renovations, and would spray paint orange on the trees that were slated for destruction. One morning, I was walking down to the shower trailer, running a silent commentary on who had new plants in their front yard, what new strands of lights were up, and the dryad in Gillian's tree... A few steps later, it hit me that it was not the norm to be seeing dryads. What I saw was a very long, slender-bodied, androgenous being with a buster brown haircut and a youthful, yet ageless, face. The being leapt down from the enormous tree in front of Gillian's trailer, landing in a graceful crouch. When I turned back, there was no trace that anyone had been there, but it had been so real! I was reluctant to mention that I was seeing dryads, but it came up one day, and it turns out that I was not the only one to see this being. Others had seen it as a silhouette, or out of the corner of their eye. All were glad to hear that they were not alone in seeing a dryad in Gillian's tree. I could not bear the thought that this dryad would be witnessing the destruction of many of the trees it tended. So one day, I sat beneath it's tree and made a promise -- I would memorize the trees, so they would never really be lost. From then on, when Reuben and Serena and I walked the hills, I touched the trees, caressing the bark and the usnea hanging from the branches. I drank in the vision of each tree, and ventured off the fire roads to visit with trees off the beaten path, sending out the message that they would not be lost, for they would have a home in my memory. To this day, when I think of the Northern faire site, I am gifted with a slide show of beautiful trees and peaceful paths. I like to think that the trees know that they will live forever... What do you see when you close your eyes and think of Black Point forest?