Willapa Bay AiR Open House

I can’t do it all – or so my husband cautions me when he sees that I’ve jammed several items into the same little white square on the calendar. The trouble, of course, is that I always want to and, when you live here at the beach, there is always more to do than one person can possibly manage. I am eager for ‘them’ to discover a way for us to clone ourselves so that we can be in two places (or three or four) simultaneously.

James HurleyHouse Concert, April 2013

Next weekend, though, there is only one notation for Saturday, September 27^th. It’s an Open House with Willapa Bay AiR Artists and Writers from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. And it’s right here in Oysterville at 32101 Douglas Drive – a skip and a hop away.   So even though I’m all booked up on the home front playing Nurse Nellie (or sometimes Nurse Ratched), I may just be able to sneak away for a few minutes to clap and cheer.

Wes Weddell House Concert, September 2013

This is the final month of 2014 residencies at Willapa Bay AiR. The 2015 schedule will begin next March. And, even though we haven’t met all the residents or even been aware some months that the creative juices were flowing not far down the road, we will miss knowing that all those talented, creative people are nearby.

There have been five residents each month since last March – usually one or two visual artists, a musician, a couple of writers – often one is a poet. Some of the “creatives,” as Executive Director Nina Macheel refers to them, have introduced themselves to us and have come to talk about the village and its history. Or have come to House Concerts. Or Vespers. Two of the musicians wh were here in spring and sunmer – James Hurley and Wes Weddell – are friends and, I’m pleased to say, learned about Willapa Bay AiR through us. Poet Jim Bertolino who was part of the pilot group last September is also a long-time friend.

That people we actually know have been able to participate at Willapa Bay AiR is almost as good as being able to retreat to one of their cozy cabins for a month myself. Almost. In any case, I certainly will make a point of getting up to their Open House Saturday to clap and cheer for the current group!