This was the first time I had tried setting up a booth at the Lantern Festival; in other years, I’ve photographed (particularly the floating lanterns after dark) or taught students.  Carolyn and I decided we would expand our participation and offer a variety of craft and photo items related to the Park and the Festival.

We couldn’t have asked for a better location: we were immediately across from the main entrance to the Conservatory and right above the Frog Pond.  As a first-time exhibitor, I had expected to be placed at the far end of the world!  The only downside to the location was that we were on concrete, not grass, so we couldn’t stake down the canopy - and it was very windy most of the day.  We had a few sandbags, and the Park delivered a couple more, but much of the day we had someone holding down at least one corner of the frame!

Other than the wind, it was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed meeting some old friends and making lots of new ones.  In addition to my original prints, we had Japanese paper and cloth crafts, and even demonstrated origami.  It was a good experience!