Dear One and All,
Not nearly enough space on this postcard to write about the gypsy-themed annual fundraising event held by W.I.N. (Whidbey Island Nourishes) this past Saturday night.
Gypsies are also known as Travelers, but for this one August evening, camp was made in a clearing along Heggenes Road.
From inside a painted gypsy wagon, a tarot deck spread before me, a one-eyed mistress swathed in scarves interpreted my cards. Pentacles, cups, wands, swords. She told her tales and I listened, rapt.
Minutes or lifetimes later, future safely tucked in my pocket, I emerged to the sounds of the Hot Club of Troy strumming their particular brand of gypsy jazz. Banners flew and treetops swayed as if moving to the music; the shirts of the men and the shawls of the women billowed in the breeze.
The bar did a brisk trade as a feast befitting gypsy kings and queens was served in thanks to those who help W.I.N. provide 2,000 meals every month to the hungry on our island.
Following a dessert of island ice cream and Mutiny Bay blues, a ragman with a gift for hawking things threw jokes like gold pieces to the crowd, who seemed to agree on one true thing: all of us are Travelers together through this life, and our fortunes depend on much beyond our control. Good luck shared is good luck sure.
Under an apricot moon rising between the scimitar curves of the pale tents that sheltered us, I listened to a mandolin strummed, the clink of bangle bracelets, the whinny of a horse.
In the waning light, silver and gold tattoos—whimsical wings, braided fate—seemed to float through the air on their own.
A postcard doesn’t hold much, I know, and I’m almost out of space.
But if good luck has favored you, and circumstances permit, please send a little something to W.I.N. A website awaits you, of course; but if you’re like me, a fan of the old-fashioned post, drop a bit of your fortune into an envelope and send it along.
If you attended the W.I.N. fundraiser in your gypsy garb, I’m glad to have traveled with you.
If not, I wish you were here!
Editor’s note: For more on WIN and the Frolic read this feature by Betty Freeman.
Photos by Dianna MacLeod.
Dianna MacLeod holds a journalism degree from the University of Michigan and has worked as a writer and editor for individuals and nonprofit organizations. An alumna of Hedgebrook. She moved to the Isle of Whidbey in 2011 to complete a novel—and never left. (photos by the author)
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