I left the house ythis morning to help out with the crafts show. I didn't know what to expect so I took a cooler with soda, a comfortable folding canvas chair, and my guitar. I got there a lttle early and helped Doc Cunningham set up our booth with the prizes, the display boards, and the signs. Then the crafters began to arrive and we turned to helping them. There were some very interesting crafts. There was the usual run of scrap book artists, stampers, and hand made stuffed toys. There was one booth dedicated to selling... tupperware. One was the Mary Kay booth with women dressed to the nines, wearing heels, and all made up. They made for a startling contrast to the people in jeans and T-shirts. There was one booth that specialized in grass skirts and traditional jewelry. One guy had a combination of handmade wood toys, coconut fiber batik hangings, and products woven from palm fronds.

The people were surprised and grateful when we came forward to help them load into the building. I guess they'd been told about it but hadn't expected such a crew to actually show up. We got them into place in record time and the show opened well but we worked up quite a sweat doing the job.

Once we were done I headed out to the post office and to get my visa for my Australia trip. Then I drove up to the Air Force Exchange to look around and finally headed home. I went south along the eastern side of the island, not a usual route, and noticed some fun things. There is an old gray lifeboat in a neighbors yard up on Cross Island Road. I noticed an odd bridge back off the main road. It doesn't seem to have any purpose. The local costume shop was crowded. Apparently the island really gets into the celebration of Halloween.

I think tomorrow is All Souls' Day. From what I've heard it is roughly analogous to Decoration Day back in the southern USA. The people go out to the cemetaries to clean the graves of their loved ones, picnic, and pray for their souls. I was told to go out and drive by a few cemetaries.

This seems like a good point to mention some of the death customs here. The newspaper doesn't just print obituaries. What you see in the paper is a large block with a picture of the deceased and the announcement of the death. But it doesn't just give the particulars. Instead it will say something like, "Joe Smith has joined his grandmother, Sally Smith and grandfather, George Smith, his former wife mary Smith, his brother, Allen Smith....." It then goes on to give the funeral details. On certain anniversaries of the death the survivors will hold a rosary where they will pray for the deceased person. The rosary, I hardly need tell you, is a gathering of friends and family and features food and music as well as the prayers. These are Chamorros after all.

Later in the afternoon I returned to the craft show to help the crafters pack out. Once again they were surprised and grateful. I learned that the Seafarers had made upwards of $500 on the silent auction and raffle. The live pig went to Frank, one of our group, so I hope to be invited to a pig roast soon. I never did need to stuff I took with me.

And that finished off my day. I had a lovely time except that my broken toe and arthritic knee threw a bit of a crimp into my activities. Such is life!