The Story of Snowy River

My digusdi (cousins in Cherokee) on Etsy have long admired the wonderful bracelet named Snowy River created by our dear friend and talented artist, Cloudburst. This bracelet has been featured in many Etsy Treasuries and has been coveted by many members of the Native American Forum Team….Walking The Red Road.  Here is the Story of Snowy River:


Last week my son, Patrick, and I left Omaha for a trip to New Mexico.  We had the privilege of attending Indian Market in Santa Fe where Cloudburst was vending.  When we arrived at the Santa Fe Plaza for the event, we phoned Cloudburst to find out where she was set up. There were over a thousand booths set up and finding her without assistance would have been a daunting task. As it turned out, her location was easy to find and we were very close to it when we made the call.

Left to Right:  Patrick, Customer, Nora Hasty, Anita

As I approached the booth, Cloudburst was holding Snowy River in her hands and making a sales pitch regarding it. On impulse, I took this shot of her in action.

When I arrived at the booth, Cloudburst, her potential buyer and I discussed the bracelet. The customer was Nora Hasty from Rocky Face, Georgia.   Mrs. Hasty said, “I have looked all around and so far if I could have only one piece from this event, it would be this bracelet.”

But there were still many booths for her to check out and she was not ready to purchase. She said she would sleep on it and might be back the next day for it.  I cautioned her that it might be gone.  She determined that if it was meant for her to have it, it would be there.

Well, Mrs. Hasty’s daughter and granddaughters were lingering in the background. They recognized how much she liked the bracelet and when Mrs. Hasty left the booth area, they slipped to the back of Cloud's booth and purchased it from Daniel for her.

One of the granddaughter’s kept the bracelet in a sack hidden behind her back as they joined their Grandmother and walked away.

Cloudburst, her husband, Daniel, my son, Patrick and I all watched them in hopes that we would get to see her being presented with this wonderful gift. After a while, we decided that they planned to do the gifting at a later time. With some disappointment, we resumed our visiting.

But then, the gifting was done and Grandma was so excited. She came back to the booth with her granddaughters to share her excitement with Cloudburst.

It almost seemed that the scenario was meant for me to witness.  Little did I know when I took that first photo of Cloudburst in action that it would result in the sale of that very special bracelet.

Mrs. Hasty, Granddaughters and Snowy River

I felt honored to me present for the event. Cloudburst was delighted that her bracelet had found its proper home. The daughter and granddaughters were so pleased to do something very special for their mother and grandmother during her visit. And, I got to witness and record the event.


The photos are being sent to Mrs. Hasty so that she can add them to her memoirs of her visit to Indian Market. I hope she will enjoy them and I know that she will enjoy “Snowy River” for many years to come.


So that is the story of Snowy River....A proud Grandmother with her beautiful and thoughtful granddaughters who made her the excited new owner of this wonderful one of kind bracelet.  A talented artist, our very own Cloudburst,  who knows that Snowy River found its rightful owner.  It doesn't  get better than that! 

60+ Mile Per Hour Winds And Pow Wows Don't Mix Well! But All Is Well!

Both my Etsy and Artfire stores are now on vacation while I untangle this unwelcome mixture. We got hit by 60+ mile per hour winds at our Pow Wow in Lincoln, NE on Saturday late afternoon.

A 30% chance of rain had been predicted for the area. However, the high winds that came up were not predicted and came with no notice.

Needless to say, our product will be needing great attention for the next couple of days and then we have to prepare for our trip to Indian Market in Santa Fe.

We predict that we will be able to save about 85% of our inventory.  Some is somewhere in Lincoln or the surrounding area (blew away), some has water damage beyond redemption.

This was our worst disaster in seven years of vending at outdoor events. If any of these thoughts might help you plan for outdoor events, then that is another upside to the experience.

Facts Learned:

1. Two people can not "man" 2 10'X10' tents.

2. Tents made 7 years ago are better than those available today. Our old tried

and true tent made it fine. The one we purchased this year is probably trash.

3. There are still wonderful people in this universe. Without the help of a young man and his wife, our losses would have been far more severe. They appeared out of no where. They got drenched to the bone as did we. They exerted great physical demands to hold the tents down. They helped chase and collect drenched product. Our gratitude is enternal for these real life Angels.

4. Patrick (son) was hit in the eye by sailing debris...his injury is not severe....thank goodness. He also has a major bruise on his leg where he was exerting pressure on a tent leg to stabilize it. One other venor was injured by flying debris but,like Patrick, her injuries were not severe. So we are very thankful.  Products can be replaced....personal injury....not so good.

5. Jewelry is forgiving. Fabric not so much. We carry a line of T Shirts, totes, wool purses, blankets, ball caps, etc. I want to continue them but will be contemplating another way of displaying them.

6. Velour covered display units are sponges! Last night I covered the dining table with the protective mats and have them lined up drying. A hair dryer has helped with this process. Most can be salvaged.

7. Straw baskets (unless totally natural)bleed very ugly water when drenched.  We will be trading straw baskets out for plastic. While not as attractive, functionality must be considered for those brave enough to do outdoor events.

8. Don't take more product to a show than you think you can reasonably sell.  It has always just been easier for me to take a lot of back up inventory than to regret not having it. However, the more you have, the more you have to deal with getting loaded into the van in pouring rain. I will be re-thinking this issue.

9. Always take plenty of towels, Sham Wows, etc. with you...We keep a container with drop cloths, plastic parkas, towels, etc. But this came up too quickly to be able to use any of it other than the towels after the storm blew over. When your product is whirling past you, there is no time to deal with drop cloths or put on  rain gear.

10. Never an ill wind blows that does not remind one of good fortune. While disappointed and saddened at our losses both in product and loss of revenue from not being able to vend on Sunday, we are thankful that no one was seriously hurt and that there are still good people who have no vested interest around to help when you are in dire straits.

It is all osda (good).

Sorting and drying call.....