A side trip

On my way home from the pool yesterday I spotted a small sign on the side of the road with an arrow saying that there was an exhibition being held.  What kind of exhibition, where the exhibition might be, the sign didn't say.  I followed the arrow down the road and just as I was about to give up and turn around spotted another sign and arrow and headed into the hills and finally came across some older men eager to direct me to a parking lot.  

"Well, I guess I'm here though I don't know where "here" is.  And I can't very well just pull out of the parking lot with these old guys so happy to see me."

I got out of the car and followed more arrows to an old Japanese house and a corner of the grounds bustling with older ladies.  I still don't really know what the group was, but they cheerfully welcomed me and directed me into the old house.

I have a feeling that this was an exhibition held by a day care center and their sponsors and that the older people do a type of sewing using Japanese fabrics and recycled kimonos.  The work was exquisite, so how much was done by the sponsors and teachers and how much was done by the actual older women I'm not sure...  The Japanese house was very dark so photographing was a challenge but maybe you'll get the idea.  I really should have taken more pictures of all the fabric flowers and hanging Girls' Day decorations but the amount was overwhelming!

Look at this pretty little scene.  It was set up on an old Japanese style dresser of dark wood.  There seems to be a story going on there though I'm not sure what it could be...

Let's see.  Some little Buddhist acolytes making a trek to a temple perhaps?  They are carrying their prayer beads.

Oh, and here we have the Buddhist monks themselves going out on their rounds while apprentice monks sweep the temple grounds.  Cheery little people aren't they!

 This lovely bouquet of camellias was made of fabric flowers and real branches of leaves.

Outside was a trellis of fabric morning glories...and a fabric cat.  (I have the same cat at home.)

There was a curtain of these "drying persimmons" made of all shades of orange fabric you can imagine.  Japanese traditionally dry persimmons in just this way by tying the stems onto strings.  Here the persimmons themselves are fabric but the stem parts were from actual persimmon fruit.

There were a couple of booths selling hand made goods and I purchased some tiny origami earrings made of paper.

That was an unexpected side trip! Pretty good for the back roads of my little town!