So a month into this new year and things are rolling along quite nicely. Construction, music and smiles are on the increase while drama, destruction and frowns are on the wane. More and more we hear about what an amazing space we have here, how positive the vibe is and how everyone wants to return. We’ve been entertaining large groups and showcasing the talents of some visiting musicians, throwing paint around and sweeping the dirt under the rugs and generally just doing what we want with no interference.
Friday started out a little windy but we knew visitors were expected so we did what we could to tidy up. Always good to have a clean home for guests to admire. A few last minute repair jobs to ready the double-decker for painting on the outside and wallpapering the inside with cardboard to provide sleepover guests with a place to leave their reviews. Roofing over the area between the double-decker and the living room to provide for our next movie night, and the first East Jesus t-shirts popped out of our screen printing shop. As always in the desert the time seems to fly by and before you realize it it’s time for dinner and a free sunset.
The first group to show were old time friends of Charlie’s from Technomania Circus. Based out of the Victory Theater in San Diego these are the kind of people that really get us excited because they like to break down the barriers between performer and audience. Also we like fire and they like to perform with fire and blacklights and singing girls and well, you can guess how cool that can be. They were here to perform in the Slab City Talent Show, a local but widely attended event that happens just a ¼ mile away from our site. Bruce had brought us a gift of 4 old theater seats which we assembled and had made the mistake of camping out in open country near Beale Rd. Our friends could not be allowed such a travesty so we quickly amended the situation and invited them to move onto our campus and enjoy the safety and conveniences of E.J.
The next group to arrive were also from San Diego and when a dozen cars pour into the parking lot in front of the art garden everybody takes notice. The San Diego Urban Exploration Meetup group along with two photography groups totaling some 55 people descended from Salvation Mt. to our little showcase and never stopped asking questions and snapping pictures. I never knew I was so pretty but maybe it was the bottle wall behind me that really captured their attention. Whatever it was they left happy and went on to tell everyone they met about the place. We know because for the rest of the day many camera welding couples arrived and snapped up pictures until the sun had gone.
As per our usual routine we like to poach some of the more talented performers from The Range and bring them over to the music room to perform for a smaller, more appreciative audience. Or you could view it as we don’t want to get out of the hammock to hear live music. So it was no big surprise for Sue to jump up in mid conversation and exclaim, “That’s Kylie, she’s good!” and go running off. Sure enough she drove back with two happy-to-be-kidnapped girls and their instruments. Miss Campion graced us with a set of her songs and with her friend Tess were the first people to autograph the inside of the double-decker.
Sunday breakfast was pancakes and plenty of coffee and then our visiting artist Christian and his friends tackled the job of decorating the outside of the double-decker. We opened the art supply tent, showed them where the tools are kept, provided a ladder and set them free with only the instruction to preserve our oft quoted “Nothing ever happens” (until it happens) banner. We turned up the music and the fun started with a brief interlude where Kylie played and some of the residents and visitors got a few free painting lessons. To sum up the weekend, you could say we made some new friends, appreciated some old friends and had a great time. So until something else happens around the place where nothing ever happens, have a great week and come see us some weekend.