Flame Tree Arts Festival

Dear Friends, Family, & Readers:

This will be a somewhat shorter blog post as there is not a whole lot to say. This past week/weekend was the Flame Tree Arts Festival on Saipan at American Memorial Park.
As I said previously I wanted to go find a story board, but did not have much success. There was one small board for $75 but it did not captivate me with its carving so I gave up trying to find a board despite the unique cultural significance. I then almost bought a painting that was done on a leaf. It was of a palm tree sunset but my wife convinced me that he was asking for too much and that leaves on the wall were just too weird. Heeding her advice I was rather distraught for a while thinking that I wouldn't find anything, but then came to find a flower pot for $10 that was on sale at a pottery stand. The artists selling the pottery were from Southern High School on the island! The picture I have posted doesn't do its beauty justice as it is a rather dark picture that doesn't show you the unique blues and greens in the pot itself. When I bring it back to the states you may admire it at that time. The turtle carved into the clay is just awesome. I am soon to plant a flame tree seed or two inside of it to see if it will grow. I will let you know how that goes! The thing I like most about it is that it has a turtle on it, the color, the small starfish on the other side, and that it says "Saipan" in large letters across it. It will remind me of the beauty of Saipan always. Kara also managed to find something the first night of the event which went on for a few days. Kara bought some hand made ear rings from a woman who started making them for fun. The artist said that she worked at the local hospital as a nutritionist and was glad we were enjoying island life.
At the festival there were also local dances I have posted a few pictures and will describe them to you as best as I remember them. There were performances by many age groups and cultures. Food vendors were also present at the event but not as many as were at Taste of the Marianas a couple weeks previous. My next post will be about local things I find amusing or that we have dealt with in our first year on the island and perhaps some more WWII stuff that I have to research before I write about it. Until then enjoy the photos!

Sincerely, Grant

Picture 1: Tahitian Dancers on Stage
Picture 2: An Asian dancer doing the "Dance of the Moon Gods" (I think that was the title the singing was in a foreign language so I could be wrong)
Picture 3: KJ and I sitting on the ground in front of the stage. The back ground is dark because I used the flash...
Picture 4: My flower pot (a very poor picture of it that doesn't do it justice)

Saipan Time: