Weekend Coffee Share, Mermaid Edition

December 17, 2016 — costuming, cuisine, hair chalk, mermaidcamp, mermaids

hair flip

If we were having coffee today I would tell you how I ended up teaching a holiday session of mermaid camp for a lovely young lady. Some of you have noticed that my blog is officially named mermaidcamp, and may have wondered why. Sit down by the wood stove and put your feet up on the ottoman while I serve you a hot cup of tea, coffee, or holiday cheer. Tell me about your week while I prepare for my young student’s arrival later this morning.

Last week at a holiday gathering a friend told me she thought about buying her 9 year old daughter a mermaid tail for Christmas. I told her that being a mermaid is about so much more than just a tail, and since the child is not a strong swimmer yet it may prove dangerous. I have seen people buy expensive costume tails for kids without thought to how strong one must be to swim dolphin kick. It is no joke. First one needs to be able to handle flippers, then flippers with feet and legs close together. These steps take time and practice. Very few adults swim the butterfly stroke well because it requires strength and coordination.  I tried to convince her mom to outfit her with a merskirt..a tail free costume that clearly indicated life under the sea.  She is an excellent seamstress and costumer who can craft a really custom look for her daughter.  I was able to gift her a big load of sequin fabric for the mer skirt project in return for an agreement to skip the tail this year.  The tail is awkward and hard to construct, but a merskirt is whatever you make it.  Real serious professional mermaids, such as Cate Vail of Sirens Photography in Reno, respect the merskirt. The mermaids up there are sometimes connected to Burning Man, so they take costuming very seriously.  I was lucky to be invited to a fundraising fiesta in Reno where I met many very cool mermaid personas.  The real key is never cut your hair.

mermaids of Reno

mermaids of Reno

mermaids of Reno

mermaids at Atlantis

If we were having coffee I would tell you how one thing lead to another and before long I had decided to take on the task of essential education a mermaid needs before owning a tail.  This morning my little pupil will be at my house while her mom sews her merskirt back at her house.  We will be preparing lunch with a mermaid theme, doing some art work, and chalking her hair.  We have Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson cued up on Alexa so she can read to us while we work.  We will learn all the words to “Under the Sea” by Sebastian the Crab for Karaoke performances later in the day.  When the parents come back in the afternoon we will wow them with our deep knowledge of Neptune and his realm, and some mermaid themed appetizers.  I am pretty sure this will be more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Stick around if you want me to chalk your hair.  I am hoping this will lead to a sincere desire to be in the Tucson Parks and Recreation synchronized swimming program next summer.  The program is excellent, and I believe she would have a great time.  First things first…costuming and initiation, then some serious practice on the swimming skills.  That is how we make mermaids, one child at a time.

Thanks for visiting me today in Tucson. Drop by Diana’s blog to read, write, or shuffle through this week’s offerings.  We thank Diana for keeping the good times rolling every weekend.