50 SHADES OF GREY

BY E.L. JAMES

TABLE DECORATORS: ROBIN BROBST, TERRIE FRAHM, AND JENNY HIGHUM

Our team of book lovers are so happy to do another table for the Library Foundation and support their expansion. Once again, we are building our table around a book that has been banned in many libraries. We feel that when a book is banned based on someone else's values it narrows all of our own views of life and strips us of exercising our own personal choices. The content of a controversial book can be used to start a discussion and to open our minds. Fifty Shades of Grey will never, in our opinion, be considered a classic. It can even be argued that it is a book that rose to popularity because of peoples prurient curiosity. Our opinion of that argument is "excellent" because curiosity requires us to suspend judgment. When we suspend judgment we open ourselves to empathy and acceptance. Acceptance leads to respecting someone else's values even when they differ from your own. We see books as a powerful tool that introduces us to others experiences, feelings and values.

Table includes:

One night at The Nightingale Motel (based on availability);

$50 Drink gift certificate to Neon Mallard;

Waterford Crystal champagne glasses (2);

Veuve Cliquot Champagne;

Hammered stainless steel champagne bucket;

Lead free crystal vase;

Queen size satin sheets;

Down alternative bed pillows (4);

Down alternative Queen size duvet;

Faux fur throw;

Bamboo foldable bed tray;

Wrought Iron free standing coat rack;

Ladies satin robe;

Silk sleep mask;

Mens cotton robe;

Fifty Shades trilogy of books;

Adventurous couples play things.

DONATED BY THE COMMUNITY:

Custom iron scroll work Queen canopy bed frame (Donated by Terrie and Chuck Frahm);

Sheer curtains for canopy (Donated by Terrie and Chuck Frahm);

Nightstand (Donated by Terrie and Chuck Frahm);

Alley House Grille Gift Certificate - Value $200 (Donated by Joni and Mary Rose, co-owners of Alley House Grille);

Couples massage (Donated by Elly Osmera and Sabra Lopez);

Manicure and pedicure (Donated by Alexa Martinez at Queen Bee Facial Studio);

Queen Bee Facial Studio massage oils (Donated by the Queen herself, Lynne Killey).

Total value - $2250

THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO

BY: CHRISTY LEFTERI

TABLE DECORATOR: BLUE LINDNER AND NICOLE PITCHER

This novel follows the tragic and grief-stricken escape of a beekeeper and his artist wife leaving a violent, war-torn Syria. The bees represent symbiotic relationships, compassion, peace, and a world-in-balance before the war. Bees concentrate the beauty of nature-in-balance into the exquisite nectar called honey. This table celebrates these awesome creatures and our ambition for peace.

Why support the library? It's like a hive at the heart of a community, producing honey for us all. It's a window into understanding the world if we open ourselves to it. Someone once said, if you want to know if a community is healthy, go to the library. The library will tell you everything you need to know. It's time for us to tend to the hive to make sure it can keep producing honey for years to come.

Table includes:
A Copy of The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
4 French Bee Tumblers
4 French Bee Wineglasses
20 Piece Honeybee Dinnerware
4 Bee Embroidered Linen Napkins
4 Golden Bee Brass Napkin Rings
White ceramic Bee Pitcher
4 strands LED Honeybee Fairy Lights
20 piece champagne brass flatware
Honeybee honey pot
Honeybee Cheese Board
Beeswax candles and crystal candlesticks

Golden Milk Chai made and donated by Earthsense Herbals, LLC.

BEE Kind tin wall art

Local Bee Honey produced in backyard hives of South Pagosa

Also included in this table package:

BEE MINDFUL Local therapist Alyssa Dreher is offering 5 counselling sessions for you or anyone you know who might need a little or a lot of extra support.

BEE BALANCED Pagosa Massage and Bodywork + Movement is offering 10 yoga classes at their studio.

BEE RELAXED Marilyn Krings is offering a massage.

BEE STRONG Cindy Houston is offering a month of free Pilates classes at her studio.

BEE OUTSIDE Pagosa Mountain Sports is offering two same day e-bike rentals OR four same day hardtail mountain bike rentals

BEE on the RIVER Pagosa Outside is offering four tube rentals to enjoy on the San Juan River

BEE BRAVE Get your hands into the hive with a guided inspection with amateur beekeepers in downtown Pagosa. Safety gear included.

BEE GENEROUS Jann C Pitcher Real Estate is offering a matching bid to the library for whatever the winning bid is for this table.

Total value:$1,978

We hope you can come bid on our table, but your votes are also very much appreciated!

DEATH ON THE NILE

BY: AGATHA CHRISTIE

TABLE DECORATOR: CYNTHIA MITCHELL

Since its humble beginnings in a two-room partition of the old city hall, the Ruby Sisson Library has always strived to become a state-of-the-art facility and continues to do so today. The Library's need for additional room and expansion of services is testimony to its resounding success. I am proud to take part in this endeavor.

Death On The Nile, by Agatha Christie, was among the first mystery and detective stories that I enjoyed many years ago. The twists and turns of fate of a group of privileged travelers is as intriguing today as it was when first published. It begs the question, "Who is the mysterious killer and how did he/she do it?" Only the clever detective Hercule Poirot has the answer!

Table includes:

$200 gift certificate to Meander Riverside Eatery for hungry travelers;

Full set of Villa Della Luna plates, bowls, mugs, and platter for eight;

Kook stemless iridescent champaigne flutes for eight;

Matte gold stainless steel silverware for eight;

Egyptian papyrus paper bookmarks;

Egyptian tablecloth and napkins;

Bronze vase;

Ancient Egyptian figurines;

Book "Death on the Nile and Other Hercule Poirot Mysteries" by Agatha Christie.

THE GREAT GATSBY

BY: F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

TABLE DECORATOR: GINA BOAZ

"He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself." The Great Gatsby

Like Jay Gatsby, I have a great amount of hope in the future, and access to books and knowledge is so important in my opinion, especially for our youth. Being a former school teacher of 22 years, I was very impressed with last year's fundraiser, "The Library Affair". So this year I created my own table; I chose The Great Gatsby for a few reasons: my love of anything vintage, the poetic literature and the characters that Fitzgerald created, and of course, the bling and the bubbly, and the joy that thinking of the 1920's creates in one's mind and spirit.

I created a presentation for the auction that revolves around an art deco cake which will be created by Vanilla Pine Design. The gold and sterling silver dishes rest upon a beautiful table cloth with some fancy decor and fancy accessories for the ladies such as pearl and gold necklaces, vintage earrings, long black gloves and fan, and a vintage purse. Gold rimmed champagne and whiskey glasses are ready for a nice bottle of champagne donated by Mountain Spirits and a bottle of moonshine donated by Silver Dollar Liquor. The Speakeasy in Durango, The Bookcase and the Barber, also donated a $25 gift certificate. And yes, it gets even better! Our amazing local musician, Bob Hemenger, has donated an hour-long private concert!

Thanks so much for your time and consideration in raising money for our local library, and please take a moment if possible to donate!

Thanks old sport … and CHEERS!

Gina Boaz

SECOND HAND ROSE

BY: LIN STEPP

TABLE DECORATORS: KIM MOORE AND THE LIBRARY AFFAIR PLANNING COMMITTEE

This book shares a single widowed mother of three with a business to run, debts to pay and life to handle and a shop that she loves. Her life, friends, family and business at Second Hand Rose are intertwined with the hope of love and a life with excitement!!!

My story began with the generous gift to our library committee of two boxes of the most beautiful china that were kindly donated by a woman who shared her mother's set of dishes and set me off on a mission to find a way to display them with a theme befitting their legacy. I discovered that they are a Limoges China pattern from 1910 that are hand painted with delicate flowers that inspired me to create a table setting befitting a Country French theme.

From the day we received this generous donation, I had only a few days to bring this setting together. I decided to use the many thrift stores in our local community to bring this table to life and build on the theme of Second Hand Rose. The help of our committee and the generosity of our community created this elegant table that has emerged into a beautiful and fresh table setting for 8 that would befit a lovely French garden estate.

Our table has 8 hand painted dinner plates, 8 salad plates, 8 tea cups and saucers and matching tea pot and sugar bowl, 8 cut glass wine/water glasses, set of silver plate silverware for 8, an oriental terrine with an arrangement of silk flowers, a white table cloth with satin design and matching napkins, and a table runner that brings out the design of the green vines that are delicately painted throughout the floral pattern of the dishes.

Generous add-ons to this bright and elegant table are: $100 Gift certificate from Upscale Resale, $100 Gift certificate from Refurnish Pagosa or Pike Furniture, One hour therapeutic massage from All About You Day Spa and a $25 gift certificate from the Rose Restaurant.

Join us in voting for this one of a kind table that brings beauty and life to your entertaining table to share with your friends and family.

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

BY: DELIA OWENS

TABLE DECORATORS: JEAN BRITTINGHAM AND KIM MOORE

"Marsh is not a swamp. Marsh is a space of light, where grass grows in water, and water flows into the sky. Slow-moving creeks wander, carrying the orb of the sun with them to the sea..."

"Then within the marsh, here and there, true swamp crawls into low-lying bogs, hidden in clammy forests..."

- Prologue from Where the Crawdads Sing

For our table-setting design, we wanted to depict the beauty of the marsh as Kya saw it.

A centerpiece of Kya's home, the swamp, the marsh, and the shore where the marsh meets the sea was created by Jean. It depicts the place where Kya experienced love, abuse, and abandonment. As a child on her own, Kya learned about life from the creatures of the marsh. She not only survived but thrived, found love, and became her own true self. The dock and the boat are included, her only form of transportation. The beach at one end has the quilt where Kya and Tate celebrated her birthday. The beach at the other end has a campfire, representing Kya's time with Chase. Fireflies abound over the marsh and the swamp; an insect Kya knew well.

The tablecloth shows the movement of the water in the marsh. The dishes we chose show the colors of the marsh -the beautiful light teal blue of the water - the brown on the edges - the color of the mud in the sea grasses. The flatware is the golden color of the sun on the water. The napkins have marsh creatures - sea birds, crawdads, fish, crabs, sea grass, and shells. The napkin rings are the beautiful dragonflies. The placemats are made from dried sea grasses.

More fireflies are lighting the teal goblets. Mussel shells, her only source of income, Pecten shells, driftwood, sea glass and small teal limpet shells are scattered on the table, representing the beauty of the marsh. Seabird feathers are included, a symbol of the love between Kya and Tate. Around the goblets hang the necklace Kya made for Chase. It is a Pectin ornatus shell which to Kya initially meant love and ultimately - betrayal. Beneath the centerpiece is a baguette dough bowl that can be used separately to create different centerpieces, adding beauty and versatility. At each place setting is a bookmark with the poem "The Firefly", written by Kya and in the end - read by Tate. The discovery of truth.

Kim and Jean met as Real Estate Brokers with EXIT Realty. They have not only worked together in the real estate business since 2016, but they have also supported each other in various fund raisers for their community. Kim is currently a member of the Library Foundation Board. Jean loves to watercolor paint, likes to take on artistic challenges, and knew the exact book she wanted to portray in the table setting. A perfect team!

Please vote for our table setting! Your donation will help the Ruby Sisson Library expansion!