My dad was a wrecker man. even when he wasnt driving his tow truck, he always carried a tow rope in the back of his pickup.. growing up, it was common to have him tow complete strangers out of ditches, to gas stations (this was back when us 5 kids would ride in the bed of the truck into town from our house in the country). A few years back, we where cleaning out what was left in dads house, we found his old tow rope. We wrapped it around the base of the tree in his treehouse & nailed it down. A constant reminder that helping strangers is something you just do. and you teach your kids to do. (the treehouse would not exist if it where not for the helpfulness of strangers)So when @emily_katz came to camp this weekend on her @modernmacrame tour, she wanted to create a piece for camp.She chose the treehouse to weave in. I told her the story of the rope- It's rough & grisly & old, smeared in motor oil from years in a mechanics shop- like our bearded dad was. She cut some rope off & wove it into a beautiful gift that could never have been bought. Scraggly hairs poking through those pristine white braided knots.Instead of choosing a branch to weave onto- we walked the rooms until she spotted the tambourine in the lodge & said thats it. (it was a local flea find, so many guests have used it from @corinnebaileyrae to toddler guests)She taught charlie to knot (last shot),wove this amazing piece & told us the story of how her mom taught her to macrame. I cant decide where to hang it, i want to look & be reminded of how many people have played it in the past 80yrs. I want to be reminded of what a tow rope means. To be reminded that we all need one, that we are better when we try to be one, & at our absolute best when we can learn how to accept one when its offered. Emily had the idea that people can still play it, & that its a piece of living art. For us- the best things are the practical, functional and have real meaning-So when you come visit us next, whatever wall you find it hanging on, feel free to give our little tow-rope tamborine a shake for good luck.Thank you, Emily for weaving our story & memories into this little musical talisman #