I first saw Albert the Alligator at the 2005 Midwest Weavers Conference at Lakeland College near Sheboygan, WI. Lila had entered him in the individual member exhibit, and although this tapestry did not receive a ribbon, it was totally Lila—a billedvev done to perfection of this rather endearing “monster”inspired by Albert the Alligator, a real alligator who made his annual appearance at the Minnesota State Fair and was known to sit on his trainer’s lap reading a book, so Lila told me. In the tapestry Lila had added a number of whimsical characteristics to Albert such as a little fire breathing and plaque on his teeth—Lila was especially fond of the plaque she had put on Albert’s teeth. She initially felt that having Albert displayed in a dental office would have been perfect.
I asked Lila if she would consider selling “him”, but she told me Albert wasn’t ready to leave home yet. Furthermore, she was at a point in her life where she was not going to sell him, but barter a trade. And what kinds of trades had she previously made? The most recent had been for a catered dinner party at her home for good-sized group—the number 24 guests is in my head—that may not be accurate, but it was a large group. It seemed way out of my ability to come up with an appropriate trade for Albert. I had taken a billedvev tapestry course from Lila at Vesterheim, and I was well aware of how much time and skill went into Albert not to mention the cost of the materials.
A couple of months later, Lila emailed me saying that she was coming to Decorah for the Norwegian Textile Conference and she would bring Albert with her. Was I still willing to barter? You bet! I emailed back a list of possibilities, and during the conference Lila and her good friend Marianne Vigander came to our house for an evening waffle supper so they could try some of our maple syrup and raspberry sauce.
My husband and I live in an old log house in a wooded valley and have always enjoyed gardening and I guess you would say “homesteading activities”. So my portion of the barter was for items that we produced in our valley. The final trade: 4 quarts of maple syrup, 1 pint of honey, 1 pint of raspberry sauce, 2 cups of granola, 1 cup of dried morels, 4 one-pound packages of frozen venison, 2 loaves of homemade bread, 1 packet of basil pesto, 3 containers of homemade cookies, 1 decorative gourd, 1 butternut squash, 3 onions, 2 pounds of carrots, and 10 potatoes. I also sent Lila and Marianne back to the hotel with waffles and syrup for breakfast the next day.
From later conversation I think that Lila was quite pleased with our trade. I certainly was. Whenever I look at Albert hanging on our wall, I think of a most kind, generous, dedicated, creative and amazing woman, Lila Nelson. May we all follow in her footsteps.