A few years ago I began a quest to spot a fairy. To learn fairy lore I began a Fairy Master Apprenticeship under my mother, renown Fairy Master Ann Dorsey. For a couple of years I was relentless in that quest. YouTube videos I made of my search got five and even ten thousand views, like this video which has almost 10,000 views.
I learned many lessons in that journey. For example, these lessons from wandering the garden of Betty Dorotik with Betty and my Fairy Master mom.
My search for fairies took me far and wide including some research in the deep south. In May, 2021, I was able to attend a church planting assessment in Charlotte, South Carolina. The first evening, before they church planters arrived, the assessors introduced themselves to each other by sharing one thing that was unique or interesting about them. When it came to me, I shared that I was “a Fairy Master Apprentice” under my Fairy Master Mother and that I was on a search to spot a fairy. The seasoned church leaders in the circle looked at me dumbfounded. One later said he thought I was referring to Ferries in Puget Sound that carry cars back and forth. After an awkward silence and some giggles, I went on to explain my passion to spot a fairy. Let’s just say that there was a good bit of laughter, a slight bit of mocking, spiced up by some credulity. I was unfazed. However, after introductions a young couple – JP and Laura Sibley – came up to me in private and shared that they too were quite interested in fairies and even had some “fairy houses” at their home. I was even able to do a little video of them that you will find, I’m sure, quite illuminating. You can watch it by clicking here.
A few months after that trip to Charlotte, my wife, Jenny, and I found ourselves staying in the delightful apartment next to the home of Randy and his beautiful wife Joan Nabors in Chattanooga, TN.
Randy is a seasoned presbyterian pastor who specializes in urban ministry. He and Joan were at the May Church Planting Assessment in Charlotte. But he certainly didn’t show any interest in or knowledge of fairies. However, we noticed in their apartment a number of indications of an interest in fairies. I took these pictures there.
Visiting with them that evening, I confronted Randy on what seemed to be an interest in fairies, wondering if he could help me on my quest. Behind his gruff New Jersey exterior, Randy revealed a quite extensive knowledge of urban fairies, and possibly even has sighted a few himself in his long-lifetime. I was able to capture Randy’s insight on a video that you can watch here.
There is one last thing I must note. The facilitator at the Church Planting Assessment center was a gal named MaryEllen Garofalo. Though not based in the south (at the time she and her husband were church planting in Jersey City), and though she may have been one of the assessors who laughed at my search for fairies and may have even mocked a bit, she did have a change of heart. I’m not sure what brought it about. Maybe it was my sincerity or earnestness. Maybe it was the long cross-country trip she and her husband Santo took. In any case, on that trip, Mary Ellen began to see signs of fairy activity and she began to send me pictures of what she saw. Here are just a few examples. I share this story to say that even cynics and sceptics (are you one?) can have a change of heart!
I felt like I was onto something in regards to southern fairies. But at the time I was working diligently on Season Six of my fairy sightings based on remarkable footage I had taken on the Pacific Crest Trail in the Cascade Mountains. Here for example is Episode Two.
And here for example is Episode Four featuring the Husky Silva.
I was working on this series of videos in the winter of this year. But then, alas, my computer crashed and I lost everything on my hard drive. Some of the work that I lost was all the videos that I has collected for season six. That was very discouraging.
At the same time I was dealing with that discouragement, I was falling in love with the sport of pickleball. I share that story here. https://sunnyshorestudio.com/2022/08/09/how-pickleball-saved-my-life/
For all the health and happiness pickleball brought into my life, if I must make an honest assessment, it did distract me from my search for fairies.
So distracted was I, that I forgot about a video – truly remarkable footage – sent me from my pastoral colleague JP Sibley. It seems that JP was so inspired by my quest to spot a fairy, that he began a search of his own with some extraordinary findings. He sent that video to me, but I was busy with Season Six, then after the computer crash, busy with pickleball until I plain ole forgot about the video, and forgot about my own quest for fairies, and forgot about the solemn pledge I made to my Fairy Master Mother to be diligent and unwavering.
Then, by chance as it were, cleaning out my files, I stumbled upon the remarkable footage shot by JP. Watching it again, I berated myself for not bringing this to the light of day sooner. I quickly reached out to JP to see if he wanted to be an Apprentice to a Fairy Master Apprentice. He’s thinking about that. Meanwhile, I’m doing some last touch ups of the footage and will present it to the world as soon as I am able.
Here is a simple screen shot of the opening footage which I just can’t wait to show you.
