Show and Tell: Two-Fer

This week’s Show and Tell is a two-fer. First, I reveal the prize for guessing the prize for guessing. Or, Show and Tell: Bridge, part 4. Next, I show an alternate prize.

At the last Show and Tell, I revealed the true height of the vase that Lori from Weebles Wobblog, All Thumbs Reviews, and Drama 2B Mama won when she correctly guessed that my Show and Tell about a bridge took place in Budapest. I asked people to guess the height of the vase, and everyone overestimated the size, from 250% to 370% too large.

Wishing 4 One was the closest, and won a vase for herself. However, since she lives in Egypt and mailing breakable packages can be difficult, I gave her the option of a vase or another prize such as a wish. She figured out a way to ship the vase, but I thought I would show you what her alternate prize would have been. First, here is the vase.

That is a glaze that I created myself, and have struggled with for over a year. Sometimes it looks fantastic, and sometimes there are major problems. But, it turned out pretty well on that vase — not the glaze I intended, but still nice. It’s more blue in real life.

One of the alternate prizes I offered to Wishing 4 One was a wish at a special wishing location, since I was on the other side of the world at the time — after all, her blog is called Wishing 4 One. Last month, I wrote a post about different wishes I have made through the years. I did make a wish for myself at this special place, Sensoji, the oldest temple in Tokyo. This wishing area is in the Buddhist temple, but it is adjacent to a Shinto shrine. I bet you can guess what I wished for.

Here is the wooden grate through which you throw your coin before making your wish.

And here you can see some other people making their wishes. Most people put their hands together in prayer position and bowed while wishing, as the woman on the right of the photo is doing.

It is interesting to go as a tourist to a place that is holy to some but not to you. Churches throughout the world where some come to look and some come to worship. Walking up stairs alongside pilgrims who are climbing the hundreds of stairs on their knees. In this case, walking under a giant red lantern, passing through a pedestrian market full of shops, past a Shinto shrine, through a large cloud of incense smoke, into a Buddhist temple. Learning my “fortune” on a lark rather than because I actually believe in what the paper will say. Making a wish without confidence that the act of wishing has any meaning anymore.

To celebrate the first day of IComLeavWe and make it easy for commenters, I will throw out a question: If you had a choice between a little vase and a wish made for you, which would you choose?

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