Back on Maple Ridge

When I went to Wisconsin, I stayed with my very dear friend Kathryn. Kathryn happens to have just moved into the house where I lived as a young child, from age 3-6; a grand old farmhouse on the top of a windy ridge in the middle of nowhere and yet the center of so much south-western Wisconsin. Pulling up in the yard after my 20+ hours of first-time-solo driving across the country, I was overwhelmed with a strange feeling of coming home and yet being entirely unaccustomed to the place.


That house holds so many vague memories of my early childhood, half remembered, more images than anything else. It is something like my version of Plato's ideal chair - when I hear "stairs" I see the dark wood staircase with the landing that we sat on with out stockings on Christmas morning. "Porch" brings to mind the wrap around porch where the dog had her puppies.


Have you ever had the experience of sleeping in the room you slept in as a 5 year old? I never thought I would, but there I was! The wall paper my mother put up for me was there still, the hole in the closet that peeked into my sister's closet was still open. The large mural of apples my mother painted on the dining room wall was unfortunately gone. I think Kathryn would have liked those.

Home to Stay (for a while, at least!)

Around 42 hours of driving, give or take a few minutes. That is how long it took to get all the way to and from LaFarge, Wisconsin, my final destination on this latest jaunt.

10 hours got me to Cleveland, Ohio where I had the pleasure of joining in the work of the Lakeshore office of the Barack Obama Campaign for Change. I was there for two days - a bit of canvassing, calling some phone lists, and handing out free Jay-Z tickets were just a few of the goings on in which I was able to participate. I find it very interesting that every one of the main core of volunteers I met at the office was from out of state - New York, Chicago, California, Washington, Texas, and Washington DC were all represented and each of these terrific people amazed me with their long, dedicated volunteer work. It really is amazing how inspired people are by Obama, and the people I met were all just the friendliest, hardworking, fun, and generous group.


It was hard to leave them to travel on, but I am so very glad I did because staying with Kathryn and Keith in their big farmhouse was fabulous (if slightly chilly!). And seeing Kathryn's terrific shop and spending some time sitting together and working, just like the old days of the costume business, were so wonderful.

I was able to finish C.'s hat (finally) with Kathryn's assistance, and am inspired to try a couple new knitting projects. I am also feeling the urge to break out the felting needles again, and then there are the projects I have been slowly chipping away at for the past couple months. I feel that this time at home will be well filled. How nice it is to look forward to...

Fall Festivals

I started writing this a few days ago, when I got home from the first fall Arts Festival. And then I probably fell asleep, since that is pretty much all I was good for the last few evenings. I am currently back in Stowe, getting set up for our second festival! The good times never end! But here is a bit about the first one...


We are right in the middle of the Fall Arts Festivals. The first was this past weekend, the Hildene Fall Arts Festival in Manchester, Vt. - the same place where the Southern Vermont festival was held in August.


I got a rough start on Thursday - setup day -, becoming ridiculously lost on my way to pick up cheese for the new Vermont Cheese, Beer, and Sausage Tent. After 45 minutes of back and forth and all around (in my defense, the construction worker I asked for directions sent in the completely wrong direction), I found the cheese and then had a lovely 2 hour drive to the festival grounds. Turns out the cheese selection was Bonne Bouche and Chevre. Stinky! It was a gorgeous trip, however, through the flaming red and gold Green Mountains.


By the time I got there, the rain and wind had also arrived and the temperature was cold cold cold! This general nastiness continued through Friday, but a surprising number of people braved the weather and came to the show. The die-hard Art Festival Patrons! We applaud you!



Saturday the wind was still around and the cold hadn't given up either, but we had loads of people! I worked the front gate, and man was it busy! When I finally took a break, I could hardly walk through the tents because there were so many people. It makes me so very happy that so many will come to an Arts Festival. And they come from a long ways away too - 2 or 3 hours often!



Sunday was quieter, but still busy. We ran out of show programs in the afternoon and some customers were annoyed, but what could we do? We printed several thousand copies! I guess that's just a sign of a successful show!



I headed out Sunday evening pretty much as soon as the gates closed. A benefit of being festival administration is I don't have to hang around for the cleanup. Instead I get to go to work in the office early the next morning, to get ready for the next show!


This festival certainly tired me out, but I also feel more on top of things than at the summer shows. I know how we work now - I have some experience - and when I answer questions they can actually be helpful answers instead of only pointing out someone else to ask.



The closing moments of the festival were graced with a fabulous rainbow that truly and honestly ended right in our parking lot. I was too tired to go collect the pot of gold.

Shmap!

Sounds like some sort of science fiction laser gun - schmap! schmap! aha! But actually its a pretty neat travel/information guide online at schmap.com and they are using one of my photos for the Union Oyster House in Boston! Its somewhere down there, in that cluster of dots there. They used a lot of other photos too, but its fun to see my picture in an official atmosphere! And these look like really cool maps. Lots of info. Check it out!

Festivals #2 and #3

Festival #2 was the Southern Vermont Arts Festival, held right outside Manchester, VT, and the Hildene's Meadow - a beautiful field on the Lincoln Family estate (Abe's son lived there). I didn't get a chance to visit the house, now a museum, but have heard it is wonderful.


The festival was terrific. An awful lot of work (I was thoroughly exhausted at the end of the day, mainly just from talking to so many people!). But really a lot of fun as well. There are so many amazing exhibitors, and their work is just incredible.



Festival #3 was a last minute super-surprise! A brand new music festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center found itself with no art exhibitor coordinators just days before the show. Step up Craftproducers! We were able to organize a really great mix of artists for the show, and we got to go enjoy the festival! Gillian Welsh, Steve Earl, the Swell Season, Levon Helm, and, get this, Bob Dylan. It was pretty awesome. I didn't get photos of the exhibitors, but here's one of the stage!

#200

Sign seen on my drive home from Syracuse this past weekend:


A message I fully support. Now if only I could remember to make it over to the farmer's market...!

New Taste of Stowe - Part II

I made it to the field about 10am on Thursday, in time for the exhibitor check in. It was really great to finally meet in person and put faces to all those names I have been seeing over the past several months at this job. Not so great were the heavy rainclouds that hung persistently about and periodically dropped buckets of rain on our heads and on the festival field and all the gravel (subsequently mud) roads throughout. It was a fairly dismal day, made exciting by events but with an ever-present fear that this might just be the weekend's forecast.




Imagine our feelings of relief when 6am the following morning brought bright blue skys and mountains glistening from the overnight thunderstorm. Friday was a gorgeous day. We finished the set up and the public began to arrive as soon as the gates were open. It was not a mad crowd, that would have been an unusual - although certainly acceptable - turn of events for a Friday morning. But it was satisfactory. This was our first festival of the season, but some of the exhibitors reported that at other festivals, attendance has been down by some 20-50%. We had significantly better results than those, but the current economic situation was apparent. Interesting how that works.


I spent most of Friday touring the tents, meeting and chatting with exhibitors. There are some really wonderful people who attend this show - I am looking forward to seeing several of them again in Manchester, VT next weekend!



Saturday, I had to make a trip to Syracuse, New York to visit another festival - it was a big weekend!

They say the neon lights are bright...

...on Broadway!



For Christmas this year, C and I decided to go to Broadway. We chose Phantom of the Opera, the longest running show on Broadway, and am I ever glad we did. It was magic, pure magic. That music!

photo from Sarah Brightman: A Biography

This was my favorite part, when the lights rise slowly out of the mist. It actually brought tears to my eyes.

I can't wait to go back - Les Miserables (is it closing? I think so and am so disappointed), La Boheme, The Lion King, Spamalot... anyone want to sponsor me?!

Seashore beauty

I realize that these shells are hardly rare, but for a midwestern girl they are still so special! These were picked up along a beach somewhere close to Boston, a sort of random beach along a busy road. Not the sort of beach one would choose as a destination. But I was determined to put my feet in the ocean, so I walked along (the water was cold) and found some shells. I also found a little hermit crab and a deceased other-type-of-crab. That was about all the wildlife this particular beach supported, but it was enough to satisfy me, for a while at least!

And I just love the colors of these shells, no matter if they are prized specimens or not.

What a Place!

Possibly the highlight of our day in Salem (besides the seafood fettuccini and the "Far Side" loving waiter at the perfect restaurant) was the book store on the Salem Mall. Books stacked from floor to ceiling, piles and piles with narrow alleys winding through the shop - and everything at half-price.



Realizing that if we let ourselves really look we would leave with an entire library, we began to search for the cashier. With the sound of his voice he directed us to the counter - a narrow slit between piles, big enough to slide a few dollars through.



I commented to the shopkeeper on his abundance and he said I should have seen it before they started liquidating.

Home again, home again... or almost

Well, I'm just about home. Back in the United States, heading home in a couple days. Belize was amazing - I taught art for four days to some really incredible children (the fifth day we went on a field trip - yikes!). There were about 140 of them in all, divided into four groups, so it was a lot of work. The youngest were about 3, and the oldest were maybe 15, with a general array in-between. Facilities were sad - rat poo on the rickety benches and a red ant infestation in our original classroom. And it was amazingly hot. But the kids were polite and helpful, and they totally got into each project and were excited and friendly and talented. I feel so lucky to have had the chance to visit and work with these people, and I hope to return!






Loads more pictures here, and more stories to come, if y'all don't mind...?

Packin' up my bags...

I'm heading off to Belize for two weeks to teach art at a summer camp. This evening we packed up about 10 suitcases full of art supplies - I hope the kids have fun 'cause I know I sure will! Paint and felt and brushes and an absurd amount of scissors. Enough glue to - oh I don't know, but a LOT! Beads and paper and pipecleaners and tape tape tape. Its kinda like my own idea of heaven.

Anyway, I''ll be back when I'm back, with lots of pictures and more kiddie art stories.

One of the coolest things is we are taking lots of cameras - apparently donated by Kodak - and letting the kids take pictures. Then we will set them up with penpals in the states and they can send pictures of themselves!

Now I'm really leaving.

Ciao!