New England 3

 

August 4-5, 2023, Friday and Saturday 

Lenox Market was a wash - literally! We set up for 11am and by noon, the skies opened up! We scurried to put up side walls on the canopy but plastic sleeves on 8x10 matted prints were wet. Then the roof started leaking drips and drops which put other art at risk. We ended up packing up between storms and got the heck out of there with a $17 profit. Back home, we spent an hour opening every piece we had and wiped them down with paper towels. Thankfully, only four mattes were ruined on the framed Berkshire Collection. Rich was able to swap out some mattes so that we had a full display for the next day’s market in Lee. As it turned out, it was a gorgeous day weather-wise and other-wise. There was a very good flow of people and they brought their pocketbooks along with their stories and they're praise for Rich’s work. 

Met up with Melissa and Amy at the new Altimony Brewery in Lenox. We talked non-stop for way too long and they were ready to throw us out I'm sure.

August 9, 2023, Wednesday

After sister Terri’s visit and hard work identifying items that could “leave the premises” of our mother’s home, a visit from 1-800-GOT-JUNK was scheduled. What a wonderful way to disburse of unwanted “junk”. Two strong young men came with a big truck that will hold the equivalent of 8 refrigerators. They loaded a truck full of stuff within an hour and went on their merry way. 

 

Waiting for them to arrive...

Xxx

Monitoring what was being removed...

xxx

End result of just the garage...

xxx

August 10-11, 2023, Friday and Saturday

After decades of wearing the same glass frames, I got new ones. It is hard for me to find frames I like so when I found some at Walmart for $9 that fit my face many years ago, I bought a second frame of the same. Well that has sustained me for a very long time, and now I had to take the plunge and buy this ultra- featherweight frame that Queen Elizabeth used to wear! Ha! That did not infuence my decision, as I liked the look, the weight, AND they are lilac purple. 

Xxx

A couple of blogs ago, I mentioned a customer who ordered 4 custom designed Treasure Boxes. I asked her to share pictures of the kids with their boxes and she sent this picture:

xxx

And here’s the niece from Denmark whose dad builds wooden boats at the Viking Museum!! WOW...

xxx

Along with that came another order for a boy who loves baseball and math...

xxx

Beautiful attire on this young woman at the Lee Craft Fair. We had a very successful day and got a couple of orders and commissions. 

August 13-16, 2023 - Royal Mountain Campgrounds

We were delighted to be invited on a camping trip with Rich’s son, Perry and family. They are always on the go and share their excursions on Facebook, so we knew it would be a fun experience. This was our first time camping since we got back East, so we spent the morning loading up with food, clothes, toiletries, etc. It was a perfect weather day. As we got closer and drove through the heavily wooded area, you couldn’t help but notice the disparity of the living conditions - old, worn, dilapidated, even mossy shacks with several cars parked in the yard to large, well groomed, freshly painted structures surrounded by acres of tidy lawns and fields. I have to say that driving through the poor section reminded me of Deliverance.

 

We arrived at the tree-covered Royal Mountain Campgrounds in Johnstown, NY mid-afternoon, got set up and then walked down the road a short distance to Perry’s campsite. Nearby is a horseshoe pit, bocce ball court, pond with a covered bridge and a playground which allows the kids to fish, paddle boat, and swing. The campground buildings are well maintained and the ice cream shop at the entrance has many cozy sitting areas to enjoy your delicious purchase. And they are busy, busy, busy. Many of the vehicles that pulled in for treats had loud mufflers, much like Perry’s 1978 Chevy Blazer which he has been refurbishing all summer. We had a couple of rides on the tailgate taking us to the ice cream joint. 

 

They built a big fire at the end of the day and we sat around chatting with cocktails in hand until 9pm. Late for us...

Day 2 - Another picture perfect day and we drove down the road about 7 miles to Crystal Grove Diamond Mine. We were there to mine for Herkimer diamonds (quartz crystals). This was a first for all of us, so we were all new and learning. It was $10/person and they loaned us mallets to hammer away at the rocks. The key was to look for pits in the rock where a crystal had formed. We were surprised at how many people went mining that day. 

Lyn’s mother (everyone calls her Mama) is here from the Phillipines for 6 months. She doesn’t speak English, but Lyn translates for her. We are just about the same age - she is very spry and walks 10,000 steps as many days as she can. 

She also is a great cook - even in the outdoor camp kitchen. She very quietly prepared sticky rice (a staple in the Phillipino culture) and veggies in a coconut milk sauce. We pooled our food and drink resulting in a delicious hearty meal. 

 

Day 3 - Woke up to the pitter-patter of the falling rain on the metal roof. Rich actually slept a solid 10 hours - very rare! 

He noticed Arizona plates across from us and seized the opportunity to have an exploratory conversation - the gentleman was from Long Island and just started RVing two years ago. They have a Class C, towing a jeep and heading to Bouce, AZ near Quartzite. He is into gems and minerals so they came here to mine as we did (much more successfully I bet) after visiting family in Long Island. 

The rain cleared up in the afternoon and we gathered around the fire again. Perry brought some home-grown veggies which Mama prepped and cooked, as well as a fresh batch of rice. In the meantime, he cooked meats over the open fire cowboy style. Soooo good. 

Day 4 - Again with the pitter-patter of the falling rain wake up call. There is a trailer next to us who has been here since we arrived; we have seen very little action. Three men leave in their truck early in the morning and return in the evening. When they came home yesterday, I noticed that they wiped their feet on towels, closed the screen door and after a few minutes, opened it to throw out two towels and as they closed the outside door, I thought I saw a glimpse of a dog. Can’t be! Well, early this morning Rich watched them pack up and pull out - after a dog came out., squatted and peed for-ever… That poor dog was in the camper for 10-12 hours a day.

 

August 16, 2023 - Wednesday

Jacob Ryder Clark turned 14 years old today. He is a kind-hearted, soft spoken, loving young man who has empathy for others. Wishing him the happiest birthday...

August 17, 2023, Thursday 

Had dinner with 3 of my favorite Big Y past workmates at the Delaney House in Holyoke. Love meeting up quarterly to catch up with each others’ lives, and share a good meal.