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...

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Monitoring what was being removed...

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End result of just the garage...

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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. 

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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:

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

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

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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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New England 3

July22, 2023 - Saturday 

Seven weeks post-surgery, and I have zero pain and full mobility. Finally I can be a better assistant with the Farmers’ Market set up. Today was one of the better attended in Lee and it felt so rewarding to have people milling around our booth in awe of Rich’s work. We always say if we had a nickel for every “you do beautiful work”, he’d need a wheelbarrow to hold them. On this day, the patrons put their money where their mouth is and he sold a little of everything he has to offer. This is a young girl, Lily, with her father who was very impressed - he is a Lego Village builder in their home so appreciates what it takes to do. He was impressed that this piece they took home is based on Arizona sandstone. 

July 23, 2023 - Sunday

Today was my first “in person” attendance at church since last summer. I love that I can go to my church online each week, but it was special to be participating with the choir again. 

 

It was such a perfectly gorgeous day today that we took a long, top-down ride over Berkshire backroads in search of more buildings to draw…

Yoyo Ma’s stone building at the entrance to his home. 

Dilapidated buildings on Cold Spring Road

 

… ended up at Dairy Queen in Winsted, CT. Our goal was to treat ourselves to an ice cream since we have been eating “better" for a whole week. We didn’t know which ice cream joint we would end up at… It was worth it! We didn’t get cones as they would have melted before I got back to the car with them. Rich had a shake and I had a Peanut Buster Parfait - delicious. We'll get back on track tomorrow.

 

July 24, 2023 - Monday

A very interesting man, Wayne, stopped by our booth several weeks ago and as a fellow artist, was fascinated with Rich’s woodwork art. We talked for a long time and he gave us his name, phone and address to get in touch to see his workshop. He has lived in this unique house for 20 years. He rebuilt it with low maintenance in mind - the roof is made of rubber which looks like roof tiles, the windows are powder black steel with wood behind it, the sidewalk is heated, etc. 

He and Nancie met in Hudson, NY and when she joined him in Lenox, he designed and helped build the crooked house-studio with a stone mason. It wasn’t easy to create a crooked chimney, fireplace and roof so he had to use rebar to keep it all in place.

I had drawn a picture a couple of years ago of a fairy house because I loved the roof. Hers is much cuter! 

She started quilting in 1976, but gave it up in 2005 due to frustration with the strict, straight, rigid lines of traditional quilting. When she started up again in 2017, she defied that standard by making her lines crooked and haphazard. Some of her most popular items are done using vintage clothing to create new “rags" with quilted denim patches. She has won “Best of Show” numerous times and all of her work can be seen on Instagram @ragsfrombritches. 

 

Wayne finds vintage clothes online and Nancie decorates it with marvelous quilt pieces. She used material from WWII Naval uniforms in this piece.

Adorable toddler size jacket

The master bedroom is decadent with all shades of denim. Often times people give her their old jeans. This bedspread was done in courthouse steps pattern and the reverse side always has a message hidden somewhere. 

In the same room is her favorite wingback chair which she had upholstered with the pattern she wanted. 

Wayne took it upon himself to make a miniature out of cardboard and cover it in denim for the bureau.

Old chest resplendent with spare quilt, pillow and huggable. 

The spare room …

Since he makes at least one item every day, you can imagine how many pieces adorn their home. 

Next was the tour of his workshop -WOW! He believes in repurposing whatever he can find. Just looking around or on the ground reveals so many treasures that others might consider junk. Often, he transforms them into mobile art without using batteries - just mechanical kinetic power. 

See the video in the body of this email for 360 tour.

1928 Ford on display 

FUN AT FARMERS MARKETS:

As I have said, it is a LOT of work to set up at the markets, but we have been satisfied with the monetary outcome. It is also like a social experiment when you talk with the shoppers a while and learn that they too are artists, or live across the country, or even live down the street. 

Seeing people’s faces when they examine Rich’s “real” work - the detail, bright colors, and use of raw materials - is most rewarding. These are his latest - magnets for the fridge! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New England 3

June 2023 - Making good progress in my recovery from right hip replacement. I overdid it last weekend - sitting and standing at the Farmers Market followed by a party for an adorable 3-year-old kiddo, my sister’s grandson. 

Have slowed it down to get back to where I was. Five years ago, I had this surgery on the left hip and was home alone. I don’t know how I did it, but assume it is the aging over 5 years. OR I am spoiled! 

This was a special month for our family - 3 graduations to the next level of education. Zachary moves to 7th grade. Jake bridges to Lee High School. 

Lily steps up to 8th in Lee Middle School. 

Leanna also bridges over to Lee High School. 

They were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. They wore gold braids around their neck to signify this accomplishment and pledged an oath to the society. Such a proud moment!

Went for my 4-week follow up appointment with my surgeon. All is progressing well - I can swim this afternoon (which I won’t - rainy, yucky day), I am off of the oxycodone and only take Tylenol twice a day as needed. 

Rich’s ear lesion was indeed malignant, BUT thankfully it was growing outward. They feel the deep cauterization they did has removed it entirely. Follow up in August to be sure. 

Old Saybrook, CT - drove to the Connecticut seashore for lunch with Paul and Jan followed by an ice cream cone. It was well worth the trip. Felt good to go on a new adventure. 

Went out and about for dinner and theater with Debbie Mougin and her daughter, Monica Zanin. Cabaret was a terrific show with amazing talent! The theater emptied in silence after the last powerful act!

July 2023 

Terri and Jim from Tucson paid us a visit this year. Terri is now retired and Jim is on vacation/working remotely. They hadn’t been to our camp in Maine in 6 years so they spent a couple of weeks there chilling. Then they came down the pike to Massachusetts where they split their time between our mom and 3 sisters in the area. Their vacation home away from home was Road Runner (Rich’s motorhome) parked in my driveway. My son-in-law loaned them e-bikes to experience and they really enjoyed the ride.

Of course, we spent a lot of time focused on meals and gatherings with family. This is us at the Knox Trail Inn as the time wound down on their stay. 

This was Rich’s cut of prime rib…

After several days, Jim returned to the blistering heat to Tucson while Terri relished the rainy climate here another 11 days to help Mom purge no longer needed items accumulated over the years, spend time with family and wrap her head around being retired. She did a yeoman’s job of infiltrating every nook and cranny of the upstairs, downstairs, cellar, and garage. I don’t think I had that much energy and drive at her age (9 years ago). Mom would slip back into her little tv cubby with her iPad when she could escape. She didn’t get a nap for many, many days as her decisions were imperative - keep, pitch, donate. One of the things discovered during this upheaval was a worn leather pouch containing letters that her mother had written to her father before they were married. 

Terri and I spent a fair amount of time transcribing the letters to digital format on my laptop for ease of reading and sharing with others. Mom was able to inform us of her fond family memories which, along with Ancestry research, enriched the document.

Her happy retirement floral arrangement held up very well in spite of the hot, humid weather. 

One of our last meals was Mom's Mac ‘n Cheese casserole with rotisserie chicken, slaw and tomato/cucumber salad. It was delicious. 

We celebrated Rich’s birthday at Perry’s in South Glens Falls. These are the Colombs I could grab for a picture. 

Rich had several commissions to deliver last weekend. Kibby and Phil (our gracious Lake of the Ozarks hosts), were in NY for a class reunion so we met up for breakfast and the big reveal. It was sooooo good to see them and catch up.

Another commission was from a second homeowner in Stockbridge. She bought one of his 3-D Treasure Boxes at the Lenox Farmers Market and came back the next week to order 3 more specifically themed boxes for her other grandchildren. She came to pick them up and ordered 2 more for the final grandchildren. Needless to say, he has been very busy visualizing, carving, assembling, and finishing these pieces. He even decided to use polymer clay for the first time on some of the items. 

Now, it has been 7 weeks since the surgery and I am back to normal - no more walking aids, no more meds, no more stair lift. I am doing a fair amount of physical therapy, walking on the treadmill, doing more chores around the house, walking downtown weather permitting. Will be dancing before long!

Tata for now…