Sidewalk Art Festival

Saturday we took in the Sidewalk Art Festival in downtown Portland. It was a good day...sunny and a high of 78.There were so many great artists that it was sensory overload. I picked up two matted photos from Hot Flashes Photography. (great name!) One is of the Portland Head Lighthouse which was the first lighthouse Rachel took us to after she moved here. The other was of the old house on Route 1 in Searsport. I took a picture of it myself last year. When I get home I will dig it out. Lib Jamison was wonderful to talk to.
I also found, with the help of Rachel's keen eye, Greg Stones artwork. Original, funny, and dark. I picked up Christmas presents for the kids and a painting for myself..."Sheep Sees Killer".

I also found Old Paper Arts fascinating.
Rich Byard does themed collages. Who was born in the 50s and remembers the Golden Book Encyclopedia? My little grey cells were certainly firing with all the memory triggers in this booth. I do believe that is why so many people visit antique shops...to bring back fond childhood memories.
I'm so glad Rachel wore a bright shirt. She was easy to find.
The festival extended down to Monument Square...
which is where we ate lunch at Henry VIII's.
I had a marvelous warm, rare roast beef sandwich slathered with horseradish sauce. Yum. I'm salivating as I type!! :-)
After lunch we found a jazz band....
and a street mime.

We have heard nothing but good reports about Otto's Pizza. One side is carry out and the other is sit in dining. Tad got to wait in line for a slice and came back with two. Sure it was 10 minutes since we ate lunch but we had to try them out. There was an entire board of unusual specials and it was hard to choose. One had caramelized onions, tomatoes, and basil. The other had mashed potatoes, basil, and something else. They were both delicious and the crust was to die for. It would be worth the drive to 576 Congress Street to pick them up!! I think another visit will be in order before I leave.
On the way back to the car we saw this tribute to Stephen King.
Another great day in Maine is over. Is there a bad day in Maine? We will see this Friday. We have been tracking Earl as it get stronger.

Wild Lupine Farm Studio

Over the weekend, we drove to Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Lydia Webber was having an open house in her studio, Wild Lupine Farm Studio. She has many wonderful items and it was hard to choose. Check out her link to see what you think.I fell in love with Crazy Crab and bought this canister for my tea bags.
What is this fetish I have for crabs? Now, I must add a blue one to the family!
Incidentally, the farm in the first picture is up for sale through Sotheby's. Fabulous place with lots of room away from neighbors.

Lobstah!

We stopped by Ed's Batteries and picked up 6 one pound chicks...those are lobsters with one smaller claw to the uninitiated. I am going to have my first lobster dinner from scratch...and I don't have to cook it! Here's Rachel and Tad in their kitchen hard at work.
Under all that steam is the lobster. All six fit in nicely. I did have a momentary pang before they went in...and then thought of our dinner. The claws all looked the same to me.
Butter for the lobster and corn...three sticks!
The corn is locally grown and it was delicious.
Rachel made a salad with salad dressing from scratch. She makes everything from scratch. She didn't learn it from me - the queen of quick cooking.
The finished meal!! Doesn't it look good?
I learned the proper way of cracking and picking the lobster to get the most meat. Everything was 5 star! All the shells where collected and Rachel boiled them for about an hour and a half for lobster stock.
Tuesday we are having lobster risotto! Yum!! I'm one lucky mama. :-)

DUCKFAT

We went downtown to get Rachel's dress hemmed. Afterwards, we had a brilliant idea. DUCKFAT!! The last two visits to Portland saw me crestfallen when it was closed the first time and jam packed the second. So, off we go.

Oh, oh. Cruise ship is in!We race to DUCKFAT and find plenty of room.
I'm going to have the famous Duckfat Fries with Duckfat gravy...and the homemade creme soda.
Doesn't it look yummy? It was worth the calories. Rachel also tried the cucumber soup. It was delicious, also.

FiberSmyth in Woodstock, VA

On day two, Sue and I drove to Woodstock to visit FiberSmyth.What a wonderful shop full of interesting ideas and possibilities.
I found these unique buttons....
...and these wonderful needle felted faces.
This is Elizabeth - owner and creator of the faces pictured in front of her Santa's and snowmen.
The shop also sells teas.
And best of all, after a busy day of shopping and planning....The Cup and Crumpet!!! It's the restaurant run by Elizabeth's husband...in the same building. This is wonderful. It combines two of my favorite passions - knitting and eating! I have a menu which I shall scan when I return home and post. Even husbands like going to the knitting shop if they can eat at The Cup and Crumpet. (reservations recommended)

Sue ordered the special of pesto and green olive chicken salad. I had the open face roasted asparagus and Brie sandwich. Delicious!!
Doesn't Sue look happy waiting for her meal?
I would highly recommend YarnSmyth whether you knit or eat.

Never Enough Yarn

I made it to Winchester, Virginia where I stopped at Sweet Sue's for a few days. Our first mission was to meet up with Maureen. The Three Amigos are together again!!Of course, we met in a yarn shop where Maureen started working. I should mention that Maureen is the Barefoot Spinner. If you have purchased fiber at an eastern fiber festival, i.e. Maryland Sheep and Wool, then you probably know the name. Below Maureen is displaying a knitted neck-piece (helped by Sue).
NEVER ENOUGH YARN is owned by Pam and this is the shop mascot. It is truly a wonderful yarn shop. It has a great webpage with a sale going on, too!!
Sue is modeling her Liesl and Pam the Curlicue Coverlet. Love the shawl!
Upstairs we went. Sue is browsing the sale patterns. This is the room where the sit 'n knit is held.
Across the hall is the baby yarn room. The entire store is displayed well.
This is a new yarn to the shop.
Can you see the bits of fur attached to the yarn as Pam holds it up?
Maureen is modeling a scarf made from just one skein of Fuzzy Purls.
And, of course, I check out the bathroom. What a wonderful surprise to see the montages of yarn and the shop.
So what did I buy? Some linen to make a Liesl (on sale!). You see how wonderful it looks on Sue who is tall and thin. We will see what it looks like on a short, squat person in a few months. :-)

On The Road Again!!

I'm packing...and not heat. :-) It's time to hit the road. I'm going to Maine for my daughter's wedding.Shelly and Michelle don't want to miss the trip. They get to visit their brother, Sig.
This will break your heart. It breaks mine. I must leave Muggs at home. As you can see, she definitely wants to go, too.

I'm stopping in Virginia to see Sweet Sue. She's going to show me the ropes (literally) on weaving. Perfect candidate to teach me since she is a weaving instructor. Let's see how much patience the teacher has. Bwuhahaha