November Rose

 

I picked this rose on Friday . . .  it almost doesn't look real.   It's nearly December and it has been cold, but obviously not cold enough to kill this beauty.  It makes me happy.  I'm hoping it will last three more days until the first of December.

Pete and Clara and I had Thanksgiving in the City.  We made a stop in Brooklyn at Clara's new apartment in DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass).  It really is under the overpass.  The apartment is a spacious fourth floor walk up which she'll be sharing with one of her roommates from her semester in Florence.  I became very nostalgic driving in on the BQE, always our route home when we lived on St. Marks Place.  I miss the City, although I am glad not to live there full time anymore.

There's a park at the end of the street -- isn't this bench cool?  Something you would expect out in the country . . . .

You can see the Empire Street Building across the East River . . .  and the Brooklyn Bridge Park, built after we moved away, starts just around the corner.  The neighborhood is filled with great stores and bistros.  It's an exciting place to be for a new college graduate.

We had Thanksgiving dinner in Soho, at Pete's cousin's home.  They have a great loft, and after dinner we climbed five flights of stairs (burned off all that stuffing) to look at the roof top gardens.in the neighborhood.  There's a lot of magic in New York City, as well as all the yucky stuff, and I love being able to partake of that sometimes.  I guess that's one of the things I'm thankful for this year . . .

Wilton (AKA Fine American Craftsman Show)

 Here are some photographs from Wilton.  We had a moderately successful weekend -- not bad for being first timers.  Sadly, the show is a shadow of its former self.  When Barb and I attended in past years, it was at least double the size and attendance was much higher.  One vendor claimed the reason for this was a "perfect storm" of events:  a change in management, the economy, and some prima donna crafters who ended up leaving the show and starting their own.  That's our booth pictured above and below.

 Friday night set up.

 We met the owners of Hidden Treasures, Kathy and Jeff Graybill.  Kathy designs and hand paints a vast array of wooden furniture and smalls that her husband Jeff designs.  They are prolific and their both was quite a sight to behold.

 The most amazing items they had were these large hooked trade signs.  My jaw dropped when I saw them.  You can get an idea of how large they are in the second picture with the woman off to the left.

 Kathy hooks with the widest piece of fabric I have ever seen -- it is at least an inch wide!  She thought the 8 cut I use in most of my rugs was tiny.

How Did This Happen?????

Snow on Long Island in early November.  It's crazy.  I am still figuring out why I didn't get in the last swim of the season and why the rest of my Brandywine tomatoes won't ripen.  We are in the middle of a nor'easter I didn't even know was coming -- not surprising, given the pre-show fog I am enveloped in.  The snow is not falling here along the shore, but about 20 miles west.  Big, sloppy, wet flakes are coating the traffic and weather cameras and sending me into a panic. 

We turned the clocks back before bed on Saturday night, so I woke up in the dark and cooked dinner in the dark.  I don't like so much dark.  I need lots of hours of sunlight to keep a smile on my face, so the winter months are often difficult for me.  I do look forward to Christmas -- I love putting up the Christmas tree and getting out my collection of ornaments again -- it's like meeting old friends.  I even look forward to the first snow.  But the 21st of December is a holiday for me, because I know that each day will bring a few more minutes of sunlight.

That said, I had a brisk and energizing walk on the beach with Cairo this morning in 30 mile per hour winds.  I needed that -- my bottom is actually starting to hurt from sitting so long at my hooking frame and sewing machine.

Next Week: Wilton

Barb and I always call the shows we do by the name of the town they are in: Rhinebeck, Fairfield, Woodstock . . .  and now, Wilton.  The real name of the show is the Fine American Craftsman Show, sponsored by the Wilton Connecticut Historical Society.  This is its 25th year, and we are very pleased to be a part of it for the first time.

Barb and I have spent many a chilly November morning waiting in line to get into the Wilton show.  It's a shoppers delight.  Every imaginable craft is available here, from doll making to floor cloths, from furniture to pottery, and jewelry to quilts.  We are hoping our woolly folk art will appeal to the customers waiting in line this year.

Please come and see us if you can.  We are in booth 5, not far from the entrance.  Because we are not selling supplies at Wilton, just finished goods, we are simply going by our names: Barbara and Sarah McNamara.

Here are the details:

Wilton Historical Society
25th Annual Fine American Craftsman Show
Saturday, November 13, 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday, November 14, 10 am - 4 pm

Wilton High School Field House
Danbury Road, Wilton, CT

Wow! What a Weekend!

 

My guild, The Peconic Ruggers, hosted their biennial rug show this weekend, in the beautiful Naugles barn at Hallockville Museum Farm.  I have been a member of the Ruggers since its inception almost a decade and a half ago, and I believe this was our most successful show ever.  Guild members, led by the young and innovative Jennifer Faulkner, worked magic Thursday and Friday to turn the barn into a hooker's dream.  The weather was wonderful, the guests were great, and the rugs were spectacular!

 

We had lots of vendors, including the delightful and very funny ladies of The Wool Street Journal and G. Woolikers -- all the way from Colorado and Georgia!  Our potluck on Friday night helped us get to know each other, and what a lot of laughs we had, as well as good food.   Saturday morning brought a full house, drawing people from as far away as Queens.  My daughter, Clara Jauquet, kindly brought her fancy camera along and photographed the barn from top to bottom before we opened.  (All the photographs seen here were taken by Clara.)

Jennifer issued a challenge to the guild a few months ago to hook a gravestone for our cemetery, an appropriate addition to any Halloween weekend. 

On a sad note, I send my condolences to our co-president Judy, whose husband passed away unexpectedly last Wednesday.  It was good to see so many Peconic Ruggers at his wake on Monday night.  We were all there, as we will always be,  to support Judy and her children, who face many difficult days ahead.