There are so many things I love about Maine: the lush, green forests and fields; the fact that when I picked up my dad's car from the shop the guy said "just have him swing by and pay me on Monday" and that they never ask for your ID at the local bank; how people still do things the old ways here, by hand, simply, with basic tools; the food, oh, how I love the food; and how things are more real here, real wood, real leather, real wool.
When I go to the thrift stores in Utah I'm hard pressed to find 100% wool sweaters. People tend to wear more synthetics, but of course, it's not nearly so cold there so you can get away with it. While in Maine, one of the things on my to-do list was to stop in at some second hand stores and stock up on wool sweaters for felting. I love making things out of felted wool and my next project is going to be some felted wool diaper covers. I found quite a few nice sweaters to add to my stash.
That same evening Sam and I walked over to the next door neighbor's who have an art gallery in their house. Little cottage industries like that are common around here. It's part of how people make it in an economy that comes to a screeching halt in the winter. Almost everyone does something extra in the summer whether it's a vegetable stand, pottery studio or art gallery. They were holding a reception for an artist named Frances Wells. I didn't get to spend as much time with the art as I would have liked; Sam kept me busy trying to keep him civilized. He's not much of an art appreciator yet, maybe in a few more years. But, what I did see of the art I really liked. It's simple, peaceful art, all paintings of the Hudson River. It reminded me of the St. George river that's on the other side of our peninsula here (ocean on one side, river on the other), still and graceful, kind of hazy in the early morning.
We ended the evening with home fries, corn on the cob and a bath in the ancient claw foot tub. Not all at the same time, of course. It was Sam's first time eating corn straight off the cob and it was a big hit. There are so many simple pleasures that make life so extremely rich here.
