State Fair Daze

Gotta love those blue ribbon African Violets. They look the same to us every year and every year we have to go see the new winners.
Crop Art - yes! Gene Simmons of KISS and Miles Davis make for a lovely composition any time.
A bear at the fair.....
Big Fat Bacon. I think the Chicken-Fried Bacon was at a different location. Not sure. We have stayed bacon-free each of the days we've feasted at the fair. And after chowing on bacon get high on the Sky Ride. Summer's over. Sigh.

Porch Swing

Home for a Day

Greetings-
Home after a lovely weekend at the Glensheen Art Festival in Duluth. Minnesota. Major road construction through that part of Duluth, but the shuttle system brought costumers in fine and dandy.
Because it was the first time the show was both Saturday and Sunday it was wonderful to not tear down at the end of one day. Plus, the artists were treated to a wine/beer/pizza evening (for nominal fee) on the banks of Lake and Superior and up at the mansion. We were also invited to tour the interior of Glensheen at our leisure. Built in the early-1900's, fittings and interior design were state-of-the art, and as antique dealers we only drooled occasionally. Note to self - order gold-leaf ceiling for studio.... Last year we'd taken one of the guided tours - if only I remembered all the facts..... Todd, Tyler, and I made some new friends and had several of those intense/funny/no topic barred chats that go so well with pizza and beer. Plus our table crew sang "Happy Birthday" to Todd - whether he liked it or not!

The grounds are delightly to walk through - some hollyhocks appeared to be ten feet tall. The swiss chard, cabbages, and other vegetables are thriving (is Glensheen a deer and rabbit free zone???), and the various shaded pathways lead to pockets of perennials throughout the compound.
The business end of the show went well for us - and the folks we chatted with on Sunday appreciated the second day being added to the event. Some artists were not as pleased.

All in all it's good to be home. Tara and I sat outside The Bikery this morning and basked in the sun with our coffee and cranberry scones. Then we scooted into the shop when a table became available. Sketched a little - relaxed a lot. Right now I want to lie down in a hammock in a library or bookstore and read with my eyes closed. The humidity is down, the temperature is perfect, and the day is yelling "keep goofing off!" So that's the plan for the day. On to it -

Sue

Casual Art

We had an awesome Blueberry Festival up in Ely, Minnesota this past weekend - thank you to old friends and new customers! Our goodies have been restocked at Mostly Moose and More downtown. And once again I'm trying to exercise off an art-fair eating frenzy...

This afternoon I cut up a large piece of sanded pastel paper - large goodie picked up for free at a Lake Country Pastel Society meeting two years ago. Because it was free it was easier to chop up than some papers. Also, it was slightly damaged. It felt good to toss away that last little piece - although the hoarder in me still felt bad about wasting possibly useful stuff.

Now one large piece is five smaller pieces - so on to the adventure! I did a small bear from the back - using only Nupastels. No text yet - don't know if it needs any. And started a red-toned dancing couple. The couple traded places during the dance - female is now on left - original thought had her on the right. But with no pressure to stick to plan - bam - just switch sides and continue on. Whew.

Also toned a sheet of Wallis paper orange-red. Will probably get two small works out of the sheet. Might attempt some "cute" stuff on purpose. After all the years of doing "not cute" stuff on purpose.

Tara and I went to the Bikery this morning to drink coffee and design. She has a magic sketchbook right now - one of those that refuses to accept any bad drawings. So lovely fashion designs are filling the pages. I just keep chopping white cardstock in half and seeing who comes out of the Sharpie markers. Three or four possible card designs today. I had a long list of possible things to work on - of course none of the new bears helped cross anything off the list. Sigh.

Time for chocolate mint ice cream with a small handful of almonds tossed in for good measure.

Fare-thee-well,
sue

This and That

Summer is zooming by. I try to find time to take a few photos, head downtown for Stillwater's Summer Tuesdays, and sort through old bears. August is hiding at the end of this week. I'm trying not to panic.

July 7th Already

Greetings - on this sunny moist morning -

Here is Mandan, ND during the recent 4th of July celebration. The long line of folks up and down Main Street were attempting to set the world record for most people doing the Chicken Dance. Some folks knew how - some appeared not to know how. By the time things kind of got going it was time to stop. The line was thick in places and spotty in some. Had I not been my usual shy and retiring sort there was plenty of room in front of our spot where another body could have been tucked in. However, I preferred to participate as a witness. Dance on Chicken Dancers! I didn't see "officials" anywhere but you know they had to be around. Good Luck to everybody involved - I hope ya did the deed!


We set up the booth a bit differently every day. And, of course, found that we'd forgotten to pack some of the best-selling cards and magnets. Inventory control! Inventory control! Oh well. And another lesson learned - stick with the more readable business cards. I love the look of our new prettier ones, but the black background does make the white print hard to read for some customers. Back to designing newer cards - on white stock again.
On to the day. Filling orders, working a shift at American Gothic, sneaking up to Fresh Fields for a cup of coffee. First, a slow walk among the tomato plants and lilies.

Fare-thee-well, and on with the day-
Sue

Pioneers

New poem this morning:
------------------
Good Morning

Up, up, up.
Be a pioneer
today.

------------------

On to being a wee tad of a pioneer.

Other tidbits:
Witnessed the Mandan, ND 4th of July World Record attempt for most folks doing The Chicken Dance. I took photos - they don't show much flapping, mostly standing.

As usual - we met gobs of interesting folks, one couple lives a few miles north of us in Stillwater...., had great neighbors - the local art teacher clued us in on history and politics, got hugs, gave hugs, made new friends.

On the way home it's fun to see all the tiny far-away firework explosions at distant spots on the prairie.

Now it's time to head downtown to check on the antique shop.

Oh! Must not forget the Most Excellent Bakery (my title) an Main Street in Alexandria, MN. I am sad that we don't live in a down with that bakery. And fiesty clerks to boot! I miss the lemon boat... yum.

-On to the day - it's a steamer.
Sue