Lubec Farmers' Market Hopping!

 Lubec Market setting-up for a 9:00 a.m. opening.

 Boot Cove Breads sold out quickly. There was a line of people halfway across the street waiting to purchase the fresh-baked loaves! 

The UMM Ukulele Band serenaded vendors and patrons during the Lubec Farmers' Market.

Cobscook Pottery booth was in a prime spot nestled between 

Herbminders of Maine and Boot Cove Breads!

Olde Sow Farm had a variety of organic locally raised meats and fresh milk and yogurt.



 Luxury log cabin birdhouses!

Denise Rule and Tami Profit Sutherland pose with the awesome cake at the student artwork celebration at Lubec Memorial Library. Thanks Denise and Tami for organizing such a great show! I totally appreciate your hard work and enthusiasm for our students' art!!!

West Quoddy cairns.

Photo by Eileen Mielenhausen

 

Perhaps this explains the mystery of the missing lettuce and swiss chard in the garden.

I'm a wee bit late with the blog post this week. Being a teacher, many people assume that "summer vacation" is a real vacation. Not so, at least for me. Actually, most teachers I know have to work summer jobs. Sometimes more than one. I keep busy with the pottery and community organizing. Right now, both have me hopping. I enjoyed a visit the past couple days from my drumming friend Eileen, but even with company, work continued. The shop kept its near regular hours and my days still started before 7:00 a.m. in the studio. Today was an especially long day and the first opportunity I have had to blog is now, 9:15 at night after a quick dinner of scrambled eggs. (note: those were some mighty fine, local, cage free eggs, with a side of yummy local organic breakfast sausage from Olde Sow Farm!)

As far as jobs go though, today I absolutely loved my job. I rolled out of bed at 6:15 in the morning and had the kiln loaded and firing by 7:15. I then trimmed pots until 10:00 when I took a shower and opened the shop. As a "break" I worked on the artist registration mailing for Lubec Arts Alive, ordered supplies, packed a pottery order, edited a poster and sent it out to print at my brother's copy shop in Hallowell (gotta love PDF files and email!). The afternoon and early evening was spent sitting outside in the sun carving a herring motif onto tall flared tumblers. I listened to birds, visited with our cats Bello and Bouli, and tended to shop visitors. Eggs were delivered, Ruta stopped by to say hi, and I said goodbye to my drumming friend. I didn't have a formal meal at any set time until eggs a few minutes ago and now I end my day with a blog, fifteen hours later.

Not every day is that long a work day, but I will say, it isn't rare. Yesterday was hectic with work and an evening meeting.  I ended my night working on a supply order in bed until my eyes were too droopy to read the computer screen. The day before though, I quit work at noon after only five hours in the studio to clean the house and visit with Eileen. After the shop closed at 5:00 - we went for an amazing hike out at at West Quoddy. It was a perfect day for a hike, sunny skies, gentle cooling breeze. I was so glad to see that some of the cairns were still standing.If in this area, the hike out at the West Quoddy Lighthouse is one of the most powerful and beautiful that you will ever encounter. It rivals the most magical and mystical of places.

Last weekend was the first of the new weekly Lubec Farmer's Market. Saturdays this summer from 9-1 you will find a host of local farms and goods downtown. The inaugural market last Saturday was without exception an amazing event! A handful of local folks have been working hard the past few months to bring this together. Organic farms with meats and cheeses, fresh baked wood-fired breads, greens and garlic scapes, pottery, birdhouses, and chair massages, all nicely choreographed with a few hundred onlookers and patrons enjoying the goods and the live music. The UMM Ukulele Band was my favorite part of the morning. Well, the bread too. Oh, and the sausage, herbs, and cheese that I brought home as well. What can I say - it was an all around success. Kudos to that fantastic team that pulled it all together! (Lisa, Dick, Chris, Claire, Steven, Kathy, David, Melissa et al.) And...what an amazing banner!!!

Also this past week, I attended a student art show reception at the Lubec Memorial Library. Fourth of July committee members juried the student artworks, hung the show, organized awards, and hosted a reception. It was so wonderful to have someone else help out with a student show. It's a lot of work and Denise Rule along with Tami Profit Sutherland and Kerry Brown did an amazing job. Thank you!

What can I say. Everything is amazing. Summer in Lubec, being an artist, enjoying friends and family, creating, and nature. I am truly blessed and grateful everyday.