bodner046

I have blogged about the fun adventures, and misadventures that we had on our trip to New England, but I haven't said much about our time at the League of NH Craftsmen's Fair. Overall it was a good event. Our sales were a little ahead of last year. Jeff and I both had family and friends visit us at the fair. They were people that we would not have been able to connect with if it wasn't for them coming to the show. One of my favorite visitors was my great nephew Weston, who also came along with his mother, my brother's oldest daughter Brooke. He is a very active and expressive 1 1/2 year old! Our booth was across from the upper lodge of the ski area and we were able to have lunch together on the patio. Jeff and I always laugh that to many in NH, hamburgers and hot dogs are called barbecue. They did at least have a brisket sandwich on the menu. The food is actually quite good. We typically bring our own lunch everyday and treat ourselves to either one breakfast or lunch d...

Jeff and I have been wanting to visit the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, CT. for a few years now. In the past, the timing never worked out for us. This year we stayed an extra day with Danielle and Jason and were able to go on Tuesday. The gallery was much  bigger than I imagined. Three floors of art, ranging from ancient to modern.  I was happy to find a Georgia O'Keeffe in the collection! Betty Woodman Peter Voulkos Jackson Pollack This room of ancient Mediterranean art was amazing. Lots of interesting African art The gallery has a large number of Picasso paintings and few of his sculptures. Lots of pottery in the Asian art section. My camera photos were too dark and not worth sharing. If you are ever in the New Haven area, be sure to take a couple of hours to explore the gallery. Yale University Art Gallery

Our travels back to North Carolina took a jag in the "jiggity jig". We hadn't traveled more than an hour outside of New Haven CT, where Danielle lives, when the car started vibrating. We pulled off at the next rest area and realized that one of the front brake calipers had seized. There was a Midas at the next exit, in Stamford, that would be able to fix the brakes right away. At first they wanted to replace the brakes pads, rotors and brake lines on the entire front end. All of this for the low price of $1200 and some change. Seriously? Two years ago I had a complete brake job done on all four wheels for a little more than $700. Connecticut is not the place to break down. We finally settled on repairing the one side for $620. We just wanted to get home. My car goes in for an inspection next month and if it needs any thing more, my mechanic in Asheboro will be much more affordable. Despite the break down we really had a great time visiting with Danielle and Jay. They rece...

We splurged and bought halibut and sea scallops at the farmers market. Jeff did a perfect job with the grilling. We also bought some little patty pan squash that I stuffed with panko bread crumbs, garlic, and herbs. This is our last night in New Hampshire. Tomorrow we are off to Connecticut.

I ate fried clams for brunch this morning. They were calling me from the refrigerator and I thought, heck, I am in vacation mode and I can eat what I want. We took Dad to Newick's Lobster House last night. The portions are huge and I brought home nearly half of my fried clams. He ordered baked scallops and ate them all! I was so happy to see him and his new nursing home digs. It's a great facility, super clean, nice decor, and excellent staff. Dad has adjusted well, and has gained over 10 pounds since he moved there. I like that I can now envision him in his environment when we talk on the phone. For the past 8 months all I could picture in my mind was the rehab facility he was in when he broke his hip. This place is much nicer and it should be, it costs a fortune to be there. Today we are off to the farmers market to hopefully buy some fresh haddock for dinner. We have to keep up this "eating seafood everyday" challenge... let me tell you, it isn't hard.

Last night we packed up our booth at the 85th Annual League of NH Craftsmen's Fair at Mt. Sunapee Resort in NH. Despite the heat and humidity and occasional torrential rain shower, we sold lots of pots. Our friends David Ernster and Alicia Bergeron, were kind enough to offer us lodging for the duration of the event. Their home is a nice respite after a busy day of interacting with people. They have a deck with a beautiful view and this very cool canopy of hops growing over it and up to the roof of their home. Dave is an awesome potter. We have collected quite a few of his pieces over the years. This year I picked out this "birch tree" mug from his booth at the fair. The birch design will remind me of my New Hampshire roots. When the trailer was packed we headed to Wolfeboro to spend a few days with my sister and visit my Dad. We stopped on the way to pick up food for dinner and found lobster for $4.99 a pound. We bought two, along with the ingredients for a quick pasta di...