For the past few years I have pretty much stopped eating red meat.   But I’m not a fanatic about it and I do allow exceptions.  The “Maine” exception for me is when I drive up to my camp in Rangeley, ME.   About half way up I usually stop at Roy’s in Auburn for one of the best burgers on earth….with cooked onions….served on a napkin.   Roy’s is usually packed with a lot of heavy-set meat eaters enjoying lunch…and my guess is that for them it is more the rule than the exception.  

I wonder if the moose in Maine make any exceptions in their diet?  Unlikely since they are herbivores and eat only plants.  This time of year they eat mostly the grasses and other vegetation around lakes and in fact need to eat about 50 pounds of the stuff every day!  I’ve seen quite a few moose in and around Rangeley’s lakes over the years but had never painted one.  So since I do get an occasional request for a moose painting I decided to paint a moose on my last trip up to Rangeley. 

A moose looks like it was designed by a committee and my moose painting is no different.  The moose I painted though also looks like he has eaten most of the grass around the lake, that he is bored with it all and that he’s thinking, maybe just this once, about making a dietary exception….perhaps raiding one of the backyard grills over the July 4th holiday!  Probably not though since I’m sure he’s more disciplined that most of us part time carnivores....already  looking forward to the holiday and another trip up to Maine.  And a stop at Roy’s!

I just returned tonight from exhibiting at a classic, old American Craft Fair in Deerfield, MA.  It was a beautiful summer weekend, loaded with plenty of Pioneer Valley birkenstocks & good old folk music.  For the most part it was a nice vibe.  But something, other than the large crowds of the past, was missing.  The demographics of the American Craft world have changed.  I exhibited at Deerfield and at other similar shows over 25 years ago and have just recently returned to this world. 

Although I could be mistaken, it seems  that the people coming out to this market are now a much older group of folks.  I saw very few young adults and families and only a handful of teenagers.  I just hope that the interest in and the value of handmade American Crafts is not eluding our young people today.    

Something about rainy weekends & rainy shows.  Most of our "fair-weather friends" do stay home but the folks who really want to be there just come out anyway.  I've seen people have some great times in the pouring rain at rock shows, from Woodstock to the present, and at craft & art fairs.  So I'm grateful for the folks who came out to a local craft show in Wakefield, MA on Saturday.  I met some nice people, got a few free books from the local library table, and made a few bucks.  All in all a good day!

http://wakefield.patch.com/articles/photos-festival-by-the-lake#photo-6530943

I've been thinking about Rustic Furniture lately.  So I decided to make a simple piece this week for my deck at my camp in Rangeley, ME.  The goal was to see if I could make the piece at no cost:  $ 0.00.  So I found and cut a dead birch tree behind the camp, found a nice 2" thick table top at the Rangeley dump, and made a table....one that sits next to my grill.  Only two small 6" pieces were left over! 
Material cost:   $0.00.
Love it!

I took quite a few photos of flowers this spring.  Here's a few of my favorites.  I'm planning to offer Giclee Prints of some of them and will also use the images on other products.  Let me know which ones you like!