Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Out of Reception: Changing Leaves


Seasonal business are closing, leaves are changing, and the first frost has come.

Chips.

Dead grass at the Common Ground Fair.

Making Beams.

Portland Museum of Art.







I love living in a place with seasons.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Common Ground Fair


In the last weekend of September, fifty thousand people descend on a small organic farm in Unity, Maine to celebrate rural living, local crafts, sustainable lifestyles and local farming.

Hand made ladders: more bars in more places.

Curing a deer hide in preparation for tanning a hide with mayonnaise. He got the half moon on his left index finger from a casual, "slaughtering a chicken."

Chop Chop, these axes were used to shape beams.

This guy is the real deal. The Maine Guide badge denotes his title and his Maine Hunting shoes complement his Johnson Woolmills digs.

Chestnuts roasting on the opening fire.

The Maine Hunting Shoe was all over the place. I want a pair!

Well loved.

This guy has probably slept outside a night or two; all wool and leather, a pair of Quoddys and a bow drill.

This team makes barns and other structures without nails, using only hand cut beams.



This single beveled broad axe is used for putting the finishing touches on each beam.

Hand-made snowshoes and canoe paddles.

I want one so badly.

I love the Common Ground Fair because it reminds me of a life without computers and iPhones.


Thursday, September 24, 2009

Out of Reception: The Beginning of Fall


The leaves are turning and at night and the temperature drops into the forties. It is Fall in Maine.








I love my bike.





A farm near school.

It's fall!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

A Wall in my Room


I am always on the lookout for antiques, books, memorabilia, and clothes to decorate my room. These pieces tell a story and inspire me. It is a work in progress. Some mornings I wake up and move or add something, only to take it down the following evening.

A Maine National Bank money pouch. I love the stitching of letters and the repair stitching on the zipper.

An old wooden picture frame. I like how its not square and has varying grain densities.

An 81 year-old Maine license plate. I like its colors and font and also like to postulate about its story and the car it belonged to. It is fun to imagine what Maine was like in 1928.

A printed water color of Brant Point Lighthouse on Nantucket.

A small crutch made from one piece of wood. Judging by the nails I'm guessing its from the twenties or thirties.

A piece of driftwood from Emma's house on Lake Champlain. I like its shape.

I have deliberately left space to add more pieces and will post about my wall's progress from time to time. Right now I am in the process of picking my own prints to decorate the wall.

Here are some more links,
A Wall in My Room (Picasa),

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Maine's Ultimate Yard Sale

Soon after returning to Maine, nearly two months ago, I heard radio advertisements for a large yard sale. On Saturday morning, I drove down to Scarborough to attend the second annual Maine's Ultimate Yard Sale.

This dude ran the show.

As with all yard sales, gems are hidden by dozens of old Titanic VHS's, old football cleats and the occasional old set of skis. After two hours of digging, I found these gems and horded them like a seagull with a sandwich.

A Woolrich Hunting Jacket. Fits like a Charm

An American Classic.

Any Woolrich aficionados know when this label is from?

Love the Game Pocket.

This was my find of the day, a Money Clip/pocket knife made by an insurance company called Manufacture's Mutual.

I assume they gave these out as gifts. Check out the deployed blades. Deadly...

Powderhouse Mountaineering was a short lived outwear company based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. They were popular in the seventies and eighties making 60/40 parkas and down jackets.

Many of their details can be seen today in Japanese retro-technical outerwear such as Visvim.

Made in the U.S.A!

I love the pocket and button details, especially the Powderhorn label.

Stanley Handyman Spring Joints Measuring Stick.



72 inches of American workmanship.

Cool little shoe form.

I couldn't say no for $1.

I love yard sales because you never know what your going to find. Before last Saturday I had no idea what Manufacture's Mutual or Powederhorn Industries was. In the end I spent a whopping 42 dollars US currency and walked away with an invaluable smile on my face.

Here are some more links,
Maine's Ultimate (Picasa),
Finds from Maine's Ultimate Yard Sale (Picasa).