the debriefing...

We have been back in Seagrove for nearly a week and I am just getting around to a blog post. It seems that after this 9 day fair, it takes another week to sort ourselves and our belongings out. The trailer is unpacked along with the suitcases... the laundry is almost caught up.
I have spent some time reflecting on the League of NH Craftsmen's Fair and it has made me realize that it really has become an important part of our lives. It's a time to reconnect with friends and family. Some of whom we only see during this nine day show. There are so many amazing people that are part of this community. This year a couple who has volunteered at the fair, and lives near Mt. Sunapee, offered a couple of rooms in their home for $25 a night with breakfast included. We were lucky to be one of the first responders to take them up on their offer. Janet and Lou not only gave us breakfast each day, but also offered for us to join them for dinner any night! They were amazingly gracious hosts, and it would have cost us more to camp than stay with them. Come to find out they also had some of Jeff's pottery in their curio cabinet. A big thank you goes out to Janet and Lou for making our long work week much easier!

The League of NH Craftsmen also has retail galleries scattered throughout NH. The Littleton Gallery, situated in northern NH in the White Mt. region is run by two amazing ladies, Beth and Michele. Each year during the fair, they visit each craftsmen and deliver cookies... there are 350+ craftsmen at the fair so that's a LOT of cookies. This year Beth and Michele decided to try some new recipes and had a few problems. Long story short, they had no cookies this year. So instead they wrote and printed a little book about why there were no cookies...

they even included a tutorial on how to draw a chocolate chip cookie...

AND... we got a little bag of M&M's to replace the cookies. Beth and Michele, you are awesome!

Remember my friend Jane Kaufmann who I posted about recently? The book about her incredible journey through life as an artist was published this summer, and I was able to purchase a copy. Each year the NH Potters Guild has a meeting during the fair and I asked Jane to sign my copy...

I read most of the book during the evenings while we were staying at Janet and Lou's home. It was great fun to read Jane's recollections of the fair during the 1970's. One tradition she talked about that still continues today is the craftsmen's kids sliding down the mountain on sheets of cardboard. There are lots of kids who have grown up at the fair. Many of the kids are budding artists. The league even gives them their own tent to sell work... the tent is called "The Next Generation". Some of the work these kids are creating is amazing! Another tradition Jane writes about is the annual craftsmen baseball game... it was called "The Potters against Everyone Else", because back then there were more potters than jewelers! But alas, the baseball game is a thing of the past. I think it ended when they no longer let you camp on the mountain.
I feel like I am starting to ramble, so I think I should quit for the night! I haven't had time to post in the morning because I am actually getting up early and walking everyday. Eventually I will get my new schedule worked out.