South Wind Through the Kitchen-Happy Lammas Day

I closed the computer lid, Jeff washed the last of the paintbrushes, and we did the final chores before we locked up our project at Comfort Found Literary Lodging and headed off for the weekend. This is the first time in 15 years of summering here that I have had any time to do anything other than write, illustrate, and give lectures. This year (though my ride will be ending soon) I savor every second and try to experience as much of Maine as possible.

For years I've wanted to attend the Kneading Conference in Skowhegan, Maine, which is about 2 1/2 hours north of us. This weekend I got to spend a little time there, and it was well worth the drive. The conference had great speakers and demonstrations and was sponsored by King Arthur Flour, a company I love (who can resist their catalog?).

The last day of the conference was the Artisan Bread Fair appropriately held on the eve of Lammas Day. Lammas (loaf-mass) marks the halfway point between summer solstice and the autumn equinox and is the ancient celebration of the summer's first grain harvest.

Inside the fairgrounds building

Who could resist these cooking tools made from native wood in Blue Hill, Maine?
Blue Hill Spoonworks, P.O. Box 243, Blue Hill, ME 04614, (207) 374-3263, gillmoreast@roadrunner.com 

Yum!

Ok, so I SPRINTED TO THIS BOOTH

Lots of things to choose

Cookbooks, my weakness (one of many).

Oh, and rolling pins, my weakness (didn't I already say that?)

And cast iron, which I've collected forever and inherited from my Grandmother Lovejoy. Another weakness.

One of my favorite booths

One of the blogs on my blog roll is Mennonite Girls Can Cook. Looks like they can bake too.

Our beloved King Arthur Flour sponsor

This is a great cookbook for children. Easy recipes

The Artisan Bread Fair was a baking lover's delight. It is held inside a large barn on the Skowhegan Fair Grounds and outside in the show area. I enjoyed all the displays, which included a booth called "Knitting Out Loud," CDs about every aspect of knitting and fibers read by authors and storytellers.  Oh my goodness, how I LOVE to listen to audio books, and if you're a knitter, YOU MUST order some of these. What stopped me was the "Cooking Out Loud" offering, which is the beautiful anthology of works by one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth David. The audio book is "South Wind Through the Kitchen: The Best of Elizabeth David." Three hours and 35 minutes of PURE BLISS. So now Kathy Goldner's company is not only producing wonderful books for knitters and fiber enthusiasts, but also for cooks. I think that Kathy's soulful business is involved in celebrating home, hearth, hands, and happiness.

So there is some hope for me

On our way to and from Skowhegan we antiqued. We are always searching for great things to include in Comfort Found, and we discovered an old bookcase and some antique lamps, which we've already put in place.

On Sunday, we were picked up at South Bristol Town Landing by Olive, the boat you met in my last posting. Sunday was the Annual Boat Builders Festival at the Ocean Point Marina in East Boothbay, still the home of some of the world's greatest boat builders.

Captain John with Ginny, Ali, and Patrick in the stern

The crew

Heading into the historic village of East Boothbay

Some of the antique boats on display

Twist my arm, I'll take the Nellie. 

This is pure grace

The Ardea (Heron) is perfect. Can you see Ruby, the dog, peering at you from the stern? 

The Olive is set up with flowers, spit-and-polish, and love

Julie and John in the Olive

This is the immaculate interior of the Ardea (Ruby's boat) 

John coiled the lines perfectly. Remember this is a boat show and everything has to be in top shape 

Nellie 

Inside Nellie

An overview of the boats 

Something for everyone

I loved how this festival included children in everything

Large tents sheltered children as they made their own boats out of wooden pieces and turnings

Ali builds her first boat

Hmm, so much from which to choose

The boat building projects drying

Making sails for the boats (they had rubber stamps with pirate symbols) 

This is Peter who is our local Maine television celebrity. What a hunk!

This bagpipe player broke my heart. He would play for a minute or two, and from the far shore another piper would answer. 

Ali loves her paper hat. What could be a simpler pleasure? 

The Harvey Gamage-built by our most famous South Bristol craftsman of the same name. 

Perfection 

This wonderful young mother supplied her daughter with strings of kelp. The little girl laughed uproariously every time she popped one of the kelp bladders. 

For Sale: $30,000.00. Gulp. Wish we could, but... 

Jeff-my captain

Homeward Bound. The Heron Islands and Thrumcap in the distance. 

Good-bye dear friends. I hope that I didn't overwhelm you with this posting, which is the longest I've ever done. 

Thanks for stopping by.

All joys to you,

Sharon