The Maine Post

Wha?

I think not!

I'm going to go backwards in time as I promised last post and give you some flashes of the last month or so including my trip to Maine.

This is not Maine however but project in the works in my Arizona neighborhood that I stumbled upon during one of my walks.

A glass encrusted saguaro cactus sculpture with antique glass.

I found a little green marble down the street and brought it back for the guy to add to the sculpture.

We went back east in time for some super cold weather.

I snapped this on the way to Vienna.

( thats "Vy-enna", Maine talk)

My sweetie and pops banished to the garage for their pipes.

We'll call this shot "Frozen Pipes"

I was coveting this measuring stick that had belonged to my grandfather in my cousin's wood shop but since he actually uses it to make beautiful furniture I had to be satisfied with taking a photo.

My folks are graciously de-aquisitioning collectibles and sundries. 

My grandfather picked up this key during World War I.

It's from a bombed out cathedral in France.

The tag says "This key opened the door in the north Trancept of Rheims Cathedral

France 1914"

I will not be using this in an altered art project.

Since we were only taking carry-on luggage this trip I was keeping my antiquing to a minimum.

I had to bypass the antique Olivetti typewriter that was only $55. My sewing machine collection is already getting out of hand. These were an assortment of little vintage gem bags.

I think I can work them into some pieces somehow.

Went to our favorite coin shop in Bangor. 

Can't go wrong with a tray full of tokens and coins for 10 cents a piece!

Awww! 

You'll be happy to know it says accepted on the other side.

This was from my grandfather's collection that my cousin ended up with.

he gave us a deal on it.

and he gave me this silver dollar that had been in my grandfather's collection.

Nice cousin!

If I had a hammer...

Honey knows what I like...a tin of pins

                     

some chain and vintage earrings from the antique shop.

We discovered a great restaurant  called "Flatlanda Diner"on the Skowhegan Rd on the way to the antiques mall.

They had fish chowdah and the best onion rings.

They know how to make good onion rings in Maine all lacey and thinly sliced.

I don't bother with them anywhere else in the world.

OK, I'm jumping way back to our India trip way last year because I never shared this wonderful antique dapping block that I got on Jew Street in Jew Town- Fort Kochi, Kerala

( that's really the name of the place)

and this vintage chain from Maine I really must explain.

I just found out from fancifuldevices that it's called "book chain"

Oh let's do jump back to a Tucson find... bus tokens!

I am occasionally coming up for air in the midst of my ART-tickle writing to make some things.

I won't go into my struggles with that because I want to present myself as breezing through my artistic life with not a care in the world. I should have left some room for you to read between the lines on that statement. 

Thank gawd it's 99.9% ready to send off now!

Thanks to the support of a few friends that could smell my anxiety sweat from as far away as Massachusetts and Texas. (Thanks, Janet and Corrine)

And thanks to Tracy for providing me with some pewter to play with.

Oh and one 'nother thing I thought I'd mention.

I do aim to reply to all ya'lls thoughtful comments and it does get away from me sometimes.

More and more I'm encountering no-reply bloggers so I am going to endeavor to reply to you here but ya gotta come back to see it or make sure you get notifications if you want it to show up in your email.

This has perplexed the hell out of me for a long while as to what folks preferences may be for  reciprocity in social intercourse of the internet variety.

For those of you that like it fast and furious there's always my numinositybeads facebook page if you're so inclined.

Lately I've also been showing my faceface on Creative Bead Chat group on facebook iffen you dig that kind of interaction too.

I'll be around for the next week or so and then it's South America bound. My shop will be closed from Feb 25th til march 25th so be sure to stop by if you need anything before then.

I hope to get a few more days in the studio before we take off .

Ciao!