Bean town

We've made it to Boston. The drive, flight, T ride, and short car ride were all painless and efficient. There were bagels for breakfast. In case you didn't know: New England is old, dirty, worn. It's okay with itself, it has accepted it's identity, it is what it is. This makes it comforting.

Being in the north is also exciting due to good friends, good family, and good food. Again, the NY Times is talking about central Vermont's cuisine, apparently it's all the rage these days. Fresh ingredients? Lovingly prepared? Who would've thought?

Have I told you lately

Piggy popover
Originally uploaded by average lavender

...that I love breakfast? It is, by far, my favorite meal of the day. I'm not keen on pancakes (but have come to terms with cornmeal pancakes), but adore waffles. I don't want whipped cream or piles of strawberries, in fact, I don't even really want that fruit cup. I don't want powdered sugar or blueberry pancake syrup. I want bacon and butter, I want a savory breakfast. Sweets have a place in the day: dessert., or even snack. My absolute favorite breakfast food is a popover - four popovers, to be precise. They're so simple! So amazingly delicious! Eggs, milk, flour, salt. Seriously, that's it! I devour them with butter, my mom prefers them with peanut butter and jam.

London Bridge is not the only thing falling down

Wall removal
Originally uploaded by average lavender

George and I are helping one of his co-workers renovate a house. Yesterday we started tearing down drywall, plaster and lath, and tearing up old disgusting linoleum. Whoever worked on the house in the past did a swell job of patching the place together in the most half-hearted way. Some insulation had been sprayed around the water pipes and the front door in the kitchen, the rest of the kitchen walls were completely uninsulated. In the walls we found: a AAA card, an empty Marlboro carton, a tiny rusted wrench, and the original window weights. Today we head back to clean up our giant mess.

Big Crafty, big news

The Big Crafty was a huge success and not only for us, personally.  There were over 100 vendors and a pretty constant flow of people starting before it actually began at noon and straight through until we were packing up.  People were astounded by how thin George made his bowls.  There was another old dude there selling bowls, thicker, clunkier bowls and he kept coming back and checking in with George to see how well his were selling.  (They sold just fine, thankyouverymuch.) People were surprised by how tiny my tiny books were,  were intrigued by the earrings, and thought the paintchip books were a great idea but not great enough to buy.  There are a couple more holiday markets we may try and weasel our way into.  

In the meantime, we've both opened Etsy shops which you can find here and here! Maybe you've already noticed the fancy Etsy sidebar thing George put in...  

In other news:  My job and I have parted ways!  It's an incredibly exciting, sudden development - my wrists and shoulders are already feeling better.  Who knew that moving hundreds of pounds of dough and pans around would be such a big deal?  

sawyer brand

sawyer brand
Originally uploaded by sawyer.george

business update:

-finished brand for bowls.
-sold three on etsy! (one to Iran. thanks!)
-need to cut bases off five bowls for the craft show on Sunday.
-bought a speed regulator to slow down the lathe, but it turns out the motor draws too many amps. blew the fuse instantly.
-maybe I should just get a smaller/slower motor.
-also need a reversing switch for sanding.
-and a smaller faceplate (1 1/2" x 8tpi)

-I've recieved lots of interest in podbarks for newer ipods.
-the Mountain Xpress mentioned me in passing!
-ordered two 2'x8' sheets of veneer for podbarks (walnut & cherry. maple hasn't sold very well).
-finished patterns for more versions of ipod.
-got quotes from a local laser cutter.

-still making fuel at Blue Ridge Biodiesel.

-started working for Charles, a local contractor.

-feeling a bit overwhelmed.

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Girl had her staples and cone removed today!

Big Crafty, small earrings.

Book earrings
Originally uploaded by average lavender

These little fellas are about 5/8" square.