"NOT THE ROCKS" Craft fair in full swing

The title deserves some explanation. For the past seven years, I've been at the SPNHF Rocks Estate Christmas Tree Farm for three weekends following Thanksgiving. I was among a select group of 14 unique artisans with NH products and gift ideas. The event had been going on for about 15 years and out of the blue last January we all received a letter informing us the "board" had decided to go another way with the space and were not inviting us back. SO, my friend Zelda Gonyer, who makes the best jams, jellies, pickles and preserves in the North Country, decided we would have our own event. We rented the Eagles' Hall in Bethlehem which just happens to be at the entrance to the Rocks driveway. We're very fortunate because we have more space, better lighting, indoor plumbing and heat. The barns at the Rocks were cold and drafty on the best of days. We have a bunch of signage and an "angel" up at the Rocks is telling people who come in and ask about us where we are. Today there were over 100 people, repeat customers, who came because they visit us every year. And we didn't disappoint!!!! We'll be there on Dec 5th, 6th, 12th and 13th. Come by and say HI!!!!

I Have Been SOOOOO Bad

I was just signing up for this new service called ArtSpider which will go on line later this fall and the application asked for a blog site. It was at that moment that I realized I haven't done any blogging since April. I've thought about it a couple of times but when I gave it a bit more thought, I didn't really have anything positive to say. Maybe that's the point! My photography is a part of me and with the economy the way it's been, in a downward spiral, I've also found myself in a downward spiral. My husband, Carl would call it depression. Since he's not medically certified, I'll disagree with him.

Here's what I'd call it: When I'm "UP", I'll grab my camera, hop into the truck and drive around, stopping when I see something interesting. I'll travel back roads where I have no idea where they'll come out or how I'll even find them another time. This has always served me well in the past. Some days I get great results while others not so much. Now, in the "DOWN" times with higher gas prices, I don't feel I should spend the money to drive nowhere for no purpose to accomplish nothing. During "UP" times, my work would be selling well, shows would have hordes of people stopping by to chat and business cards would be flying off the table. Last week, a "DOWN" time, I handed out just 4 cards, sold half of what I'd sold the previous year and had just 2 conversations with passersby about my work. Most walkers shoved their hands deeper into their pockets and continued their aimless stroll past my tent. I won't continue on. I only meant to point out why I haven't felt much like blogging lately. I think it will get better. I think during the next few months, the "Christmas" season, people will be more likely to buy and then their will be nothing.

One last thing and then I'll get off my soap box. We've had a lot of construction in Whitefield and that has shaken up the wildlife. I managed to capture the image of a beautiful bear in Twin Mountain who was becoming a regular visitor until they mowed the field he was grazing in. That was a bummer. My bull moose is still in hiding. I'm getting the feeling he'll be growing that rack for another year and I didn't get my kayak so there are still no Loon photos in my inventory. Don't even get me started about the hummingbirds. I'll just have to wait until next year for that one, too......

A Wildlife Parade

I'd forgotten how much wonder nature holds for those who either have become distant to it's charms or hardened by the rigors of living away from "civilization". Case In Point. As some of you may know, we put an addition on the side of our house last year for my mom to live in. For the past 25 years or so, she's been living in an urban setting. Now she lives in the middle of 15 acres of woodland at the end of a 1/4 mile private dirt road, virtually in the pucker brush. Over the past week or so, she has been treated morning and night to a never ending and truly fascinating parade of wildlife. It started one evening with a pair of yearling does. Our variety is white tailed deer. The very next evening it was the fattest porcupine I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. The following day it was a partridge strutting his stuff to attract a mate. The next day we were visited in the middle of the day by a young buck who decided to nibble on my husband's day lilies shoots that are above the ground by a good 4 inches. Yesterday, early in the morning, we had the pleasure of watching a 2-3 year old doe grazing on the lawn for a while and she returned that evening as well. During the winter, we had a beautiful red fox visit to feed on some cracked corn we'd put out for just that purpose. Now, she's wondering what's next. I've pointed out that there is a real possibility for both moose and bear to wander out of the woods. She says she doesn't mind anything but she doesn't want to turn the corner of our house when she's out walking and run into a skunk. She's game for anything else.

The Final Straw

To say that it's been a rough winter would be an understatement. With unemployment running rampant, food and fuel prices climbing higher and higher and more troubles on the horizon, it's time for a change, don't you think? Well, I thought so. I spent the entire month of February sick and most of March trying to shake the winter blahs. Here it is April and I've seen my first beautiful crocuses on the front lawn. YEAH!!!!!! The grass tips are fighting their way up through the dead duff of last year, the birds are starting to get frisky, moose are on the move and the snowbanks are almost a thing of the past, on the edge of the road that is. Deep inside the forest, the snow is still just exactly that- deep. And, out of the blue, I fought a toothache all weekend. The tooth had been repaired several times and the last time, the dentist said it might be the last. he must be some kind of prophet. Monday, I'm in his chair and he's pulling it out. I hate dentists and hate loosing teeth even more. Today, I feel lousy. My jaw hurts just a little less than it did with the tooth in it, I have to be careful of everything I eat and drink, no soda and very little brushing. My mouth tastes like a war zone and I lost. I'll be so glad when the weekend gets here. We're going to work in the studio and get the camper out of the mud, ready for the season which starts on the last weekend of the month, the three day Maple Sugar Festival in St Albans, VT. I'll be there. Hope to see you there as well.

Weather Tease

Man, what a beautiful day. Carl and I went for a walk and the air just smelled so much like spring, it almost hurt because I know it's still really early. We could still get pounded with huge amounts of snow during the month of April. As I walked, I looked. I looked really hard for something to peak my photographic interest and I have to tell you, it's just not there, yet. Thursday, I observed one lone Canada goose winging it's way south. Is it confused or am I?

We both agree the ice is leaving the rivers and streams in a much slower pace. Perhaps we'll avoid the usual flooding of the Connecticut River low areas which includes the truck stop/convenience store/camp ground that our son works at. One year, it was so bad the fire dept forced him to evacuate the store in a row boat. He had stayed behind to move things in the store to higher shelves as the water rose. His boss was really appreciative.

The first flowers we'll see will be the trilliums shown in the photo attached.

Getting The Urge

We finally got our taxes done. It's not that my business empire is so huge, because it's not, it's just that it does take a lot of time to count all of those mats and frames. I am always amazed when I start plugging figures into my spreadsheet. And, if I only had that $10,000.00 that my figures tells me is sitting in my studio, well I'd probably be on my way to the camera store for that lens I mentioned I could really use. each time I look wistfully off into the distance knowing I can't bring that subject close enough or try to get a saleable image of an eagle or a bull moose, I mutter to myself the same thing. "Have to have that bigger lens before I head off to Alaska or Africa. It will be a waste of time, money and effort, otherwise." So, now the numbers are in the hands of the accountants and I'm getting the urge. The urge, you see, is for all of the snow to be gone. It's going, but no soon enough for me. The sap is running and I know that new life is just waiting to burst upon the scene. I can't wait until I can hang up my heavy jacket, put the boots away and start wandering the countryside in search of that first new baby whatever, the first daffodil, the first moose calf, anything but dirty snow banks and muddy brown lawns.

Facebook

For the past few days, I've been playing around with a new toy, a new project, one that I hope will be of real benefit to me and to my work. It's called Facebook. I don't really know much about it. A friend sent me a link to his page and, intrigued, I clicked on the link. I was disappointed to find out that I had to register ( join ) in order to see his graphic design work. But, what the heck, I dove in with both feet. It was surprisingly easy. You do have to enter a few personal questions and I didn't see the reason behind it until I actually got the account set up. The site opens a page of your own, with all sorts of information about you, your hobbies, likes and dislikes, whims, fancies and you can adapt the pages to make them more like yourself or do absolutely nothing at all. Members network themselves by "requesting" friends, family, neighbors and just acquaintances to declare "they are friends". This enables a whole network to build. In my case, the more friends I allow and encourage to view my site the better. It gets even more of my work out there for people to become familiar with. Already, I have set up seven or eight albums from our travels to Australia, Panama and so forth for people to see and comment.

My one mistake was that I set my account up under my home e-mail address and people looking for my page won't find it with the info@ photo-sensitivity.com address that is on my business cards. The address that you should enter when looking for my work is ryderlady@hotmail.com. I'm trying to figure out how to fix this boo boo but for now, please- go to facebook.com and set up an account. It only takes a few minutes and it costs nothing. You don't have to fill in all of the information. You will be amazed when you search for friends how intuitive and helpful the site is. It brought up people I never realized had a facebook page. Maybe that's because I never really checked it out until my friend, Tom, sent me the link. BTW, he's doing brilliant things with a couple of graphic design programs. Oh, and the photo I've posted is the real me, taken by my dad or his wife, Adena, during our recent visit to the Pacific Northwest.