Huckleberry Days

What are huckleberries, you ask? Or at least, we did. They look and taste a lot like blueberries and they grow wild in the area around Whitefish, Montana. That wasn't far from where we were staying and we haven't been to a small town festival for quite a while, so we decided to take a look at the Huckleberry Days Art Festival on Saturday.

There were lots of artist's tents.

This pottery was probably inspired by huckleberries. I really like it.

This man turns incredible natural-edged bowls. We talked to him quite a while about how he finishes them. They have such a rich clear look.

Of course, there were clothes.

This woman not only wears an incredible costume, she makes great folk art figures.

There were activities for children, like this climbing pole.

We had good barbecue for lunch.

The festival was held in Depot Park in downtown Whitefish. This Great Northern diesel engine was on a track right behind the BBQ stand.

To finish our day's exercise we walked around the downtown area, where we saw this clock tower.

We also walked on the path by a creek that wanders through the town. It was very pretty.

We planned to buy a huckleberry pie on our way back the the RV park. But we weren't willing to pay $30 for one 8-inch pie, or even $5 a slice. A neighbor in the park told us sometimes the berries sell for $40 a pint so locals carefully protect the location where they find them growing wild. I guess the cost of the pie makes sense but we weren't willing to pay it.

Really Creative

Today is the date for the Quilters, Carvers & Creative Crafts Showcase at our resort. I fully intended to visit the show and that was reinforced when I saw this line, waiting to get in just minutes after the show began.

This resort we moved to in October is only half the size of the one we stayed in for the past 6 years and it doesn't have nearly the space for numerous workshops and crafts that we had before. But that doesn't mean the folks here aren't just as creative. I was really impressed with what I saw.

The biggest exhibit was the quilts and we were able to vote for our favorite as best in show. So many beautiful quilts to choose from!

Quilts can be works of art, but I grew up with quilts my grandmother made and she usually used scraps of cloth from the leftovers of dresses my mother and she sewed for me and themselves. That is why my vote for best of show was this quilt.

Hopefully you can read this sign that explains the quilt. I was very touched with this creation.

There were many other crafts on display, as well. Here is a very interesting gourd creation and some great turned bowls.

There were leaded glass and melted glass and decorated glass items.

Also pottery and china painting.

When I saw this work, I was sure it was done with a laser. However, it is done with a scroll saw and the piece of wood is at least 1/2 inch thick. Really impressive!

And talk about creative. I found these ducks, dining in some rain runoff covering a walking path here in the resort.

Wrapping Up

We only have two more weeks here in Mesa before we head out for the summer. We will have been parked in one place for almost 6 months, the longest we have every spent in one place in the RV, and we are beginning to get hitch itch. We will spend the month of April traveling around northern Arizona and New Mexico, seeking higher elevations to get our bodies adjusted to altitude. For 5 months this summer we will be volunteering at 9,000 ft.

In 6 months, we take more and more items out of storage in the RV, we buy new things, we move stuff around. Now it is time to find the place where everything belongs. We had the rig washed and we washed the truck. John is going to flush the hot water heater. And we had to finish up all our various craft projects. Here are the last three things we made.



The "Love" and the pig were woodshop intarsia projects we each made. For the necklace, I made the beads in pottery shop, then strung the necklace. That was fun. John has some partially created carving projects he will continue to work on over the summer.

We have one more week to tie up loose ends here, then our grandchildren Kylie and John will bring their parents Eric and Liz to Phoenix for Spring Break. We are looking forward to seeing them. We will also be busy with Holy Week services of Palm Sunday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. Then we will be "On the Road Again."

Seeing Freinds

Yesterday, Ron and Barbara came to visit. Barbara is a train buff and wanted to see the VDO Garden Railroad and they wanted to check out the Country Store. The miniature buildings in the train setup are really well done.



This old house, with the housewife checking on the rabbit cages, is so realistic.



The horse-drawn Budweiser wagon passes behind the local automobile garage.



I think this train is my favorite, at least so far. The Oregon Lumber Co. RR wood-burning steam engine pulls passenger cars from the Denver and Rio Grande Western.



We checked out all the vendors at the Country Store and Ron and Barbara both bought something. We picked up a small gift for our grandson. Then we ate lunch. Every weekday, lunch is served here in the resort. Four days it comes from the Cactus Grill. On Country Store day it is served in the Fiesta Room. For residents who don't want to cook (I'm not one of them), it is possible to eat food prepared there every noon and one or more evenings a week. That is in addition to the substantial appetizers served at the Tiki Bar most evenings.

After lunch, we came back to our site and talked out doors for over an hour. It was a fun day.



Today, I picked up two completed pottery projects. Early in the month, I posted about making my first puzzle pot. Both of my puzzle pots had been fired, so I could bring them home. They aren't perfect, but not bad for my first attempts. John took my picture showing them off.

Hobby Time

Now it is hobby time. This week, John is beginning a project, making santas for me and our grandchildren.



These will be different figures from the ones he made last year.



Since we arrived in Mesa, he has already completed three diamond willow walking sticks. Aren't they beautiful?





I've been doing a lot of on-line genealogy, but yesterday I changed my focus and took a class to make a puzzle pot in the pottery studio. To make the pots, you put pieces of clay inside a mold.



I chose a small mold because of our space limitations in the RV. Pieces of clay are shaped, then put inside the mold. Some pots are solid, others have spaces between the pieces.



Here are both sides of the mold filled with my clay pieces.



Next, the molds are put under lights and warmed with hair dryers so the clay inside will dry enough to shrink away from the mold. We started at 9 am and by 11 am my pot was drying.



After lunch, I returned to the studio and removed the mold. Here is the pot, waiting to bee smoothed and cleaned.



We learned how to make clay roses. then I tried to copy a pot I saw in the studio. I added a bow and the rose. Everything shrinks about 1/3 as the pot dries and is fired. It will be interesting to see if everything goes together and is on the same scale after it is fired.



It was a fun day and I plan to make another one soon, before I forget how to do it. Our instructor, Holly, was excellent. She not only taught us how to make the pots, she showed us lots of other techniques and ideas. I really enjoyed it.