Archive for the ‘Crafts’ Category

The 17 th Annual Eastern Shore Artisan Guild Holiday Tour Was A Huge Success !

Friday, December 6th, 2019

DSC_7373This annual studio tour, held the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving 🍁each year, is one of our very favorite arts 🖼 events of the year. Covering studios reaching from Capeville at the Shore’s very southern tip as far north as Onancock, offering dozens of mediums ranging from heavy oils to silk embroidery to decoy 🦆 carvings, from huge wood sculptures to finely cast bronzes to intricate ceramics and jewelry and much more, this event truly has something for nearly every taste. And a great way to find unique gifts 🎁 for folks on your holiday list.

We started at Danny Doughty’s studio in Onancock which is not on the official tour but which is so close to 4 locations on the tour that it’s easy to drop in to take a peek78318591_1195745894148400_5490258846255415296_o at his new pieces- – not to speak of the beautiful 🎄tree Danny always decorates for his studio. From there, off to Ker Place with decoys, 🖼paintings and jewelry, then off to see Vesna’s new pottery pieces. Heading out from there to the historic Onancock School, which sports a new LOVE ❤️ sign, where embroidery “paintings” , decoys and Bobby Bridges whimsical wind directionals added lots of color to the show.

DSC_7430By The Bay 🦙 Alpaca farm was delightful, such cute and furry creatures, calm and patient. And if you’re looking for the world softest and warmest, must try alpaca sox 🧦! But the other incredibly soft item for sale was a tiny alpaca fur 🧸 teddy bear, so sweet, ready for lots of hugs and kisses from a new owner. Next up, sculptor Moe Spector’s place where several different artists had organized tents for the Tour including Marty Burgess, Guy Shover, David Crane and Brenda Clark offering paintings, stoneware and ceramics. From there to Wachapreague for Jacobson and Bilicki Fine 🖼Art. Sadly, it was not possible to do all the stops, so at sunset we were off to our last stop, Windsor House at the very southern tip, to see the Lewin’s hand crafted fine furniture, Buck Doughty’s steel sculptures and some amazing pots from Gecko Pottery. And that wrapped up the 2019 Tour for us, looking forward to Thanksgiving 2020.

 

 

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GOODBYE EASTERN SHORE SUMMER 2019🌈

Friday, December 6th, 2019

36696286_795095574213436_8869024899788701696_oThough vivid colors of Autumn 🍁 now brightly greet us,
dull Winter’s 🌬 chill surely follows close behind.
But memories of our Summer ☀️ days shall to mind spring ever sweetly.

 

 

 

 

 

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CONGRATULATIONS TO GAIL DREBES, WINNER 🍀 OF THE 1st 🥇 PRIZE IN THE BLUE HERON REALTY DRAWING CELEBRATING THE CAPE CHARLES SUMMER OF LOVE ♥️ FESTIVAL!

Thursday, September 12th, 2019

69542284_1108651932857797_7237632781298171904_nPresented by Blue Heron Realty agent Nicole Killebrew, Gail and husband Jim Drebes, local Cape Charles town residents, came by yesterday to pick up the $900 gift certificate to the fabulous “At Altitude” Gallery on Mason Avenue, the 1st 🥇 prize in our ♥️ Drawing. Gallery owner Gordon Campbell was on hand to congratulate Gail and welcomed them both to stop in the Gallery to browse as much as they wish before making that hard decision on which photo 🖼 to select.

2nd and 3rd prizes in the Blue Heron Drawing were both won by ladies who were visiting friends or relatives on the Eastern Shore when they stopped by to register.69691533_1108651209524536_2364476008658108416_o Cheryl Jones from New Jersey won the 2nd 🥈 prize of the $125 gift certificate to the Oyster Farm Eatery – Cheryl is looking forward to her next visit to Cape Charles to enjoy her delectable winnings ! The 3rd 🥉 prize of a $75 gift certificate to Gull Hummock Gourmet was won by Pat Lasome from Maryland. Pat visits the Shore frequently and now has some delectable treats and wine🍷 to choose on her next visit to town. ( Thanks again to Honey Moore of Gull Hummock Gourmet who helped Barrett Cree with the Drawing ! )

69489158_1108652686191055_2516419161177980928_oThe Cape Charles 50 Days of the Summer of LOVE ♥️ Festival was such fun – – so many exciting 🎉 activities all over town ! For 50 days ! Our thanks to everyone who entered our 🏅 Drawing. Even if you didn’t win one of our 3 prizes, you got a commemorative LOVE♥️ mug and our interesting new Cape Charles Landmarks map. The whole Blue Heron Realty crew enjoyed this Festival so much, we hope you did too !! Come see us at 113 Mason Avenue and catch a ride to find your dream 🏡 home on the HeronMobile

Serenaded 🎸 By “Schooner Or Later”, The 4th Annual Community Potluck Wowed Hundreds From Cape Charles

Thursday, September 5th, 2019

1 FoodA myriad of 😋 flavors, an abundance of food and plenty of camaraderie marked the Cape Charles 4th Annual Community Potluck Picnic. Sponsored by Citizens for Central Park, the Potluck also coincided with the very last Harbor For the Arts Summer band concert held in the Gazebo- – plenty of catchy 🎶 music by “Schooner Or Later” kept everyone tapping toes. Having a town-wide Potluck is a wonderful idea, absolutely loads of fun, unique on the Shore. Grilled burgers 🍔and hot 🌭 dogs were provided by Citizens for Central Park. Everyone was responsible for bringing a couple side dishes which were as varied as they were delicious. Beautiful 🥬 salads and slaws of every description, hot dishes ranging from 3 kinds of baked beans, homemade mac & cheese, (of course), a very creamy chicken Alfredo, German and many other kinds of potato salads, fruit 🍇 salads, watermelon 🍉 slices and the list goes on. Plus fab desserts, pies, cakes 🍰cobblers, 🍪 cookies, muffins and brownies ! An absolute cornucopia of flavors ! Already looking forward to the 5th Annual, planning to bring an even bigger pan of mac & cheese.

 

 

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THE WEATHER WAS COOL BUT THE MUSIC WAS HOT AT CAPE CHARLES CENTRAL PARK

Thursday, August 8th, 2019

67956727_1086112798445044_5267650356296286208_oOne of the many things we love 💕 about Blue Heron being one of the sponsors of the Harbor for the Arts 🎻 music in the Park series is that it just seems a bit more fun to come and enjoy the various bands if you are helping to sponsor them. Last Saturday evening the weather was cool but the music 🎸 was definitely 🔥 hot ! The Bobby “BlackHat” Walters band performed, playing with feeling and wildly popular with the crowd ! A breakout moment came when Bobby 🎩 announced “OK, we’re going to play “Get Your Red Shoes On.” And I want to see some dancing going on out there in the audience ! “ Well, 1, 2, 3 – out poured the music and up jumped the crowd, definitely folks had their red 👠 shoes on. And just about everyone caught the spirit, young, old and in between, on their feet, dancing ! ( Possibly a first for a Central Park band concert ? ) Bobby also played a touching harmonica rendition of Leonard Cohen’s famous composition, “Hallelujah”, to much applause, a song made indelible to many when it was performed on Saturday Nite Live a few years ago.

Also super popular Saturday night was Cape Charles Main Street’s table, brimming , as promised, with colorful Summer of LOVE ♥️ T shirts for sale. Business67832277_1086110738445250_8637846159072690176_o was brisk, T shirts in every hue, plus hats, totes, doggy neckerchiefs, you name it, everything ♥️ flying off the table and into bags at a dizzying pace. We managed to snag the very last Men’s Large in burnt sienna for our son-in-law, who has an amazing collection of local event T shirts that he loves wearing all summer. Shirt Mission Accomplished !

67703782_1086112655111725_7030784669536747520_oEverything was downhill easy from there for the rest of the night. The sun set, the music played, people swayed, dogs frisked, kids skateboarded, teens played soccer, Gordo’s spicy tacos were relished, literature given out, refreshing Italian Ices savored, toddlers twirled, adults laughed, everything went per normal and all was right with the world….. and we had our Men’s Large Burnt Sienna Summer of LOVE ♥️ T shirt !

 

 

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“Art & Music on the Farm” 2019 – A Huge Success ! Again !

Thursday, May 30th, 2019

DSC_5442From traditional music rooted in rural Virginia to art in many forms and mediums, from Hog Island fig trees to twirling wind whirligigs, the Barrier Island Center and Museum’s annual bash, “Art & Music on the Farm”, was an exceptional event ! As always ! Even the weather could not have been better – – breezy, blue skies and mild temps conspired to make last Saturday a perfect day for an outdoor festival. This annual Machipongo event is one of the largest art/artisan festivals on the entire Shore, offering something for everyone. Dozens of little white tents filled with amazing decoy carvings, Windsor chairs, sculptures, bronze work, ceramics, plants and garden art, stuffed animals and children’s books, paintings in oil, watercolor and acrylic mediums, hand-crafted wood pieces, pottery and so much more were on offer for the numerous enthusiastic attendees. For animal lovers, 2 rare Hog Island sheep from Island View Farm were on hand, sweet woolly characters, Opal, and her week-old baby, Beep-Beep, wowed the crowd. Plus there was toe-tapping live music ! And lush Chatham Vineyard wines !

Of course, all that walking, talking and shopping was bound to work up some serious appetites. Fortunately, delicious aromas floated everywhere, originating fromDSC_5573 vendors like Kitchen Sync, with fresh strawberries in cream, shrimp orzo and chicken salad on its savory bill of fare. Around the corner, while Gordos Food Truck was wowing the crowd with tacos and gorditas, Cape Charles Lion’s Club was rapidly turning out burgers and crab cakes. Over at the Kielbasa tent, grilling was amped up to a fast pace to keep up with demand, their mouthwatering subs pairing well with ice cold liquids from the adjacent Beer Garden. For those craving a little caffeine, Coastal Roasting had its famous Marsh Mud iced coffee and fruity iced teas ready to pour. Plus their beautiful new custom ceramic coffee mugs were available to add a little pop of color and pizzazz while sitting on the porch enjoying your morning Joe.

DSC_5559For many, the music was unquestionably the highlight of the day. From 11 am till closing, over on the main stage 4 talented groups performed throughout the day. Adjacent to the stage, a tiny dance floor was in place for those who might want to accompany the lively music with a little free style dance. Fortunately, local clogging enthusiast Bill McLaughlin was on hand – he and several energetic youngsters added some impromptu entertainment with their spirited flatfooting. Toe-tapping and delightful, rooted in the genres of old time rural Virginia bluegrass and country, with styles and traditions that go way, way back, the music absolutely captivated the audience. In the Education Building, various Musician’s Work Shops were held- although we didn’t make it to any, they were likened to being “on the porch of the Floyd General Store during Floydfest – but right here on the Eastern Shore”. All in all, simply a terrific day, filled to its fresh, breezy brim with beautiful art, delicious food and timeless music. In short, another wonderful Art & Music on the Farm ! And hats off to all the volunteers, vendors and sponsors who make this fabulous event possible each year – thank you !

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DRUM ROLL PLEASE ! CAPE CHARLES FARMER’S MARKET SEASON 4 NOW OFFICIALLY OPEN

Friday, May 24th, 2019

DSC_5415How delightful it was to once again be able to look forward to Tuesday afternoons from 3-6 pm, May to October, as that special time each week to be able slip into the Cape Charles Farmer’s Market and stock up on super-fresh goodies. Rain or shine, hot or cold, our favorite vendors will be there with our old favorites plus new offerings, always something special to try.

On Tuesday, for those looking for veggies, Copper Cricket and Perennial Roots had plenty of just-picked DSC_5325selections on hand. Into our basket went some sweet May peas, peppery white radishes, lovely fresh scallions plus a tray of beautiful brown eggs. Fresher-than-fresh, tender asparagus was on offer from Pickett’s Harbor Farm, definitely couldn’t resist that, so great in an omelette or quiche. Further down the line, the Honey Guy from Eastville was ready for his customers, offering a sweet smile and even sweeter local honey from his busy, buzzy bees.

On the flip side of sweetness was the Horseradish Lady, whose creamed horseradish stood ready to make the ideal spicy cocktail sauce, perfect for the crab cakes and clams being sold at the Edward’s Seafood tent. Further down the line, Kitchen Sync was ready with freshly prepared ready-to-eat-good-food which can also be ordered for pickup at a later date at the Eastville Inn. So into our basket popped some chicken salad – – it was delish on toast for lunch on Wednesday.

Beauty got double billing in flowers with gorgeous offerings from the ever-popular Chatham Flower Farm ( keep an eye on their Facebook page for ticket availability to their amazing “Farm to Table” benefit dinner) as well as a colorful display from the Blooming Farmer. Nothing like a lovely bouquet to cheer up any room in the house ! Snagged a jar of bath salts with dried flowers for a friend, both beautiful and aromatic, a nice little gift. So many interesting items on offer from other local vendors including handmade cutting boards, intricately woven macrame, artful hand towels from She Seeks Wool and much more.

So don’t forget to mark your calendar. When the clock strikes 3pm on Tuesdays, it’s time to grab your basket and head over to the Cape Charles Farmer’s Market located on the grounds of the Museum on Stone Road. What a fantastic opportunity each week from now until October to buy fresh, buy local, buy delicious and nutritious ! LOVE it !

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Cloudy Then Rainy. Yet the 2018 Artisan’s Guild Holiday Tour Was Still Great

Tuesday, November 27th, 2018

DSC_3666From Cape Charles to Onancock, 43 talented Eastern Shore Virginia artists and artisans threw open their studio doors, welcoming the world to enter and discover the unique items on offer during the 16th Annual Artisan Holiday Tour this past Friday and Saturday. It may have been cloudy and then rainy outside but inside the many stops on the 14 studio plus Chatham Vineyard self-driving Tour, it was cozy, friendly and warm. Unfortunately, because of a late start we didn’t make it to every location….. but there’s always next year !

We kicked off at the Milby Barn Studio at Chatham Flower Farm located in Painter where we were greeted by Kate Meyer, likely humorously known as the Painter of Painter. ( Also the hostess of the recent and hugely successful Farm-to-Table dinner which we unfortunately missed.) From there forward to Maurice Spector’s studio featuring unique wood and stone sculptures. Mo hosted 4 other artists at his waterfront home including David Crane, Miriam Riggs, Marty Burgess and Guy Shover. Oysters were on the grill, smoke drifting, aromas tempting, totally relaxing.

Onward to By The Bay Alpaca Farm, one of my perennial favorites. Their alpacas are so cute- – when you pet them they are delightfully warm and luxuriously soft and silky ! Definitely the place to stock up on alpaca sox, perfect stocking stuffers for anyone on your List who fights cold feet all winter ! From there we were off to the tiny town of Harborton where Windhorse Barn and Studio overlooks Pungoteague Creek. Painted a whimsical shade of fuchsia , the Barn hosted multiple artists and offered a blazing fire pit surrounded by plenty of chairs to enjoy it.

After a lunch break at Janet’s Cafe in Onancock, (home to one of the best roast beef sandwiches on the entire Shore), we stopped in at Danny Doughty’s studio. ( Danny and his work were honored earlier this year at the University of Virginia’s Batten School of Leadership and Pubic Policy. ). Located above the Red Queen Gallery, Danny’s was not on the official Tour but we are huge fans of his work and wanted to see what new pieces were hanging on the walls of his large and light-filled gallery. Plus he always has a spectacularly decorated Christmas tree ! Well, this year the tree was “Under Construction” but Danny’s fabulous new art work definitely did not disappoint, including a large Ballard Fish company commissioned painting on which he is currently putting the finishing touches.

Just a few blocks over, the Vesna Zedovic studio. Vesna’s mirrors, framed with a surround of hand-cast pottery tiles of sea creatures or butterflies or flowers are really amazing. We’re lucky to have a small collection of beautiful her red clay tiles stretching back many years to when we first saw her pottery at the former Old Thyme Garden and Gifts in Weirwood. Vesna is still going strong nearly 30 years later although working primarily in white clay now.

By then the rain was really doing its thing but nobody seemed deterred as we rolled up to the Ker Place Museum where Gertraud Fendler’s sea glass jewelry, David Farlow decoys and Diana Davis watercolors were being shown as part of the Tour. In addition, the Museum itself had a featured exhibit of Shore WW I memorabilia, pretty interesting. And then to our last stop of the day, the historic Onancock School with its numerous exhibitors. We took a moment to watch carver Brad Bradach work on one of his miniature decoys before slipping over to see what Bobby Bridges, Billy Crocket, Elizabeth Hunt and Laura McGowan were showing. Everybody had beautiful things on offer, unique, one-of-a-kind art, perfect for a distinctive holiday gift for a Special Someone or possibly, dare we say it….. a holiday gift for oneself ! And then, all over, time to go home after a long but delightful day ! But definitely ready to do it all again next Thanksgiving !

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SMALL COUNTY- BIG FAIR ! 3rd Annual Northampton County Agricultural Fair

Tuesday, November 13th, 2018

3075There was something for almost everyone to love at the 3rd Annual Northampton County Fair in Machipongo last weekend. Although no deep fried Oreo cookies or pork chops on a stick appeared on any menu, the Cape Charles Lion’s Club booth, Gordos Taco Truck, Country Kitchen, etc. offered plenty of other goodies to keep help the munchies at bay while browsing the various exhibits and activities. Plus the luscious pies, pecan, apple, sweet potato, entries in the ever-popular Baking Contest were for sale after the judging by the slice or even the whole pie, super yum ! ( I’ll never tell who took home half a sweet potato pie topped with pecan cinnamon streusel ! )

ANEC, one of the Fair’s main sponsors, offered some impressive pole climbing presentations by Tyson Arnold and George Floyd, both 2 years into their 4 year lineman apprenticeships. Interestingly, apparently it isn’t until the 10 year mark that most linemen have had extensive enough experience to be able to handle just about any situation. (Guessing employee retention is pretty important to A & N. ) The audience gained a new appreciation for A&N linemen who have to struggle up a pole in every sort of condition, wearing heavy cleats and a 45 pound tool belt. Sort of like the post office – – neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night nor heavy wind shall keep these critical linemen from shinnying up 40 ft poles to keep lights on for the customers. And thank heavens for that !

A huge favorite again was the Antique Tractor Show & Parade, this year featuring a few young drivers who I assume will be the future farmers of Northampton. Ancient but shiny and well cared for tractors of numerous makes and models paraded around what used to be the huge athletic field of the old Middle School, to much audience interest and appreciation. Antique machinery demonstrations of corn shelling and grinding showed just how it was done back in the “good old days”. And for kids, so much to see and do, including face painting, hay rides, pumpkin painting, a colorful bouncy house, balloon animal creations, duck calling contests, etc. Any County Fair worth its salt includes farm animals, in this case a little petting zoo with super cute sheep and a friendly brown goat. Plus a sweet and very patient cow, totally engrossed in munching her hay.

Once again a big turnout for the annual Skillet Throw, my favorite. Those cast iron skillets are heavier than they look and many a hefty heave only sailed the skillet a short distance from the starting line. The winners of the Ladies Throw were: 1st Place Helene Doughty, 2nd Debbie Mears and 3rd Emily Norwall. Men’s Throw winners: 1st Place Sands Gayle, a 2nd place tie between Brandon Parks and Will Russell and 3rd Carl Willke. Congrats to all, lots of fun for audience and participants alike !

A big thanks owed to the Side Porch Pickers and Thelma Peterson. It was a pleasure to listen to them, their bluegrass and county music added to much to the entire event. Wouldn’t have been the same without it ! And to the many, many volunteers who staffed the booths, the Kid’s Corner, ran the contests, brought their tractors, supervised hayrides, cooked the food, answered questions, etc., etc., bravo, you really pulled off a wonderful event, already looking forward to the 2019 Northampton County Agricultural Fair !

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The 1st Annual Honey Fest At Quail Cove Farms

Monday, July 16th, 2018

IMG_1320Lots of rhythm-keeping, toe-tapping and goody-munching happening over at Quail Cove Farms in Machipongo last Saturday at its 1st Annual Honey Fest. As the talented Side Porch Pickers picked away, wowing the crowd with bluegrass favorites, folks circulated up and down Quail Cove’s attractive new porch, checking out all the goings-on. Plenty of goodies were on offer including lovely little tea & honey flavored Parisian-style macaroons, honey butter, honey flan cakes, honey peanut butter, tasty honey mini-donuts and more. Plus some unique bars of honey and milk soap, very soothing ! And of course, jars and jars and jars of sunshine in a jar, pure golden honey in all sizes. The “Honey Guy” we see at the Cape Charles Farmer’s Market was even there with a little sampling jar of his delectable local Eastville honey. Yum !

Pony rides, a little petting zoo with curious, friendly sheep and a goat plus a bucket of corn to hand-feed them, aDSC_1954 Bouncy House plus an Activities Tent all kept kids involved in the fun. For those who got the serious munchies, Gordo’s Taqueria Truck could definitely satisfy cravings for spicy and delicious. And of course, Quail Cove was doing a brisk business at the inside store featuring the organic and natural foods and produce its famous for, especially their Amish Country cheeses, etc. Thanks Quail Cove Farms, a great idea, a very pleasant afternoon, looking forward to a 2nd Annual Honey Fest next year.

 

 

 

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