Copper in the Arts

The Copper Development Association Inc. is the market development, engineering and information services arm of the copper industry, chartered to enhance and expand markets for copper and its alloys in North America. Each month the CDA publishes an online magazine, Copper in the Arts, featuring innovative and artistic uses of copper. I am honored to be featured in the August 2010 issue.

The Festival of the Little Hills in St. Charles was awful this year. Downpours on Friday left the grounds of Riverfront Park a total swampland. Neither the City of St. Charles nor the Festival staff cared that people could not walk into artists' booths without sinking in the mud. I've been at other shows where storms created problems, and the staff at those shows busted their butts to help the artists. In Des Moines when our tent was blown down, unknown volunteers appeared to help us salvage what we could. In Mt. Vernon, IL, a muddy site was transformed by scores of volunteers scattering straw so people could walk. But in St. Charles, we were handed one bag of OilDri, which covered approximately one square foot of muck. No assistance at all was given to those artists whose tents were destroyed by wind. And then the staff just disappeared. So after 2 days of watching people go by carefully stepping around the water pools on the concrete sidewalk while studiously avoiding the muck in the booths, we gave it up, tore down our booth, and left. The complete lack of concern for the artists left a bad taste in my mouth and I would not recommend this show to anyone.

Terrie's had a lot on her mind this month. In addition to being the responsible party for her aging and ailing grandfather in the nursing home, school, and dealing with our business, she was convinced she was just minutes away from a heart attack. So.....she had a cardiac cath and should now be able to rest easy because she does not have any problems. However, recovery from the procedure is limiting her activities somewhat and is driving her nuts. This, too, shall pass.

We haven't seen an oriole in a few days, so they must have headed south. Also, our gaggle of hummers is thinning somewhat. Sure do hate to see them go, but understand why they must.

Next up is the Harvest Festival at Silver Dollar City in Branson. Yay! We love the time we spend there and meeting all the people who come by. After the summer show season we've had, we're both ready to "move in" to our booth in the City. Come see us! September 11-October 30, park is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Hummingbird fact for today: Male hummingbirds orient their feathers toward rivals to best display their brilliant iridescent colors.

The King of His Realm

A customer and fellow hummer fanatic managed to capture the personality/attitude of the male Ruby-throated hummingbird regarding HIS feeder. This photo is published here with permission of the photographer, Cam Schutte, Kansas City, MO. Thanks, Cam, for sharing!

Cam and his wife Shirley are prime examples of how easy it is to fall victim to the charm of the Ruby-throated hummingbird. We met them at an art show a few years ago. They knew there were hummers in their area, but they had never had a feeder. They purchased one, followed our tips, and soon were enchanted by the amazing creatures. They added another feeder a year or so later so that Cam could enjoy watching them from his home office. They stop by to visit every time we do an art show in their area - not to purchase another feeder but to share their new-found infatuation with the little charmers. They are now almost as smitten as we are. And thankfully, Cam is a much better photographer than I am!

We are shipping orders to two new wholesale locations, and shipping more items to an established customer. Thanks to The Flying Pig in Algoma, WI, for the re-order. New retail locations are Bear Creek Cafe & Gift Shop in Bear Creek, PA. And Wolfe Gallery in Deland, FL.

The last outdoor show this season for us is this coming weekend. The Festival of the Little Hills in St. Charles, MO, draws an attendance of over 100,000. The hours are long and the weather is supposed to be hot and humid. We're just keeping our fingers crossed that there is no rain!

After we get home from St. Charles, we'll put away all of our "modern" display and start gathering everything we use in our booth in the 1890's setting of Silver Dollar City, the home of American craftsmanship, in Branson. The National Harvest Festival runs Sept. 11-Oct. 30. If you've ever wanted to visit Silver Dollar City, this is the time to do it! Literally hundreds of artisans are on site with their amazing handcrafted items, including over 50 Best of Missouri Hands Juried Artists.

Hummingbird fact for today: The 17 species of hummingbirds that have bred in the United States and Canada represent approximately 5 percent of the world's hummingbird species.

Sharing the Joy of Hummingbirds

We were at Festival of the Little Hills in St. Charles, MO, last weekend. A gentleman who had purchased a feeder at the show the previous year stopped by the booth. Last year I had given him tips on how to get a hummer to sit on his finger. He stopped by to tell me that he had followed my suggestions and was thrilled to see a hummer up close sitting on his hand. That's what this is all about, I think. More so than selling my art, I enjoy sharing the joy and wonder of these amazing little creatures.

We just returned from the Art and Balloon Festival in Lincoln, IL. On Saturday a nice lady purchased a feeder. She returned on Sunday just to share that she filled and placed her feeder and soon had a hummer at it. She, too, was thrilled and happy.

We took time to go out to the airport Saturday evening to see the balloon launch. Unfortunately, the weather was uncooperative for the balloonists. They did, however, launch from one end of the airport and fly to the other end. What a sight to behold! We've not seen balloons up close like that before. No wonder this sport has such a following!

We're busy filling orders. We have reorders from Cosby Hillpeople Crafts in Gatlingburg, TN, and Abode Interiors in Stockholm, WI. Moller's Garden Center in Palm Desert, CA, will also soon offer our items. It's a little overwhelming at times, but what fun we are having!

Hummingbird fact for today: The "Doctor Bird" (Trochilus polytmus), or Swallowtail Hummingbird, lives only in Jamaica and is one of the most outstanding of all the species of hummingbirds. The feathers of the Doctor Bird are beautifully iridescent, a characteristic peculiar to this family.

The Wonders of Technology

One of the local radio stations, KRMS 1150 AM/93.5 Mike FM, sponsored the Art and Ambiance Fair this past weekend here at the Lake, so of course the station gave the Fair a lot of play. I was invited to talk on KRMS AM about my art and the Fair. That was a first for me and I had no idea how I sounded on the air. Terrie had sent the radio website address to friends and family and my sister in Oregon logged on and not only listened to the interview (aired on a local AM station), my nephew also recorded it. The next day I received an email with a file attached and I was able to listen to the interview. What an amazing technological age we live in! And our very first sale was to a nice lady who had listened to my interview and came to the show to see my items.

We were very pleased with the local Art and Ambiance Fair. We got acquainted with some of the other artists, wineries, and restaurants in the area, we visited with some old friends, and we made new friends who were visiting the Lake. Unfortunately the weather was nice all weekend so many Lake visitors were out on the water instead of inside at an art show, but that is their loss. There is a lot of talent and skill in this area.

Festival of the Little Hills in St. Charles is next weekend. This, too, was a fun show for us last year and we're looking forward to it. Let's just hope that Missouri weather lends itself to the event!

Hummingbird fact for today: The Ruby-throated hummingbird was first identified by Carl Linnaeus, the originator of the modern classification system, in 1758 from a specimen from South Carolina.