A New Adventure

We'll be leaving soon to set up shop in Silver Dollar City for two weeks. Terrie and I both have mixed emotions about this. Being in one location, setting up and tearing down only once, will be nice. Talking with people visiting Silver Dollar City will be nice. I've never actually created and worked with an audience, though, so this will be a totally new experience. And of course, we do not know what to expect as far as sales. With a big show in St. Louis immediately following, we don't want to sell out. Yet, we do want to sell as many items as possible. Talk about inner conflict! So if you are out and about, come see us in our 1800's costumes. It should be fun.

The show at the Cedarhurst Art Museum in Mt. Vernon, IL, was a good one. The coordinators treat the artists very nicely. Big crowds browse and buy throughout the weekend. The nicest moment came from a local photographer. He bought a feeder last year and came back to our booth this year to add to his "collection". He takes a lot of graduation pictures, and he said our feeders in the background add to the ambiance. Wow. What a nice thing to hear.

On the home front, we're still waiting on the contractor to finish up a few little things. The new carpet will be the next big project. That is a matter of having the time at home to have the house torn up for a couple of days. Right now we just don't have the time to be unhooking and unplugging and moving furniture when we need to be getting ready for the upcoming shows. Ah well..............eventually. Watching the footage of the destruction caused by Hurricane Ike makes our earlier storm damage pale in comparison. Our hearts go out to all those affected.

Hummingbird fact for today: Hummingbirds have about 1,500 feathers.

It's Chow Down Time

As the fall migration approaches, this year's young hummingbirds are aggressively hitting the feeders. The activity on our porch has been amazing. Terrie stood out there last evening and captured these pictures. They didn't seem to mind her being there. One even came over to investigate the camera. Unfortunately, he was quicker than the shutter! I love how they are in a standoff with each other one minute, and cautiously sharing the feeder the next.

Hummingbird fact for today: Hummingbirds use vocal chirps, chatters and buzzes to signal others, indicate mood, and to threaten. Most do not have a song as such though the Anna’s hummingbird has been known to voice long “songs”.

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.

One Small Note Made My Day!

I received the following email yesterday, which made me feel darn good! Part of the note and two of the pictures are posted here with permission of the author/photographer. Thanks Cam and Shirley for warming the heart of a hummingbird fan/artist!!!


Bill and Terrie,

We just had to let you know how much enjoyment we have gotten from our hummingbird feeder purchased at the Leawood Town Center Art Fair. We decided to mount it just outside the kitchen/hearthroom window so we could keep an eye out for them. The first photo attached shows how I mounted it and the second shows our success. I have a camera mounted on a tripod next to my easy chair so all I have to do is push the button.


Best regards,
Cam and Shirley Schutte












Hummingbird fact for today: Hummingbirds may live for 5 to 10 years. A female Broad-tailed was banded as an adult in 1976 and recaptured in 1987, at least 12 years old. A banded Ruby-throated was found to be 6 years 11 months and a Rufous was 8 years 1 month.

A Working Vacation

We just got back home from the Craftsmen's Fair in Gatlinburg, TN. We set up our booth in an air-conditioned convention center and then "went to work" for ten days at the Fair. We stayed within walking distance so for 10 days our world consisted of that little part of town. After spending 10 days in one spot waiting for customers to come by, I know that I could NEVER run a store. Maybe it would be different if, when no customers are present, I could disappear into my studio and create.........

One nice thing about doing a show like this is that all the cares and worries of home are left behind. Nothing existed outside the show and that was a welcome relief. We arrived back home expecting to see nice new ceilings in the house, the result of repairs necessitated by the storm damage. We found nice new ceilings. We also found a nice mess. We had talked about replacing the carpet. The contractor has seen to it that we now have no choice in the matter - the carpet will have to be replaced. Needless to say, Terrie is not overjoyed at the thought of continued upheaval. She was looking forward to finally getting back to normal around the house and now that won't happen for a while yet.

We met some wonderful artists in Gatlinburg. Talent was abundant at this show. It is truly amazing to see the talent and skills of people. Imported crap might cost less, but it lacks the craftsmanship, pride, and love of creation that is found in hand-created items. I heard it put this way - The quality remains long after the price is forgotten.

Hummingbird fact for today: White hummingbirds are rare in North America but some albino hummers are occasionally seen. Full albinos have white skin, bill, and feathers and red eyes.

It's Independence Day in America

One thing recently got my blood boiling. It was hearing people in this country refer to Independence Day as the fourth of July. It was the fourth of July in every other country in the world as well. Here in America, the fourth of July is Independence Day. Spend a moment thinking about the significance of that. And next year, please don't refer to the fourth of July without saying Independence Day.

This time of year we hear a lot of people talk about their hummingbirds "disappearing" from the feeders. Actually, this is the time of year that the females' diet changes. She has chicks in the nest and she feeds them tiny insects. When the juveniles are ready to leave the nest, she'll bring them to the feeders. Be patient - they will be visible again soon.

We're preparing for our big trip to Gatlinburg. We will be at the Craftsmen's Fair from July 18-27 at the Gatlinburg Convention Center. This trip will also have some personal benefits. My mother and siblings live in Maryville, which is close to Gatlinburg. So while visiting family we also get to try a new market. We're hoping for a great show, of course.

Terrie is packing away everything in 3 rooms so the contractor can replace the damaged ceilings while we are gone. It's rather bare around here without all the hummingbird "stuff" she has collected over the years.

Hummingbird fact for today: Hummingbird survival skills must be learned by the juveniles on their own, including flying, searching for food, avoiding predators, bathing, and grooming.