Monthly Archives: December 2008

A few of us on the island are unlucky enough to have our phones connected through a really old junction box. When there is too much moisture in the air, the phones stop working. Argh. Our phone cut out on Christmas Eve and we still have no service. Unfortunately, cell phone service is spotty here too. But every now and then we head down to the dock to make a call where the signal is strong. If you need to call, the cell # is 207 610-0377. Until we want to call out or hear from someone, there is something quite peaceful about not hearing the telephone ring for days. But now we are ready to be reconnected to the world. Maybe by Monday……….

Our sons, Fritz and Robin, are both home on the island for Christmas.  From the storm on Sunday we ended up with a foot of snow, and a power outage. Bruce has all of his lobster traps out of the water and the Barbara Ann has been winterized. We’re ready for Christmas, and happy to think that the days are already starting to get a bit longer.

My jewelry  studio has become a big catch-all for the holidays, but soon I’ll be back to work. I have a necklace to finish up and send in to Rio Grande by the end of January. I found out in December that I have been chosen as one of the 5 finalists in the PMC category of the  2009 Saul Bell Design competition. Yee ha!

 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, December 5 and Saturday, December 6. There is no admission fee and there is great food to buy for lunch! (Sales benefit the YWCA in Bar Harbor.)

 For the second time, the fair will be held in the conference building of the Atlantic Oaks on Eden Street in Bar Harbor. If you are headed out of town toward Ellsworth, the Atlantic Oaks is just a little bit past the College of the Atlantic on the right. Look for the signs. There will be happy people who enjoy seeing each other at this time of year, and loads of beautiful work in a whole variety of crafts. This is a fair I have been participating in for about 20 years. I love it for the chance to catch up with people who I don’t usually get out to see. It’s great to just be in one spot for two days, rather than rushing through the local grocery store with just enough time to catch the boat back to the island.

The fair is an opportunity to see everyone’s work, and to see how they’ve grown, changed or refined their work since last year. I realize everyone’s  budgets for gifts this year will be slimmer. I know mine will. To show my appreciation for local shoppers, I will be taking 30% off the price of my jewelry for the fair.

Whether or not jewelry is on your gift list this year, it is important to buy locally as much as possible. The IAA Fair offers numerous possibilities to so. Hope to see you there!

What a storm we had here on Tuesday before Thanksgiving. There were wind gusts up to 87 m.p.h. and the lights started to blink around 6 p.m. I was with my friend Sonja and her 4 week old baby Finn, inviting them to dinner and a possible sleep over if the power went out. Her husband Bill was stranded off the island when the last boat of the day was cancelled. As Sonja was grabbing the diaper bag, the power went out. We arrived chez Fernald to find the generator just being turned on and Bruce and Fritz cooking up a great meal. The power came back for a few hours, but as the wind got stronger,  Sonja decided to stay. Finn’s first sleep over! The power went out again around midnight. When Bill came home the next day, he moved in too. Power came back at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving, just in time for cooking turkeys for late afternoon meals. Somehow we managed to squeeze 20 people in our dining room, a new record. 

Living in a beautiful spot,  good friends and family who are flexible enough to change plans at the last minute with a sense of humor, spectacular cooks…I am very grateful. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.