Fall’s Bounty at the Topsfield Fair, 2009Topsfield, Massachusetts
This weekend, my “boys” and I took a short ride from our present day farmhouse to see what working the land is really like by way of The Topsfield Fair. Started in 1818 by the Essex Agricultural Society for the purpose of promoting agricultural interests, The Topsfield Fair still educates and amuses visitors of all ages with its colorful displays, adorable creatures, and food you know you shouldn’t eat but what the heck! Although I have to say, even the prize-winning vegetables were tempting ...
In case you did not get a chance to go yourself, here is more of what we saw while walking the fair grounds.
A beekeeper vignette ...
I loved the sweet honey-yellow
painted floors in the bee house ...
Colorful coats ...
Designer-style coats ...
Of the hundreds of bunnies that we visited in the Rabbit and Cavie House (a cavie is a guinea pig), not one was as darling as our family pet, Lucky Charm. Lucky is a Giant Flemish rabbit – the largest rabbit species there is (he could weigh in at 20 pounds or more when he is fully grown). We obviously chose a bunny big enough to survive four boys ... who actually treat him like gold!
Lucky at home.
I did take home this cute bunny business card holder (to add to my rabbit collection). I think I will bring it over to Beth’s shop when it opens in a couple of weeks. A small lucky charm for our new venture!
Speaking of collections, now I know what to do with all the found-on-the-side-of-the-road chairs that I have been “saving” in my garage ...
Chairs displayed by:
Norman’s Chair Caning & Upholstery
Ipswich, Massachusetts
The flower exhibit (my favorite) ...
“New England’s Premier Flower Show”
“Special Days to Green Up”
in conjunction with the
Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts
A color trend for fall, inside and out ...
lavender with green.
Ornamental cabbage always steals the show ...
A pretty window box idea ...
I wish my fall garden looked like this ...
Love the flower pots stacked one on top of another. Very sculptural. Almost looks like the carved wooden urns below from The Furniture Institute of Massachusetts.
Furniture Making Classes ...
Nights & Weekend Workshops, Fall 2009
with Philip C. Lowe, Master Furniture Maker/Director
Beverly, Massachusetts
I would consider taking one of these classes (perhaps as a night out with the hubby?) I always catch him whistling when he is doing carpentry work. We could make a pair of new chairs!
The rich colors of autumn ...
Fresh, stylish, gorgeous ...
Dahlias in a Perrier bottle.
More stand alone drama ...
a red Chinese Lantern Flower
gets a blue ribbon.
Funnie on a rainy day ..
Shade for a sunny day ...
How I felt after so much visual stimulation ...
Sand sculpture by Justin Gordon
The above images represent the work of many talented artisans and craftspeople. I apologize for not writing down everyone’s name and information, but I was doing my best to snap a few shots while keeping an eye on four boys (plus one husband) who were going back and forth between fried dough stands and petting zoos (I was actually handing out Wet Ones as a just-in-case back-up after they used the stationed-everywhere-Purell!) Overall, each of us enjoyed a fun day (something for everyone) courtesy of the Topsfield Fair (until the sugar kicked in on the ride home ...)
What inspired you today?
Sand sculpture by Justin GordonThe above images represent the work of many talented artisans and craftspeople. I apologize for not writing down everyone’s name and information, but I was doing my best to snap a few shots while keeping an eye on four boys (plus one husband) who were going back and forth between fried dough stands and petting zoos (I was actually handing out Wet Ones as a just-in-case back-up after they used the stationed-everywhere-Purell!) Overall, each of us enjoyed a fun day (something for everyone) courtesy of the Topsfield Fair (until the sugar kicked in on the ride home ...)
What inspired you today?
