Our Trip to the Common Ground Fair

We made our annual trek to the Common Ground Fair on the opening day this year. This is our kind of fair, no ferris wheels or cotton candy. 

Horse farming demo

There are sustainability workshops, organic gardening displays, livestock handling events and low impact forestry demonstrations.

The Organic Garden parade

We stopped by a timber framing exhibit to talk about the barn we're planning to build. The timber framer talked to us about post and beam sizes, and barn styles. We needed to confirm the sizes of the posts we need. 

Carrots

Next we looked at a wood stove. It was much more than an ordinary one. This one would heat the house and cook your food. There was a connection to hook up a hose for heating a hot water tank. And another to connect to the radiant heating in your floor. We were very impressed.

The blacksmith shop

While Marsha was at the fleece tent, Gil wandered into the Social and political action tent. We all have our priorities. Gil consorted with activists of various causes and alternative ways of living and thinking.  

Beets

Marsha bought a completely gorgeous seven-pound silvery-colored award-winning Romney-mix fleece to card, spin, and make into things. 

Bonsai

We arrived at the place to hear a keynote speaker who would be talking about lacto-fermentation, a subject we are interested in. But the sun had warmed up the day and the speech happened to be taking place right in the warmest place on earth that day. We sweltered for about 5 seconds and then went over to the book seller's tent and bought the book.

A self portrait

Then it was lunch time. We had our usual lamb sausage made from sheep raised two towns over from us, and with homemade salsa that truly rocked. We have this every year at the fair. Always wonderful. 

Liberty Tool Company

On the way home we stopped in Liberty Maine. "What's in Liberty?" asked Gil several years ago when we first went. Liberty has a tee shirt store right across the road from a used tool shop. We bought some organic cotton tees, and then headed across the road.

A dizzying array of used tools

Gil looked and looked and looked and could not find the bench vise he wanted. Oh, well, maybe next time. We did find a few hand tools to augment our projects. Then we were on our way home.

Peppers

And now we're looking forward to next year at the fair. -G.H.