We had a wonderful turnout for Applefest this last weekend. The wind kept things interesting both mornings, and our neighboring vendors' canopy flew across the road in one huge gust, as they had not staked it down yet. Alice Dunn and I helped them retrieve it, and fortunately it had not been damaged. Alice's beautiful tent that housed our wares was ready for the wind, with plenty of ropes anchoring it. It helps to be prepared for ANY weather up there in South Hero! We were all glad to see the sun come out around 1 pm Saturday, and on Sunday we had the sun all day, much to the delight of all. We had a steady stream of folks coming through and sales were good, with Alice's hand-painted ornaments becoming a hit. My color-your-own bookmarks were flying out the door, and I was pleased to see that the new natural community bookmarks with the 20-color-pens (at $3.75) were popular with older kids and adults alike! Color prints of my illustrations from the book Lake Champlain: A Natural History (published by the Lake Champlain Committee) were also selling well at $10 a piece. I'll probably be bringing those to A Flower a Day in Colchester to sell, as well as at my Holiday Open House and the EAL's new Mistletoe Art Fair the first 3 weekends of December (at the Essex Shoppes in a corner storefront near Hannafords.) I'll be writing more about that event soon in my blog.

As far as food vendors at Applefest, our favorite by far was the food from the Euro Restaurant - we had stuffed peppers, eggplant lasagna and stuffed grape leaves - yum! Wonderfully large portions too. Visit them in Essex in the Red Mall on Susie Wilson Road, 878-9299. The Kettlecorn was sustaining too, as well as the baked potatoes. Plenty to eat at Applefest as usual!

One of my favorite things is to watch all the breeds of dogs parade by. It is amazing how many dogs come along, and so well-behaved! Join Alice Dunn and me there at Applefest next October with your dogs and kids...we'll be  next to the bees and honey of the Tittemores from St. Albans. Our tent is always a welcome shelter from wind, rain or sun!