The One Where the Natives Get Restless

Long weekends are great times to do a little local sightseeing and taking in things you may not have time to do otherwise.  This weekend we were without the minions and restless.  Too much time spent indoors of late and we needed to get out and stretch our legs.  And so we ventured across the river to ArtsFest on Saturday.  It was hot and sticky out, but it was a chance to get out and enjoy ourselves.

Walking bridge over the
Susquehanna River

I want to say it was a great experience, a chance to see some fantastic artisans and buy a few things for our home as we are redecorating.  Alas, that's not exactly what we found.  What we did find was a trade show filled with booths and vendors of many different artistic varieties.  What we didn't find in abundance were the actual artists.  Many just sent their booths and hired people to sit there and read or look bored.  Some just ignored you, not even looking in your direction.
A few were true artisans who made their living from their art, were there with their items and happy to tell you all about them.  We found three of those.  One did pendants in sterling silver with an insert of stained glass.  Another was making bracelets out of antique silverware.  They were very cute and something I'd love to try someday.  The last was making jewelry as well.  Sterling silver with Morse code punched out of it to spell names, etc.  It made for something very interesting to look at.  Their booth were nicely set up, and actually doing some business.  Most of the others were not.

Brooch, gone a fowl

Perhaps the next time we get restless we'll stick to antique shops.  Who doesn't want to find jewelry made from chicken feet?

Do you wander locally?  What little things have you found interesting?

Posted in: Travel Tuesdays