Craft Camp

This past week I was able to take a week of vacation, which is something I have not been able to do for a long time. Planning it on a short holiday week when others would be also off helped. When I first decided to take the week off, I was at a bit of a loss on what to do. While there are always plenty of house/garden/animal/family things to do, I wanted to spend time doing things I usually do not have time for. I opted to try and do some craft/art work, making my basement workshop the center of a week of craft camp.

Monday was largely spent in the car, driving to the nearest Menards for supplies, which is in Middleton. I did get to spend the afternoon putting the final touches on the new chicken coop. I finished the roof, and put up an electric poultry fence to keep the cats out. The young chickens have been in the new coop for a couple of weeks now, without complaint.

Tuesday I did a little woodworking and built a small, simple project - a birdhouse. We have seen Bluebirds in the garden for several years, and I wanted to put up a birdhouse for them next spring. The plans I downloaded were not the clearest, but I was able to decipher them. In the afternoon, Maggie and I went to the Richland Center library so I could get a library card. As a bonus, Maggie found some free mystery paperbacks to add to her reading pile.

Wednesday I spent some time sketching. I have been fascinated by botanical illustrations since I was young. Unfortunately, I have no artistic or musical ability. In recent years, I have tried to practice drawing plants. I started with watercolors, but switched to colored pencils. I feel pencil colors are less vibrant, at least in what I have been trying, but they are more forgiving. In the afternoon, I went to Driftless Books and Music, a large used bookstore in Viroqua, for the first time.

Thursday, Maggie and I drove through the countryside visiting Amish stores, including Trails End in Ontario. We ate lunch in LaFarge, where we found a place that had a turkey lunch special. Our bill was less than $20, a price we have not seen for a long time. Our son Henry was planning to bring some friends to the farm for the 4th to do some shooting and fireworks. I returned to larger-scale woodworking and built two target stands to put in the hayfield, and set up tables and a canopy for them to use.

Friday was spent reading and preparing for Henry's visit, grilling, and watching him interact with his friends as an adult. I also found some time in the morning to draw up plans for future projects, including a small garden tool shed and chicken tractor. In an age when such drawings are usually done on a computer, I enjoyed spending a couple of hours with a drafting triangle, scale, and pencil.

Saturday, I traveled back to Viroqua for Driftless Folk School's open house. The school offered several 30-minute mini courses hosted by their volunteer instructors. The two I wanted to sit in on, timber framing and watercolors, were at the same time slot, so I opted for watercolors to keep the art theme going. I created a rather sad landscape painting, but I am a big supporter of Driftless Folk School so it was nice to participate. It also gave me a renewed sense of appreciation of people who can draw, paint, or play music.

Sunday will be a day of gardening and getting ready for a return to work. It is always hard to catch back up on work projects after being away, but it was nice to take some time off.