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Hello again! While Jen is back in the swing with the summer art shows, I’m trying to get back in the blog writing swing. Which sounds like a weird place in a playground to be writing. 

So I’ll start over. Jen and I are vegetarians. The actual vegetable eating ones. I stopped eating meat when I was eleven years old (if you’re doing the fancy math, that is over 40 years ago). We are both great cooks, which can come in handy in Maine, where they sometimes think vegetarian means fish. It does not.

Here’s a little visual proof ~ dinner at our house is kind of great:

I’m going to use the blog post today to talk about the great, if hard to find, veggie options here. Maybe this will be helpful to you if you are a vegetarian, or a person trying to cut back on meat, or if you travel with a veggie person. Or maybe you just wanted something to read today that is not political or catastrophic. This is neither.

First stop, Frinklepod Farm in Arundel. This is a wonderful organic farm store run by Noah and Flora. It is closed Sunday and Monday. They have an amazing selection of fresh local veggies, and a fridge and freezer filled with vegetarian and vegan delights (both savory and sweet). They’ll even let you pick your own flowers. If Hannaford feels a bit overwhelming, head to New Morning Grocery in Kennebunk. (Or go to the store in Biddeford, but then you have to get coffee at Elements or Time & Tide, a bagel at Rover, and be sure to get a falafel wrap or plate at Layalinas!)

If you are dining out in town, the best salad (Jen and I really do rate this stuff) is the Summer Salad at Wandby Landing. The pizza there is delicious, and we had a special pasta with mushrooms that I am really hoping will be back on the menu.

 Chez Rosa usually offers two veggie dishes on their small, yummy menu. The gnocchi is creamy and veggie rich.

At Old Vines, we stick to the small plates – one of which is always the brussels sprouts.

And, of course, Bandaloop. Nuff said.

The big surprise: Lost Fire (a grilled meat lover’s paradise) has wonderful sides like yucca fries and grilled brocollini, as well as a veggie empanada. 

In our opinion, everything goes better with wine, and every one of these places has a great selection. But if you just need a bottle for yourself, be sure to stop by Maine & Vine where Lani will brighten your day (and help you select a new favorite).

The sun has returned to Kennebunkport, our lettuces and kales are picked, washed and bagged, and our tomatoes are ready to take over the world! If you are town and need a few, just say the word.

Happy eating.

The rain is no excuse for how long I have gone, again, without writing a blog entry. But I am going to start by talking about the wet weather that has been overwhelming us here in Maine. I saw a meme that said it has only rained twice this year – once for 43 days and once for 37. And it feels all too true.

I try not to complain about weather. I live in Maine, and I love it here. I enjoy something about every season. I admit that the crossover between winter and mud season, when the skies are gray and the rain blows cold, can feel a smidge too long. But I don’t even remember March anymore. It has really been raining.

What’s great about that? 

Everything is green. Our wildflower meadow that we planted with seeds just a year ago is lush and standing almost four feet high (though the coreopsis flowers are sagging a bit from the last downpour). 

Our vegetable garden is prolific. Look closely and you might think we haven’t been harvesting the snow peas, but we are out there every day plucking them from the vine. We can’t keep up with the lettuces, kales, parsley, and cilantro. And we are watching the tomatoes branch out and fruit so much that the peppers and cukes may need to be relocated to the lettuce area next week.

What’s not so great?

For folks who only get a weekend or a brief vacation in vacationland, it is WET. Bike riding and morning walks are often cancelled. There haven’t been many evenings by the fire, either, because it’s not much fun with mosquitos AND wet seats.

So, yeah. It’s been raining. But just now, the sun peaked out from the heavy clouds. And we live in Maine.

I guess I’m done with this post. Nothing JAK to report, except that we knitters still love what we do, and we love sharing it with you. Rain or shine.

 

Once upon a time, on a hill in a saintly city, there were two vegetarians slicing meat in a deli.

As is so often the case in stories like this, they were not looking for love.
They were in recovery from the lives they had so far lived, and both were content to spin salad, restock snapple, grind coffee, and of course, slice meat.

Slimy stinky meat, funny looking meat, and meat that did not even pretend to be something it was not: tongue.

The vegetarians worked hard, unlike the hipsters and hucksters to their right and their left, and this was likely the first sign of a future affiliation beyond the doors of the delicatessen.

But neither was looking for love.

If their shifts aligned and they found themselves standing side by side at the sandwich counter during the lunch rush, waiting customers might have seen a spark. They found no need for words as they passed pitas and slices of swiss according to the slips of paper pinned above them while they prepared perfectly portioned pastrami and chicken salad sandwiches.

And cleaned as they went.
And restocked before the bins were empty.

It was love, not that they were looking for it.

One day, one of the vegetarians found herself standing by the coat rack.
She had worked the opening shift alone, in the peace and quiet of pre dawn, and was gathering her very few belongings when she saw a sweater newly hung.

The other vegetarian had just arrived for the midday shift.

The thin cardigan with patches and buttons could belong to no one else.
And she leaned toward it and inhaled deeply. Twice. She was not looking for love.

But when two vegetarians are slicing meat in a deli…

So…for well over a year now, in addition to being half of team JAK, I have been leading writing salons a few nights a week. I provide my group of up to 9 writers of varied experience with a prompt, and we all write for 20 minutes. The results are always a surprise. Last night I wrote a little piece following an audio prompt with a story about the time when pots and pans could talk (listen to this On Being podcast and you’ll hear it in the last 6 minutes). It felt like just the right prompt for me to get back to this blog. So here it is, in writing and audio. Enjoy!

 

In the summer of 2021, there were not enough workers or not enough jobs. But the travelers and tourists who had been locked down and held back were unaware or uninterested and they tramped and stomped and shouted their way through restaurants and villages, leaving a trail of tears and despair, and some money, too. They must have imagined that the dollar bills they tucked into the palms of innkeepers and waitresses would wipe clean their slate of misdeeds. But the list was long and the bills were small in comparison. 

The beach bullies and wander warriors spilled lemonade and ice cream cones along the lanes, never looking behind but for the occasional social media snap to lament their lost treat. Someone else would surely clean the mess they left behind. These were not cleaners of messes. Or walkers of crosswalks. Or even, in a time of deadly diseases in the air, wearers of masks, or givers of just..a..little..space. 

Angry August, the name the locals gave to the month that preceded their return to normalcy in years past, seemed almost tame after Jackass July. And they cowered in their shops and kitchens, wondering if it might soon become Shitbird September, or just, Slightly more Stupid. 

One night, after locking the doors and sweeping the floor, a shopkeeper stepped outside to find her scooter covered in muck from the shaken floor mats of the restaurant next door. She had endured yet another ten hours of public interaction and bad acts, including a shoplifter whom she had certainly thanked, and anti-maskers who ignored the signs, and then ignored her, and then left, declaring they would spend their money elsewhere. Again and again. And she yelled at the empty dock and cursed the lobster guts and careless cooks. And then she noticed the kind chef in the cruddy apron with the cigarette hanging from his lips, bent and breaking down boxes in the last light of the day. 

“What happened?” he asked.”I’m so sorry,” he said.

And at once she knew he’d had a harder day and a more miserable summer, and that his kitchen was hotter than her air-conditioned boutique, and that drunken customers, overworked waitstaff and bussers, and late deliveries with forgotten ingredients had been his day, every day. 

And she remembered the tearful reunion with the elderly sisters, and the Minnesotan who cherished her last trip with her ailing husband, and the comely couples able to resume their annual anniversary trip to her shop. And she hugged the dirty chef, climbed on her soiled scooter, and caught a cool breeze home to begin again.

It’s been a few weeks since our last Blog post. Mostly for good reasons. We may not have a home yet (we hope to move into our new house in November) but that’s not keeping anyone away.

We had a wonderful visit with Jen’s mom and sister, AND our niece Emma who is in college now, even though I’m sure she can’t be old enough, because in my mind she is still the tiny person who would only eat strawberries!

Minutes after they flew back to Ohio, my cousins David and Linda arrived from San Jose, California, and we got together with some of the amazing writers who join me a few times a week in my Write with Tanya creative writing salons.

Needless to say, there was lots of hugging, laughing, eating, drinking, and of course, kayaking. And we even found time to work, because it really is summer here in Maine.

The streets are crowded on the weekends, and we find ourselves scrambling to keep up with our knitting. I seem to be on the phone with artists every few days, ordering new jewelry and bags for what is beginning to look like a very good year (especially in comparison to the last 14 months…think crickets more than cicadas).

In addition to family, there are plenty of familiar faces (when I recognize you, gulp) finding their way back to Dock Square after a long pandemic hiatus.

The stories are familiar.

First trip away from home since….

Don’t care if the weather’s no good…

Smiles and hugs!!!

And…a sweet surprise for me, “I’ve really enjoyed your emails.”

So, I’ll keep these blogs and emails coming. Sometimes a week or so late, because…summer.

Oh, remember when I said “mostly for good reasons”? Apparently, like millions of my stressed-out neighbors worldwide, I ground my way through the last year. My teeth anyway. My jaw pain finally surpassed my fear of doctors, and I spent all day yesterday going from appointment to appointment. Not fun, but the good news is no surgery necessary. Soft foods for a while. And there’s nothing softer than a glass of wine. So I’ll be fine. See you soon.

Ok. I really am going to get back to JAK and knits and artists and all that good stuff that is probably why you came to JAK Designs in the first place. But we’ve never waited around for holidays or memorials to give thanks, show our gratitude, or tell you how much we love you. Life’s too short.

So when the KHHT newsletter came out last week, we were overwhelmed with the need to say thank you. If you don’t know what KHHT is, it’s the Kennebunkport Heritage Housing Trust. If you don’t know why that is particularly relevant to us, it’s because we were selected to be one of the first 6 homeowners in a brand new affordable housing development two miles from our shop on Dock Square.

Jen and I have been in continuous agreement for a long time that we are very likely the two luckiest people in the world. I won’t bore you with all the sappy reasons, but being able to own a home in the place we love without going into terrifying debt is up there in the top seven.

And here’s where some additional thanks to you comes in. When we read the newsletter (click here if you’re interested https://www.khht.org/springnewsletter2021) and we got to the section with partners and supporters, there were so many names! And quite a few of them were familiar to us. Thank you so much for your generosity! Thank you for caring. And thank you for sharing.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit Kennebunkport, or it’s been a while, we hope you can make the journey soon, and enjoy this wonderful place that we call home.

I’m really trying to write something every week that’s worth reading.

I have big plans to keep introducing you to the artists we work with that make our shop so special. I am going to convince Jen to do some photo and video shoots showing you how we like to wear our wraps and tie our scarves. I promise these things will happen.

But somehow, SUMMER AFTER THE PANDEMIC has begun, and that’s where my words are today.

I write this knowing that we are not past this horrible thing. I write it fully vaccinated…for now. I write it as I watch families gathering and laughing even though their Memorial Day weekend was awash. Rain and wind and cold temperatures could not dampen the joy all around me in Kennebunkport this week. Live music. Dinner with friends. And smiles.

That’s what keeps resonating as I contemplate the new now. We have worked diligently to show our feelings through a pair of eyes above a swath of fabric for so long, and now we are seeing smiling faces again!

When our smiles meet, connections are quicker, humor needs no explanation, and pain has nowhere to hide. The word fellowship comes to mind.

As we continue to be careful, cautious, and considerate with our friends and neighbors, there are happy dances all around me. And hugs.

I am so excited to see your faces again, and as Amy and Ed and Dan and Cindy will tell you, I may not recognize you at first. Please don’t take it personally. I too, have been watching the world from behind a mask for over a year, while meeting new people every single day. And have I ever mentioned that I am face blind?

I used to hide it by forgetting to wear my glasses or contacts, and using that as an excuse. When Jen and I were at art shows for almost twenty years, she would whisper in my ear, “that’s Joe, we’ve been out to dinner with him 3 times!” And as for Jen, she swears that she won’t go away from me for more than a few days at a time. She is certain that, after 25 years, I will forget who she is! At fifty-one, I’m trying to come clean.

When we meet in the shop or at an art show, our conversations are real. Jen and I watched “salespeople artists” decades ago and promised to alert one another if we ever slipped into that behavior. We are who you meet, the fun we have in our little visits is real, the laughter is sincere. So, if you’ll just bring up something from our last conversation, it’s almost like your face magically comes into focus for me. It’s weird, but it’s true.

As summer rolls along, I hope you will get a chance to stop in and say hello. And I hope you get to share laughter, hugs, and music with the people who have been too far away, or just behind a mask.

I took one week off of blog writing, and it feels like a month. That kind of makes sense, though. I never seem to know what day it is any more. Worse than before. Or better, I guess, if you want to get philosophical about time. But that’s for another blog.

This is the JAK Designs blog, so we talk JAK, American artists, Maine, and food…so far.

We did hear from many of you last week when we asked what you wanted to know more about. Scarf tying and capelet wearing got a bunch of asks, so we will be putting together some videos and photo arrays with tips and ideas about how to wear your JAK gear.

Several of you want to hear about the trails and nature adventures we take (and that you can try, too) all around Maine and the northeast. If you can handle stories about the black bear family we spotted on our first day away, the steep waterfall scramble we accidentally happened upon, or the bobcat that leapt onto the stone wall of the narrow path on our arches hike, then stay tuned in the coming months!

In the last blog post, we talked about the artisan women we work with that make our shop so special – more than 30 of them from all over the country! And I promised to let you know about the guys, too.

Well, I like to keep my promises, so here goes:

Jon Wye ~ Eric Silva ~ Peter Brown ~ Drew Graham ~ Rex Nockengust ~ Gene Allen ~ Thomas von Koch ~ Fred Kaemmer ~ Tom Davin ~ Jim Dowd ~ James Stanford… and we’re always looking for more.

When we opened our brick and mortar shop in 2015, we knew that we wanted to showcase the work, and tell the stories, of artists that we love. I can still remember the first three that we agreed upon: Karen Klinefelter, Fred Kaemmer, and Meghan Patrice Riley.

We committed to buying all work outright (consignment can be agony for artists – rent and mortgages never wait until money is in the bank), so we started calling each one and figuring out how to order for a shop that never existed before, in a town that didn’t know who we were.

Over the years, we continue to call and email artists we have met along our journey. Each time, hoping this will be a good fit, and that we can share their work with you. Apparently, we need to meet more guys – particularly ones who make super cool jewelry (there’s not a lot of room for craft and fine art in our little shop).

But the ones we have right now make our hearts happy. As you can see from the photo today, these guys have probably made you happy, too!

JAK Designs is a woman-owned business. If you’ve followed us for more than a minute, you probably already knew that. This was not something we contemplated or worked at, we just are: Two women who started a business.

It’s actually not as rare as disparity and discrimination would have you believe. In other words, women overcome.

Here are some cool facts from 2020. (I bet you never thought you’d hear a sentence start like that!)

*40% of US businesses are woman-owned

*Women started almost 2,000 new businesses every day last year

*Only 25% of woman-owned businesses seek financing

*Private tech companies run by women achieve 35% higher ROI

(ROI is return on investment, and, yes, can you tell I am a professional artist because I had to look that up.)

*The US has 12.3 million woman-owned businesses.

*Woman-owned businesses employ over 10 million people in the US.

And get this, women who support other women are more successful. Now, how you define success is up to you. If it was all about numbers, I’d have trouble getting up each day. Jen’s idea of success is a sweet combination of supporting our family, being creative every day, elevating the work of people in our community, and preserving our planet. Yes, her plate is full. Often with scrumptious vegetarian meals that I prepare – one of my favorite successes.

Jen and I have worked to support other women in the arts and business (and life) ever since we had a few pennies to rub together. And in case you’re wondering, rubbing pennies does not grant wishes or start a fire. But supporting women does sometimes light a fire under great ideas, and encourage momentum. And it almost always pays itself forward.

Here is a dizzying list of some of the artisan women we have been able to support through the success of JAK Designs:

Karen Klinefelter ~ Meghan Riley ~ Emily Shaffer ~ Nicolette Absil ~ Anita Roelz ~ Lisa Gent ~ Maggie Moore ~ Trecy Bleich ~ Suzanne Evon ~ Ginger Allen ~ Heather Guidero ~ Julia Britell ~ Wendy Stevens ~ Jennifer Bauser ~ Amy Vander Els ~ Carolyn Hanisch ~ Karla Gudeon ~ Jennifer Cherpock ~ Julie Tomlinson ~ Cullen Goodyear ~ Lori Davenport ~ Glynis Dixon ~ Mary Kesler ~ Sharon Diebolt ~ Dayan Moore ~ Joan Edelstein ~ Arin Arthur ~ Jennifer Nunnelee ~ Christine Peters ~ Lara Van Slyke ~ Cara Desjardins ~ Ella Calas ~ Judith Haas ~ Jennifer Walker ~ Annie Ciszak Pazar ~ Francesca Vitali ~ Laurette O’Neil ~ Nikki Nation ~ Laura Michaud ~ Natalie Therese ~ Larisa Flynt Snydal ~ Donna Veverka ~ Karin Jacobson ~ And I am positive I’ve left a few off this list!!!!

Lest you read this to mean we don’t like guys (not in THAT way), take two steps back. Supporting one group of people should not imply that another is diminished. In our next blog post, I’ll introduce you to the great guys we carry at JAK Designs.

Have you been following along on our new blog journey? If you have, then you know today is when we give you a sneak peek into life in Kennebunkport. We can’t tell you everything. For a small town, there is a lot going on, no matter the season. And everyone experiences our little part of the world differently.

For instance, most people arrive with thoughts of lobsters dancing in their dreams. Or steaming in a pot, I guess. As I have explained to more than one tourist searching for the best lobster roll in town, Jen and I are the only vegetarians for miles, so we can only go by what we’ve been told. Two things: I know we are not the only vegetarians (but close); and, you are welcome! We like to think that for every lobster we don’t eat, there is more for you when you get to town.

Which brings me to a sneak peek into life as vegetarians in a seaside village. First, we are not newbies to the meat-free life. Did I ever tell you how we met, back in 1995? We were a couple of extraordinarily young vegetarians slicing meat in a deli in San Francisco. So, no, we are not occasional fish eaters or people who think chicken is a vegetable. And we are excellent cooks – I even had my own veggie burger company – so we know how to put together delicious vegetarian meals with almost any ingredients.

But no one wants to cook at home all the time. So where do we go to eat in the Kennebunks? My answer will reflect the “before times” because we haven’t stepped foot in a restaurant since last March.

A go-to vegetarian spot, according to the world wide web, is Bandaloop. And they do have some tasty treats. Our favorite meal there is the crispy tofu appetizer with a kale salad. I know you meat eaters are cringing. But they use Heiwa tofu, and there IS a difference. (And the sauces are crazy delicious.)

50 Local in Kennebunk is our favorite place to go (if memory serves). While there, we enjoy the great atmosphere, wonderful staff, delectable drinks, and the chickpea spread or a cheese board. As vegetarians, we live the truth that the experience counts as much as the food.

Old Vines has gotten pretty big since we first sat inside at the quiet bar for great tapas-like veggie snacks. We just noticed the chickpea spinach stew added to the menu, so we’ll be heading over soon.

There’s Mekhong Thai or Pedro’s for a different flavor. And The Boathouse seems to be the only place left where they don’t add fish sauce or bacon to their brussels sprouts.

If we don’t want to cook, but plan to eat at home, Talula’s is fantastic. The eggplant parmesan is the only good eggplant for at least 20 miles. And there are always appetizing appetizers in her well-stocked freezers.

And last, but definitely not least, Frinklepod Farm. Good people, good produce, good snacks, and great ingredients for a veggie (and vegan) life.

Obviously, we will have to give you more sneak peeks into life in Kennebunkport – there are beaches, trails, shops, and so many great people to tell you about. But for now, bon appetit!

(Click on any of the names to check out websites and menus)

 

Writing this blog is still pretty new. So, trying to come up with unique and interesting topics, especially ones that don’t fall back on pandemic themes, is an interesting challenge. There is so much going on right now, in our lives, and the world, and much of it is a reflection of the stunted universe we have all been living in since March of last year.

One thing we can tell you more about is our artists. We have been in touch with all the artists we carry in the JAK shop, and to date, that is 35 wonderful, talented individuals from all over the US! Our plan is to introduce you to them as people and artisans, in addition to showing off their fantastic work. But we don’t want to overwhelm you, so we’ll do it one at a time. From time to time.

And it’s time to introduce you to one of our favorite Maine artists, Lisa Gent. (And yes, they are all favorites. Jen and I have traveled the country showing our work at art shows since 1999. We know more artists than you know…well, more artists than you know. If we carry their work in our shop, it means we love both the artist and their work.)

Back to Lisa. A chai drinking, big hearted nature addict (my term, so don’t blame her for that) Lisa handcrafts metal jewelry using fine silver and gold. She adds rich contrast to her work by oxidizing, and incorporating gemstones, most recently moldovite, a super rich, dark green stone.

Like many artists this year, Lisa has immersed herself in custom work. One of her favorite tasks has been embellishing cherished wedding rings to commemorate anniversaries. How sweet is that?

And speaking of sweet, when we asked Lisa who brings her joy each day, her list, including the humans she adores, included Lulu, Moosey, and Silly Millie. We heart that.

Heading back out into the craft show circuit, the way most of us have made our way for so long, is different for every artist. Lisa will be just slightly dipping her toes into in-person shows this summer. In late July, she’ll be back at one of her favorites, in one of our most favorite locales. The MCA Guild Fine Craft Show in Bar Harbor will be taking place July 23-25, and if you happen to find yourself in this most northeastern of shows, Jen will be there, too, showing our lightweight summer knits!

You can also see Lisa’s beautiful work in our shop on Dock Square, and on her website https://www.lisagent.com

Next time: A sneak peek into life in Kennebunkport!