May Faire 2017

Saturday was an interesting day in Mathews.  The inaugural May Faire, devoted to springtime, May Queens, funnel cakes, clam chowder, and local history from 1600-1791, was launched.  

OK, so it wasn't necessarily devoted to funnel cakes and clam chowder. But from my booth, that's pretty much how I saw it.  The frigid brisk winds kept ushering the smells of food my way, making it very difficult to stay focused on telling passersby about the lovely items for sale in the Mathews County Visitor and Information Center.

In addition to a working blacksmith, an archaeological dig, musical performances and funnel cakes a pound cake competition, there were representatives from the Wolf Creek Cherokee Museum in Henrico on hand to talk about their culture.

This was sort of like a mini-Market Days, spring time edition. 

I sat at the Visitor Center booth with my friend and across-the-creek neighbor Frances.  

We were lucky enough to be situated right next to Ed Jordan and his wife, who is a remarkable artist.

They came to Mathews several years ago, all the way from Idaho!

Although the day was way too windy! brisk, and there was an episode or two of light rain, the foot traffic was light but steady.  Former May Queens (CBW represented the class of 1982) were recognized and Bayside Youth Ballet performed maypole dances.  

A good time was had by all.

Kayaking

Here in Mathews, it's been raining for forty days and forty nights what feels like forever.  Just when you think it can't get any drearier, it rains some more. Today it's supposed to clear up.  But so far, nope.

It's still overcast.

I took these pictures of the new kayak launch at the court house this morning after a six-mile run.  I needed some pictures of the court green for a blog post I did on the county's visitor site, and while I was there I decided to stop in to see how this place was doing.

One of these  days, it will stop raining I intend to bring my kayak here and do some exploring.  It's a great launching point.

There's a lot of activity in the court house area these days.  In addition to some pretty major improvements to the streetscape, a new pavilion has gone up right near the kayak launching site.

On days like today, it would be a nice place to briefly escape the raindrops while staring towards Put-In Creek. But here soon, the sun will be out again and it will provide a nice respite from the impending heat and humidity that inevitably accompanies summers.

Speaking of heat and humidity, my favorite month, May, is right around the corner. It's my favorite because everything here is so green and warm.  Although it can be stifling hot, it's usually not the same oppressive heat and humidity that June, July and August usually bring.

This year there's another reason to like May, and I wrote about it on the Mathews County Visitor and Information Center's blog.  (Click here.)