Sunday, As I See It

I guess you would say that I'm not your average girl. I would take a hosta nursery over a department store any day; comfortable Dansko shoes over strappy, glitter encrusted heels; a nice, smoky bourbon over a fruity cocktail (well, in a pinch, a Cosmo would do). Perhaps it was my upbringing...my parents encouraged my sister and I to play outside (a far better choice when the family TV only had 4 viewable channels and not a video game within a 10 mile radius). We had dolls, but, usually, you would find us hauling the Barbies into the wilds, building cabins for them until the sun went down. So, in a nutshell, I'm not your average girly girl.

One of my all time favorite places in Maine is also not girly, and I thought what a fun way to spend a Sunday with my daughter...who is leaning towards the girly side of things. Examples: screaming when she spies a bug (gets this trait from her father...and, all of you who know him are snickering right now...), favors pink, wears a tiara around the house, and her pajama top and bottoms must match or she won't go to bed. So, bedecked in her funky little pink and pewter hat from my friend Dory at Worthy Goods, her pink, glitter sneaks, and her purse in hand, Annabelle experienced the Liberty Tool Company for her very first time. A success, you may ask? If repeating "Mama, can we go now, please?" thirty times is success, then yes, it was tremendously successful.

Since I had not visited the Liberty Tool Company in many years (and this is a pity, because it is a mere 20 minutes down the road), I had the best time rummaging through the hundreds of bins full of old tools, searching for just the right old file or hammer. In the past, I walked away with a crate full of mini-vises, hammers, awls, files, letter stamps, printing press typefaces, and engravers. Today, I managed to buy 3 files each with lovely worn handles, perfect props for photographing jewelry! Other delightful finds, but not purchased, were oodles of old photographs and dozens of figurines from "Grandma's Attic" upstairs. If and when in Mid-coast Maine, by all means make a pilgrimage to the Liberty Tool Company. You'll walk away happy with assorted old tools, dirt on your hands, a smile on your face, and, perhaps, a little less girly :)