kayaking on Loch Leven near Glencoe, Scotland, 2018

kayaking on Loch Leven near Glencoe, Scotland, 2018

Sunday, January 13, 2013

The Home Show

As most of my regular readers know, I enjoy going to local festivals to learn about the unique and fascinating culture of southwest Louisiana. I've heard that the Lake Charles area boasts around 70 festivals each year, everything from arts and crafts to zydeco. Winter is the off season for festivals, but there are a few. For example, this weekend was the Fur and Wildlife Festival south of Lake Charles in Cameron. I considered going. It's one I haven't been to before. What do they do there? I inquired. Well, there's duck calling, skeet shooting, oyster shucking, trap setting, and nutria and muskrat skinning. A report in today's paper said an 18-year-old girl participated in the muskrat skinning for the first time, skinning the animal in 2 minutes! She learned everything she knows about skinning from her mother, who is also a champion skinner. Uh-huh. Yeah. Umm, no thanks.

So I went to the Home Show instead! There were booths with appliances, aluminum siding, and AC units, banks, bricks, and builders, contractors, concrete, and closet organizers, doors and decorators, exterminators, flooring, granite and garage doors, insulation and insurance agencies, cutlery and kitchenware demos, lumber, lawnmowers, and landscapers, water purifiers, plumbers, and pools, realtors, stone and decorative tiles . . . Everything you need for home buying or remodeling. Which I am not, at the current time. But it can be interesting to look.

Josh Guillory, of Custom Iron by Josh, was there. His ironwork is amazing. I wanted to stop by his booth and tell him how much I love all the work he did there at the Civic Center. But he was talking to someone else. And I was shy. Didn't want to come across as too much of a fangirl. His website is here.

My favorite booths displayed decorative tiles. They are so attractive and creative. Almost makes me want to re-do my bathroom just so I can buy some tiles.


And then there was Frank Thompson, a fused glass artist. It seemed to me he belonged at an art festival rather than a home show, but he definitely had the prettiest wares there. Certainly better than those toilets one salesman seemed especially proud of. Check out Thompson's website here.


What is your favorite booth at a home show? Or would you rather have gone to the Fur and Wildlife Festival?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I also take a pass on the wildlife festival but didn't know a home show could be fun. The pictures make me want to redo my house too. Which, if truth be told, isn't out of order, just out of budget.

Common Household Mom said...

It's hard for me to see myself at either a Fur & Wildlife Festival or a Home Show. I do think you made the better choice!

Vickie said...

Love the artistry in both pictures. Looks like you made the right call.