Antique shops, flea markets, and craft shows

We love it when flea market season in Maine rolls around each late spring.

Ken and I went up to Montsweag Flea Market in Woolwich, north of Bath, on Mother's Day.

(These first photos, however, are from the Cabot Mill Antique Mall in Brunswick. They were uploaded ahead of the flea market photos and I don't want to wrestle with blogger to put them in the intended order.)

We went to Cabot Mill on Mother's Day, too, because the flea market wasn't too well stocked with finds.

Flea market season doesn't really get under way until after July 4, when the tourists arrive in Maine in droves.

So here are some Cabot Mill antiques photos to whet your appetite before we move on to the flea market....

Lobster kitchen items. Any self-respecting tourist to Maine leaves with at least one lobster item of one kind or another.

I like the  E. Swasey & Co. crocks on the top shelf here. I have a little collection of Swasey crocks but have run out of room to add to it.

I confess I lusted for a while after these cobalt blue dessert dishes. They'd go great with my Scottish Thistle dinnerware. My willpower won out, though, and I moved on.

 OK, now we're at Montsweag Flea Market. You can see the many empty tables to the far left. In July, every single table will be loaded with goodies and there will be vendors galore.

I loved my Bobbsey Twins books when I was a child. It was always a thrill to get a new volume at Christmas.

I don't know this family but thought they looked like they were very nice folks. Eleven children, and all of them dressed in their Sunday best for the photographer.

This family was undoubtedly a lovely one, too. Much smaller, but still good people.

Dishes! I never tire of looking at dishes.

Now, suddenly, we're in Meredith, New Hampshire. We drove up there this past Sunday to go to a yarn shop and browse some antique shops.

First, however, we stumbled upon this huge craft fair on the Mill Falls Inn grounds.

We didn't buy a thing, but it was fun to look at all the handmade crafts.

After a good look-round at the craft fair, we browsed in three antique shops.

Again, we bought nothing, but we enjoyed looking for a possible treasure.

I did, however, come home with some yarn after stopping at Patternworks in Center Harbor. Great yarn shop!