CELEBRATE THE SEASON:
The Time of Falling Leaves
by Mary Lou Healy
Autumn: The Exultant March to Death
by Zephine Humphrey
 Emilo's Creations are Gourd-eous
by Kirt Zimmer
A Harvest of Fall Recipes
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A Vermont Walk in October
by Daniel L. Cady
When the Frost is on the Punkin
by James Witcomb Riley
GARDENING:
Legends of the Chrysanthemum
by Leonard Perry
EVERYTHING WOOD HEAT:
Drop Me a Liner
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INTO THE OUTDOORS:
Long Trail Therapy
An Excursion into the Woods Rekindles the Spirit.
VERMONT WEATHERVANE BOOK NEWS:
Passing Strange
True Tales of New England Hauntings and Horrors
Richard Brown's New England
A new book by acclaimed photographer Richard Brown.
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A Driving Tour of Rutland County, Vt.
Vermont Country Calendar
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Simply Gourd-eous
by Kirt Zimmer
Growing up in East Middlebury, Julia Emilo never thought she would become an artist. Her mother "always had something creative going on, like knitting or painting," and Julia herself spent her study halls at school painting. As an adult, Emilo would occasionally take on creative projects like painting door harps, but spent most of her working hours at her family's business, the Waybury Inn.
A few years ago, Emilo came upon some painted gourds in New Hampshire that piqued her curiosity.
Without any guidebook to lead the way, she began to experiment with creating her own. It took her about a year to learn how to dry the gourds properly, but she figured it out.
 Once the gourds are dry, Emilo soaks them in warm, soapy water and scrapes them clean. Then she sands them smooth and goes to work decorating them with acrylic paint. The finishing touch is the application of butcher's wax, which makes the creation waterproof and shiny.
Emilo's initial creations were all depictions of Santa Claus, as the size of the gourds seemed to make them perfect for Christmas tree ornaments. She put a few on display at the Waybury Inn and immediately found a demand for the product.
"It got to the point that I was selling quite a few," she recalls. "And I thought that if they sold at a restaurant then they'd sell great at a gallery."
She was right. After jurying the gourds into the Vermont State Craft Center at Frog Hollow, in Middlebury, Vt., Emilo sold four dozen gourds in two weeks. The gallery manager wanted more, and Emilo wasn't sure how she could meet the demand. "I didn't know how I could get them to dry that fast," she says.
Today, Emilo dries gourds by the bushel and buys others already dried. Her work is sold in Seattle, on Cape Cod, and in galleries and craft fairs all over Vermont. An entire room of Emilo's house is full of gourds, and with her new business she hasn't much time these days to work at the inn.
A Whole Line-Up of Gourd-eous Characters
Emilo's designs have gone beyond Santa and now include Easter bunnies, dogs, cats, giraffes, elephants, and various human beings. Service people like chefs are a particularly popular item.
With their roly-poly bottoms and twisty necks, each gourd is unique and presents new creative possibilities. Some designs require the addition of ears, noses, hats or horns, each amplifying the appeal of these campy creatures.
Emilo's design ideas often come from craft fairs, where customers suggest a new creation. "It's a real social thing," Emilo says of the fairs. "Women come by and can't figure out what the gourds are. They say, 'They're eggs!' And they usually laugh."
The good news is that people are laughing with Emilo, and usually marvelling at her unusual attention to detail in painting such an unusual object. One couple even asked Emilo to make for their wedding cake a pair of gourds depicting themselves.
Despite the fact that Emilo is now constantly surrounded by gourds, she says she doesn't tire of them. She's just happy to have a growing business that allows her to stay home with her children.
If you had told her as a child that she'd find fame painting gourds, Julia Emilo would have probably given you a funny look. But now that it's happened, she couldn't be more pleased.
Kirt Zimmer writes from the Vermont State Craft Center at Frog Hollow, Middlebury, Vt.
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