Arlene and Mark House sold stained glass sun catchers at the Naubinway Fall Festival. The sun catchers are a project shared between the Houses, with Mr. House drawing the design, cutting the glass, and performing the wirework while Mrs. House wraps the glass pieces in copper foil and solders them together. Jan Barrett of McMillan struggled to keep up with the visitors to her booth at the Naubinway Fall Fest Saturday, September 12. As soon as she finished selling one photograph of a landscape in the Upper Peninsula, another person would ask her about one of her shots or request to buy one of her postcards.

All of the photographs, she would tell her customers, are of locations she just happened to walk or drive past in northern Michigan. She never went outdoors intending to take a picture as a photographer, rather, they were taken simply as someone experiencing life .

A retired elementary teacher of 30 years from Illinois, Mrs. Barrett and her husband, Gary, moved to the Upper Peninsula five years ago .

Jan Barrett of McMillan holds one of her photographs at the Naubinway Fall Fest Saturday, September 12. Mrs. Barrett began taking photographs of landscapes and animals for fun. Family and friends began commenting on how good the photos were, she said, and encouraged her to try to sell her work.

"I never realized I had 'the eye,' but people kept telling me I did," she said.

Armed with her digital camera, she continued capturing every scene she found interesting. She carried the camera everywhere she went, which led to photograph opportunities in unexpected places. One example: Her well-framed snapshot of a bird perched in a tree. She often takes hundreds of images of the same scene until she is satisfied. As her hobby expanded into a business, her husband upgraded her camera.

Nearby, Mark House of Sault Ste. Marie lounged underneath an open-air tent just outside the pavilion with his wife, Arlene, and dog, Lucky. Stained glass sun catchers featuring designs of the Mackinac Bridge, birds, and sports team logos spun and swayed with the wind.

Mr. House took up making sun catchers after attending classes detailing the craft. An artist by nature, Mr. House attempted to sell his own fine art around Michigan but found the catchers to be more profitable.

The crafts have been a joint effort between he and his wife for 27 years, he said. Mr. House begins by developing a pattern of an object he would like to create. Once the pattern has been created, he cuts out pieces of colored glass and forms them according to the pattern.

When the pieces are cut out, Mrs. House wraps the edges of the glass in copper foil and solders them together. Some of the crafts have wirework, the lines on a pumpkin or the rails of a boat for instance, which Mr. House adds afterward. The sun catchers take about eight hours to complete, on average.

The subjects are dictated by the customers, Mr. House says. Nautical and wildlife tend to be the most popular, so he focuses on creating patterns to suit those interests. Large sun catchers of the Mackinac Bridge are offered, along with smaller versions. He takes note of all suggestions made by customers.

The Houses sell their arts and crafts professionally, and travel throughout Michigan to arts and crafts fairs.

"We're like traveling gypsies-- we're in a different town every night," he said.

A peanut butter-themed cooking contest was held in the afternoon. The 10th Annual Fall Fest Cooking Contest saw a variety of peanut butter fudge, truffles, bars, and pies that were offered for public sampling after the judges had their share. Dorothy Perkins took first place with her peanut butter fudge, Miz Salter achieved second place with her peanut butter flavored fudge, and Judi Toms received third place for her truffles.

Also in Naubinway Saturday, a snowmobile swap meet drew 150 vendors, raising $3,000 to benefit the Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum.