Heading into Home…….

I'm still walking out the back door every morning at dark thirty…… just because.

My bare feet on cold patio stones make me know I am still alive, the stillness makes me know the chickens aren't.  It's been another weekend…..

When you hit the bed at 9:00 pm you tend to hit the floor around 3:30 am…. 

I love when people tell me their favorite thing to do is sleep, it's like they are speaking in tongues.  Longer than 7 hours and somebody better check for a pulse!  

Finished up a cranking weekend at the 78thstreetstudios.com

Fans and air conditioners were abuzz in 70 degree Ohio temperatures.  But because it's Ohio and it was Dec. 12 & 13th some came decked out in winter coats and sweaters, sucking on candy canes, sweat rings duly noted around their collars and pits. While others donned shorts and t-shirts.  So confused over this crazy weather!  The weather brought the crowds out in droves!  It was a steady crush of people and them came to shop!  Fun seeing old friends, new friends and canine friends, you bet there are still those die hard, art lov'n dogs!  And because it's Ohio the candy bacon on a stick sold out by noon on Saturday.  He said he brought double what he did last year, Food Truck Crush!  Rachael remarked on her trip home last month, she could pick out the people flying into Cleveland because they were the only ones who could take off their shoes, get through security, produce boarding passes and never put down the donut.  Shut up, it's a skill! 

Since I have been off the road the past year I have not had a good dose of craft fair patrons.  I sure do miss the fun.  Like the very pregnant woman crying at my wrap table after 20 minutes of trying to decide which mug to buy….. they were exactly the same mug.  I desperately tried to help but I just kept handing her kleenex. She confessed through a tear stained face, blinking back tears… I just went through this over a candle.  Go Home; I said.  We had a refreshing conversation with a Republican woman while she bought an elephant pitcher and grieved for her party. And God I miss the screaming kids…. Excuse me, the food truck outside the building is offering bacon on a stick!  I on the other hand continued to fill my bloody mary glass through out the day, stoking with fresh celery, whatever it takes, just sip slowly.  I made a gallon of bloody marys.  The bloody mary fairy appeared and shared freely with my studio mates; I drank the rest. 

I never left my booth, not for the bathroom, not for food, not if someone had yelled fire.  There was never down time.  My great neighbors from across the hall stopped over to check how things were going and we never had much time to chit chat.  We compared what was selling.  I was rocking the $20 mugs and he was rocking the beer bottle candles.  That stopped me thinking I might work on translucent porcelain candle cups.  Drink the beer, cut off the top, sand the sharp edges and add wax, now that takes an MFA for sure!  People couldn't buy them fast enough.  Know thy market!

  

I managed to get out and do a quick walk about on Saturday before we opened.  So much jewelry and does the world need one more bead stringer?  Put the shiny things down! (ok, I apologize for the last remark there was just so much it was overwhelming!)  I watched an older guy, walking past a jewelry table grab a pair of earrings, hand them to the artist (never looking at them once) asked how much, paid her with a credit card and mumbled it's a gift for his wife. Theres a happy marriage, what a prince!  I spotted his wife at the wine table……  

The hours of this show are grueling: Saturday I arrived at 8:30 am and got home around 11:00 pm.  Sunday the show started at 10:00 am. But the hamster had a blowout at our local power plant leaving me to make camp coffee, toast a piece of bread over the gas flame and a cold shower (damn you Painesville Power!) arriving in 10:30 am snit.  Home by 7:00 pm to Chinese take out. 

By Sunday night I had run out of bags, boxes and almost all wrapping paper.  I closed the door early and walked around the hall of booths.  Checked in on my neighbors, everybody was a little bleary eyed and tired.  Barb the soap maker and jeweler was going down on Saturday.  On Sunday when I checked in and asked; Hey, where's Barb?  She was home for the count with her dogs.  Rest up Barb, one more show to go, next week!  

The beauty of the gallery, no pack up!  Turn the lights out, lock the door and go home.  I watched so many pack and load.  Up and down flights of steps, it's like the Iron Man Triathalon of craft fairs.   

Fellow shop mate Jeff stopped by Sunday morning and said Hey try this stuff!  

A new bloody mary mix!  I'm on it!  Thanks Jeff! 

Fellow artist, and gardener dropped by Sunday morning with a package of rosemary and lavender shortbread cookies that were so good I forgot to take a picture before consuming. Thanks Libby!!

This morning at 4:10 am, I walked around the carnage of my studio.  Pots still sitting on their fire bricks from an afternoon of raku firing so many days ago.  

The remains of last Thursday…. I still haven't had any chicken. 

Next week is Third Friday, the last show of the year for this potter. Then we can crawl off to our studios, lick our wounds, sleep soundly and hopefully have a bit of seed money put away to do it again next year.  

For everyone who came to the Craft Fair Crush last weekend…….  a million thank you's!