Thanks and a saga for your pleasure

Cathy Babula and I have shared going to shows together for a while...splitting the fees and the sales and wrapping, and set-up and take down often.

She has made some amazing work this year, while I've done less than usual.

We both must say a great deal of gratitude to those who stepped up and helped us behind the scenes.

The Saga of the Van Lights and getting to the show on time!

Tim loaded his van with my pots (3 tupperware bins) and shelving unit...then we met Cathy and he loaded Cathy's table and pots and shelf, after he'd already added another seat to the van so we all could go together to Marion from Black Mountain Friday evening.

Did I mention Black Mountain was in the midst of a festival called Holly Jolly? Pedestrians and police stopping traffic for them to cross the streets...a real slow-down for traffic. Happy shoppers, free treats in stores, music...you get the picture.

We took a back route to the Interstate and got as far as the first exit going east and the van's headlights began to go completely out, and we smelled that "hot wire" smell that sometimes happens with electric wires. If we hadn't had the lights go out before that exit, we would have been trapped going all the way to Old Fort on the pass over the mountain...which would have been pretty darn scary.

So Tim found his flashers button (with the help of my phone's flashlight) and we went back to Black Mountain, quickly giving up any options to get to Marion to set up by 6:30 (which was only about 20 minutes from then already.) The flashers made the van somewhat visible to other cars, and Tim knew the road in the dark, which it was!

We parked at Tim's house, which could be reached without driving through town, and he downloaded our various pottery show stuff into his other vehicle, his small pickup...which could hold one other person and half the cargo from the van. Then he took Cathy and her things to her pickup...while I sat in the dark in his very dark van in his dark front yard.

Eventually he was back with empty pickup, having again gone through the Holly Jolly crowd, or the back way (I didn't ask.)  So he loaded the rest of the stuff from van to pickup, and he took me home. But we drove directly through town, with several (infuriating?) pedestrian crowd crossings.  I was easily showing my impatience by then.

There we put things in my car. Cathy and I had decided to drive separately early the next morning to set up in Marion without Tim.  I had originally asked Tim to have a dinner as a thank you for his help, but we were all pretty tired by then (Friday night) so I gave him a "rain check."

Thus the saga of the van's lights and not taking us to set up in Marion for the pottery show.

But Tim happened to be available for unloading my car the next evening when I got home from the show, and he was agreeable for having dinner out that evening! I was tired but hungry for seafood and cheese cake for desert. And he hadn't been working on his light situation because he'd been working (with real pay as a bookkeeper) that day.

Our other helpers behind the scenes were volunteer high school students who had big flat dollies with which they loaded our things from cars to our booth, and then back again following the show. We tipped them liberally.

I love the display shelf my son gave me for putting my sculptures and pots on, but I haven't been doing much lifting lately, and putting the shelves in place required a couple of other folks to help. Thanks so much.

All in all, I'm glad I took part in this market. It was definitely different than anticipated!