Here Comes the Groom

As my Bride often says, I have no idea what this blog entry will be about as I sit down at the computer keyboard (or in this case, the laptop). Inspiration should come easily since I am sitting on the back deck of the Cloverdale Chapel being serenaded by songbirds and enjoying the moss covered tree branches swaying in the breeze.

Inside the building the annual pre-Mother’s Day sale is just getting underway. Regular readers will recall that this historic Creswell locale was mentioned last year at this time. This sale marks the first full weekend of our selling season. April, and the resumption of the Eugene Saturday Market, lets us get our show legs back under us one day a week – while May tosses us back in the deep end of the pool.

Even so, it still does it gently, which is just the way we sensitive artistic types prefer. Yesterday we were in Corvallis on the OSU campus for Mom’s Weekend – the Student Union organizes a sweet one-day art market as part of the festivities. As far as out-of-town shows go, this is the perfect way to get started each year. Plus, it allows us to be here at the chapel sale today, a gathering of artistic women (and the occasional gentleman) who are “artists because they love creating art,” as one of them stated during the greeting portion of the morning.

Next weekend we head a little further afield, setting up our wares at Art in Bloom in Medford. While certainly a bigger undertaking than this weekend, it has the ease factor of being able to stay with friends (Goat Mama and Papa), and the bonus factor of being able to visit Bride’s Mama and Papa. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the weather listens to the forecasters and refrains from jumping from 60 degrees to 90 degrees overnight (as has happened in years past).

The third weekend in May will find us in Seattle for the U-District Street Fair, which requires us to be fully committed to the continuing adventure we call our lifestyle. Rain or shine, calm or gales, feast or famine, this is about the time we feel like our mettle is being tested. This is a show that can be really rewarding, or cause us to wonder aloud, “Who thought this was a good way to make a living?”

By now you have probably said to yourself, “As fascinating as this all may be, why are you writing this week?” Please allow me to enlighten you – it beats me! A day or two ago I knew something was up before my Sweetie Blossom even spoke, by the evil glint in her eye… She proceeded to convince me that it would be a great idea for me to write while we spent the day here at the chapel.

Let me tell you, she must be pretty convincing. I had not expressed any interest in doing this, I had no compelling notions that I was needing to share, and yet here I am… Well, that’s why she is inside chatting with the customers, and I am out here recording my random, yet highly insightful, observations.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand (uh…what was that again? Oh yes…). One big bonus that comes with beginning our out of town treks is the new photo op potential. Yes, our neighborhood is fairly photogenic, downtown has the occasionally well lit architectural detail, and the Market is quite colorful, but really, the creative well starts to run a little dry after awhile. Somehow, the cornice on a building in a different town makes a much more interesting subject than the one down the street.

I’ll take a slight detour right now to mention the occasional tragic moment of not having the camera in hand when a photo op presents itself. A recent case in point was the fellow crossing the street in front of us while we were driving across town – let’s see if I can properly convey his outfit without the benefit of an accompanying photo…

Imagine an old-fashioned one-piece bathing suit (short sleeves, to the knees, buttons up the front) having had a brief but passionate affair with an old-fashioned prisoner’s jumpsuit (black and white horizontal stripes, kind of baggy). The offspring of this union was the focal point of the look.

But, as all fashionistas know, accessories make the outfit. So, he drew the eye down the exposed leg to a pair of beige cowboy boots (not a common shade, by the way). This may have been look enough for most of us, but not this guy. His finishing touch was a smashing chain-mail vest. Wow. Really, why don’t I drive with the camera around my neck at all times?

I always love to hear how Sweetie Blossom spins the tales of the various things that happen to us (or even just around us), and while the classes and recent spate of local events we have attended have been the source of some fun blogging, road trips always provide her with good material.

We were talking the other day about how she is able to describe an event we both witnessed with complete accuracy, and yet still make me laugh and surprise me. Someone said the other day, “You said out loud what I was thinking, and I didn’t even realize I was thinking it!”

So, saddle up with us and let’s go find out what new and exciting things and amazing tales await just around the corner.