There's treasure everywhere

...and home again, jiggety jig!

I never know quite what to expect, Oregon Country Fair weekend. On the one hand, a lot of our regular vendors, art and food, are off to Veneta. (This gives newer vendors a shot at a booth, but the place still looks a little thin.) So, theoretically, less competition for buyer dollars. On the other hand, lots of the buyers are also out at Fair. So there's that.

We used to be able to rely on older, more conservative buyers, who came out because all the hippies were away. But now that the hippies have gotten older, that no longer seems to be the case.

In any event, it seemed fairly busy, largely tourists. For the second week in a row, a regular customer showed up with her mom--I'd made a custom platter for Rose, featuring a rose and bee (her brother's nickname), now I got to meet the recipient. Nice lady.

A middle-aged Japanese woman and her mother stopped in, spent a lot of time looking at everything and talking about it in Japanese. Mother bought a couple of fox pieces, creamer and stew mug, along with a fawn toddler bowl. The woman couldn't decide, so she said she'd come back with her daughter.

Later in the day, all three came back, college-age daughter a full head taller than either mom or grandma. A three-way Japanese conversation followed. Daughter quickly decided on an octopus stew mug, mom finally picked out a hen toddler. I murmured Arigato as I wrapped them up. Did you say "Arigato?" asked mom. Well, it's the only Japanese word I know, I said, then corrected myself. Actually, I know one more. I was doing a brushmaking and decorating workshop in Portland, once, and was asking people in the audience their favorite animals. A Japaneses woman didn't know the English for her choice, risu. Finally got the answer from Google. I point to the squirrel bowl. Risu. They laugh, and agree.

A husband and wife stop in, look over everything in the booth, can't decide, so they buy a couple of Denise's watercolor cards, and go away to think about it. Come back a few hours later, buy two or three pieces. Come back again, escorted by the Market manager, as I'm packing up, asking if I'd mind terribly if they got a few more things. Go ahead, I say, I haven't gotten to that side yet. So they pick out five painted mugs, think about it, put one back. As I'm wrapping them, her husband thanks me, and confides that she's in recovery from cancer surgery, so he's treating her to whatever she asks.

T-shirt of the day: A raccoon in a ranger hat--Ranger Rick?--saying, Only you can prevent dumpster fires. I end the day two or three dollars under $1200, $80 of it in Denise's $5 watercolor cards.

This last Saturday, everyone was back, vendors and food booths, and I got my second free Afghani shish kebab plate--payment for the bigger tip jar, which Abdul said held up to Country Fair just fine.

Got a third Mom visit--Jasper's mother, up from Ashland. She bought her daughter a hummingbird bowl, and I made sure to give her a Clayfolk bookmark.

Had a young woman with lovely blue and violet hair in a long braid. I noted that it matched the idol--Hatsune Miku--on her t-shirt. She seemed delighted I'd noticed. Later that afternoon, a couple came in, both rocking multiple shades of pink hair, although only one was wearing a pink-haired anime shirt. Title was in Japanese, so I don't know who the character was; her partner was wearing rainbow-striped pride wear. Cute couple. They really wanted some patterns I didn't have, though I have some going in the kiln, so I hope to see them next weekend.

Around mid-afternoon, a guy in mirror shades and a retro red paisley track-suit parked a Toyota hatchback with Texas plates about two spaces away from my booth, opened the passenger rear door and cranked his stereo, rock-and-rolling on the sidewalk. Very distracting, not least because I could also hear live music from the Market stage. Mike, from Security, came over and asked him turn it down; he made a minuscule adjustment. Mike frowned and thumbs-downed, so he turned it to a reasonable level.

For about two minutes. Then he cranked it, opened the back hatch as well, and commenced to dancing with an open can of what looked like, from my vantage point, an open 20-oz. can of Old English malt liquor.

Reader, I dropped the dime on him. Went over to Info, asked, Does Eugene have a public consumption ordinance? Eric picked up the walkie-talkie, and next thing I knew, a Market staffer and three Security folks were surrounding him. He drove off shortly thereafter. My neighbor Chere was in favor of getting him cited for drunk driving, but neither of us had noted his license plate number.

My last customer of the day was a woman from Ohio, who had several of my toddler bowls, but had recently dropped one. She picked out a robin pattern to replace it--her friend teasing her slightly, apparently there's a story there. Where in Ohio are from? I asked as I wrapped it. Dayton, she said.

Oh, one of my favorite Science Fiction authors lives near there, in Bradford, I said. Oh, we know Bradford, they said. I asked if they'd heard of John Scalzi? Oh yes, our friend rents a house from him.

Apparently, they're living in the rectory of the church Scalzi's converting into a performance space/community center.

Three degrees of separation.

Sales were only half of the previous weekend, but for that story? Totally worth it.

Last Thursday night, just after dark, I was finally getting around to restocking the van for Saturday Market. Came out the studio, and was immediately hailed by Raj, the black-and-white kitty who's been hanging around our back yard. Went in for some kibble, gave some pets and accepted some ankle rubs, left him taking a couple of mouthfuls before he wandered off and I went in the shed to pick out pots.

Was about halfway done when I heard a crunch crunch crunch from the carport, came to the door, expecting to seem him back at the food.

Reader, I have no idea who this cat is.

The problem with organizing my pottery life to such a tight schedule is that then I actually have to meet that schedule. Which leaves me very little energy to do anything else, like, cook supper, socialize, read something new.

Post to my blog.

I'm two Saturdays behind on Market posting, there's a saucy new post coming, and a mystery---mystery!--to unravel. Right now, I'm firing the glaze kiln, have mixed glazes, mopped the floor, rectified by inventory lists, bought bread, and made my weekly call to my mom. Cone 8 is getting soft, so I've got about two hours to catch up here. Allez!

As I said, glazing and decorating Sunday through Friday of last week. I'm critically low on stock--no colanders, no canisters, no tool crocks. Down to two casseroles, two teapots, one large square baker. Loaded the kiln Sunday, lit it off Sunday night. Here's some of what's in it.