After the Fair

It was a good one. One of the best I reckon, and that's saying alot. We had a smooth entry with all of our systems in place. I put down the floor of the loft whilst Krista and the girls unloaded the van. We got our beds in place, hung the mosquito tent and had the kitchen up and running all before dark. This after our 10 hour drive.
Amazingly there were no mosquitoes this year, or very very few. Some years we've been eaten alive. The next day I had to do some construction on the rails for the loft. They have to be removeable, so that more light can reach the ground so that more vegetation grow so that less erosion will happen in the periodic floods. Pain in the ass! But there was plenty of lumber to be had from other booths doing construction and demolition. It all worked out.
So....We waited and waited and waited for Karen-Danny-Zoe to show up, and for my neice Kaytea. They were all just taking their sweet time I guess--Kaytea got to the booth at 9:30pm! Next year we'll have a cel phone so we won't have to worry. That was on Wednesday.
By Thursday afternoon we were all set up and the fair was rolling--just a few cars and trucks arriving, many food booths open, many craftspeople selling. Krista's folks showed up--bringing us our cargo drums and sarongs and hammocks--and best of all--the silk hangings that arrived from Bali at the last possible moment. Then Jay got there with his big heart and infectious laugh. It was a nice night. Lot's of music on the path, people strolling, nobody's all that tired yet, no public but still lots and lots of folks. Some people really like Thursdays best.
The booth looked great! This year we had almost all originals and they filled the main wall. It was lovely. We also hung the silks, which looked especially good at night. We had the wood carvings of Mother Tree from Bali hung up and the people who noticed them were very impressed.
One of the best improvements this year was a mini booth for the girls to sell their wares. Krista and I dreamed this up last year on the drive home--stoked on espresso we made a list of dream improvements. Thanks to Danny we were able to pull this one off (though to be fair, Karen, Krista and I all had a hand in the construction). The mini booth got the kids up out of the dirt and kept them closer in and I think added some legitemacy to their wares--beaded bracelets and drawings. I'm not sure it helped India sell though. I think she actually attracted more customers hunkered down on the path with her candle lanterns. It fit better with her poetry. Also, she and the little girls had to work out sharing the space, so there was some unforeseen contention. Given this new mini venue, maybe we'll put more energy into the girl's offerings next year.
The fair was so jam packed with experiences I'm not sure how to even start telling you about them, or even if I should try! But I have to go now, so more later.
love
rob