Art Show, Poultry Show, and the Tire Curse

What a weekend! I'm still tired!

I left here Thursday late afternoon for the Auburn Art Walk. I had a few more things to set up (note cards, prints) and then I had to stick around for the 6-9pm reception. It didn't exactly go all that well (is there a theme to this lately??). Of course, I've never done that show before so I didn't know what to expect, but it sure didn't seem like that many people came through the shop, and most were just socializing or looking. Once again, thank goodness for note cards, although it didn't come close to covering expenses. The setup looks nice and I like the store a lot, but it was toward one end of the street where most of the shops were, and I think a lot of people just didn't venture that far, and I don't really expect much in the way of follow-up sales. The work is supposed to hang through mid December. Here are some pics from the show though:



Friday morning I took off with a carload of chickens for Paso Robles, which is about 4 hours away. The Central Coast Feather Fanciers is the first open show of the season, and one that I always enjoy. Well, then again I enjoy all of them! About a week ago, I'd taken my car in to get what I thought was the balance looked at. Turned out it had a bubble in one tire (how long had I been driving around with a bubble?!?! Ack!). It still had a little shake going on around 50, I don't think they had rebalanced it all that well after replacing the tire, but it's few and far between that anyone can really balance that car so I figured I could deal with this little vibration at least until this week, since I won't be so busy now. But the whole way down there on Friday it seemed to get worse, and after I got off I-5 and onto smaller highways (41 and 46, not exactly a lot of towns!) it was getting a bit scary. The shaking was a lot worse, and I just had all these visions of careening off the road, or the wheels falling off, blowing up, etc. By the time I was on 46 nearing Paso Robles, I could feel it bumping at slow speeds. Ah yes, I know that feeling, another bubble...

I was somewhat of a nervous wreck by the time I got there, I didn't stick around long to socialize, I just wanted to go sit down and let my brain air out.

Early Saturday morning, after getting the birds cleaned up, I bumped on over to a local tire shop just down the street from the fairgrounds, hoping there wasn't anything serious going on. The guys were super nice, took my car right in and had a look. Sure enough, it was a bubble. That now makes 5 bubbles and 13 flats on that car in the 10 years that I have been driving it. Could it be cheap tires? I think it's a curse. Anyhow, half hour and one new tire later, all was well with the world, and I must say those guys did a super job on balancing, it hasn't been that smooth for YEARS.

The rest of Saturday was spent looking at birds, schmoozing, watching the Welsh Pony show, and napping in the back seat of my car (hey, I was tired!). As always the RCCL (Rose Comb Clean Legged) class was judged last. I really hadn't expected to do more than Best of Breed at this show, since I hadn't had time to coop train the birds at all and they were a bunch of wild women. But amazingly I got Best RCCL, and that Black Rosecomb pullet moved to Champion Row. I wish I'd had time to work with these birds more. If handled, they calm down and relax at shows, and will "show" (spread tail, look alert, flirt) when approached. Otherwise, they tend to back into the corner and ruin their tails, or walk around looking pinchy-tailed the whole time.

Championship judging was Sunday morning. I get really nervous when I have a bird up on Champion Row. Other than cleaning the bird up beforehand, there's nothing I can do but stand around with my hands in my pockets and all my fingers crossed and think "pick the Rosecomb!"

Best in Show went to a very cute White Call duck, and Reserve of Show to an Egyptian goose...same owners on both.. Congratulations guys!! :-) Reserve Bantam was a Dutch. But since the American Poultry Association considers a duck to be waterfowl and not a bantam, the judges had to pick a "Reserve Bantam A.P.A" and that went to my bird. Yay!! So that's like 3rd best bantam. Works for me!

Unfortunately, looks like I won't be attending another poultry show until early January. The one I normally go to in November has been cancelled, and I don't attend the ones in southern CA because they are just too far away. However, I may reconsider that next year, because October to January is a long time to wait, and I usually have a lot of good looking birds in November.

I also don't have any art shows til January, and that's a good thing. I need a break from those. Time to duct tape my butt to the chair and spend the rest of the year drawing chickens.