a different sort of show

Okay, I have now seen way too much of the south-of-Sacto stretch of hwy 99 too. No more traveling south for a while. In fact, I'd really just like to not travel anywhere for a while. Which is convenient, since the marathon of weekends away is finally over... at least for a few weeks. ;-)

I left Friday afternoon and headed down to Selma, where I stayed with my "chicken friends" JR and LR. They probably don't read this, but big THANK YOU anyway. That was loads of fun, and sure beak the heck out of staying a motel in a strange town full of nobody that I know. I left there early this morning (geez, that seems like yesterday) and drove down to Visalia for a game fowl convention (oh, and my car stayed outside overnight, and got wet again, and my stupid serpentine belt WON'T STOP SQUEAKING, yes this worries me, more than the transmission in fact, I'm going to put some squeak-stop stuff on it but if that doesn't solve the problem it's going to need a new belt, ugh ugh crapfurters, I love that car when it's running right but those times are getting to be fewer and and farther between and it's eating money and I can't afford a new one or even a crappy old one and waaaahhhhhh).

Anyway, onward with the story, game fowl, Visalia... I set up a little bit of art stuff (two originals, some prints and cards, the portfolio, no booth, just on a table, sorry I have no photos). I knew two people there early in the day but they left before lunch, so for most of the day I knew absolutely nobody. I had talked to two people on the phone but this was the first time I'd met them in person. I did meet lots of interesting people, seemed like a nice crowd except for the guy who walked off with my pen while I was talking to someone, just picked it up off the table and pocketed it, um hello!? (yeah right like I was going to say anything, it was just a cheap freebie pen anyway, I'll just fume about it). Very different group than the usual chicken functions that I attend. Note to self, next time bring a friend, I felt very alone. There were a lot of people there, several hundred I would say.

I sold enough to cover expenses plus a little, so in other words not a whole lot. A bunch of people took fliers or business cards and asked about custom work, so as always "we'll see." I don't know if I would do it again. If there's any significant follow up then maybe, but otherwise probably only if I knew other people who would be there, I really didn't like being there all alone. I travel alone all the time and that's fine, but I normally know people when I get to wherever I'm going (plus I noticed that people came over and looked at my stuff more when I was talking to someone else who was looking at my stuff, particularly if that someone else was well known... hmm, must befriend someone well known)...

It feels like Sunday. It felt weird not to have birds in the car. You know what I've eaten today? Pancakes and bacon for breakfast, a chocolate muffin and a coke for lunch at the show (it was either that or chili and I don't like chili), an oreo milkshake in the car on the way home, a glass of iced tea for dinner, and a slice of nectarine pie for dessert. Geez, way to be healthy... I feel like I need to go to bed.