Squeeze Part II

First "squeeze" analogy: I could've easily replaced the sponge in the photo used for last week's blog entry and replaced it with one of my shirts I wore over the weekend. Official temperatures were probably in the mid-90s. Friday when I got into the van to return to the camper the gauge read 99. On Saturday it was 101.

Second: there's an old Southern expression that says you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip. Neither can you squeeze money out of hands filled with ice cream and a cold drink. It was another disappointing fair to say the least. I barely made expenses. It seems the vendors in the air-conditioned building fared much better than those of us out in the heat.

Third: the Augmentin that Ben was taking squeezed every bit of nourishment out of his little body all weekend. Therefore I spent the evenings by myself at the lovely campsite on Lake Greenwood instead of patrolling the shore watching Jessie and Joan cool off in cool water. Note the single chair in the photo.

Last: bronchitis is squeezing the oxygen out of my lungs as I type this. The air quality was miserable due to the temperatures and humidity. Sick with empty pockets isn't a good way to return home from a festival.

There were a few good things that happened. Margie from Greenwood Today, an on-line news publication, wrote a nice little article about me. She plans to peruse the blog and write a feature story about me and Ben in the coming weeks. The Greenwood Genetics Center is located in that community. The center is known worldwide for it's cutting edge research and study of genetic disorders. In fact, Ben's geneticist works for GGC and I have an upcoming blog entry about a phone conversation I had with Dr. Curtis Rogers while we were at the beach.

Also I was reacquainted with some crafters I had not seen in a while. It was good to see those folks with the agreement that we will do a better job at keeping up with each other's schedules so we can at least be together when we end up with a disappointing show. I also got to meet Dr. Alycia Haas who runs a pediatric center for disabled children in Greenwood. Fortunately I'll have the opportunity to work with her soon since she wants to decorate her new facility with some of my paintings. Now that would be the saving grace of the weekend and will hopefully lead to an interesting blog entry about her facility.

Despite the obvious disappointment in sales I do plan to go back next year. There is great potential there and I'd certainly like to tap into it. From a conversation I had with a board member yesterday and another vendor on Saturday, the arts & crafts event is in a transition period. The advertising plan for next year's festival will be awesome if they indeed follow through with what I was told. Plus I cannot describe the friendliness of the community. Greenwood represents the way things should be in the South: keeping the charm and style of the "old" South without the cultural sterilization of the "new" South.