It Rained, It Poured....

Miss Monarch butterfly, was most definitely the 'star' of the show!

Monarch butterfly, laying one on Matthew!!

Pretty fairy girl...

Whole Foods, well, food....

The flowers were happy...

Liz, and her imagination...awesome!!

Some of the framed pieces, display...

'Gift in February' and 'Dairy Cow, Gal'

'In Full Bloom'

'Lush Field, Schartner Farms, RI'

We woke up at the crack of dawn..although we could not see it through the clouds. The weather was looking grim, the forecast called for rain. And so it did. As my husband and I were driving over to the Garden City Center at about 8:15am, it rained, it poured!!! All the while, I was thinking about my 'paper goods'....yes, the cards are protected by plastic sleeves, the matted pieces are protected by plastic sleeves, and the framed pieces, well, there is glass, but the backing does not like heat or humidity. The challenges started very early on, w/ the setting up of 'the tent'. One of the connecting pieces broke, so w/ the help of my new friend, Dave, we improvised. The ground was wet (large parking lots don't have 'drainage'), it was cold. However, everybody forged ahead w/ their displays and the festivities began!!!!

It was amazing at how many people came out, umbrellas in tow, rain gear, or not. The very young to the very old, strolled through the many aisles of vendors showing their wares, from sea glass, to handmade jewelry and soaps, plenty of artwork, photography, local farms, (just to name a mere few) and food, there was plenty of food!!!! My husband, bless his heart, went home and brought me my winter coat, I was that cold!!!! I love talking to the people who come to my 'tent'. One woman was so excited to be sending 'Milk in Progress' to a friend who lives on a farm in England, another almost had her eyes popping out of her head when she bought a matted 'Dahlia Center' (my top seller of the day in cards!!) for her bedroom. One woman spent time, patiently deciding how she was going to hang the 3 framed pieces she bought!

I wish I had been able to freely roam the aisles as well, but I did get to spend time w/ my tent neighbor, Matthew. He is an author and illustrator, he lives in Mystic. He too, had the same internal dialogue while taking the hour drive from Mystic in the rain, to Rhode Island, '...to set up, or not to set up', but he did. We had some good conversations in between all the action. All in all, it was a good day and we were happy to be part of Festival Fete! We showed up, and that was the important thing.

A hearty thank you to Jennifer Neuguth, from Festival Fete, and Holly Dion, from Whole Foods, Garden City for their tremendous work to bring such a big event to pass!!!

Whew...and on to the next project....