Dade City, Spring 2012

Our two-day show in Dade City (pretty much an oasis in the middle of nowhere) was rather exciting. Saturday we were going great guns - there were news reports of "weather" to the west and south of us, but nothing coming our way. At 1:30, the skies split open suddenly and what felt like a ton of rain just dumped on us. We had our tarps at the ready and scrambled to cover everything, and save the ephemera in particular.

Once battened down, I looked up long enough to see how our neighbors were faring. One lone dealer across from us was having trouble, so I trotted over to give a hand. Dealers help each other out - it's not just an unspoken rule, it's one of the characteristics that drew me to the field.

Then the wind picked up, and our (by now) rickety tent was showing disturbing signs of wanting to become airborne. We secured everything as best we could - covered and clamped down - and retreated to the hotel to dry off and contemplate a half day of commerce lost to the elements. Ah - outdoor shows. So inexpensive to participate in, so unpredictable!

After an indescribable "Italian" dinner in Brooksville that by now is far too many generations removed from the homeland to have any idea what Italian food taste or looks like (um, veal is not supposed to be gray!), we went back to the show site to survey the aftereffects of the storm.

Our tent had collapsed on top of the tables it was protecting. We solemnly pulled the wreckage away and gave it the heave-ho into a dumpster. (One less thing to pack up, woo-hoo!!!) And the next morning, we pulled off the tarps to find almost perfectly dry items. Wow - I was impressed. Others were less fortunate.

It had a big impact on our sales :-( and the show is getting smaller and smaller. Antique shops closed, dealers dropping out, it's rather depressing. Heard lots of whining - more so than in the past. My response was to be kind of goofy and happy, not wanting to take a trip down to where those dealers were dwelling.

That's it for the "season" here. Troubling times in the business, yet we are still in there!