Making a splash

[offcntr]

First Saturday of summer, sunny, warm though not hot. Perfect time to go splash in the water somewhere!

Nope, still at Market.

This was the first weekend of the Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward field, so there was an influx of a) very fit young people in runner's leggings and b) much older people in branded track gear. All of them looking a little stunned at the variety and diversity of crafts at our little market. My neighbor, Mel, took to asking where people were visiting from. He got Atlanta, Kansas, bits of the east coast. I mostly got Southern California.

Which is actually an advantage, sales-wise. Most of them drove up, so were less worried about fitting a fragile purchase into their carry-on bag. I did have one lovely little bonding moment: a young track fan from Phillips, Wisconsin. It's a small town way up north, that I mostly know from listening to Simply Folk back in the old days. We talked about home, the Big Top Chautauqua, UW-Eau Claire, her alma mater, and Viterbo University, mine.

Had a couple of rush-job special orders pick up, a snail dinner plate and fox large covered casserole that got ordered between my first and make-up firing, with just enough time to wash the glaze off, dry the bisque, and dip and redecorate. I think that's the fastest I've ever turned around an order, one week flat. The snail plate buyer also placed an order for another piece, a soup bowl with ladybug. That one will take a little longer; I've only just started throwing again.

Meanwhile, I'm holding two paid-up orders, waiting to be picked up. One was from the newer firing, bound for Stillwater, Minnesota, if her kids remember to get it for her. The other... well, it's a long story.

About five weeks ago, a woman came in the booth just as I was finishing packing up, wanting to buy a painted mug to match the heron mug she found alongside the road (?). All the mugs were packed at that point, and it was threatening rain, so she said she'd come back the next week. She finally came back two weeks later, picked out an white chickadee mug and a brown heron, but asked if I had a better match for glaze color. As it happens, I knew I had two at home, figured at least one would match. So I took the bag home emailed her a pic and got her approval. She'd pick it up the next Saturday.

That was three weeks ago.

It's dueling schedules, mostly. She works swing shift, I seem to have meetings or kiln loading or firings on the days she's off work. She apparently lives somewhere up here on River Road, so wants to pick up at the studio. But she emails me her availability at the last minute, misses my replies, doesn't answer phone calls or texts. Thursday, I actually got a call from her cell number, but didn't answer my "Hello"s. I could hear her talking to someone else off-mike. I think she butt-dialed me.

I really hate holding other peoples' paid pots. If it's an unclaimed, unpaid order, I can always resell it. If its paid for, I can't do that. I just want to  finish the transaction, move on. And one time, they never did pick up. After a nearly a year, I finally gave the ferret-food bowl away to someone else. So I'll give another shot at connecting with her, before we leave for Roseburg later this week.

Favorite t-shirt of the day: a drawing of philosopher in a robe, with the quote, "Eh, good enough." Attributed to Mediocrates.

Sales were better than mediocre--not as good as last weekend, but only about a third less.