Slightly Off Center

Woke up yesterday morning to bitter rivals, complaining in the backyard: squirrel versus jay, so I had to reflect it in my display. Which brought to mind two other outfits people expect to be rivals: Saturday Market and the Oregon Country Fair.

I never know what to expect Country Fair weekend. On the one hand, all the focus is on what's going on out in the woods in Veneta. On the other, we can sometimes have a pretty good day, whether it's from spillover from the fair, or just crotchety old folks from town who'd never come out to Market normally, unless they were sure all the hippies were away.

Market is still surprisingly full of vendors, despite all the folks who've abandoned us for the Fair. Only three empty spaces on our stretch, a few more on the east edge. Most of the food booths are still here, as many of the old, established fair-friendly businesses, like Ritta's and Dana's Cheesecake, have already retired from Market. There are a few gaps, filled by dessert vendors like the macaron place and a very good toffee-maker who's usually out among the craft vendors, but the only ones notably absent are the crepes and the gourmet mac-n-cheese place.

It's overcast and still quite chilly all morning, to the point where I propose to Denise that we save the brown-bag salads for supper and treat ourselves to hot meals. I have the deluxe plate from Whole Enchilada, while she has yellow curry chicken from Irie. Feels like a splurge, as we've barely broke $100 at lunch time, but it was really cold in our booth.


Lots of little bits of oddness as the day went by. The toddler in the stroller, using a pumpernickel bagel as a teething ring--they'd already serrated about three quarters of the way around, nibble, rotate, repeat. The furry in full suit, silver fox head and hands, multiple shades of rust and orange on the tail. The zucchini with teeth and googly eyes at the farmer's market booth where I picked up a bag of salad mix. The late-day customer who went off on how "chem-trails" were responsible for my asthma and I should move out into the country (My pulmonologist had stopped by to say hello and introduce his mother, visiting from India). The guy, obviously just back from Fair, who wanted to talk my ear off about how much he liked my art, and how I should be painting my clothes as well as my pots--like he did--when I just wanted to finish packing up the last box and go home.

I swung by the library to return some borrows after Market, and wound up following a guy on a skateboard as he was being towed down Olive Street by his dog, a black standard poodle with purple tail and mohawk. It was just that kind of a day.

But a pretty successful day, all in all. Sales picked up after the sun came out, and I wound up over $100 higher than last week's total, and sold a journal for Denise