Here I Sit in Albuquerque

You have not heard from me for several days.  Just didn’t feel like writing.  The Phoenix show turned out to be a disappointment.  Enough said about that.  The last night we drove to Flagstaff and the next morning (Sunday) to Albuquerque.  We picked up our products from Sonja as she has decided not to do any more shows for us.

Virginia fixed us a great home cooked meal of pot roast, potatoes, and salad; it does not get any better than that.  We get so tired of eating in restaurants when we are traveling. Today we will spend the day exploring Santa Fe, with Mike and Virginia.  I will be posting pictures so watch my personal Facebook page.  Later this evening I will share them on Quilter’s Rule’s page.

We have one more show to do this week and then it is off to home.  I have determined I do not do well with four shows in a row.  I don’t think I will let that happen again.  So today is a play day for us.  The first since we started this trip on the 9^th of January.  So far we have put almost 2000 miles on the truck.  Loaded in and out three times.  I am absolutely convinced we need a day off.

Phoenix

Yesterday was set up day in Phoenix for the Rusty Barn show at the Arizona State Fair grounds.  Before we started we had to get some banking done.  Fortunately our local bank has branches in Arizona to serve all the Wisconsin snow birds.  At the start of set up motivation was difficult to come by.  On the other hand we completed in six and half hours.  Best time on this trip.  Maybe we are getting back in the groove after being off for almost two months.

Last night we had dinner at our favorite Mexican Dive in Phoenix.  We found it by accident a few years ago. We were tired, and it is just around the corner from our hotel. Up until this year we have had to deal with a menu that was in Spanish.  High school Spanish was many decades ago.  But this year there were English subtitles.  If you are in Phoenix it is called Sinola’s and is on McDowell near 27^th Avenue.

The show opens today at 1 AM and closes at 5PM.  The weather here is absolutely wonderful.  Temperatures expected to be in the mid 70’s.  I don’t even tell my wife how nice the weather is during this set of shows.  No excuses for folks not to come to the show. 

Traveling in the Desert

All in all Road to California was a very good show.  Just not as wonderful as last year.  It would be helpful if the economy is California would improve.  But it is what it is and there is very little we can do to change it.  The show ended.  It took four hours to inventory, pack and load the trailer.  Unfortunately there is no easy way to do it.  We are not a single product booth and we travel to more than one show and we don’t think it is right to take it home for someone else to count.

We are traveling again.  Monday morning Patricia got to sleep in.  We started out about 10 AM and drove out on Interstate 10.  We ate lunch at Desert Center a tiny spot on the road with 125 people.  Most of the remaining buildings are empty.  It has not changed in 40 years except to get smaller.  Then it was off to Blyth, CA.  It is a small agricultural community on the Colorado River. 

We did our laundry, caught up on email and sent some instructions to the office.  Late in the day we got a quick rain storm.  Check out the photograph on my Facebook page or Quilter’s Rule’s Facebook page.  I have no idea why it loaded the way it did but is turned out better than the original which was pretty cool.  Today we will travel a short distance to Quartzite, AZ to a huge flea market in the desert, than late in the day we will end up in Phoenix.  Tomorrow we set up at the Rusty Barn Show in Phoenix.

All in all Road to California was a very good show.  Just not as wonderful as last year.  It would be helpful if the economy is California would improve.  But it is what it is and there is very little we can do to change it.  The show ended.  It took four hours to inventory, pack and load the trailer.  Unfortunately there is no easy way to do it.  We are not a single product booth and we travel to more than one show and we don’t think it is right to take it home for someone else to count.

We are traveling again.  Monday morning Patricia got to sleep in.  We started out about 10 AM and drove out on Interstate 10.  We ate lunch at Desert Center a tiny spot on the road with 125 people.  Most of the remaining buildings are empty.  It has not changed in 40 years except to get smaller.  Then it was off to Blyth, CA.  It is a small agricultural community on the Colorado River. 

We did our laundry, caught up on email and sent some instructions to the office.  Late in the day we got a quick rain storm.  Check out the photograph on my Facebook page or Quilter’s Rule’s Facebook page.  I have no idea why it loaded the way it did but is turned out better than the original which was pretty cool.  Today we will travel a short distance to Quartzite, AZ to a huge flea market in the desert, than late in the day we will end up in Phoenix.  Tomorrow we set up at the Rusty Barn Show in Phoenix.

Day Three at Road

The show is starting an hour early today.  Yesterday when rain was forecast for this morning, a note was sent to all the vendors and an announcement was made the doors would open early to keep the customers out of the rain.  No, it will not end early.  I hope they come, but………..Just looked out and it is raining.

All things being equal this is normally the best show we do each year.  For us it is a little off of the best year we have had at Road.  We can hope that it will be better later in the show, but it is what it is and there is little we can do about what is.  People are spending a lot more cash than we are used to getting.  Maybe that is the result of the economy.  Folks are saving for the show and not just putting it on their credit cards.  In any case it is different and lower than previous years.

The crowds of people have been good.  There are plenty of quilters at the show.   Caroline always gets a crowd.  But like all shows toward the end of the day the people go away and the hall empties before the show ends.  Many are just tired, some have to go take care of their family, and many just want to beat rush hour traffic.

Set Up at Road to California

Yesterday was one of those incredibly long days.  Up at 6 AM breakfast and off to the Ontario Convention Center for an unload time of 7:30.  Finished dumping the booth supplies on the floor about 9:00.  By that time we had discovered that two of our bookcases were broken and unusable.  I knew the road was rough but I did not think it was that bad.  On the other hand many of our plastic totes suffered damage also.

By 3 PM we had the booth set except for the books.  So back to the hotel to clean up, catch up on email, and the office, clean up.  Then we went shopping for a book case. After three stops we found a substitute, but we will have to assemble it.  Then we realized we had not eaten except for a half sandwich since Breakfast.  Okay, find a place to eat.  We finally settled on a Mexican place.  Not that is hard here.  Back to the hotel to get ready for the teacher meeting at 7:30. 

Caroline had a very nice meeting with the teachers.  Yes, there was lots of chocolate which improves any meeting. Back to the hotel at 9 PM, and the bookcase still needs to be assembled.  Guess what it can wait!    

Okay it is 5:40 AM and we can get into the Convention Center at 7:30.  I think all of you know what I am going to do this morning.  First thing!  Let’s all hope for a great day at Road to California. 

The Mundane

What do you do when you are in the Outpost Laundry in Apple Valley, CA waiting for clean clothes?  Of course you catch up on your blog that you haven’t written for three days.

We have had two very uneventful days on the road.  First from Oklahoma City, OK to Albuquerque, NM, and the next day from Albuquerque to Barstow, CA, just mile after mile of road.  What can I say about the trip?   It was long.  It was boring.  I was tired and slept every time Patricia was in the driver’s seat.  I did finish the book Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly.   Recommended reading for everyone. 

While we were washing everything else we got the car and trailer washed.  For dry roads everything got so dirty.  This afternoon we check into the hotel and tomorrow we have a dock time at road of 7:30 AM.

I have to tell you that when you are traveling to shows we do a lot of very boring things.

Wrapping up at Oklahoma City

I was correct that yesterday would be a long day.  After a brisk day at the show we started to break down at 5:00 PM.  We needed to do a complete inventory so we can invoice in the next couple of days.  So we worked and worked and finally put the last box in the trailer about 9:30 PM. 

We looked around and there were only 5 booths still working.  One was Sew Batik.  We walked down and started to help Bruce who was working alone and had three booths to take down.  Actually he was pretty well packed up but still had to load it into his trailer.  So Patricia and I started hauling tubs while Bruce packed them in the trailer.  To make a long story very short we finished at  about 10:30 and went to have dinner.  Crawled in bed around midnight, and tried to get some sleep.  I know better than to eat that late.  Here I am writing this at 5 in the morning.

For several of the vendors crime struck.  One trailer was stolen and the locks on a couple more were jimmied.  Fortunately we escaped without any problems.  Last year our car was broken into.  Of course I have not looked at it yet this morning.  One can only hope.

It is a shame that people feel they can steal and it is okay.  All any of us are doing is trying to make a living.  I know that times are tough, but really.  One would think that you would see more police.  But the only time I saw them is directing traffic for a game in the arena across the street.

Long drive today.  Off to Albuquerque,  NM, we will spend the night with Mike and Virginia Walton.