And for the twentieth time I’ve told Wolf that I’m not looking to sell anything, that I’m just going there for the experience and to have fun. I have no expectations as I’m taking my catalogs to read and pen and paper to make notes of what we can do differently in the future.

Unfortunately, the week before I caught a cold and wasn’t up to top form. But I still wanted to do it.

So, we packed the car – or I should say, Wolf packed the car – and at noon we left for the market.

Weather prediction: cold, wet and rainy.
Actual weather: cold, wet and rainy…and windy.

We knew where our space was and started to unload the car and get the tent set up. We realized that we were the only ones in the area and wondered if it would stay that way. So, Wolf tried the event coordinator’s cell phone but met with no answer. After getting the second wall on the tent, the coordinator showed up. He had had several no shows, so we were to move to a different location. So, we reloaded the car and Wolf carried the tent to the new location.

We ended up next to a neighbor who lives down the way from us, a bee keeper and his wife who make the best flavored honeys and liquors. They watched (I’m sure in amusement) as we got everything out of the car as quickly as we could and get set up. My your tent is nice and white – it looks new, they said. That’s because it is, we replied. This is the first time we’ve done a market – we’re planning on doing art festivals but wanted to have the first experience.

All in all, it took us around 2 ½ hours to set up completely. By the time we finished, the market was officially open and the Glühwein stand across the way provided a nice hot beverage as our reward.

The stand on the other side provided us with a bit of amusement as we watched them secure their tent with spring clamps and tarp against the wind that blew in strong gusts. The woman was amazed at our tent and remarked that she had never seen one like it. Upon learning the price, she nodded and went back to her spring clamps and tarp.

The rain did let up once so I could pop out quickly and take a few shots of the finished product.

Take down time was around 1 ½ hours. By the time we got home, it was past midnight and we decided to leave much of our equipment in the car and unload it in the morning. We celebrated our first experience with a Pina Colada liquor, then called it an evening. We were cold, wet and tired but happy that everything went so smoothly.

I had several photographers come by and remark on my photographic eye. The lady at the local flower shop stopped by and we agreed to meet with her in the beginning of the new year to provide her with some photos for her shop. Another lady who heads a local artists association came by to meet me (she had checked out my website but wanted to see my photos in person) and talked to me about joining their association.

And, yes, I did actually sell something, which was enough to make my booth fee and make a profit for the evening.

And now to finish and mail the first application for an art festival in 2008…

Germany is a beautiful country. Unfortunately, around November, it can be truly ugly weather-wise. And so this was no exception. It rained…and rained…and rained. Our garden area was too wet and soaked to try to put the tent up. So, we decided to go under the bridge in the neighboring village.

We packed everything we thought we would need (and then some) into the car and drove the few kilometers. We found the water high but had enough of a dry spot to put the tent up. After about five minutes of positioning it, it went up relatively smooth (sometimes it does help to read the directions!). Next came the moment of truth and Wolf’s homemade beams. They slid in with no problems and fit perfectly. On down the road, we will paint the wood in between so that it’s not as noticeable.

The grid walls attached to the beams with no problems and we even worked out a way so that one person could put them up.

Next, came hanging some of my photographs to see how they would look.

By hanging the photos, we realized that the grids would need to be secured together. While the company that we bought these from had small devices to secure two together, they weren’t made for the white grids that we had bought. So, for now, we use white plastic ties.

But, all in all, it was a success. Notes were made of what additional things were needed. Then, as the water was continuing to rise – and we were starting to get some strange looks from passersby, we took everything down, stored it back into the car and left for home.