QUARTZSITE 2002

The show begins

January 1, 2002
Tuesday

Well, here it is, the new year! I saw the year in on California time, but not Arizona time, I think I fell asleep before it hit. J-Me, Guy and Vi didn't get here until late last night, so we are all going to celebrate tonight. They evidently brought fireworks, and I will bring some beer to share, it should be fun.

Their show doesn't start until the 4th, so even though they wanted to be here in time to celebrate New Year's Eve, they still have plenty of time to set up.

I had my alarm set for 6. Yea, right. I hit the off button and went right back to sleep. Woke at 7, got up, made coffee, put my robe on, looked at the warm bed, standing there shivering, and crawled back in. It was cold in the trailer, I KNEW it was cold out there. Finally, at 7:30, I got up and started moving around, and finished setting up.

Today was slow, as everyone expected. The weekends are the mad time, the rest of it is...Quartzsite. Slow, easy, fun, relaxing. I met some wonderful people. I even met a lady who has a website out there for people wanting to create another universe! What a trip. We actually made friends, (any surprise there?) and she is going to bring her computer by and I am going to show her how to use Dreamweaver. She is building sites using Netscape Composer, and a copy of Dreamweaver sits on her computer, unused. Crazy. I'd like to crawl inside her head a little, and hear about this other universe. At the least, it should be interesting.

J-Me and Vi came by, it was great seeing them. Hugs and "oh everything looks great" and "isn't it wonderful to be in Quartzsite" and "ooooo look at these beads" and "set these aside for me, and this and this". It's always a flurry of words, gestures, smiles, hugs and simply a whirlwind when she and I get together. She helped me price some beads that I had question on, in fact she wanted one, these are the blown glass beads I am selling for the guy from Davis. She is really impressed. He said he might be able to send some more if I needed them. 2 are gone the first day, it may be good to let him know.

There is a barbecue over at their spot tonight, with fireworks and fun. That is where I am heading now.

~~~

Ok, I am now at Subway. I think I may be spending a fair amount of time here, they will get to know me by name at some point. Actually, it is a bustling area, the Pilot Truck Center, it just has the Subway in here too.

On the way over for dinner, I caught a beautiful sunset on film. I am hoping it came out nice. I don't have my media card reader to check it now, but when I get back to the trailer, I will see.

When I got over to their place, they were still setting up their canopies and such, so I helped until we decided we needed to eat. It was late, nobody wanted to do a barbecue, so we opted for Fish Tacos at Taco Mia...or whatever it is called. Guy and I drove over, to find it closed for New Years Day.

Getting back, it was then decided food cooked in was the best option.

They have a brand spankin new motor home, this thing is plush. I am impressed. You could easily live in this place.

We looked at beads (of course) talked about beads, tied beads and oogled over some new and vintage beads she just got. It's a darn good thing I like beads! Actually, the conversation wasn't ALWAYS centered on that subject matter, but it is our business.

Now I am tired, and wanting to go home to my freezing cold trailer. Yesterday I bought a propane tank, but this morning, in the daylight I could see the valve is a different size. Ed, a friend is going to look at it. For now, I have no heat. Oh wait...I should see if it is gas or electric, I know the refrigerator is that way.

Til tomorrow...

~~~*~~~

January 2, 2002
Wednesday

I just realized that I didn't miss the Arizona new year, I passed it by and didn't even realize it. I was thinking I had another hour after the California midnight rolled around, and when I started thinking on it the next day, it was the other way around. Silly me.

It is so dry here, warm and sunny and beautiful, but incredibly dry. I am going to have to buy some lotion to keep myself hydrated.

This morning, a lady who was here yesterday came by to buy some beads. What an incredible person. We sat here and chatted for a couple hours after she bought the beads. She is 70 years old, has wonderful life-giving energy, great stories of her own experiences to tell, and simply an amazing presence. She was a true example of equal energy exchanges. Her name is Doris.

Doris has obviously studied the metaphysical a ton more than me, understands more than I could expect to understand at this point in my life, yet, as I sat here talking to her, never did I feel her placing her level above mine, we chatted on equal grounds. Even though I listened most of the time, intently soaking in her stories, it was incredibly balanced.

Upon conversing, it became apparent to me that our similarities were great, we had the same driving force in life, no matter the age difference, we had the same process of thought and action. When we were comparing qualities in ourselves, she asked what sign I was, when I told her Gemini, but on the cusp of Cancer. Her eyes widened, and said June 21? When I said yes, she told me that was her birthday as well.

Cool.

Before she left, I gave her a book to read and she came back an hour later with two books for me to read. I don't know how long our exchange will last, but she is here for a reason, no doubt to me.

~~~

Hey, Ed hooked up my propane, I have gas! Yay. Also, I am such an RV novice, I thought I had to fill up the water tank, use the pump, etc. All I had to do was hook up the hose, turn on the spikot, and I have water now. Double Yay! Now I need a level to make sure the refrigerator is level so I don't screw something up there, and hook that up and then I can go get some food other than soup. Not that I care much, food out here seems insignificant, I am loving the air and the energy.

I have met such nice people, a fellow vendor will just walk by, say hi, and stop to talk for an hour. Actually, customers too. Nobody seems to be in much of a hurry. This is going to be so therapeutic.

~~~

Juan came back by, he got a job. Good for him. (Juan is the cute little hippie dude). He is unloading rocks. He is young and strong, it's good work for him. Listen to me, I sound like a mom.

We looked at the photos of the sunset I got last night. Here, you can see them too!

I caught the tail end of this last night on the way to dinner. I love desert sunsets. I actually missed the best of it, trying to get to an area that would show it off the best, without buildings or freeways.
The booth. Not yet complete...but soon to be.
lampwork beads		firepolished beads
BEADS BEADS BEADS These four above are of the glass beads. I am still pulling out merchandise from the other side (jewelry and other misc stuff). It is still lazy and slow today, as long as I have it all out by this weekend, when the people show, it should be fine.
this is from the back of my booth, not a good photo, but these are the mountains I am loving. They are all very beautiful, but I love the craggliness of these. I will get out to the middle of the desert one of these days and get some decent photos. God I love the desert. The energy here is significant for me.

Doris was telling me the energy I am feeling is partly due to the amounts of Quartz in the land. Hence the name Quartzsite, although, who knows... I just love it, that's all I know for sure.

~~~

It is later now. The day neither crept by, nor flew. Isn't that the way it should be? It just was.

It did get chilly and windy toward the end of the day. Tomorrow morning, I am going to run off somewhere and get some rope and large stakes. I have heard the wind can just be ferocious around here.

I closed down and walked off in search of my little hippie friend. I just like calling him that, but respectively, his name is Juan. I found him, and told him if he wants to come over and visit, I would cook him dinner. He talked me into dinner out instead. Ok, I'm easy, talk me out of cooking? No problem.

I think I will drag him to Subway with me after dinner, so I can get and send all of my email. I will be driving, he won't have a choice. :)

~~~*~~~

January 3, 2002
Thursday

Last night, hippie Juan couldn't make dinner, so I made dinner here and went on over to my friend's camp. It was great, Alan (the man I met here last year...Jme and Guy's friend) had just pulled in a couple hours earlier. We have been conversing via email for the last nine months.

We had red wine a flowing, along with conversation and laughs. I pouted and said I wanted to be down here like last time, all the time, it was much more fun there.

We all visited for a bit, then I left. Alan left at the same time, invited me to talk some more in his van, which we did. He is so wonderful to talk to and is one of the most beautiful human beings I have ever come in contact with, both inside and out. I cherish any moments we get together. I think I could listen to him talk forever.

This morning, tired, dried out (I need to go get some lotion) and cold, I wasn't in any hurry to open up. Nobody was, the wind was kicking up and it was threatening rain. We were kind of hanging out waiting to see what happened.

I went over to Subway, ate breakfast, bought some large tent stakes and rope and came back. I have been warned by many people here if I only relied on the smaller tent stakes I would be gathering the pieces of my canapies 500 yards down the desert when the wind kicks up. I heeded the warning.

It was so slow again. This weekend the people will begin coming, and it will progressively pick up from there.

Not much to write about, since not much happened today. I pounded and pounded the big ol stakes in the ground, impressing all the men around me. They must think I am one of those weak women. HA

Besides, one of the men from another spot loaned me his 5 pound mallot. Much easier, but boy, when you do miss, do you EVER miss.

Apparently we are going to do the fireworks tonight. We'll see. As soon as the wine starts flowing, and the partying begins, everyone forgets about the fireworks. :)

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