QUARTZSITE 2002

January 16, 2002
Wednesday

Antsy Feet again, I just can't stand still some days. If it was crazy busy with customers it would be easier, but I go stir crazy when it is slow like this.

I did notice more customers walking around, more non-vendors, people who are here just for visiting and buying, which is good. More people browsing, and getting gifts.

Today I got gifted over and over. I must have had that gift energy going on. I got some really beautiful Rhodonite, a vein they call Astorite, for bringing over a few customers. I also received another beautiful bead from John, but this one actually still needs the hole drilled. It means I have to come back to get it finished, I am wondering about this one. Ha.

~~~

J-Me, Guy and Vi made a huge purchase over here today. I had taken them back there to look at some bins of beads yesterday, or maybe the day before, but today while pulling beads, they just decided to buy the entire lot. Incredible.

3 tons of it.

~~~

I keep getting people interested in big purchases, and they say they will come back. 50/50 chance they will not. It is not always advantageous to be here for more than a couple days.

~~~

This morning I woke up freezing, of course, with no heat. I braced myself, got out of bed, stood there and shivered and promptly hopped back in. When I finally got out to get dressed, then showered, after, I went and bought propane. I stopped at a little produce stand and bought some produce. The man running it liked my hat. I have been wearing it everywhere, it is now my Quartzsite hat. He had a hat on too, and he told me all about it. His heritage hat, it was. He had his grandma's name beaded on it, his Mom's name, and his surname. There were birthstone clusters all over the place, of all of his grandma's kids, his mom's kids, his, the family name emblem, his dad's war medals, I can't remember it all...but it was a very significant hat. I complimented him on honoring his family in such a manner. He said he was going to enter it into the "Great Hat Contest" next year. I smiled and told him what a good idea that was. He was old, but he was very lively and excited about his hat. :)

~~~

I gifted Don with some dried fruit (pineapple), pistachios, trail mix and a tangelo. I have just stopped questioning this side of me and am going with it. He appreciates it, and does not expect it, and always thanks me, so I am happily letting the caretaker out of the closet. He was busy when I brought it all down there, so I just put it on his bed in his camper. Later in the day, I looked down and there was a big "Thank You :)" but the smilie was not sideways, written in the sand in front of my camper. See, he appreciates it. :) I like that.

Don and I are buds.

~~~

The wind is blowing tonight, I keep checking outside, thinking I am hearing things, it is just all the tarps blowing around. I am glad I have heat tonight, it is going to be very cold.

January 17, 2002
Thursday

Ohhh, I was so glad I had heat last night. It was so cold.

Woke up and went to take a shower, but someone was in there, so I decided to drive to the other ones. As I was getting into my car, I saw Todd, the biker guy who I met the other day, out by his booth. I turned off the engine and walked over to him. He told me he was packing up and leaving.

He said Quartzsite is so down in numbers of visitors this year it wasn't worth staying. Yes, I think it is all a little different from the last year I was here, but I came later, and more and more people are showing every day. There are a ton at the other selling areas, but for some reason this one is not drawing the numbers. We are all hoping they will make their way down here.

Not Todd though, he said he has stuff to do at home, his time is better spent there.

It was actually pretty funny, he is trying to pack up and EVERYBODY now wants to talk to him and see his merchandise. Get ready to go and everyone panics, thinking there was something they needed from him, "Oh, you WONT be here tomorrow?". Poor guy, he has 7 hours on the road and he cant get out of here.

~~~

A few more sales, more contacts, more promises of "I'll come back tomorrow", that which you really never truly believe until it happens. It's fine, I say the same thing, in hopes of making more money.

~~~

Tonight Don and I agreed to go out to dinner, but we decided we were too hungry to actually go out, so we went to get some barbeque from the cajun barbeque people here, their food is excellent.

He had something to take care of with someone so I brought it back to my trailer. On the way back I noticed the beautiful sunset, dropped off the food and head out to take photos. I got some beautiful photos when I realized the moon was out, and I captured some with the moon, it is cool. Here...see?

see the itty bitty little moon up there?
click on it to see it better. :)

On the way back, I just about killed myself on this contraption. Over the last couple of days, my neighbors with the two little rugrats running around have been struggling to install a satellite. They had it on top of the RV, worked on it for hours and hours, had other vendors helping them, the kids just waited and waited. The parents were wanting something, anything that would give them a break from the chaos of the kids running around crazy.

This is the very picture of desperation...

I just wonder how the box helps.

I had to get a photo, it was just too funny. Anyone out here with little kids are brave souls...quickly turning into desperate souls. :)

When I got back, Don WAS waiting for me. We ate and ate, it was so good. After, we had a beer and chatted for a while. I got feisty and began teasingly flipping him with the plastic utensils. He responded by snatching them away from me. To which I would just grab another. It is always amazing to me how quick men are at that snatching thing.

He left and I went to the Wild RV, they were nowhere to be found, and I then went to Subway to do the internet stuff. While I was sitting there, ready to sign on, a man was obviously looking around for a place to sit. Feeling guilty for taking up a table and not really being a customer, I offered him a place to sit at my table, which he accepted.

Mistake.

This man talked. Not just talked, but he had the classic case of blabbering of the mouth, just on and on about this problem and that, about the trash sitting across from us (just young kids...hippies) about politics, I really don't know if he said one positive thing. I wanted to ask him to leave, but I didn't, I just suffered through it.

The conection tonight was soooo slow. The first attempt was at 2400, then 4800. I haven't seen this since the early 90's. Patience. It is all a test.

January 18, 2002
Friday

I drove to Parker this morning. I had to go to the bank, and it is the closest to here, 35 miles away. Quartzsite has no Wells Fargo. It makes it difficult, but by going to Parker, I get to go to the big grocery store and don't end up paying 3.00 for a quart of milk.

I had to see the teller this morning, but next time I am going to leave after hours instead of before, the line was incredible. Besides that, on the way back into Quartzsite, the traffic took me 1/2 hour just to drive a few miles. What happens is that there are so few roads, and sooo many cars, every road gets backjammed. Also, where there are shows, people wait in the street to get that parking spot where the 90 year old man is helping his wife into the car. Eventually, they will actually leave and there will be an open spot. Now, don't pull off the side of the road, someone might swoop in there and steal your spot! Yes, this is Quartzsite.

By the time I got back, it was late, I didn't miss much, it was still somewhat slow, but I did get alot of teasing from the fellow vendors, some of them thinking I was just getting home for the night, "oooo, where were you last night, and did you have fun, and elbow, elbow"

Yea, well, also by the time I got back, I was a frazzled mess. Between the traffic, running late on top of it and seeing the mess my bank account was in, I was ready to go back home, sell everything I own, get out of debt and go disappear in the wilderness somewhere, living this gypsy life that I know I could so easily fall into. Rent, credit cards, cable, phone bills, ugh.

But, I opened the sides and once more peddled my wares. Today was again once more slow. I had seen how many people were down at the other shows, and I was a bit frustrated why they weren't coming down here.

Later tonight, I talked to some people who sell down at those shows, and yes, there were tons of people mulling about, but those people were not spending the money. Evidently, there were still plenty of vendors who only had 20 or 50.00 enter their pockets.

We are all figuring it is just the recession, the war that is making people spend less. It is seen all over the world. Even K-Mart is on the brink of bankruptcy.

Well, I was in a "place" this morning, and I worked my way out of it by the afternoon. Yea, I still have the problems, and they need to be taken care of, but if there is nothing I can do right this second, all that the negative energy I project by fretting will do is chase away the positive energy. I know this.

One man I have made friends with, (he is the one I ate at Taco Mia with when Alan walked in and we all ate together) is talking about starting his own spot. Perhaps getting others in on it, and making another selling spot with the vendors in mind. See, he would have it paved so there is less dust, bathrooms cleaned more often, spaces butted together so there is continuity, so on. Well, actually, it is for the customers too, but as vendors we know what often doesn't work. The promoters of these shows sometimes make poor decisions on planning.

~~~

After the show I went to the Wild RV. They had gone through some of the 3 1/2 tons of beads they bought from the people behind me and found some really cool stuff mixed in with the cruddy stuff. They are going through, high grading it (pulling all the really good stuff) and are going to sell it by the pound, just like the other guys did. They are going to make a killing on it.

When I walked up, Alan was out there. Talking to him about some of the stuff I went through today, it was such an emotional day, he is so easy to talk to. Alan has insights on life that are such a gift.

J-Me walked out and without saying much, gave me a hug. I don't know if she had heard what we were talking about, or if she just knew the place I was in, but she held me for the longest time, telling me she wished there was something she could do for me. I told her they have already done so much. Just being there as friends is what I need right now, friendship is the most precious gift when you are going through personal strife.

I know that.

Tonight after I closed, I wanted to stay here at the trailer, and hibernate. The last thing I wanted to do was visit anyone, but I knew the best thing for me would be to get out and see friends.

I was right, and by the time I left I felt a ton better.

We had all talked about it, the weekends are the biggest potential here. The weekdays are slower. I am going to close down during the next week and take a trip, selling to bead stores. I can generate more money that way, and then get back before the next weekend. I also am probably going to try to get into a show down in Tucson.

Make it happen.

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