Last Day of the Art Festival

[Woodrow] Call ignored him, trying to think of some way to salvage the trip. Though he had always been a careful planner, life on the frontier had long ago convinced him of the fragility of plans. The truth was, most plans did fail, to one degree or another, for one reason or another. He had survived as a Ranger because he was quick to respond to what he had actually found, not because his planning was infallible.

Sunday morning is a little slow, as it usually is with art festivals. I have always assumed it is the church crowds who punch up the attendance around 1 o’clock or so. I expect that will happen in a couple of hours.

I am happy to find shade behind my booth, and am now re-reading Lonesome Dove. The quote posted above struck a pleasant chord of agreement with me. As an educator, I long ago sought ways to roll with the punches, as school seemed to find ways daily to bomb the best-laid plans.

Now retired, and settled comfortably in the gallery and festival and workshop routine, I still note that life seldom yields to our planning. We just have to learn to play the cards we are dealt. I am writing this because I am very happy with this festival, and yet realize it has come with a number of hitches and glitches. All festivals do. The complications of planning, packing, loading, traveling, setting up and breaking down should guarantee that something will misfire. So many details. So many ways to stumble. This reality drove me nuts twenty years ago, but now I believe I have FINALLY learned to deal with it calmly. After all, it’s an honor to be accepted into this group. And I salute the organizers of the Dallas Arboretum art-related events. My individual responsibilities for my 10 x10′ space are minuscule compared to the all-over festival. And I’m sure the job of the organizer(s) is mostly a thankless one.

Thanks for reading. We close at 5:00 today. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by. I’m in Booth 33.