Harvestfest, my 1st craft show of the season was last Saturday. From a chilly morning, it grew into a beautiful fall day, sunny & the trees just beginning to turn. There were teenager to help crafters unload their gear, and a mug & pen on each table to celebrate the church's 50th anniversary.There were fewer crafters than last year, but more variety.Happily, I was in the same spot as last year, with the same two neighbors, one side being a married couple with homemade candy & on the other, a pair of elderly sister selling sewn items.
There are all sorts of family activities along with the crafts, including an animal show, by Jungle Bob, who was not as good as the one they had last year. There were retro cars displayed on the front lawn and free food in a tent behind the church. The food was picnic staples, hot dogs, chili, burgers. I had a cheeseburger & some yummy potato salad. Earlier, volunteers carried donuts and coffee around to those who wanted them. The hospitality of the church organizers is amazing.
The crowd was smaller this year & sales were slow. Other than the candy makers, most vendors did not do well. It was the 3rd show in a row where I didn't make back my table fee. And this had been one of my better shows last year! there were way more browsers than buyers, not many people carrying bags. The show was well advertised & decently attended, so it must be the economy which is making craft shows so poor this year. I'm lowering expectations for my upcoming last 2 shows of the year.
A few people stopped by whom I hadn't seen in years, so it was nice to see them. Even when it's not profitable, this show has such a positive atmosphere & friendly people that it makes it a worthwhile experience and a fun day.

The weekend of the 17-18 Sept. was a good one, visiting the outdoor art show on Saturday & the Pioneer Festival on Sunday. I took bunches of photos, but haven't edited them yet. Next weekend is the first of my holiday craft shows & I've still got lots to do, so I may not be able to post anything till after the show.
Since Tuesday it's been raining everyday and has also grown colder. The heat is not on in my apartment building, so the wet chill is not agreeing with my arthritis. Hopefully the central heating will be on next week. It's much too early to have temperatures this low. I wonder if that means a longer, colder winter is ahead?
Thursday was my sister's birthday, so we went to an upscale shopping center which looks like something designed by Disneyland. I let her decide where we went, which turned out to be an outrageously expensive clothing store and an accessory store where everything was arranged by color. We just browsed, because everything was out of our price range, especially in the clothing store. After checking out an art exhibit in a former bank space, we ended up spending hours at Barnes & Noble bookstore. I managed not to buy anything but a Frappacino, but my sister bought a couple bargain books. I saw a really nice wolf book on sale, so I'm hoping to make enough at the art show to purchase it afterwards. We went to dinner in the evening & she got some small gifts from my mom & I. She said it was a decent day, which was high praise from someone who hates birthday. She & a friend were going to a fancy restaurant last night, so hopefully, she enjoyed that even more.