On the Road Again

Well we're off, for better or for worse, heading to Florida to participate in two art festivals. We did one on Shelter Island last summer, renting a U-Haul truck, erecting our brand new 10'x10'x10' tent, and doing our best to make it look like a small gallery. We made several sales and made over $1,000 in just one day. It was a LOT of work but very rewarding, and the people involved are incredibly encouraging and supportive. So we applied to several shows in Florida for this winter and were accepted at two, the Miami/Coral Gables Festival of Arts Jan 24-25, 2015 and the St. Petersburg Art Festival Jan 31 - Feb 1, 2015.

Since the summer, we sold my mini-cooper, leased a Suburu Outback (rigged with a trailer hitch), and bought a 5'x8' Challenger Homesteader trailer. Peter's cousin built out the inside of the trailer to accommodate large pieces of art, boxes of matted images, and all of the equipment, which includes but is not limited to: the tent, tables, trolleys, chairs, a ladder, weights, and lots and lots of tools. It took two days to pack the trailer and we hit the road yesterday.

Neither of us had slept well Sunday night, each of us having his/her own torturous nightmares. We'd originally planned on leaving Sunday but icy road conditions kept us at home, and thankfully so - there was a 38-car pile up on the Jersey Turnpike and over 400 accidents all over the northeast that day. No wonder our sleep was fitful. The good news? Monday was a national holiday, Martin Luther King Day, so the traffic would be lighter than usual, and it was. We made it to Brooklyn (avoiding all Parkways - trailers are prohibited), over the windless Verranzano Bridge, across Staten Island, and into New Jersey in 2½ hours, where we stopped to take a deep breath and recuperate some before continuing on the journey south. Our objective for this first day was to make it just beyond Washington DC, so we could avoid the Beltway in rush hour on a real work-day, and we met our objective. Twelve hours after putting our feet on the floor that morning, we were tucked into a Best Western in Dale City, Virginia. Happy to have day one behind us.

We both think we learned a lot on this "longest day". Driving this trailer is very manageable in good weather, and we'll set off on day two rested and far more confident than day one. We'll keep you posted (no pun intended) on how this adventure unfolds.

Comments

[Mary Tanaskovic Bitting]

Hope you have two great shows in Florida and sell many works, Claudia and Peter. Wish you had phoned before your NJ stop, so I could have seen you! It's been years since your last Seaport holiday party....and I miss you.

[BAFA Studio]

Just the beginning of some great stories to come. Safe journey.

[Frannie]

Have a great trip! You did make very good time getting from Long Island to NJ,