Will Work for Food . . .

I am not a foodie – I think I have made that quite clear over the years.  Zoe is – I think I have also made that quite clear over the years.  As such, from time to time I am greeted at shows by customers bearing gifts of food – for my dog.  But last weekend, in the shadow of the Gateway Arch, the scene was different . . .

Sally Holcomb was one of the first people I saw when the show opened on Saturday morning – she brought a container filled with snickerdoodles and chocolate cookies for me!  That container kept Doreen and me energized most of the day.

Ah yes – Doreen.  Hard to believe, but it has been ten years since Doreen Chambers brought this cake to Collinsville for us.  The year before, she had helped in our booth for the first time and told us of her baking talents.  So in 2003, she brought proof.

Ten years later, she’s still feeding me – chocolate cupcakes this time!

Of course, I needed more calories – I played a lot of golf this weekend.  After setup on Friday, I drove a short distance to Gateway National Golf Links for an evening of activity.  I had found it online and it looked interesting.  And it was – the course was in great shape and had a view unlike any other . . .

From many parts of the course, you could see downtown St. Louis and the Gateway Arch.  I played until it was almost too dark to see – which provided an added bonus . . .

. . . the moon on the left and a gorgeous sunset on the right.  Enjoyed it enough that after the show on Saturday, I went back again.

And got another sunset – but this one wasn’t nearly as spectacular as the one the night before.

But I digress . . .

Our booth was full of busy little beavers.  Beth Wilkinson was filling in for Sue Rothamel’s talented fingers in the USArtQuest portion of our booth, and Doreen was showing folks Envelope Punch Boards and Perfect Rulers and Perfect Layers and Gelato Kits – every time I turned around, she had moved to a new subject.

One lady brought her own “pack mule” sporting this on his back – I couldn’t decide whether she had bought his t-shirt or he had figured it out on his own . . .

Just like teachers when you were in school – they don’t eat and they don’t go to the bathroom.  So imagine my surprise when I turned around and noticed that Nancy and Brian from Rubber Stamp Events had found time for a break.  Brian is the “voice” of Barbara’s shows – it just isn’t the same when he’s not the one handling the microphone.

One … two … three … awwwwwwwwww.  This “crafter in training” (or maybe he’s a “pack mule in training”) was parked near my cash register on Sunday while Mom was catching Beth’s demo and Grandma was watching Doreen’s.  He never stirred – found out later that Big Brother was already a veteran of two years’ worth of shows, but Mom and Grandma realized last year that he (or they) didn’t have the patience for another trek.  So Mom went forth and multiplied and brought a replacement.