"Barn People" Sighting...

A couple of weeks ago, The Boys of BH and The Queen of Tarte headed up to Seattle for what turned out to be quite an adventure. In true Hillbilly style, we had stuff stacked high on the roof of the truck...the trailer was filled to the brim...and poor Cindy had only a few inches to move in the back seat b/c we had so much stuff inside the truck too. In hindsight, we were dangerously filled with stuff...but that didn't seem to matter at the time. We were going to the big city to make our "debut" at the Sand Point Antique & Design Market!!

But let me tell you how our trip started -- Already running a few minutes late on the first day of our trip, we get in the truck to find out it won't start. Now I have mentioned we were dangerously packed to the brim, right?? I just about had an anxiety attack right there in the driveway! The thought of having to UNpack the truck before we even left started the wheels in my head to spin out of control. Fortunately, Joe and Cindy know the look of panic in my eyes and took control of the situation. Turned out the battery was dead and needed a jump. So off we went to the auto store for a new battery, rope and heavy-duty tie-downs to make sure our stuff didn't fly off the roof on the highway.

A couple of hours later, we finally get on the road. We laughed hysterically about the looks & comments we got in town with all that stuff. Everything is wonderful...until it starts SNOWING. What the heck! We are on our way to Seattle to do a show in an UNheated building and it is SNOWING. This time it was Joe who panicked. He had already declared that he was "crippled" to the battery installer and couldn't get out of the truck (really b/c he was already frozen and could barely move before we officially left town). "What kind of "stuff" is this?? Who lives like this!" he yelled. (He doesn't deal too well with the Spring snow/cold of the NW)

It's not snowing when we arrive in Seattle, but it's still in the 30s. To say the least, none of us was looking forward to unpacking and setting up. I am sure we were all regretting bringing so much stuff. So we pull up to the building we were in and Joe and Cindy leave me in the truck to go "find our space." Uh huh! 20 minutes later, I come to realization that they are not only "finding our space," but have already started shopping from the other vendors too! I won't bore you with all the details (and expletives) of unloading and setting up in the freezing rain, but I bet you can imagine. What I will say is that there are some very special people in this business. The camaraderie between the dealers makes some of the more challenging situations enjoyable. Who wouldn't want to hang out (even in the cold) with with the fabulous Lulu (Luluz), Deb & Bob (Retreat), Debi (Ormolulu), and JOHN/BOB just to name a few. We will be forever in debt to Bob (Retreat) for helping me and Joe get those farm tables down from the roof of the Suburban!! What on earth were we thinking???!!

If you are wondering why this post is not filled with pictures from the show, it's because I caught a serious case of the vapors resulting in severe brain-freeze, Joe was crippled by the shakes and Cindy's shivers were debilitating. By the time I remembered to take pictures, I only took these two of Cindy's space before the rush.
The rest of the time we were chit-chatting with Seattle's finest...La . Te . Da Love (she has pix on her blog), Mimi Charmante (also has pix on her blog), The Salvage Sisters, Todd from Bountiful Home, Lisa Call and many others. One lady came into our space and said, "Oh, you are 'Those Barn People'." Something sounded really creepy the way she said it..."Those Barn People" -- kind of like "Children of The Corn" or something. At first, I was mildly offended. But back at the hotel lounge, we discussed it in detail over some moonshine. There was something terribly eccentric about it..."Barn People." Oh what fun this could be!!!! The more moonshine that was poured, the more possibilities were concocted up in our crazy heads. The costumes, wigs, dialects and characters were endless...yes, in the lounge at Hotel Deca, "The Barn People" were born!! Barn People around the world...Stand Up and Unite!! Boy, we caused such a scene in the lounge that night getting into character that the bartender cut us off and brought us a coulple of rounds of water. "Those Barn People" just don't have any sense! ;o)

OK...off to celebrate Easter. We still have lots more to share about Joe's face plastered in Old Stuff, Robin in Somerset Life, Susan in Romantic Country, The Land of Tarte event next Saturday in Oregon City, The BH Season opening and our 10 new ducklings (see a video of them on Robin's BirdTweets blog)!

J & J
Barn People