Fiesta in the Rain

I left early this morning, making sure I had the two pages of directions that would be my guide to to the Fiesta Tent Sale in Newell, WV.  Of the many gifts God gave me, a sense of direction is not among them. 

I also took The List with me.  Todd helped me go through our cupboards last night and make a list of the Fiesta colors and styles we already have.  When you're faced with pallets of color, it's easy to glaze over and forget what you own.

Before we went to bed, Todd reminded me that Mothman resides in Point Pleasant, WV, not too far from my destination.  (Which is inaccurate---I just checked on Google Maps, and Point Pleasant is way far away from Newell. But the bridge leading across the river to Newell does make one think back to the scene at the end of the movie...)  We've watched Mothman Prophecies twice, more for the fact that it was filmed in a small town about 20 minutes from where we live, where Todd spent his high school years.  It's hard to reconcile the paranormal nature of the movie with the streets and bridge that we have driven many, many times.

MothMan aside, it was dark and gloomy as I left my home at 5:00 this morning.  The entrance tickets for the Semi-Annual Tent Sale were to be distributed as early as 7:00 a.m., with first entrance into the tent at 8:00 a.m..

I arrived at 6:47 and took my place in the pre-dawn drizzle.  Despite the rain, there was the same weird, happy atmosphere that most people associate with Black Friday.  We were bound together by a love of Fiesta, hopeful of getting a bargain or two.

Sadly, I have no photos of my time in the drizzly rain, or of the line that stretched forever from behind the factory.  It rained, and rained, and rained.  I stashed my camera and cell phone on the inside of the two jackets I was wearing, and said a prayer of thanks that I had thought to wear a huge wool sweater and winter shoes.  That poor girl behind me in the sweats and flip-flops...

I made a friend in line named Jenna.  She and I shared our stories of how we started collecting Fiesta and how we sort our collections.  She does something I've never seen before---she collects pieces according to color. Her dinner plates are lemongrass, salad plates are all chocolate, small bowls are all ivory, and so on.  Her table therefore, when set, has a uniting theme to it.  It also means that Micah (a.k.a. "May I please have the red bowl, Momma?") could not live in her house.

It is the antithesis of my "choose your favorite color and choose a place to sit" style.  That's one of my favorite things about Fiesta.  Fiesta in my house does not look like Jenna's.  Nor does it look like my friend Steph's, who has a gorgeous collection of pastels.  Fiesta is what you want it to be.

It's nice to have a friend when you choose to stand in line for hours.  There's the feeling of camaraderie that comes from a shared interest and mission.  It also gives you someone to hold your place in line should you need to use the restroom...

One of the best parts of having a friend with you, is that you can be a lookout for pieces that you know the other person wants.  I may not have known Jenna for very long, but she checked in with me before she left to see if I had found my shamrock bowl.  (I had!)

She also wandered over to see if I would like a lemongrass deviled egg plate to the tune of $4.45.  (Regular price is $34.95, mind you.)  Now to learn how to make deviled eggs!

Altogether, a fun, peaceful day.  I was able to check off four more pieces that I had been looking for since last fall, which brought a small feeling of accomplishment.

There's also something to be said for being in the moment---whether that's hearing the steady drip of rain on your hood or absorbing the clink of dishes in the tent.  Being present.

Those of you who expressed interest in the sale, look me up next June or August.  I'm always up for an adventure!  

I'll even save your spot in line if you need to grab coffee at the concession stand.  :)