We had the chance to treat ourselves yesterday to a night at the Fairmont Resort in Scottsdale. I’d like to stay we’re regulars at places that charge $380 a night, but truth is, this was a real treat. We call it our Posh Day… our Irish friends use the word “posh” at times like this. I like the sound of it.
We earned the free room by booking 10 nights with www.hotels.com… they’ve since changed their policy, so your free room has to be closer in value to your ten paid rooms. Fortunately, we’re cashing in on the more generous system… a Casita room with a fireplace, patio and enormous bathroom… the bathroom is probably bigger than the whole RV.
Last night we wandered into the Gold Lounge and enjoyed some drinks and snacks. Then spent the evening splashing around the hot tub and pool and lounging by the fire pit. This morning we stopped by the Gold Lounge again, but were told our room didn’t “qualify” us for the lounge (guess it’s good we didn’t ask last night), but the concierge was quick to tell us about the club and then invite us to enjoy the complimentary breakfast. Yes! Free breakfast!
We can add Arizona to our list of places where we’ve set up our wares and sold some shard jewelry.
We were pleased with how things went for us at the Via Colori Festival in Glendale, AZ (outside of Phoenix)… we met a lot of great people and sales were steady throughout the day.
I don’t think many of the other vendors were happy though… the crowds just weren’t there and jewelry seemed like the only thing that was selling. It didn’t help that there were only 30 vendors instead of 150, and most vendors didn’t know this was a first time event in Glendale (we didn’t).
The good news is that we left the park on Saturday saying, “Even if we don’t sell a single piece tomorrow, the show would be a success.” We almost ate our words. The day was a complete washout and vendors were packing up before the show opened… two tents were blown over during the night from the storms too. Fortunately, our set-up was safe, and we still sold $100 worth
Heavy rains at Jim and Betty's
Angel Porn
After we got soaked to our underwear while packing up the tent and jewelry, the sun decided to come out and dry things up a bit… if we had just waited an hour. One advantage to traveling with our house — we were able to change into dry stores and visit some of the antique stores in Glendale.
Liam found some interesting bits for the cottage. For some reason, I just kept finding cherub porn… the weirdest, semi-sexual images of angels I’d ever seen.
Then we headed back to Jim and Betty’s where they fed us well… AGAIN… and we watched the Oscars. Quite a mixed-bag of things.
I am astounded by the paperwork required by the City of Phoenix to sell something in their boundaries.
To put an exclamation point on just how complicated they’ve made their two-sided form, the clerk includes a schedule of classes on how to fill out the paperwork when she hands over the license. It really is that complicated… OVER 70 lines that must be filled out… I think that’s more lines than the 1040EZ Federal Income Tax form.
Truth is, I bet there are only two lines that apply to us, but the fact that we need to figure what “35% Construction Contracting” means and that they are worried that we would include “Food for home consumption” is a bit over-the-top.
Oh, and did I mention this is only for temporary vendors. I can only imagine what the regulars go through.
Privileges in Arizona
We also had to get an Arizona Transaction Privilege License. Yes, Arizona considers it a privilege for us to sell things in their state. Their system isn’t too bad… a simple form with only four boxes. Super easy, especially since we started the paperwork online and finished it at the office.
The cashier explained that although the online form asks for all the locations we’ll be selling goods in the State, they really only want our home address… in Wisconsin (like we should have been able to figure that out on our own). If we followed the instructions, they would charge $12 for each location; instead, we just had to fork over $12. Whew, that bit of advice saved us $36.
Comparing the States
Gotta say, Arizona has the most paperwork we’ve had to deal with… $12 to the State and then each city charges a fee ($20 for the two cities we’ve worked with so far). Michigan and Illinois both have simple temporary sales tax forms to fill out… no licenses, no fees. California has a central office that gives out licenses for each town… no fees.
This paperwork is the worst thing about being in the making and selling stuff business.
Tasty food and great company with Wakako and Frido at the King's Highway at the Ace Hotel
When Liam and I started redesigning our life, we knew we weren’t following a traditional path. The interesting thing was that as we started getting serious about change, inspiring people seemed to walk into our lives on cue.
These weren’t the live-in-a-fantasy-land types… you know the kind, all daydreaming and no practicality. Fanciful notions are nice, but to make things happen, it takes a specific attitude, and, as we learned, the support of very special people… the “right people.”
These are the ones who both embrace ideas and inspire solutions to the challenges that come with them. These are the people with vision… or at least the capacity to envision an unconventional future. These are the people who motivate us to take a closer look at our plans. They promote action without it feeling like work.
Over the weekend, we were visited by our friends Frido and Wakako. They are among the “right people.” There is such a buzz being around friends who can listen to an idea and their natural instinct is to be inquisitive rather than practical. They don’t kill the creative process. They understand that great ideas just need time to steep.
And best of all, they share their ambitions. Talking with them sets off a chain-reaction. Gotta love that. A big giant, digital kiss to Wakako, Frido and all the “right people” in our lives!
Hitting the Road Again
Our month in Palm Springs has come to an end. Tomorrow we head for Phoenix where we have to get things lined up with the Arizona Tax Office in preparation for our upcoming shows… Arizona has a more tedious process than California.
I must confess, I’d really like another week or ten days in Palm Springs. I think we’d be very productive in that time. That said, we just went over the books and shows in California paid off. Our expenses for the trip have been covered, so during our next three shows, we should be “making” money.
Whew! We took a risk heading out here and so far it’s paying off.
This Sunday we skipped the College of the Desert Street Fair in favor of our RV park’s Super Swap Meet. In the end, we made more money selling to our neighbors than we did to the Sunday crowd at College of the Desert… another risk that paid off.
When I left Milwaukee last month, I had no art or craft shows officially lined up for my time out West. That was a concern… it’s critical that I sell some shard jewelry on this trip.
My one glimmer of hope was that a few shows put me on their Wait List. The Wait List can be a dreaded no man’s land where you may never know the reason you were put there… and if you’ll ever get off.
In that uncertain predicament, I have made it a policy of giving the event organizers a call. It’s a chance to introduce myself, let them know I am a professional and, hopefully, leave them feeling that I would be an asset to their show.
I can’t confirm that the phone call has given me an edge over other Wait List vendors, but I’ve been moved off the Wait List and on the artist list for two shows in Arizona next month. Yes, I was doing handstands when those notifications came through.
So, now I’ve got two art shows, a Saint Patrick’s Day Faire and my stand-by spot on weekends at College of the Desert. So far, sales have been good. Considering January and February are usually completely dead times, I’m hoping this migration West for the winter will be good for business.
We went to Sonny Bono’s old church this morning… St Theresa’s. I enjoyed the children’s choir, and I must say, they were very generous with the ashes. Some people walked out of there with 4″ crosses on their foreheads… not the usual smudge of ash I’m used to.
Our feast at the casino buffet this evening. It was delicious.
I wasn’t about to turn the RV into a Polish kitchen to carry on my family’s Fat Tuesday tradition of pączki and pierogi (those are Polish donuts and dumplings, for those who don’t know). Instead, Liam and I ate light all day and then headed to the buffet at the casino here in Palm Springs. Wowsers… they’ve got quite a spread.
I snapped the photo above just before I was “informed” that photos were not allowed in the casino. Consider this a renegade photo… I’m so reckless!
Hope all of you were gluttons today as well. Cheers! [read more…]
We were at the end of our hike this morning when we spotted a Japanese couple standing on the steep-sloped trail. They were holding hands and looking directly at the rocks.
I thought, “This is a bit weird.”
When we got closer, the man turned to us and said, “Rattlesnake.”
There, under a rock ledge only a few feet from our heads was a rattlesnake. He was not “rattling,” and he didn’t seem to care that he had an audience.
Production
After our hike, we went right into production… our first full day of work in eight weeks. We are waaaaay behind. That said, the warm weather makes working outside easy, and that means production is much more enjoyable.
Salmon with Dates and Basil
As a little treat, I tested out a new recipe this evening. I really don’t like fish, but I cooked some salmon and it turned out scrumptious. Here’s the recipe:
1 tbs melted butter
1 sliced date
8 leaves of fresh basil
2 salmon fillets
Salt and pepper
Place salmon in an ovenproof dish (I used a glass pie pan). Add freshly ground salt and pepper.
Mix butter, date and basil in a bowl. Spread mixture over the fillets.
Cook in the oven for 14 minutes (sorry, I used our convection oven and set it to “grill,” so I’m not sure what temperatures to use).
Then I served it with black beans with peas and hot pepper flakes and a side of avocado slices. Mmmmm.
Sure Palm Springs boasts all kinds of poolside resorts and celebrity connections, but I’ve been more impressed with the hiking trails…. well, the three we’ve explored so far.
Two of the hikes took us vertical on trails that zigzagged to the summit of the hills/mountains surrounding the Coachella Valley… from there we could take in views of Palm Springs, the valley and the snow capped mountains in the distance. The other dropped us into a palm-filled canyon. Gorgeous and a welcome change from the [read more…]
Mom was supposed to fly back to Milwaukee yesterday, but that whopper of a storm that everyone is talking about put her flight plans on hold… the airport in Milwaukee was shut down due to the weather. Instead, she’ll be heading home tomorrow.
The good news is that mom got to join us as we visited with our Yooper snowbird friends, Jimmy, Norma, Lynn and Jim. As luck would have it, we were invited to an old-fashioned jam session in the neighborhood. Great fun.
If you peek at the picture below, you might recognize the Lynn and Jimmy from their “other life” as Da Yoopers of “Second Week of Deer Camp” (and others) fame.
Lynn, mom, me and Jimmy... yes, my conversation did put Jimmy to sleep.
You're invited to tag along as we live, work and travel... all at the same time. You might call us digital nomads, location independent creative-types, vagabonds, gypsies... whatever you choose.
The truth is, we've adjusted our lives to make sure we're doing more of the things we love... traveling, roadtripping, RV-ing, writing, taking photos, blogging/vlogging, creating jewelry... and most importantly, meeting new people.
