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We're home
Jun. 8th, 2008 10:51 pmReally crappy weather for an outdoor show weekend.
Saturday, Pirate Fest shut down early because of weather. First they shut us down around 5:30 because PWPD was telling everyone that they were expecting 100MPH straight-line winds. Then, about 6p we went back outside because the front had gone through, and, while we were trying to decide whether to unseal tents, the faire organizers decided that since there was another front due in about half an hour, it wasn't worth opening up, then closing until the weather cleared, and then opening back up for whoever possibly might have stayed. So we closed up shop and headed back to Keith & Kendra's, where we got to hang out for a while for Keith's birthday party (instead of getting back around 11p because the faire was supposed to have gone until 10p).
Getting to K&K's, however, was a whole other story. We were on I43 when the second front hit. I could see where the road was, but traffic slowed down to about 40MPH. When we got to Capitol, it was closed at Port Washington Road because the underpass was flooded. We followed the rest of the traffic south on PW and then eventually east through the city until the leader of our group led us all into a dead end. Eventually, after carefully driving through a lot of flooded intersection, we made it to Humboldt, and then back to Capitol. Humboldt had a flooded stretch that was over the hubcaps, but we made it through, and then over the bridge to the higher side of the city, where there were fewer flooded spots.
Today it also rained a lot, but the faire stayed open the whole time. Not many people were out today, but things picked up around 3, but not to where we had hoped. All in all, we made expenses plus about what we would have made on a normal Farmer's Market, making it a fairly good show, with the weather that we had.
Driving home today we took Brown Deer to 45 to I94 in order to miss all the construction. We stopped at Target and bought a roll of duct tape and sealed the trailer up (after a weekend of rain, one of the roof panels had warped enough that the lid wouldn't seal). Heavy Dudy All-Weather Duct Tape (I don't recall what brand) works well. Nothing came loose during the trip back, even though there was enough rain to slow everyone down to 55MPH for most of the trip, with drops to about 30 in the worst spots. We still got some water in the cart, but not as much as we would have had without the tape. I've currently got a fan blowing into the cart to try and dry it out somewhat.
When we got home, there is a little water in the basement, so tomorrow I'll have to clear the driveway side downspout (I'm sure it's full of maple seeds). Eventually, I'll have to try and seal the crack under one of the windows, as that's the first place that leaks. I also now see that I need to knock out the patch from (I think) the original water line and reseal it, as it's also leaking a little. That part of the foundation is also covered by the driveway gutters, so clearing that side should fix both spots. Meanwhile, there's a fan and a dehumidifier working on the basement.
I'm also doing laundry. All the tablecloths are wet, so they and our garb are in the washer & dryer right now so that we don't have to worry about mildew or permanent stains.
Tomorrow we're planning on day tripping to Chippewa Falls to take the tables and other big display elements to the shop we're renting and to measure the place so that we can figure out what we want to do for displays. Then I'm going to spend the rest of the week making displays and getting stuff ready, as the faire opens Saturday for a five weekend run.
I also need plan to put new wheel bearings and bearing covers into the trailer because the current ones are two years old, the caps have been missing for a year, and I'm sure that all the water tonight isn't going to help. I'll for sure regrease them before the trailer goes on the road again, but if I can find the manual to order new parts from, I'd like to do some more extensive maintenance.
Saturday, Pirate Fest shut down early because of weather. First they shut us down around 5:30 because PWPD was telling everyone that they were expecting 100MPH straight-line winds. Then, about 6p we went back outside because the front had gone through, and, while we were trying to decide whether to unseal tents, the faire organizers decided that since there was another front due in about half an hour, it wasn't worth opening up, then closing until the weather cleared, and then opening back up for whoever possibly might have stayed. So we closed up shop and headed back to Keith & Kendra's, where we got to hang out for a while for Keith's birthday party (instead of getting back around 11p because the faire was supposed to have gone until 10p).
Getting to K&K's, however, was a whole other story. We were on I43 when the second front hit. I could see where the road was, but traffic slowed down to about 40MPH. When we got to Capitol, it was closed at Port Washington Road because the underpass was flooded. We followed the rest of the traffic south on PW and then eventually east through the city until the leader of our group led us all into a dead end. Eventually, after carefully driving through a lot of flooded intersection, we made it to Humboldt, and then back to Capitol. Humboldt had a flooded stretch that was over the hubcaps, but we made it through, and then over the bridge to the higher side of the city, where there were fewer flooded spots.
Today it also rained a lot, but the faire stayed open the whole time. Not many people were out today, but things picked up around 3, but not to where we had hoped. All in all, we made expenses plus about what we would have made on a normal Farmer's Market, making it a fairly good show, with the weather that we had.
Driving home today we took Brown Deer to 45 to I94 in order to miss all the construction. We stopped at Target and bought a roll of duct tape and sealed the trailer up (after a weekend of rain, one of the roof panels had warped enough that the lid wouldn't seal). Heavy Dudy All-Weather Duct Tape (I don't recall what brand) works well. Nothing came loose during the trip back, even though there was enough rain to slow everyone down to 55MPH for most of the trip, with drops to about 30 in the worst spots. We still got some water in the cart, but not as much as we would have had without the tape. I've currently got a fan blowing into the cart to try and dry it out somewhat.
When we got home, there is a little water in the basement, so tomorrow I'll have to clear the driveway side downspout (I'm sure it's full of maple seeds). Eventually, I'll have to try and seal the crack under one of the windows, as that's the first place that leaks. I also now see that I need to knock out the patch from (I think) the original water line and reseal it, as it's also leaking a little. That part of the foundation is also covered by the driveway gutters, so clearing that side should fix both spots. Meanwhile, there's a fan and a dehumidifier working on the basement.
I'm also doing laundry. All the tablecloths are wet, so they and our garb are in the washer & dryer right now so that we don't have to worry about mildew or permanent stains.
Tomorrow we're planning on day tripping to Chippewa Falls to take the tables and other big display elements to the shop we're renting and to measure the place so that we can figure out what we want to do for displays. Then I'm going to spend the rest of the week making displays and getting stuff ready, as the faire opens Saturday for a five weekend run.
I also need plan to put new wheel bearings and bearing covers into the trailer because the current ones are two years old, the caps have been missing for a year, and I'm sure that all the water tonight isn't going to help. I'll for sure regrease them before the trailer goes on the road again, but if I can find the manual to order new parts from, I'd like to do some more extensive maintenance.
