Vintage photos

 I am working in Texas this week and am loving all of the Texas culture surrounding me at every turn.

The hotel lobby has a lot of interesting decor, including this impressive collection of vintage western photography.  The photos are all framed in black or brown wood frames of about the same width.  The frames line the top of a book shelf that runs along two walls.  I love each of the photos - pictures of what seem to be working ranches, all in black and white.

I love the subject matter and the visual impact of the collection together.  Really simple and lovely.

The luckiest man in the world

Tonight I have the chance to work a booth at the State Fair for work.  My husband, a co-worker and I passed out tons and tons of free items and visited with people all evening.

The state fair brings out an interesting mix of people.  Out of all of the events I work and all of my travels, the state fair is far and away the venue with the best people watching.  Simply put, people from all walks of life, political views, socio-economic status, and higher education allegiance converge in the same place - a land where deep fried food and who has the best giveaways are common topics of conversation.

Beyond the people watching, I also enjoy reconnecting with old friends and connecting with new people.  Tonight, I visited with a real character and he had a message for me.

He shook my had and introduced himself as "the luckiest man in the world."  I was a little taken back when he continued.  He said, "I am sharing my luck with you by shaking your hand.  You are lucky; you just have to keep your eyes open."  He went on to tell me specific examples of how he was lucky.  He fell down earlier in the week (even showed me his scrapes and bruises) and told me he was lucky because he didn't break his arm.  He told me he was lucky because he just got a verbal warning for driving 78 mph in a 55 mph zone.  He went on to tell me that he was lucky because of his grandchildren.

Friends, his message was just what I needed to hear at time when professionally, all is well, but personally, I am feeling really unlucky.  The universe sent me the right message at the right time when I needed it the most.  I am filled with gratitude to have met "the luckiest man in the world" and for him to remind me of my/share with me some LUCK.

P.S. Aside from the people watching, I also really like the bierocks served in the Pride of Kansas building.  Their apple dumplings are delicious, too.  We didn't try any deep fried anything.

Keeping it real

 You know those moments when you are equal parts amazed and horrified.  We (or at least I) had one of those moments a couple of weeks ago.

We cleaned out the garage.

I am not talking about a quick pick up and sweep the floor.

I am talking about a take-EVERYTHING-out and sort-through-EVERYTHING. We, as amazing as it sounds, fit everything back into the garage, only in a more organized and logical fashion.

Things I learned:

1.  We have a lot of stuff.
2.  We have a diverse collection of stuff.
3.  We have enough projects to last us two lifetimes.
4.  My husband tends to work quickly and not put things away.  I tend to hound him about putting away the things he's not using.  My logic is about saving time (and my sanity) by not asking for and looking for the hammer or tape measure or a screwdriver every five minutes.  But, to each his own.
5.  We have a lot of cool stuff.  I mean it.  We have some great things in line for some upcoming sales.  My husband has a really good eye and a creative mind, so the next couple of shows should be a ton of fun.

If you ever think that we have got it all together, just remember this picture.