CALM, Santa Barbara

I did the CALM show in Santa Barbara this week. A three day affair, it ended yesterday. It started out rather grimly and I woke up the first night in a sky is falling panic attack, much like I did earlier this year in New Mexico.

Shouldn't be a neurotic mess this close to 60. But then again, I really got it pretty good. Forty people dead so far in the fires up north, many thousands of dwellings destroyed, I'd say I'm doing okay.

Thankfully I cobbled together a half way respectable show in the end, well that may be a misstatement, I made expenses and a little bit more, dumped some ballast and kept the cash flow moving. That will do sometimes.

Santa Barbara, the city most sane people would want to live if they had the money, breathtakingly beautiful.

Unfortunately the collector population is aging and many uncharacteristically failed up to show for this one. I sold cheaper things this time, glad I brought them.

Had a rather powerful experience at the show that I will share with you. A very thin older woman came into my booth wearing a cap. I noticed that she had a hospital band on her wrist and asked her what was going on?

She confided that she had cancer. A rare cancer that I happened to also have had at one time, cancer of the ureter. Unfortunately hers was too far gone, she had finished chemo, it would no longer help, in fact nothing would.

Her step son, who had his own malady, was down from Wyoming, along with her husband, to fulfill one of her last wishes, to see the lovely things at the antique show, the paintings and objects which would serve to brighten her day. Pulled her out of hospice to look at paintings. She and I shared an intense hug.

Having fought back twice from cancer myself, I feel like I have a special bond with those fellow souls fighting the good fight. Cancer or no cancer, we all know that life is a terminal proposition and extinguished in the blink of an eye. We must strive to live lives worth living, to the best of our ability. I felt honored to meet this woman during her final release and departure.

I have been playing the game pretty fast and loose, spending too much time traveling and taking pictures and not enough time on the business and inventory and so I am very grateful to at least put a little distance between my neck and disaster.

Try my luck in Palm Springs next.

I took a nice walk around the lovely courthouse yesterday morning, had a pleasant dinner with Breitweiser Saturday and horsed around a bit with Bill and Cam. Will keep on keeping on, that is, as long as I can do the requisite shuffle.