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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
PHOTO PROMPT © Na’ama Yehuda
Frog delightfully rendered by Keith Hillman
Genre: Hysterical Friction
Word Count: 100
CRY OR LAUGH?
Despite prognosticators’ predictions for probable precipitation, we preferred not to pass up a potentially profitable fair.
Although overcast, no rain befell us Saturday morning. Excited energy prevailed over the park full of local artists whose crafts ranged from jewelry and ceramics to paintings and photography.
Patrons crowded my tent.
“Beautiful work.
“Magnificent watercolor technique.”
Sprinkles gave way to downpour. The crowds dispersed.
We did our best to shield my vulnerable artwork.
Sales from a few bedraggled diehards kept the day from being a total bust.
I shrugged and grinned at my damp-around-the-edges husband. “Not exactly our finest hour, is it?”
***
The rain was quite heavy at times. The tent next to ours collapsed on the artists and their ceramics. The park was a virtual swamp. Although some came back for day 2 on Sunday, many of us did not. Below are a few pictures of the ill-fated event.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
What a nightmare. It always seems to rain at the most inappropriate times. At least your tent took the beating and your spirit remained intact 😀. The suffering creatives go through…
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Dear Tanille,
True story. I live to paint another day. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rain ruins rustic rendez-vous.
Persistent precipitation perhaps unpopular?
One glimmer of sunshine, m’lady.
At least you got a story out of it!
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Dear C.E.
Always look on the bright side of life. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’m really impressed by your promotion tent
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Dear Neil,
That’s something. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rain is quite merciless and unforgiving, though at least it can inspire major alliteration.
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I love alliteration, Larry. Quite a lark. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Assonance is good too
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It is truly difficult for vendors when the weather does not co-operate.
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So true, Colline. In June we had a bad show because of rain in the morning, extreme heat later coupled with wind. It’s always the chance we take.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The pretty purple tent is perfect for a “p” alliteration. And I guess you found a new meaning for the words “water color”… A taste of real life for an artist/author at the local fair.
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Dear Trent,
Once I noticed all the p’s I ran with it. 😉 Why not, it’s meant to be humorous after a fashion. Very good “water color.” This summer we’ve endured rain and wind. Fortunately no fire. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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After I posted the comment I realized that I said “purple tent” and not “purple pavilion”. I guess I should have known you had a purple pavilion for these types of events 😉
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Actually my husband was the one who found the purple pavilion in the beginning. It does stand out among the rest at a fair. 😀
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I’m sure it does stand out: all of the others in your photos are a boring white.
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A great little memoir with pictures to accompany it, Rochelle. At least the booths had roofs for some protection. Well done. 🙂 — Shalom, Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
I didn’t mention that our roof had a few leaks. Jan took it back and exchanged it yesterday, since it was brand new. Still it did offer more protection than some. However there was wind with the rain that blew it in. For the most part, we were left unscathed. It’s the chance you take at these things. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle. That’s an unfortunate combination of mishaps but it was good your things didn’t get soaked. I don’t blame your husband for taking back that defective tent. —- Suzanne
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“Lovely watercolors. I especially admire the wash technique.”
The only problem is that it’s acrylic!
Great story. The lawns of rained-out art fairs tend to take on a trenchlike appearance reminiscent of WWI battlefields, too.
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Dear Josh,
LOL…nah, they really are watercolor. I’m not particularly fond of acrylic. No fiction to this story. Glad you enjoyed it. You got that right about the trenches. It was an absolute mess! Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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It certainly was an experience. I watched a few tents blow over, roofs collapsed, muddy trenches and lots of despair in some artists faces. Although we had a couple minor problems with our tent, we were reasonably well prepared for the bad weather. Another bragging right, and bragging write I guess. Although, it would be nice to have less of these memories. Lol.
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Dear Jan,
Bragging right and bragging write. Perfect! At least I got a story out of it and a few good pictures thanks to my damp-around-the-edges photographer. 😉 Do you realize I made more money from the OWL winnings than UNPlaza sales? Sheesh.
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Good on you for sticking out the day! And not getting squished by your tent 🙂
A shame “fair” isn’t spelt with a “p”!
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Dear Ali,
A little alliteration is fun…wouldn’t want to go overboard, would we? We kept thinking the rain would let up. It did every hour or so and then WOOSH. Still, I met some interesting people, sold a few note cards and a print so it wasn’t all for naught. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Sounds like the Farmer’s Market for me… been weathered out either by triple digit heat or storms. Finally gave up. Two months, and I only made $18… wasn’t worth the gasoline to get there, hubby said. Sigh… Nice to know, in a really bad way, that I’m not the only one. Hopefully, next fair will be better for you. Next year, I’m going to try to set up at the art fair near the river… my luck, we’ll be flooded out. LOL!
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Dear Bear,
It is the chance a vendor takes. You can’t control the weather. We did the same fair last year and the weather was perfect. This hasn’t been a good year for us weatherwise. I spent the time at one fair in June chasing my prints across the pavement as they blew in the wind. So we’ve experienced both sides of it…wonderful to no sales. This was a day to remember. Thank you for your understanding comment. ❤
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yes, it is chancy. Learned alot at Farm Market, and next year I’ll be stepping up to a “real” art fair with that knowledge. 🙂
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Ah, a true story! Fun read, Rochelle.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Dear Susan,
A true and all too recent story. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Oh bummeroo!! Well, you tried! And … you had a purple tent, so that alone would’a brought me over! It being one of my favoriteste colors, of course! 🙂 I hope the artwork survived!
XOXO
And — thanks for using my photo! 🙂
Check out the story behind the photo … 😉
https://naamayehuda.com/2019/09/25/hold-my-spot/
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Na’ama Y’karah,
At any rate, I got a story out of the deal. 😉 Fortunately, damages were minimal. 😉
Thank you for the use of your photo. I got two stories out of it for the price of one. https://rochellewisoff.com/2019/09/25/today-i-am-a-man/
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I checked out both your stories! 🙂 Yay for the double feature!
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Best laid plans… Your stall looks good though, better weather next time! 🙂
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Dear Iain,
As much as we’d like to we just can’t control the weather. Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Come rain or shine, you will manage to maintain your shining self. And as a bonus, in this instance, wrenching a fantabulous story out of the pain.
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Dear Neel,
What perfectly lovely things to say. 😀 Thank you so much.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’d rather laugh. And I love all the alliteration.
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Dear Linda,
Laughter is the best natural antidepressant around. 😀 After a while one had to see the absurdity. Thank you.
Shalom from your friendly Friday Fictioneers facilitator.
Rochelle
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Friendly fun for Fictioneers 🙂
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🤣😂☔️😁
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At least you are almost smiling!
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Dear Keith,
There was no sense in getting upset. Not like we can control the weather. One might as well see the humor in it. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’ve been in your shoes many times Rochelle, it can be exasperating. I was just speaking with a young woman here at work planning an outdoor wedding for October 26th. I was telling her about our 4-kid joint graduation party four years ago where almost 5 inches of rain threatened to wash out the festivities.
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Thank you for your understanding comment, Joe. We can’t control the weather, can we? There’s an old expression, “Man plans. God laughs.” 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Well if that’s true then he must have been busting his side’s the day that we tried to have that party cuz it sure did rain.
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I’ve been in similar situations. My friend is a painter who has participated in a few craft fairs. I’ve helped with lifting and setting up. She’s never encountered rain but the wind has often been an issue to the point where canopies have been blown down. I hope none of your vulnerable artwork was damaged.
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Dear Nobbin,
We’ve also encountered wind. My artwork was pretty much unscathed with the exception of a print or two which are easy to replace. Thank you for your encouraging words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A passionate penmanship despite the pouring precipitation.
Perfectly done
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Dear Björn,
Proud of my portion of penned precipitation. 😉 Thank you:D
Shalom from your friendly Friday Fictioneers facilitator,
Rochelle
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Sorry you were rained out, Rochelle.
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Dear Lisa,
They say that into every life a little rain must fall. This was more like a deluge. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You are welcome, Rochelle.
Shalom,
Lisa
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Dear Rochelle,
When life hands you rain…alliterate! And turn it into a fun story to read.
And congrats on your winnings!
And for your tent holding up – I feel really bad for your neighbours…
Shalom and lotsa love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
I felt really bad for our neighbours, too. First show and this happens. And if we can’t make lemonade out of lemon-flavored rain, what good are we as writers? Right? Of course right. 😉 Thanks for comments and congrats. 😀
Shalom and lotsa hugs,
Rochelle
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Yes ma’am!!
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Ouch! The rain seems to have made many artists’ profits go down the drain.
PS: Was it intentional that there were a number of words that start with ‘p’ in the first paragraph?
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Dear Bernadette,
The proliferation of ‘p’s is deliberate. A poetic tool known as alliteration. It seemed to add humor to the piece. 😉 I’ve heard since Saturday from the fair sponsors that sales were down considerably from last year. Ouch is right. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Should have made advanced preparation to protect your work from sun and rain. At least some of them were sold.
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Dear Abhijit,
Actually, we were prepared (as one can be at an outdoor fair) fore the rain. Although the tent leaked and was promptly returned in a couple of days, nothing of any significance was destroyed. And some sales are better than no sales. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love the purple tent! Very Rochelle 🙂 And I liked that your husband was with you too. It’s like the heavens schedule rainfall according to our outdoor events calendar.
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Dear Fatima,
My husband is actually the one who decided I needed a purple tent. 😉 As for the rain…we have no control over the weather. Of course we’ve had some beautiful weather since the weekend. Sigh. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rain stopped play! Never mind – it happens in England too.
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Dear Liz,
Isn’t England known for rain and fog? Rain would’ve been welcome had it not chosen that weekend. But what can you do? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Setting up at a fair always seems like a good idea… until you have to do it. Hope you didn’t get too wet.
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Dear Jo,
Set up and tear down are a lot of work. We managed to stay reasonably dry, but the rain did put a literal damper on things. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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love the alliteration at the beginning, sounds like a bit of a wash out.
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Dear Shrawley,
When I saw my growing proliferation of p’s I decided to run with it. 😉 For the most part it was a washout but there were still some interesting moments. Some we’ll remember forever. Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Well, here’s why you inspire me, Rochelle! You could moan over the rainy day. Instead, you chose to make a story out of it. That is what makes you stand out from the rest of us. I do think the watercolours were lovely! Hope it didn’t dampen your spirits for too long, though. There’s always a next time, you know. 🙂
Thank you very much for hosting #FF every week.
Best wishes,
Esha
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Dear Esha,
Such a lovely and affirming comment. There’s humor and a good story in everything if we take the lime to find it. 😉 As it was the weekend was brightened by the fact that I won awards in six different categories in a writing contest. Yes, there will be other times. Thank you so much. You’re one of the reasons I continue hosting FF.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ah, sales hard won. Rain can put a dampener on a good day.
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Dear Laurie,
A damper indeed. The whole park became Swamp Mushy Muddy. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Good luck on your fair. It is always the same after lots of preparation and prayers for good weather, it pours.
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Dear James,
It was disheartening but there’s not much you can do about the weather. “Man plans. God laughs.” 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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count your blessings. it caould have been worse. 🙂
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Dear Plaridel,
Of course it could’ve been worse. Always look on the bright side. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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https://joem18b.wordpress.com/2019/09/27/bootstraps/
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I’m just enamoured by your pretty purple, Rochelle.
Come rain, hail on shine, it’s the blessings that count.
You are on a roll this week. Two stories! Woah!
Have a wondrous weekend!
Love and sunshine. 🙂 (swishing the rains away)
Natasha
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Dear Natasha,
Purple has been my favorite color since my dad painted my bedroom a lovely shade of lavender when I was only 7 years old. A few years back at a writers conference there was a bloggers workshop where the speaker spoke about branding and coming up with a title that people would remember. That was the moment “Addicted to Purple” was born. Ever since then it’s been purple all the way. Great attention getter and conversation starter. 😉
Story two is actually based on a true story one of my patrons told me about at the fair.
Despite the rain, it was a good experience. Thank you for your lovely comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you for sharing your heart-warming Purple back story, dear Rochelle. Made me smile cheek to cheek. 😃
Hugs
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Ouch! Hope all your artwork survived.
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Yes, Ouch! Fortunately the artwork is unscathed. Thank you, Shelley.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Aelfine Twiggy W(T)F,
Where was Gene Kelly when all this was going on? Why didn’t you break into a dance and celebrate the rain? Ask yourself, “What would Shelley Kohlen do?
By using rainwater, you could sell your originals as “organic.” Sounds like a great opportunity to me. Tell Jan I missed him at OWL and hope he can be there in April.
Wet wishes,
Dis-Jointed Crabby Appleton
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Dear Dis-Jointed Crabby Appleton,
Hey, now there’s something I didn’t think about. Next rainfall, I’ll be sure to start a collection barrel. Organic watercolors. Catchy.
I have to wonder if you even missed me at OWL. As far as I know we’ll be there in April. After all, I’m the art contest coordinator. My question is, who will enter the art part of it?
A soggy shalom,
Aelfine Twiggy W(T)F
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Well, I could enter a decoupage of Do-Not-Remove tags, but I’m afraid it would get stolen before the judges had a chance to award me 1st place.
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Selling your art and doing it together…pretty fine, if you ask me, no matter the weather.
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Dear Dawn,
It can be. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Cute outfit too Rochelle! I always enjoy your stories – they give me a glimpse into the world of the evil Nazis. What a horrid time in history! I’m so very sorry for all you have been through. It was pure evil!
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