I’m chaperoning a trip to Washington, D.C. for my school’s ninth and tenth graders, and we’ve been going nonstop since about 5 AM on Wednesday, 29 March 2023.  Indeed, I’m writing this blog post on the bus to our nation’s capital.  The bus is equipped with WiFi, which is one of the more decadent instances of modern travel amenities I’ve enjoyed.

After the madness (and awesomeness) of my school’s annual Spring Concert (more on that tomorrow), it’s good to hit the road for a few days.  I was not looking forward to slogging through the rest of the week after the high of the concert.  That’s not to mention the burn of it:  according to my fitness app, I burned over 1900 calories and walked a little over seven miles throughout the course of the day.

There’s been a great deal of walking on this trip, so the burn keeps going.  I haven’t been able to get in my morning run, but the perambulation to historic sites has made up the difference in terms of caloric burn.

I’ll have more details soon.  The other big event is the Lamar Egg Scramble, which kicks off this afternoon, the bulk of which is tomorrow.  I have some big (for me) news in regards to the ol’ Scramble.

For the first time ever, I’ll be setting up as a vendor to sell some of my odd paintings.  I figure this local festival is the best opportunity to test my work in an open market setting, and to see if there is any interest in them.

The costs are fairly minimal, too.  Typically, a 10’x10′ vendor space is just $100.  I was able to work out a deal with the Egg Scramble Committee, though:  in exchange for providing live music for the Taste of Lamar last Saturday, the Committee gave me a free vendor spot on top of the guarantee.  Not bad!

The South Caroline Department of Revenue contacted me Tuesday to get the ball rolling on my retail license.  Since I’m selling as an arts and crafts dealer who only sells at festivals (I don’t have a permanent gallery or the like), the license was only $20.

I was able to borrow a 10’x10′ pop-up canopy tent, and my neighbor Bernard Fife is lending me some weights to keep it in place in case of high winds.  I also have a foldout table, which I will clean well and cover with a table cloth.

So, all in all, for only $20 and a couple of hours of crooning, I’m all set!  I ordered more 5″x7″ canvasses, which was maybe another $30.  I have all the paints and brushes already, and while some of my older paints have dried out, most of them are still working quite well.  My painting style is such that I blend colors frequently, and don’t mind some rougher patches of built-up paint.

I’m sure there is something I’m forgetting—a nice chair, perhaps, and a cooler full of water and snacks—but I figure that if I get too hot or hungry, I can just close up shop.  My goal, however, is to be out there from 8 AM until whenever my buddy John and I have to play music.

Readers here will be among the first to know how it goes:  commercial victory, or abject failure.