Tents and Wind

Saturday was a beautiful day in Kent, Ohio,.  The festival was well attended, and we had a lot of fun.  But we also discovered a new aerobic exercise – tent wrangling.  All of the tents were dancing in the high winds, with some lost forever as they toppled end over end like giant tumble weeds.  Ours just listed, like an injured bird.  The repairs made to the trusses that had been broken when we lent the tent out were stressed to the max in the force of the high winds, and one by one they snapped.  Duct tape to the rescue… the structure was stabilized and we weighted each pole with 100 lbs per post.  That should have done it, but because the structure was compromised any further pressure from the wind made the tent dance more and more.  At one point Steve and I were holding onto the leading corners , resting my full body wait in opposition to the force on the tent, we were stable.  But in the end the force of the wind, and a rain storm finally compromised the tent sufficiently that it is probably not usable again.  That leaves us in a big quandry… our next show is in 2 weeks, and we will need to find another tent for it. 

So this is where the self talk begins – self, chin up, it was a good show, and we were received well in Kent.  We did not loose our products in the high winds.  So self, lets look at this as an opportunity to get creative.  Yes, creativity can be very good.  The opporunity to search out alternatives is now upon us. 

Got to love this art business… one day it is amazing, the next it is a challenge.  We will make it. We are determined to move forward, always forward, and not allow these sudden and unexpected problems to be that.  Theyare only opportunities for growing, and finding new solutions.