Arts in the Gardens-Sonneberg Gardens, Canandaigua NY

Well, kids, I knew we were in for a treat when the lovely registration crew handed me my packet as we rolled in.



I joked that it looked like Chelsea Clinton's wedding invitation. Neatly arranged inside were 2 ID badges on lanyards, a festive, hand-done sign for my booth, instructions tied at the top with ribbon. Hello.

The weather was glum but promising. We knew that the next day would be rain, so we cheerfully applauded the cloudiness as some sort of gift. We were permitted to pull right up to our spot (which had several generous feet of space between the other booths..thank you!) as long as we were parked by 9:30. Parking was reserved in a lot a short distance away with each space marked with a booth number. So far I was so content I didn't care if we sold anything!

The setting for this show is beautiful.



See that mansion on the hill? That's where they had the buffet I wrote about in my last post.

Between the artist tents and that mansion, there was a beer garden, wine tasting and 2 food areas. With tables. Under tents.

Who would not want to come to this thing?

So,anyway, sales were good. Buffet was good. Fellow artists were great. The weather forecast for day 2 was dire but I was content.

We had reservations at a funky little motel in town that had lots of good reviews on line.(of course, as someone pointed out later, how many were written by the owners?) The Miami Motel,a family operation, retro and colorful and under renovation. OK.

And ya know, it WAS cute



reminded me of the places we stayed a few years ago when we drove Rte 66.

The very nice proprietor said to pull around back and he'd meet us there with the key. Room 27.

That's when reality hit




But the proprietor looked proud as he inserted the key into the lock of room 27, and with good reason. The inside was charming. The 2 double beds were in separate rooms. The alcove held a microwave and fridge and sink. Bathe was off that. It was like a suite.







This was turning into a stellar weekend. And then the rain came. When the first light peeked through the curtains, I looked out and groaned. This was not going to be good, I thought. And it wasn't



I thought there wouldn't be any chance that it would clear up. Surprisingly, it did! But this is a show with a gate and hours and by the time the rain stopped and the skies brightened, it was past time when most people would decide to come out. So attendance was very small, which affected sales, of course.

It did give us time to catch up with friends. :)

At the end, they allowed us to pull onto the grounds again which may not have been real smart although it was appreciated. The ground was so wet and some folks just don't have mud driving skills.



It hurt to see the damage done. Not fair. They worked so hard for us.

So, anyway, we did take few moments as we left to admire the grounds




and we even fed the coy



Thanks, Sonnenberg. It was an honor to be part of your show. I think by next year, you'll probably have figured out how to control the weather. :)