VERY strange week!
I don't know how to make this short, so try to bear with me..

I posted a group of pictures a few weeks ago, that I'd sent to a client that was
interested in some ironwood pieces...

SHE emailed back that they were interested in a few and would be visiting here
(Mexico) in a few weeks..

I was supposed to bring my higher-end pieces to a local gallery this weekend for
the big tourist rush, but was waiting until they got here, as I'd rather give my
clients/collectors the 20% that the gallery charges, so I told the gallery I'd
bring the stuff in on Friday..

HE calls the day before they get here (Wednesday) and says that his wife's
birthday is coming up and if I have any ironwood pieces that I've done since the
pictures were taken, please hide them from HER when they're here...
Pretty simple, so far.. then it got sort of crazy..

I've got 2 hidden and she's in love with 3 or 4 of the one's on the shelf..
REALLY like's a tall vase but doesn't want to spend $275 this trip, and can't
make up her mind between a bowl for $175 or 2 smaller pieces that total about
$150..
All this time, HE is quietly observing..

She decides on the 2 smaller pieces, after spending about an hour fondling
anything I had in ironwood.. He whips out his wallet, buys them for her, and
sends her out to the car to get something, so we're alone..

He looks at the "hidden" pieces and likes a small bowl but doesn't think it's
enough for her present, and decides to also get her the one for $175 that SHE
likes.. Asks me to hold those 2 for him until he can arrange things without her
knowing..

Very cool so far, right? I'm thinking that I'll have less to display at the
gallery, but I've got 4 sales and the clients are happy...

Then, SHE calls about 15 minutes after they left and says the HE really likes
the $175 one, and wants me to hold it until she can buy it for HIS birthday..
I'm sort of stuck, because I can't tell her that I sold it to HIM, and she knows
that no other clients have been there since she left, so I can't tell her that
someone else bought it.. Oh, ****..

After a few discussions with my wife, we figure that the only thing we can do is
tell HIM... But if we do, it spoils HER surprise..
Fortunately, he has a great sense of humor, and thinks this is all funny as
hell..

Then, he comes up and buys the other piece that he'd reserved, for $90, AND the
$275 vase that she liked, both for HER birthday...

I ended up telling the gallery that I had to pass on the Memorial day display
because most of the pieces that were going to be displayed were sold, so I have
a free weekend AND a bunch of sales.. Much more than I could possibly expect
from the gallery display..

If I wasn't in the middle of all this, I wouldn't of believed it... Sometimes
life just works out, ya know?




mac

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