Janet fisher

Fog and a little smoke from nearby fires cleared early on Saturday morning, the first day of the two-day annual Fort Umpqua Days event in Elkton, Oregon. Lovely weather. Sunny. Soft fluffy clouds. Gentle breezes. And the people came out. My, they did come out! I kept busy up in the vendor area on the hill above the reconstructed fort. So busy I didn’t even get down to the fort itself on the flat below.

In midafternoon I checked my phone for the air quality report, as I’d been doing daily since fires started in the area after a lightning storm several nights before. My phone indicated something to the effect that rain would start in thirty minutes or so. I stared at my phone, glanced up at the blue sky with the white, fluffy clouds.

“That’s ridiculous! It’s a perfect day.”

About twenty minutes or so later a cloud shadowed the ground. Lots of clouds. Gray ones. Enough to cover the sun.

I’m in my booth, with a canopy overhead, but I’m selling books. Rain and books don’t go together. And I had pictures, photographs, on display. Winds picked up. No overhead canopy would protect from blowing raindrops. My son-in-law checked his phone. It’s not just warning about rain. It’s warning about lightning.

All right. That convinced me.

The sprinkles came. About 3 o’clock we started packing up.

That said, even with a short day (vendors usually close at 4), it was an enjoyable time. So many people. So many stories shared. And a little weather excitement to boot. Didn’t see lightning but heard thunder by the time I got home.

Sunday remained clear all day, but quieter–well, except for those booms down at the fort. All in all, a delightful weekend.