2020 SouthWesterly x 2

Our 2020 Expeditionary tour into the wilds of the South West has come to a turning point. The Denver Indian Market was a success and the annual art fest in Tubac, Arizona was epic, both in the festival and the friendships built over the years.
Tonight we pack up our tent and caravan like gypsies on the road in Wickenburg, AZ.

We are as weary as can be, but amazed at the people that patronize us. Their enthusiasm adds fuel to our roadshow.
Tomorrow we get up at the break of dawn and hope to reach Albuquerque, New Mexico. There we will winterize the StarShip for a journey northward to the Rocky Mountain Gift Show in Denver, Colorado.
We sometimes regret that we get caught up in the logistics of our travel.

If we sell a buffalo billfold it represents half a tank of diesel fuel for our Sprinter Van and it gets us one hundred and seventy miles down the road to the next festival.  It may sound crass when it is put in those terms?
To us it represents your appreciation and trust in us and our products. It allows us to be trusting of the public and their willingness to buy our products.  The other half of that profit is given to another “art/artisan festival promoter and it is spent as a jury fee in hopes of being accepted into the on going art fairs that we attend.  We have long ago over come the fear of rejection.  We apply to many festivals and this is what charts our course.

It is a validation of sorts. Each year we extend our travels in hopes of gaining new customers and encountering past customers that purchase more of our products for their friends.
We become their “signature” gift giving present. It is the highest compliment we can receive and we are humbled by this show of faith.

We have struggled with the mechanics of RV’s, the dizzying alarm of a failing battery, the rapid heart beats, weather reports in the high mountains, the hope of reaching the next gas station before we reach empty.

We encounter people that are strong willed, headstrong, opinionated, and worrisome and we encounter people caring, sharing, and fully empathetic to this life on the road.

Tonight we said goodbye to our artist and craftsman friends, we follow each other all over the nation and we don’t always know when we will meet again.

It is our confidence in the goodness of humanity that keeps us optimistic while on the road.

Bad things occasionally happen but most often good things occur.

We engage new found friends to rise with us to better our shared experiences.

Keep this in your heart as we all travel down a winding road.

Latcho Drom (Rom Gypsy) Safe Journey

Billandlauri
Buffalo Billfold Company RoadNotes 2020 Feb.

P.S. we are out on the trail nearly twice as long as usual so this journey will continue, stay tuned.   We beam good thoughts and wishes to our dedicated help back home that keeps this expedition road worthy.