Friday June 6, 2008
Approximately 8:30 P.M.
Approximately 8:30 P.M.
After the show on Friday, our friends Vintaj introduced us to the first Thai restaurant in Milwaukee, the King and I. We had been "stuck" on our section of town because of the rain, never considering to walk through the Convention skywalk to the Hyatt, to explore restaurants "on the other side". We arrived a little later than the others, but not intentionally, as the elevators at the Hilton was operating SLOWLY that evening. We walked quickly and after several blocks made it to the restaurant. Our mutual good friend, Marlene Blessing, editor of Beadwork Magazine, also was able to join the "family" for dinner. The entire Vintaj family was there and it was great to get to know all of them. It's become somewhat of a tradition that if we are both exhibiting at the same show together, we dine at least once together. The girls of Vintaj are just fabulous, innovative, family-oriented and have become great buddies. They launched a new Fall ad which featured my tourmaline Ginkgo leaves. I shall upload a photo later to share but just thumbed through ANY Fall bead magazine and you shall see the Ginkgos shine.
At the show on Friday, a male patron visited the Vintaj booth and was somewhat mesmerized by the Ginkgo necklace on display. The necklace was the EXACT one used in the showguide ad. The necklace fell to the floor as he reached to take a closer look. Perhaps he was wondering if the leaves were really glass. I get that reaction a lot. Well, the Ginkgos were still intact when the necklace fell, but the fellow somehow stepped on not just one leaf but both of the Ginkgos - resulting in a broken set of Ginkgos. Guess what? Tourmaline leaves are by far the most popular color in my leaf series. Jean from Vintaj ran over and I only had one strand left fortunately. So a newly fixed necklace was back out on display again. Whew! That was close. Thanks to Vintaj for using the Ginkgos in their latest ad campaign! Specialty Beads is also using the Haiku in their latest ad campaign. Thank you Jannell, again and again.
Back to dinner at the King and I. Perusing the menu, there were some very interesting menu items I have never seen in Los Angeles. We all shared some Thai beef jerky that was quite tasty if I say so myself. I went for my favorite dish, Beef Panang (coconut curry, ground peanuts and sweet curry paste). The flavors were very tasty but a tad sweeter than my preference. I enjoyed it with a bed of rice to soak up all the coconut/peanut creamy sauce. Nick ordered the Mango Curry with chicken. I have never seen mango with Thai food so that was an interesting combination of sweet and spicy. The meal was delicious but the company was even better.
I am usually VERY chatty but that day I was SO exhausted Friday night. The show was opened from 10-8p.m. and this girl was up at 5 a.m. to be prepped for the web interview. This was the longest show day I have ever experienced. I tried to be good company at dinner but was somewhat "out of it" by that hour. Do you blame me?
Exhausted,
Lisa
Lisa
