Jewel, our 1969 Chevy van,  told us her name the very first day. She doesn’t want anything to do with the Scooby Doo metaphor, even though the Mystery Machine was based on the 1969 van body. She’s emerald green except for her side doors. Jewel’s a good girl, but a little hard to start. At 42, though, being a little cranky is an entitlement for any female. She has a straight 6 engine and a 2-speed power-glide transmission, making her worth three times what we paid for her even if she breaks down. We like the fact that we can work on the engine and battery from inside, meaning she’s an all-weather girl. No mud, rain or snow can stop us.

We ran down here to Georgia intending to go to Smiley’s flea market in Macon, but decided to check out JJ’s near Athens instead. We sold pretty steady all day Saturday, with lots of knife makers and would-be shade tree blacksmiths interested in our steel. Sold a minor amount of jewelry as well. Sunday was pretty slow, so all we made was our table fee back.

We camped in the van each night, at the Walmart on SR 78. We slept pretty sound because we were beat from selling on our feet all day. Got about half the steel and a fourth of the knives sold, and a lady bought a pair of my Mardi Gras earrings. I’m fond of that design and she had the right personality to wear them.

Athens has a pretty good bus system, so we hopped one into town and I’m writing from the original Jittery Joe’s across from the transit center at 780 East Broad St. Good coffee shop rock playing, and the owner repairs and resells old bicycles. The building is an old barn, looks a little like a tobacco shed from the outside. Inside, the rafters are strung with Christmas lights and there are some old farmhouse tables, rustic benches and a grouping of Adirondack-type chairs. It’s a very relaxing atmosphere.