“People are the same, wherever you go,” I’ve always heard. So I guess it should have been no surprise to have had essentially the same experience in three different cities, over the course of several years. But I was still surprised when it happened.

My wife and I have been fortunate to have both had the opportunity to attend a number of conferences across the country, sent by our employers. It has given us the opportunity to see many parts of this country that we would otherwise have only been able to read about – which is not at all the same.

The way it worked was this: Whenever one of us had a company-paid conference in a distant city, if the other of us had the funds to pay our own way, and the ability to take the time off to go, we tried to do so, knowing that it would afford us an opportunity we would never have otherwise. It didn’t cost our companies a dime, but it offered us an enriching experience we would never have been able to afford otherwise.

Many cities, many experiences! And we have been very grateful for both.

I will never forget one common experience, from three different cities, across several years. It may have been endemic to the trade, but I was still surprised.

My wife and I both had conferences scheduled in the uniquely American city of New Orleans, two years running, before hurricane Katrina. More on that later. The first time we went there, while I was in classes, she got to explore the city. The next year, while she was in classes, I got to do the exploring.

I had “studied up” on New Orleans before we went there the first time, so I had a bit of an idea of what to expect. Royal Street was universally recommended over Bourbon Street, for art galleries over bars. I heeded that advice.

And will never forget walking into one such upscale gallery, looking around, and finding a painting I really liked, hanging on the wall. When I looked closer to inspect the price tag, I was shocked to see that it was something like $15,000! I was obviously not used to that price level, but was still entranced by the painting itself. A sales associate quietly came up behind me, and said he thought I really liked that painting. I said, I did. He said, we would be happy to wrap it up for you! I told him, I was just in town for a conference, and was mostly just looking. He then got a real big smile, and said, “We can save you the 7% sales tax, by shipping it directly to your home!”

Now, 7% (or whatever it was) on a $15,000 painting was no small change. But it was still no help to me.

I told him that was a bit out of my price range, he responded, “We would be happy to work out a payment plan with you!” I thought to myself, maybe $50 a month — over 20 years? Which I knew would not work. I just smiled and said, “We have been collecting for many years. At this point, we would have to take something down to put up something new.”

At that point, he gracefully conceded. I did go to their website, when I got home, and enjoyed looking at many other items in their collection.

The next time it happened, I was in Chicago, August of 2005, the week hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. The conference was at the Marriott Hotel on Michigan Avenue; I had been there before, and knew of a wonderful Italian restaurant a block or two east of there, on a back street. So, at one point I set off to find it.

On the way I came across an art gallery that looked interesting, and went inside to see what they had. I again found a painting I really liked; I think this one was “only” $12,000! A bit better price, but still entirely out of the realm of possibility.

A very dapper gentleman came over and we had the same conversation I’d had in New Orleans, a couple of years earlier. I guess these guys took classes somewhere in how to get the customer to sign up!

The third time was in Charleston, SC, a couple of years later. My wife had a two-day conference there at the Francis Marion Hotel on King Street. I went walking south, one afternoon, after a delightful lunch at a seafood restaurant, and came across an antique store, south of Broad Street. I went in to see what they had.

It was mostly furniture and paintings. One of them was huge, maybe 10’ x 12’. It showed the artist in the bottom right, painting the bucolic river scene in front of him, a “painting within a painting.” I had heard of those, but had never seen one in person before.

I did not hear the older gentleman come up behind me until he spoke. “That’s really nice,” he offered. “Indeed it is,” I agreed. “You can have it for only $55,000,” he said, hopefully, “and we can ship it to you.” I told him that was a little out of my price range, whereupon he offered, “But that includes the frame!” (Which was a marvelous old carved walnut.)

When I still demurred, he took me to the adjacent room, and showed me a different painting that was slightly smaller – maybe 6’ x 8’ – and said, “This one is only $35,000, frame included!”

I shook my head, regretfully. I told him my house was not big enough to put either one of them on the wall. He laughed, and said maybe it was time to buy a bigger house.

I don’t know why these fellows thought I could afford anything like any of these, but I did enjoy looking.

Rafe and his wife live with seven cats in eastern Liberty County, two miles north of Midway.