"The afterthought is good, but forethought is better." Norwegian proverb

A good friend told me about a pseudo antiques roadshow to be held in her town in a nearby assisted living residence, according to an advertisement she came across in a local store. The flier stipulated bringing no more than two items per person and the antique appraiser would give the estimated value of your treasures. Willing to try anything at this point, I arose early on Saturday morning ready to make the 45-minute trek.

I had my Hubert packed up and ready to roll and as I ran out the door I grabbed an old cast iron bank off the bookshelf as an afterthought for my second item. It was a beautiful day and after meeting up with my friends we rushed over to the residence. We were anxious to beat out the throngs of collectors and be among among the first in line when they opened the door hoping to meet the appraisers while they were still in fresh form and not beaten down by the hordes of money-hungry treasure seekers. Not that we had anything to worry about - we were the only ones to show up for the event.

I waited patiently as my two friends had their JFK inauguration program and tickets, their Charles Lindbergh commemorative plate complete with vintage chip, and their signed children's book illustration, authenticated and appraised. I pulled out my Hubert etchings (yes, I cheated and brought more than one) and cast iron pilot's head bank for examination. Everything was appraised at the $50 mark except for my bank which surprisingly was valued at approximately $150. Ironically, my afterthought took the prize for the item of greatest value. Not a windfall but certainly a bonus for an afterthought. I came anticipating a Hubert revelation but as the saying goes, you can plan a pretty picnic but you can't predict the weather.

When it was my turn to take the floor I proceeded to give a detailed history of my Hubert search as I handed over my Chasing Hubert business card and proudly displayed my etchings. The appraiser was warm and friendly and gave me some background on the history of etching, however, had nothing new to add about Hubert although she did say the name sparked a note of recognition. She took my phone number and promised to do a little digging into her antique resources to see if she could turn up any new information. Hopefully, she'll get back to me one way or another and my Chasing Hubert business card won't wind up in the bottom of a collectible vintage trash receptacle...

"I first came because of the name: Serendipity. It's one of my favorite words. It's such a nice sounding word for what it means: a fortunate accident." Sara, from the movie "Serendipity"

I went to the library this week to check out a new release I was looking forward to reading only to find that it was unavailable. As I was about to leave, sitting on the desk was a copy of a new book "The Best Vintage Antique and Collectible Shops in Paris." I couldn't believe my eyes, this was just what the print expert at the NY Public Library ordered. I whisked out my library card and as I mused about my fortuitous discovery, the librarian commented, "Must be serendipity!"

I've always loved the sound of that word. According to the dictionary, serendipity is "when interesting or valuable discoveries are made by accident." A fortunate accident may be an oxymoron but many of life's memorable moments are due to fortunate accidents or serendipity. I first met my husband when I fell off a bicycle. I found my house when babysitting a friend's daughter when she made an emergency visit to the doctor.  I met two of my dearest friends when my husband and I, late for a bus tour in Antigua on an anniversary vacation, were the last to board the already full bus. My husband squeezed up front next to the driver and I became the third wheel in the two-person back seat of the bus next to a lovely and funny Scottish couple with whom we've spent every anniversary with since.

Perhaps my best example of a serendipitous moment was purchasing a tacky mirrored beer sign for its pretty frame and discovering a beautiful colored etching of a Paris scene signed by Hubert hidden beneath. Call it serendipity, karma, or just plain good fortune, I believe finding Hubert is somehow tied into my destiny. So when I spied the book "The Best Vintage and Collectible Shops in Paris" just sitting there on the library desk waiting for me I viewed it as the happy accident that might lead to a Hubert breakthrough. I sent emails in French to shops listed in the book that might include etchings. So far no response, but serendipity brought Hubert into my life and I'm counting on a bit of serendipity to bring me a little Hubert happenstance...

"There comes a time when every life goes off course, when you must choose a direction. Will you fight to stay on path?" H.G. Adler

Life is like a river. Sometimes it flows gently, other times it flows swiftly and can take you completely off course. This week my Hubert search was thrown off course. The first time was at the local bookstore where I occasionally escape to work on chasing Hubert.  A creature of habit, I've grown accustomed to sitting in one of the only two overstuffed armchairs in the bookstore, superstitiously convinced that somehow these chairs are a good luck link to writing, researching, and finding Hubert.

Apparently it was an unlucky choice because once I logged on to the WiFi and checked my email I found a response from a print gallery I emailed in Paris. Only the print shop was not a print shop but a photography store, as in camera equipment. Somehow, I knew that finding long-established souvenir shops and print galleries in Paris was going to be a challenge. Just as I was about to go back to the drawing board and begin a new search the battery on the laptop gave out. Here I was, blown off course.

 I was also thrown for a loop this week was when someone posed the question "Why?" to me regarding my Hubert quest. So what's in this Chasing Hubert for me? Certainly nothing of monetary value since my Huberts, although quite beautiful, don't seem to fetch much in the art market. Certainly not fame since Hubert is virtually unknown to the world. Fame and fortune aside, it was my friendship with Tom, without whom this search would never have gotten off the ground, and his tragic death that was the driving force behind my Chasing Hubert. Tom was my inspiration and this search and subsequent blog is, in some small way, a tribute to him. That is why, in spite of drifting off-course this week, I'm hoping and counting on the tide to turn, adversity to ebb, and the river to course fluently...