• 9/22/2007 4:52:40 PMGillet AuctionThe Gillet auction is now complete and there is good news and bad news.  First the good news... we purchased $360 worth of beef patties and we pulled in a gross total of $340.  At first you might be thinking that we didn't make anything at this auction - and you would be correct.  It was a small auction.  We went through 2 boxes of patties (72), 13 of which we ended up eating because they didn't sell.  It was a beautiful warm day and we went through a lot of soda.  In the end, we need less than $100 in gross sales at the next auction to break even.  Everything after that will be profit.


    Now the bad news...  Shortly after we arrived, I began to setup the cash register along with the deep cycle battery and power inverter.  I have done this dozens of times since we worked the fireworks tent back in July.  Without even thinking, I connected the negative cable of the inverter to the positive post of the battery.  After a short flash of light followed by some sparks - the inverter was fried.  At first I thought that perhaps there was some kind of built in fuse or breaker.  Nope.  Right on the back of the inverter case, stamped into the plastic it reads, "Be careful not to cross the terminals.  This will damage the unit and void the warranty".  Ugh!  


    Fortunately the cash register was not connected at the time and there was no damage to it.  The battery survived and is still in great shape - which is good since that is the most expensive part of the power solution.  We were able to plug directly into the house to run the register and the coffee pot.  So while we lost the inverter, we were able to continue without skipping a beat.  It was hard to enjoy the rest of the morning thinking about what a bone head I am for doing that.

    Here is some good news: the new grill worked great!  The standard Bahrke burger is so large in diamater that I can only fit 12 on at a time, but other than that the grill cooks great.  I will have to play with the side burner a little.  It is hard to tell how high the flame is and sometimes I had the burger bath boiling.

    The next auction is supposed to be in the Pulaski area and rumor has it that it is going to be large.  Peggy will go into town this week to get extra supplies (and a new inverter) so we are ready to go.  Stay tuned!