Vacation was Great, here's some pix

Now what do I do with my photos? Use to be I scooped all the rolls out of the suitcase and dropped them off at the drugstore on way into work and in 2 days got great prints back. Then it became the 1 hour in store service with mixed results, then I tried the do-it yourself at the drugstore machines and waited for a free unit and stood forever. Next I would send off electonically to a drug store and just stopped by for prints--once again color is an issue. Now I can sit at my computer for HOURS tweaking each photo, cropping, sharpening, playing with color and then find there is not enough ink to PRINT!
I long for the good days when quality was better, and life less complicated and slower!
So here's some of the pix not yet printed!

ceiling from Bridge of glass in Tacoma--one of the great free sites
Jug from the Kerman Ceramics collection at the Univ of BC Museum of Anthropology
The Troll under the bridge in Fremont WA


Part of the wall in the glass bridge by Chihully!






I found a great antiques mall in Kent WA Mad Hatter Antiques.
Cloverdale Mall in Cloverdale BC was worth the stop
and 2 malls in the same parking lot in Snohomish WA

I found some bargains as did my travelling companion--thus the stop at several places!

Fall in love with antiques

I wish more traffic was coming to the antique outlet. A 25% sale earlier this month was 90% of sales and that was all small items. I'm happy to have moved something and have some room for more. What sold? A golden yellow Lipton teapot with lid intact, a decorating book, a framed needlepoint design,, a chalkware sailing ship, a bait canteen and a neat china fish figurine along with a silver plated etched fish lid for perhaps a kippers server--these 3 went to the same person! A 1971 Indy car shape bottle/decanter. A tied together packet of old and new Antiques magazines. Just weird small stuff. I wish the portmierion coffee sets would go and free up that space.

Off on vacation to the Northwest next week. Hopefully time to visit some malls and find a good buy, but schedule is pretty tight with must see museums such as Museum of Glass in Tacoma!

Have you gotten carded at your LIBRARY?

Yardsaletrail.com

The bluewater area around the thumb of Michigan's lower peninsula hosts an annual miles long yard sale along M25/M29. This the prettiest sale in America. Even prettier than the World's Longest Garage sale. Heat is the same on either trek but the amount of cool blue water can't be beat!
visit teir website at yardsaletrail.com for 2010 dates and info.

July and summer really hasn't brought the heat!

Fortunately sales are up this July over the past 2 months at the mall booth. I've had 2 mini yard sales on Sundays and got rid of 2 box loads of misc stuff plus some other knick knacks. Weather is not cooperating for weekends.
Now family illnesses hamper gadding about.
I had a meeting in a park awhile back and was able to take a short nature trail and was surprised to come upon a fawn in a meadow nibbling all the wildflowers etc



This was in a park surrounded by a city--metropolitan area!

I also found this old gate post/hitchin' post. Made me think of the framed photos I saw at the art fair "craft booth" that was selling framed photos of images looking like letters so one could spell out a name or word

Balloon Fest is highlight of outside antiques sale

June was great weather wise but sales did not pick up. Had a yard sale at spur of moment--Live on a very busy street, but lookers only. Tried the dealers outside sale on the 27th--beautiful hot day, once again lookers and few buyers--this was the consensus of at least half of us. Setup early was the best treat of the day. The 25th annual balloon fest had just started their morning launch. Driving up the expressway was glorious to get the sneak peeks of one after another. Counted over 30 aloft at once. Then most changed direction and flew over the antiques mall. WOW!

Photo isn't so great but you get the idea. I used my iPhone and was surprised what I could get. Yep all those dots are hot air balloons!

My neighbor is planning a yard sale--I hope soon, as I was too tired to take all those boxes to the basement. This may become a blowout clear out sale. Or as one dealer did a FREEBIE. Just to get space and pass on those seemingly unsaleable items.

June is busting out all over!

Well at least flower and tree wise with all the pollen! I' d rather have this than snow and cold!
The antiques and collectibles buyers aren't busting out their wallets. May was bad bad BAD! Oh yeah the antiques mall was down traffic wise and especially saleswise.
I did a revamp and stacked items higher in anticipation of a weeklong sale later this month. I'll also do the outside fleamarket for 1 day in hopes of at least getting back the gas money.
At the auctions things are going and not necessarily dirt cheap. I think some buyers are savvy to the auctions and will buy there thinking they are getting a better deal, often the knockdown is higher than I could have priced it. They are bidding against each other as I watch dealer after dealer drop out of the bidding after a short time.
The pickings at yard sales are slim too for items I can resell. If you want clothes, kitchen appliances or toddler toys you can find bargains galore.
Hopefully good weather will bring out more sales.

Renninger's Kutztown April Extravaganza

Well I made the trek across Ohio and PA to Kutztown to attend the much touted extravaganza opening day. Some of the hype on the web page is true. There were a line of dealer vehicles backed up waiting to get in to setup.

It had rained on Wednesday and I was expecting a mucky field but walking was fine. The photo from their website is pretty accurate, other than there weren't that many cars in the lot. I'd say there were at least 200 dealers and a whole other set on the white building upper left of photo. The inside dealers sure have less than ideal conditions. It was dark, dank, crowded and dirty, but they had foot traffic. !st place I have been in the US where the restrooms had a tip tray set out in the building and for the port-o-johns outside, But they were being attended to and for the number of people clean.

I was disappointed at the pickings. Nothing New--meaning--different that I find at home. Prices were sometimes a tad high--that I attribute to the buyers from NY and NJ. It was only about 110 miles from NYC. One big difference was the dress of the attendees--sure there were those of us in jeans and athletic shoes, but many were dressed in the casual city shopping mode.

I did not score much here.

So off I went on one of the side roads towards Reading. Found 2 so called antique stores/malls. One was pretty much junk the other had nicely setup "rooms" found a few bargains like a "chalk" Afghan hound about 18 inches tall.

Headed on towards Harrisburg with a stop in Hershey--the roads are paved in chocolate--or at least the appearance of a rich cocoa on Chocolate Ave and Cocoa Ave. The aroma of milk chocolate was in the air near the Reese's plant and the large Hershey plant. The top of the light posts were Hershey kisses, some wrapped some unwrapped.

Spoke with the owner of a small store on the road down into Hersey and she said friends have told her even Brimfield had gone down-hill.

After a serious misdirection on return I did have time to stop at the I-76 Antique MALL at the Ravenna exit.

Very nice place, clean restrooms, enough staff to be helpful. McDonald's and 2 gas stations at the exit! Anyway I spent about an hour and a half here and found the inventory good and prices even better. I picked up a rataan/bamboo vintage 50's serving cart that I should be able to resell at double. Glass items, pictures were plentiful. There were 2 young men probably late 20's very early 30's wandering around looking into the showcases for toys and lunchboxes. So it appeals to a variety of shoppers.

As usual every road that could be under construction was with lane closures and redirected lanes. Made good time as traffic was mostly light for weekday and highest gas was $2.15 on the turnpike.