“Our Crap Could Be Your Crap”

It’s Garage Sale Weekend here at the beach. A tradition of long-standing.  “The Longest Garage Sale in the World” offers “four days of bargain-hunting fun. Garage sales dot Peninsula streets from Ilwaco to Oysterville…” according to the Long Beach Visitor’s Bureau.

Truth to tell, we are a divided household on the matter of garage sales. Nyel loves them, especially visiting them, but has been known to “join the fun” and host them now and then, too.  I would rather read a good book or even walk across hot coals. Spending time looking at other people’s discards, whether in garage sales, “estate sales,” junk stores, consignment stores or thrift stores is my idea of a total time-waster.

Deja Vu, Bubbles!

But this weekend I was outnumbered three to one.  Our house guests and Nyel wanted to just “take a quick look.”  Maybe even a “drive by.”  So, being the gracious (ahem!) hostess that I am, I went along for the ride.

Another Enticing Sign

“We find it helps to have a quest,” said Cousin Ruth.  And we did.  A fish poacher so that we could cook the one remaining trout that Phil had given us – the one too big for our largest cast iron skillet.  We didn’t find it, but Nyel managed to spend an entire dollar on a book. (Say what??  A book?  In a house containing several — three? — thousand books… why?) American Carriages, Sleighs, Sulkies, and Carts is now looking for space in the reference section of our library.

Yard art or items that could conceivably be used as such were what caught Ruth and Cindy’s eye.  Two whimsical metal frogs and I don’t know what else rode around in our trunk as we looked for additional companion pieces.  We ended our excursion at the Oysterville Schoolhouse where Nyel spend a dollar for a two-gallon container of kerosene.  “Well, we have all those kerosene lanterns…” was his explanation.  Which, I pointed out, all contain an adequate supply of kerosene for the next twenty winter power outages…

But, of course, logic doesn’t enter into the Quest Syndrome.  It’s a matter of finding a bargain.  Or of traveling down memory lane – “we have/had one just like that!” – or just enjoying chatting with hopeful sellers and other bargain hunters.

Light Fixture at Leadbetter Farms

Not my dish of tea, I’m afraid.  Plus, we didn’t find a poacher and ended up wrapping that trout in foil and baking it, instead.  I did enjoy going along for the ride, though.  It was a beautiful day, the mood ‘out there’ was friendly and, as always, we saw parts of the Peninsula we didn’t know existed!  But, I couldn’t help wondering how Greg Tillotson managed to furnish his faux lighthouse up near Hines Marsh with all the interesting kitsch that he presumably has found at the World’s Longest Garage Sale.”  A good eye and deep pockets, maybe.