Is there a broader, more representative snapshot of today's America than the Saturday morning open air flea market? Part time machine, part smelly armpit, the flea market is the great melting pot of class, culture and cleanliness. You have folks who peddle their junk every week trying to eke out a living. Next to them you have suburbanites trying to unload part of their gluttonous accumulation of stuff they really don't need. Toothless country boys and soccer moms, who would never associate in any other circumstance, chat away sitting on the tailgates of overstuffed SUVs and El Caminos. During a twenty minute walk-thru you can hear four or five different languages spoken. Haggling, arguing, laughing-it's a beautiful thing.
And don't get me wrong, not all the crap is really crap. There are valuable collectibles and teriffic hand-crafted jewelry items. Then there is my level of crap- beer signs, Smurf glasses, baseball cards. For the most part I just window shop because we already fall into that earlier category of gluttonous overcollectors. But when it comes down to it, most of the crap is Crap with a capital C. I found tables of ashtrays, old shoes, books for every fad diet of the last twenty years and VHS tapes for bad Pauly Shore movies. (I suppose that last item was redundant.) And Knives! It was like Ninjas-R-Us with all the knives, swords and throwing stars. Since I have given up my career as a carnival knife-thower I pushed past these tables and wandered about buying nothing, simply enjoying the sounds and smells of diversity.
I hope you got some throwing stars.
ReplyDeletemmmmmm crap
ReplyDeleteSome thoughts,
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure when you were much younger I gave you some throwing stars and made you promise not to tell your parents. (If you are reading this...sorry J and D)
You have got to come up some Friday and go to Green Dragon in Lancaster with us....it is all that you said plus the Amish and Mennonites. It is fantastic!!
...."Next to them you have suburbanites trying to unload part of their gluttonous accumulation of stuff they really don't need." Uh that would be me last weekend...did my first yard sale ever...at a neighbors house....hired a Uhaul to get it all there and then to Mary's Shelter to donate the rest....weird experience.
Love,
Me
I am SOOO glad I awoke from a deep slumber in the recliner to catch the last Dallas drive to beat the Bills on Monday Night football! Tony Romo is da bomb!!! And the best thing about the win is that they it did IN SPITE of T.O. being a has been who can't deliver in the clutch - he should have caught the low pass with 13 seconds left! What other team could run back TWO interceptions for touchdowns, and run back a kickoff and STILL lose the game - oh yeah, the only team to lose FOUR Super Bowls!! The franchise needs to move to break the curse! GO COWBOYS - BEAT NEW ENGLAND!
ReplyDeletehey uncle george? i wonder if TO got any popcorn after todays ass whoopin by the pats? haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
ReplyDelete