Although I like John very much and will go with him on various jaunts, I do hope that our "dates" won't revolve too much around estate/garage sales. As I suspected, they are not my thing at all. But they certainly are becoming an integral aspect of his life, and it's a bit scary how much he's accumulating. He loves hunting for "treasures," and is enthusiastic about his plans for how he'll re-sell or use the items. I enjoyed the people watching, and learned a lot about the process this company uses to allow buyers into the home. John got the address early in the morning so that we could show up at 7:30 to sign our names on the door. We were number 15. Since the sale didn't begin until 9:00, we found a nearby Starbucks(an easy task in WA), and enjoyed a breakfast sandwich and a coffee. :) Now, with no further ado...
This is the item John really wanted. It's a dragon woodstove dehumidifier. Did you realize that such a thing existed? I did not. Does John have a woodstove? No. But it was immaterial because a woman rushed directly to it, grabbed it and put it under the table in a hold area. I walk fast even when I'm not in a hurry, yet these estate salers swarmed into the place like locusts.
I'm not sure what this even is besides a golf ball contraption on a stand. Someone will pay actual money to buy it?
Creepy animals abounded. Does anyone need a taxidermized porcupine for $700?
Or how about the marlin for the same price? John was interested in the license plates (United States Forces in Germany plates), but was unwilling to pay $90. I was thankful that they were overpriced!
Someone in this house loved fish. Is this actually a piranha? I thought they were small.
I don't remember how much they were asking for this ($25?), but even free would be too much.
To the left are partially empty liquor bottles for sale. One word: yuck.
No comment. Speechless.
The most intriguing moments were watching two guys battle it out in a nice way over the many record albums. They are apparently a hot commodity! By the way, there were also ordinary items at this sale: furniture, kitchenware, tools, etc. However, most of what I saw was, as my late father used to say, dreck. John finds the experience of estate sales entertaining and exhilarating, so I will grin and bear it to spend the time with him. He bought a number of things and at least none of them was weird. :) As I keep gently reminding him though, at our ages we should be getting rid of stuff, NOT filling up our houses and garages with more!
Whew! You survived an interesting date. My impression is that the home's owner is a little "off" with such a bizarre assortment of stuff. And it's good that John didn't buy any "weird" stuff. Be glad you didn't date the home's owner.... Yep, vinyl records have returned in popularity, but our old ones aren't worth that much more. Linda in Kansas
Posted by: DrumMajor | November 05, 2021 at 05:09 PM
Bet you are glad you have separate homes!!!
Posted by: sillygirl | November 05, 2021 at 06:10 PM
Be very glad you live separately, My SO does storage units and I am amazed at the crap people buy, let alone pay more money to store.
I cannot imagine some of the stuff in your photos being in a home...glad it isn't mine LOL
Posted by: Joyce | November 05, 2021 at 07:23 PM
Well, what's the saying? One man's trash is another man's treasure I suppose... but I don't see any treasures here! Still was a curious look, thanks for sharing Margaret. Um, I can't believe someone took the time to hang & display that woman's torso on a blouse, I want to see the woman who wore it :^(
Posted by: Doug M | November 05, 2021 at 08:28 PM
A very, very long time ago Art and I used to LOVE going to estate sales and bought a lot of our furniture that way. However, these days we're trying NOT to accumulate things. It's bad enough now that our kids are not going to love having to dispose of our things.
Posted by: Musings | November 05, 2021 at 10:41 PM
I'm sitting here giggling. Oh yes, the image of what this household WAS! And the people who inhabited it! Bwahahahaha! Nope, not my thing, that's for sure!
Posted by: Tonya | November 05, 2021 at 11:35 PM
I just don't get it, but you seem to have peace with the fact.
Posted by: AC | November 06, 2021 at 08:37 AM
I would rather have the big blue fish than the porcupine. But only if neither is not an option.
I just saw that humidifier in the plow and hearth catalog.
Posted by: Zazzy | November 08, 2021 at 11:14 AM
Oh, by the way, television makes it look like you are going to stumble across some extremely valuable item at a salvage lot or storage shed, your attic or I guess someone else's attic. Those exciting finds are few and far between.
Posted by: Zazzy | November 08, 2021 at 11:16 AM
Not a big fan of the estate sales. I have so much of my own "stuff" that I should be getting rid of that it would defeat the purpose to then fill my house back up with stuff. You're a good soul for going along.
Posted by: Karen | November 08, 2021 at 06:00 PM
Oh my gosh, that Pig on the wall killed me! Can't imagine that or any of those critters or fish in my house.
I have been getting rid of "stuff" and had a bunch of vinyl records so I gave first choice to my Ex and then my
son took the rest to a co-worker who collects CRAP..haha! Still would be fun to walk through and see what is there
Posted by: Wendy | November 10, 2021 at 10:28 AM