Summer Preview

This week I had to seriously sit down with a calendar and get my vacation dates on the work schedule. Until I looked at the dates and really thought about it, I didn't realize that my summer has a theme: bargain hunting!

I previously mentioned the Route 40 Yard Sale. It's scheduled for the week after Memorial Day. I usually go out for a morning of yard sales, but I've never made it a real event. Last year I planned to drive further and see a new area, but gas was $4/gallon, and it didn't make any sense to bargain hunt while spending $200 for gas. This year I'm determined to enjoy 2 full days of shopping. The dates are sneaking up on me! It's just two weeks from today!

I unfortunately don't have a friend that can go with me. All the usual suspects that might jump on board have other obligations. And my partner (who I'll call Eyeball for the purposes of this blog....because she's always watching and knows when I bring junk into the house) is definitely not interested in two days of treasure hunting. In fact, when she reads this entry, she'll probably blow a gasket when she realizes how much yard/flea time is coming. So I'm on my own, and I'm excited to go at my own pace.

Mid-June is our family vacation. A few days of family fun in a terribly chic and glamorous location: Summersville, West Virginia. It's sort of a midway point for the branches of our family. I wanted to go to the beach as usual. I love the beach. But we couldn't get everyone together for a week, and it's too far of a drive for just a couple of days. Meeting in the middle makes sense.

When I made the reservation and gave the guy my address, he said, "you know, all good hillbillies have kinfolk in Columbus." I did not know that.

Summersville apparently has lots of outdoor activities - hiking, boating, diving, fishing, even snorkling. Here's the thing--I would travel around in a temperature controlled, bug free bubble most of the year if I could. I don't like being outside. If I'm not burning, baking or sweating, I'm scratching at bug bites. So I need to find other things to do that keep me in a more comfortable environment. That means finding the nearest flea market, as least one day.

The end of June is the Homer Laughlin Fiesta ware tent sale in Newell, WV. I'm going to WV a lot this summer, I guess! I don't collect Fiesta ware, but a couple of coworkers want to go. And I'm not saying no to an event that involves dishware at bargain basement prices. It should be an adventure. http://www.homerlaughlin.com/ffd/tent.asp, The picture above is a new color--lemongrass. I also read that brown came out last fall. I'd be interested in those two colors. The other pic is Homer Laughlin's restaurant line. I wonder if they have seconds of that type of dinnerware, too?

And then I think I will be bargain shopped out. I have such a long list of things I hope to find. And I have work to do; I need to find a suitable cart, put together a list of measurements/sizes for items I hope to find, and figure out a non-purse money carrying situation.

Now you know what the near future will be for my blog. May and June will be chatter about all my potential finds. I hope July and August can be full of projects derived from all those bargains. But I have a class to take in July/August, so we'll see how much I can accomplish.