Friday 2/3/06

Diamond Head Cir. – Oak Grove “Estate Sale”

This sale was advertised in the AJC as the estate and accumulation of an Octogenarian. That age descriptor captures for the addict of yard sales so many fine images, dusty basements filled with old tools and ball jars, unusual ephemera form past experiences, drawers filled with redundant kitchen utensils, home health care items propped up against walls. So following dreams of rooting through such clutter I headed over to this tropically named street after work on Friday.
To say the least I was disappointed. Small brick ranch homes can contain hidden treasures but this one did not. In the garage a number of tables were set up and some totally forgettable clutter was being sold by the boxload. Selling selected odd objects grouped into boxes is rare in this city and here the arrangement made it stranger. In one box was a large plastic comb, about a dozen old airmail envelopes that had become glued shut due to poor storage and a device labeled a taco fryer. In another box was a faux leather cosmetic case, an Xmas mug, two glasses and some small jars and another mug that said Dad and featured a handle in the shape of a pipe. Other boxes contained nothing but empty jars. While another box contained only a tangle of red white and blue bunting. Also in the garage was a large appliance labeled a Turbo Cooking Plus.
A few rooms inside the home were open for my perusal. In the living room I found several wooden mallets, poker chips, a selection of silver serving dishes, some post cards from the Atlanta Olympics and some old BBQ utensils.
In the den I found a 8mm movie camera and two old Kodak cameras, a Large Hammond organ and an array of neatly folded of fabric pieces.
The basement was open but further disappointed awaited since there was little left on the lower level aside from some coat hangers, old Xmas decorations and some piles of odd lumber pieces. Among the Xmas stuff was a broom crafted to resemble a snowman and a plush pig in a holiday outfit.
I bought two boxes from the garage to use in my upcoming show. But I left feeling perplexed questioning why Octogenarians always have cases of empty jars in their homes.