Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays

To all those who visit this site and to everyone who has supported my work here over the years may you have a relaxing and clutter-free holiday. I wish everyone the greetings of the season and look forward to bringing to the world more documentation of the driveways of divestment in the coming new year.
Finally I ask all of you reading this to please click on some on the ads above so I can make some cash for my efforts.

Ten ways of looking at Santa

“Your mother would really like this Christmas Crap”
Overheard comment; spoken by a father to his toddler son at a yard sale.

Since I’ve been doing this site for over three years I now take the liberty of presenting retrospective work at year’s end. As now I offer ten somewhat disturbing views of Santa as seen from past posts.

(My apologies to Wallace Stevens and his far better poetic ways of looking at of blackbirds.)





Among twenty spring yard sales,
The only non selling –thing was the eye of the Santa.














He was of four sidse, like a box In which one could place useless things of the holidays.

















The Santa shoots pool in the autumn winds. It was a small part of the assembled clutter.















I do not know which to prefer, the dimness of a basement or the beauty of bad craft, The disfigured Santa leering or just after.

















O thin men of Virginia Highlands, Why do you attempt to sell triangular Santas? Do you not see how the Father Christmas cannot have three sides?























I know noble holiday accents and lucid, inescapable decor; But I know, too that the Santa does not carry a gun or kill bulls in a ring.


















When the flat Santa was found in the attic, he marked a nautical edge, one of many circles.

















At the sight of emaciated Santas bound with masking tape, offered in sacrifice in a bright light, even the bawds of euphony would cry out sharply.














The morning is moving to afternoon. The Santa must be left unsold.

















It was seen in an ad in Craiglist that morning. It was on the porch. And it was going to rain. The pointy headed Santa sat on a card table.

One sale on a warm day in December -12/8/07

Woodward Ave. - Grant park "Yard Sale"

I had almost given up on sales for the rest of the year as there were nearly no sellers posting ads for nearby sales in Craigslist this weekend. Getting in my car I drove past bare utility poles lacking any signs indicating yard sales to this one sale in the northern end of Grant Park. Here in the small front yard and porch of an old frame bungalow I found my sale for the day. There was not a lot here. Some books were spread out on the dead leaves of the slopping front yard, a table had been set up on the curb and a few things had been arranged near the front porch. The table on the curb held a colorful but somewhat sad looking collection of Xmas decor. Among the books laid out on the ground were “More growing Up Catholic”, “Sex Preferences”, “The Anglophile”, “The Queen”, “Introductory Psychology through Science Fiction”, “Motherhood, the Second Oldest Professions” and “Same Sex Unions”. On a table near the porch were some old VHS tapes. The films there included Mandingo, Code of Silence, Dumb and Dumber, Dying Young and Steel Dawn. Up the steps and around the porch I found a number of old looking household items such as a single mason jar, empty eyeglass cases, some small candles, an old enamel covered coffee pot, an old roll of shelf paper and a pair of swim fins. A few boxes on the ground held a pair white plush bears, a jigsaw puzzle and an assortment of small Tupperware containers. Nearby in a plastic milk crate was a fully disassembled ceiling fan. I told the seller that ceiling fans were the objects I most commonly see that never sell. He told me that he knew that as he piled some other clutter over the fan.
I had to leave the sale prematurely when Cindy phoned to tell me that someone had seen my lost cat Tony. I bought nothing, then searched for Tony. I did not find the missing feline.

Books arrayed among the dead leaves of late Autumn.














More Xmas items at a cheap price.














Swim fins for sale in the off season.













Box filled with containers.

A quick visit to a basement before the Geography Bee 12/1/07

McLendon Ave. - Lake Claire "Estate Sale"

I was on my way to the county Geography Bee to coach my team of third graders when I came upon this sale. The only areas of the house open to buyer were the basement and the garage. Going through the back door I headed down the narrow staircase to the small basement of this frame bungalow. It appeared that they had just put some sign and price sticker on things here and had arranged nearly nothing. Old cans of paint set on shelves next to packages of insecticide and opened containers of cleaning products. Mixed in were assorted Xmas decorations, coils of wire, assorted bits of hardware in jars and boxes, and some coffee mugs. Larger Items found in the dim space included a wheel chair, a rocking chair with a seat in need of repair and a humidifier with a large pot of artificially flowers on top of it. On the floor were some old issues of Hemming’s Motor News and some plastic plaques depicting a variety of animals.
The showpiece of the old garage was a massive ‘62 Pontiac with its round taillights protruding out of the small wooden structure. A sign indicated the vehicle had already been sold. In the portion of the garage not occupied by the Pontiac was more unsorted clutter like I found in the basement. On two card tables set a selection of half empty containers of cleaning products offered for sale to anyone passing by. The old man who watched over the event asked me if I had known the owners. I wanted to tell him I felt like I did.
I bought a half dozen coffee mugs for 25 cents each.
I then headed on to the Geography Bee where my team overwhelmed their opponents and won first place.

Images of wildlife in the basement.














Flowers among the clutter in a dim space.



















A Grand vehicle in a small space.

My other web site...

After much work I have finished the web site for my artistic ambitions. To view the site go to www.tomzarts.com
I composed the site using the EZ web site software program iWeb developed by Apple.

11/24/07 Saturday

Lowery St. - Edgewood "Yard Sale"

I can tell the holidays are upon us as sales have almost completely diminished. This weekend I was delighted to see this sale In Edgewood near the Marta station when I was driving back from Lowe’s to purchase a filter for my furnace. I had a good feeling about this sale when I saw one of their posters on a utility pole. The posters for this event proudly depicted a cornucopia and announced that accordions were for sale here. With this in mind I pulled my car over. Most of the stuff here was gathered on the porch of the small frame bungalow. A number of larger objects were covering the small yard. Among them was a dog travel cage, a jar of old corks, a lobster pot, three skillets, a picnic hamper, a small vacuum and three heating filters. The filters were free but they were not the size I needed. In the rear of the yard was a framed Nagel print of a naked woman. On the porch was a table with the touted accordions. These were the showpiece of this sale. The six instruments with multicolored lacquered bodies shone brightly on this drab November day. Also on the table was an autoharp (dull by comparison) and some selected accordion sheet music. A shelf on the porch held the following books, “Idiot’s Guide to Real Estate Investing” “Exploring Rome”, “The South Beach Diet”, “Lorca”, “The Joy of Photography”, Teaching A Stone to Talk”, “Ode To Walt Whitman”, “Basic Sign Communication”, “The Erotic Spirit”, “Skinny Dip” and “Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking”.
Hanging nearby was a selection of women’s clothing including a large pair of overalls, a kit for making Day of the Dead sugar skulls and a dozen or more small picture frames. Near the frames was an album of found photographs among the photos were old images of people playing accordions.
I bought nothing but told the seller’s I admired their sale.


Porch laden with accordions, skull making gear and overalls.













80's artwork and dog cage in yard.

11/17/07 Saturday

Ridgecrest Ave. – Lake Claire “Yard Sale”

There appeared to be no yard sale activity near my home this Saturday morning. But I happened to see a sign for this sale while riding with Cindy in the afternoon. I rode my bike over to Ridgecrest a street in the far eastern side of Lake Claire. It was a disappointing event with a selection of tedious children’s clothes and toys and a few household items. But I did appreciate the altar like setting in the driveway of a table holding a pair of light fixtures, an old doll and a ukulele. In front of the table was one of those small trampoline exercise devices.
I bought nothing.

11/11/07 -Sunday

3rd Ave.- Oakhurst “Yard Sale”


While riding my bike today I was determined to find at least one sale not far from my home. I found it only a few miles away in front of a small home in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Decatur. When I pulled up the seller was talking about a yard sale aficionado and restaurant critic whom I know. They were more critical of her food critiques than her yard saling techniques. In the driveway and yard of this home I found a set oversized wrenches for German auto repair, a bolster cushion with a built-in reading lamp, a ceramic cat, new containers of some sort of cellulite cream, some small cushions of undetermined use, several pieces of colorful jewelry, a pack of playing cards and two ten dollar gift certificates to local restaurants priced at five dollars.
Among some books piled in a plastic laundry bin were “Hannibal Rising”, “Wedding Vows and Traditions”, “How to Rock Climb”, “The Antibride Wedding Planner”, “The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories”, Good Works”, How I Turned $1,000 into Five Million in Real Estate” and “The Kama Sutra”. I also found some luggage, a few candles and a large still life painting.
I bought nothing.

Still life found in Oakhurst.

















Playing cards and gift certificates.



















Cushion is built-in lamp.

11/3/07 - Three ways to yard sales on foot, by car and on a bicycle

Marlbrook Ave. – Lake Claire “Yard Sale”

This morning I needed to repair the screen door on my porch, which my new cat tore apart when he attempted to climb on it. Before I headed to the hardware store I took my camera and walked over to this sale two blocks from my home. When I arrived a little after nine I found that the seller was just putting stuff out in the yard so I did not want to bother her with persistent documentation. I captured a few images then walked towards home with the seller’s mother who was going that way to replace a few signs that had been torn down by some yard sale hating neighbor. The woman did not know how to operate a staple gun so I felt good that I accompanied her on this task. I did not make it back to the sale later in the day to see what was put out for sale. But I did get a photo of two manikin torsos that were in the yard.

A premature yard sale. I failed to return when it was open for business.















Mathews Ave - Lake Claire “Yard Sale”

While driving back from buying some screen at Lowe’s I noticed a sign for this sale and stopped by. This was a medium size event in the yard and driveway of a frame bungalow. When I approached with camera in hand the seller asked if I was the Yard Sale Addict and that she was familiar with my work. I then began capturing on camera what was on display. The stuff in the yard was mostly children’s toys. These included big plastic action figures, a play race track with cars, a xylophone, a big plastic aircraft carrier, old copies of Highlights for Children, a few plush animals and a multitude of unidentifiable plastic toy parts jumbled in a large pile.
On the Driveway side things were more reserved and less colorful. There I found a disassembled ceiling fan, some vintage women’s clothing, a fireplace screen, a Persian carpet, a stair-master, some bolts of fabric, a wooden skateboard ramp and a large toy big-wheel truck.
I bought nothing.

A disassembled ceiling fan and it's reflection.

















Pile of plastic playthings.
















Oakdale Ave- Candler Park “Men’s Sale”

After repairing the screen door, I went out on my bike towards Candler Park and Inman Park. In Candler Park I followed the signs to this sale. In the hedged in yard of a brick home I found racks of men’s clothing and tables full of men’s shoes. Out on the sidewalk upon a table was a big model of a sailing ship (which someone bought shortly after I photographed it), a plush moose, a plush otter in a case that said “otter on his own’ and a Rugrats figure in it’s original packaging. In front of a pickup truck was a large punching bag. On the back of the truck was a washing machine. Other things there included a metal locker the type found in locker rooms, a wooden sculpture of figures holding hands in a circle, a water cooler and a plastic bin filled with lps. On top of the pile was a Donna Summers recording. I found this sale perplexing since it was hard to tell where the stuff really came from or why it was here.
I looked through the men’s clothes but none appeared to be my size. I bought nothing.




Manly things such as ship and plush moose on display.














Large selection of menswear that did not fit me.

Scenes from the Halloween Season 2007

In case you have not noticed it Halloween is now only second to Christmas in regards to the amount of money spent by consumers. Atlanta has gotten to be a big Halloween town with lots of high-end yard décor covering some of the finest yards in the best neighborhoods. The holiday has expanded to the extent that one could now refer to it as the Halloween season. This October I documented two major local Halloween events, the Little Five Points Halloween parade an extravaganza that has been going on for many years and the the Zombie Walk a newer and more intense participatory event.




The Zombie Walk
The Zombie Walk participants met at Lenny’s Tavern in the Old 4th Ward and were supposed to begin their walk at noon. From Lenny’s they were to procede through Oakland Cemetery (heaven forbid if anyone was actually having a burial at that time) wander to Underground Atlanta and then hop on Marta to return to Lenny’s. I got to Lenny’s at noon and it appeared the well-festooned walking dead were heading nowhere fast. All the images shown were taken in the Lenny’s parking lot. I guess you can’t rush the dead.


Medical staff on hand in case of injury.















A Red Bull makes any event livier.














Bored young zombies waiting for the walk to begin.














Zombie having a healthy snack before the walk.













Little Five Points Halloween Parade

I met some friends nearly an hour before the parade began to assure getting a good view in front of the Yacht Club. The parade was up to it’s usual grand standards with a multitude of zombies on Harleys, walking dead, a vast variety of skull head creatures and women in fanciful domination outfits. It was family fun for all.









Pre-parade festivities featured local ladies swinging head on a stick.














A well dressed cyclist mingles with the crowd.














The entry from the Japanese Consulate appears to be a bit red eyed.














Members of local trade unions walking in the parade.















The Yacht Club's entry was a rolling Freak Show. Among the freaks was the dreaded Man Eating Chicken

Saturday 10/19/2007

Page Ave. – Candler Park “Yard Sale”

I’m starting to think that I should rename this web site Yard Sales on a Bicycle, for once again I find myself traveling around the neighborhoods adjacent to my home on my aging but still reliable KHS. The KHS was purchased at least over 16 years ago from some now defunct big box store. Originally an all terrain bike (as was popular in that time) it is now outfitted with thinner tires as a street bike. I have since added some front and rear storage. I keep my camera in the front. The rear storage rack is there in case I might actually buy something. My first stop today is a sale set up on the sidewalk in front of a home on Page Avenue. Here I find one end of the sale dedicated to house-wares and the other end to hardware. At the hardware end I find a large electric kiln, some assorted lumber, storage bins, shower heads and a big sharpening device made by Makita. Among the domestic goods are bags of small hotels soaps, a pillow with a farm scene, a starfish in a small frame, a sponge shaped like a pineapple, two small plush dogs, a pair of squirt guns and a small clock set inside a piece of burled wood.
I buy nothing.

Pineapple shaped sponge.


















Estoria St. - Cabbagetown “Yard Sale”

This is a small and very quiet sale on the sidewalk in front of an old wood frame mill home. There is not a lot for sale here other than two reed porch chairs with a leopard pattern cushions, a few small flower pots, a red cabinet, some pillows, a set of wood shelves, a stack of VHS tapes and a dresser holding a vase and a box. Written on the box is “just bought at Ikea”
I bought nothing.












Savannah St. – Cabbagetown “Yard Sale”

This was a somewhat more extensive sale on the sidewalk outside another old Cabbagetown mill home. Here was an extensive selection of women and men’s clothing hung alongside a wooden fence. Other things gathered there included a coffee maker, a pair of novelty umbrellas with anime style faces on them, some faux fruit, a pair of lamps, and a frozen cocktail maker.
I bought a shirt for one dollar. When I later tired it on at home I found it to be a poor fit.





Faux fruit found near the old mill.

















Stylish Umbrella on the sidewalk of Cabbagetown.















Wadell St – Inman Park “Yard Sale”

I could tell this was more than just a yard sale when I arrived when I saw the presence of pink ribbons and red hats. This was another fund raising event for Breast Cancer a noble cause not only for the fine work they do but because it creates to so many fundraising yard sales. Today’s sale appeared to be organized by some friends of mine from Inman Park along with some Red Hat associates. While I did not ask I am being presumptuous about the Red Hat involvement. I make this statement simply because there were so many red hat accessories for sale here. Among them Red Hat tee shirts, throw pillows and jewelry. I could once again make the assumption that the sale involved women who were trying to empty their homes of RH paraphernalia. Regardless the sale extended from the street down the driveway to the rear of a large frame Victorian home. In the front I found parts of a drum kit, an array of purses set on the grass, a teal dinette set, some kids stuff and a pile of fake autumn leaves. In the driveway was a mixture of household goods, jewelry and home décor. I found a small George Foreman grill, a small TV set, a toilet seat still in its original box and the aforementioned Red Hat pillows. In the rear were women’s clothing, novelty salt and pepper shakers in the shape of wine glasses and a framed embroidered scene of a cat and a butterfly. Among some books were “Best Horse Stories”, “Herding Dogs”, “Real Estate Riches”, “The Landlord’s Handbook”, “How to Become a Medical Transcriptionist”, “The Culture Clash”, “Real Estate Loopholes”, “Hidden Evidence” and “The Lost Children of Hitler”.
Also in the rear I found more books, more artwork and a great view of the Atlanta skyline.
I bought nothing.

Drum and dinenette set in the front yard.













Red Hat pillows being sold for a good cause.












Feline art found at fundraiser.


















View of Atlanta in the morning sun from the rear of the sale.