Five Years..............

I could say it all seems a blur, or perhaps that I should celebrate in some way but on August 8th Yard Sale Addict celebrated its fifth anniversary. Sounding like a bad parent I neglected posting for the past few weeks. I had returned to work, finished up work on a sculptural piece I’m doing and finished of a photo essay I’ve been working on for the last six months for an academic journal. Another excuse I could offer is that while my first post was on August 8th 2004 the site did not assume it’s current form that includes photographs until October of 2004. With that in mind I think I should declare the period between now and October the anniversary SEASON of Yard Sale Addict. Not to be self indulgent but over that time I will repost some old stuff, site statistics and act like an old man glorifying the past events in his life.
So what did I do? Well for one in my frenzy to get other things done I let my normally well-organized documentation go to hell. I did go to several yard sales, most of which were mediocre at best. A condition that does occur in mid summer here when it’s too hot and people are getting their kids ready to go back to school and those without kids are on vacation. So this week I have a hodgepodge of photos that I am not sure exactly where they came from other than they were taken over the last three weeks at sales near my home.


Somewhere in Morningside

Three weeks ago I wondered out aimlessly with no particular destination and no indication of where any really good sales were. Some signs led me to a section of Morningside where there were half a dozen small sales. None had anything of particular notable interest. I did see one sale, which had the worst street presentation I may have ever encountered in a nice neighborhood. At the bottom of the driveway a small collection of clutter was just piled up. A comforter was thrown over some item of furniture, bedclothes were loosely crammed into a plastic bin and other stuff looked like it was awaiting the trash collectors. The sale was active for at the top of the driveway a woman was sitting sipping a cup of coffee and looking quite bored. At least she would not have to carry the stuff down to the street after the sale to be picked up by the trash men.
I did buy some stuff in Morningside from some other sales. I picked up a leather coat for $5.00, a set of pencils to hand color photos for a dollar and a box of cardstock to use for library cards at work for 25 cents.

Pig's head somewhere in Morningside.
















8X10 glossy of Willie Nelson in bondage found at a location I can't recall.
















S. Ponce De Leon Ave – Yard Sale

This was one of the largest sales I attended three weeks ago. It was set up in front of the home of the Atlanta Boy Choir, an institution headquartered in one of the old mansions visible from Ponce De Leon Ave. I at first thought it was a fund-raiser for the choir but the lone gentleman running the sale told he lived here and now he had to move. According to local media the choir is in financial arrears so I don’t know why they are evicting some one who lived here. I also wonder what it is like to live in a place where you continually have to hear boys singing. I guess it’s like living next to the railroad tracks and you get used to it after a while. Any way I recall (keep in mind my normal well organized documentation methods are is out the window this week) here was a large supply of toys, a lot of candles, many classical Lps, some office furniture and a very ugly lamp with a figure of Paul Revere for the base.
I bought a wallet for Cindy for one dollar.
Disturbing game found outside Boy Choir headquarters.




















Moreland Ave. – Estate Sale
The following week I attempted to go to sales but poorly organized and the sales were disappointing. First I left the house with my long zoom on the camera instead of my normal lens. So I took no pictures at the first three sales I visited. I then went back home and got the correct lens and headed to a sale I had seen a sign for the night before. This was not really an estate sale but just an average yard sale. When I arrived there was a large group of Latino men and women snapping up goods here. On man jumped into a pose as soon as he saw me with my camera. The shoppers were far more entertaining than the sale itself. Here I found a disorderly pile of CDs, a box of faux wheat grass and an exercise kit that included a half dozen DVDs and a jump rope. I see more and more groups of Latino men as well as families in Atlanta shopping at sales in the past few years and they do seem to be having a good time for all the right reasons. Not only are yard sales a great way to furnish a new and perhaps temporary residence for émigrés workers but also I’m feel the small scale street business reminds them of their homelands. The families I see shopping are always picking up lots of very inexpensive toys, kitchen items and clothing. I hope yard sales are one of their fondest memories of the USA.


Pile of CDs.

















Somewhere in Kirkwood

I got an email on Sunday about this sale so I road my bike a few miles to a small home in Kirkwood only to have it start raining as soon as I arrived. One of the occupants of the home was moving and selling a lot of electronic gaming stuff such as a Wii and various hardware and software for Guitar Hero. They quickly pulled the stuff in to keep it dry. I quickly pedaled home for the same reason.