Sept. 4, 2004 Saturday

Lake Claire, Howard Circle

No one else is at this first sale perhaps its because some of the signs are facing the wrong direction. A small sale with a few things in the driveway and the garage. A crystal chandelier is priced at $100. An original painting, that I thought was by someone I know. But it was not. The owner says she purchased it at an art fund raiser after she had a few too many drinks. She wants to part with it because it has dogs on it and she is a cat person.. The seller has a ceramic Mexican fire pot for $20. I buy a bicycle pump for $2. After leaving the sale I call my wife she says to go back and buy the firepot. I return later but it’s sold.

Decatur, Scott Blvd.

Posters proclaim this to be “ The Yard sale of Death”. Isn’t that really what an estate sale is? The sale is on Scott, a busy four lane street. I at first believe the death part to be the risk you take pulling your car off the road to park then pulling or backing onto Scott Blvd. Down a long driveway and past a large water garden, while a radio blares a Rod Stewart song, two men have a large yard full of items. Normally gay men are a good source of used clothes for me. They are more apt to sell clothes when they are out of style instead of when they are simply falling apart as is the case with straight men. On of my mottos is “Never buy used shoes from a straight man” But here there is very little that fits me. I do find a water garden fountain pump. We attempt to test it but it doesn’t work. Latter the seller says he’s gotten it working and I look in the pond to see a jet of water shooting from the pump. I tell him I need to talk to my wife first since she said she really wanted one with a filter. There are some souvenir dolls from Bulgaria that seem out of place. I see a box of lice treatment. I start thinking maybe its good I didn’t find any clothes. They are selling a Dish Network receiver (a new tech item I’m seeing more of). I realize latter that one of the sellers is in hair care. But then the books give me an indication that perhaps the yard sale of death was aptly named, there are books of Coping with Aids, and on Death and Dying (Not Kubler Ross but some pop imitator.) Was this yard sale partially an estate sale? Is it perhaps a sort of money making wake, celebrating the death of a friend or lover by getting rid of a lot of old clothes, books and CDs. I did not ask. There were also two books on sex one gay one straight and a book on personal references.

Lake Claire, Ridgecrest Ct.

This is an inside the house sale, that had a newspaper ad stating that early birds would be charged double. While I believe nothing is too harsh for those annoying early birds, this seller just could not get the sale together on time or even this weekend. Mostly it’s a lot of unsorted stuff scattered around the living room. The seller takes me aside and asked me what I’m looking for; when I tell her old paper items and documents she looks at me puzzled. I tell here like postcards and brochures, especially from businesses that are no longer around. She tells me there’s a menu for Mammy’s Shanty some where around here but she can’t find it this week, but she will be having another sale next week. When I try to take a box of glue sticks and a scissors from a box of office supplies she tells me she’s not selling them. I browse and find s a video of “ Inside the Playboy Mansion” as well as “Buns of Steel”, a copy of Death in Venice among a lot of old pop novels. Under a box s is a Web TV receiver. Outside in the yard is a pile of baskets and a broken looking telescope. A car parked in the drive way has a Yard Sale Today sign on it proclaiming "inside house". On the car’s doors in block letters is written “Palm and Psychic Readings” along with a telephone number .
I bought nothing


Inman Park Waverly Way

This sale at two big Inman park homes is announced as a multi family sale but its mostly one sale in a yard with the guy next store putting a few things in his own yard. The smaller sale has mostly children’s clothes and some old Lonely Planets including Costa Rica and Nepal.
The main sale included books such as How to Aggravate a Man, The Warren Buffet Way as well as two books on mastiffs. Two boxes contained old copies of Wine Spectator. There were two books on wedding planning as well as some never used paper wedding decorations. Also unused are some oversized BBQ tongs and spatulas (perhaps wedding gifts. if the wedding ever took place). There was also one of those old corner sinks, a basket of tennis rackets, and one of those highly touted but questionable ionic breeze air filters. (Perhaps to remove the odors and dander caused by the mastiffs) I bought nothing.

Poncy Highlands, Street unknown

This was a very small sale. But the sign in front of the house was on a very nice vintage yellow Austin Healy, the kind with the little flip up windows. There was hardly anything here. A strange nude wood sculpture, and old glass door and a large industrial coffee maker. The seller did have an old framed Railroad map but it was priced at $30. I bought nothing.

Poncy Highlands- Bonaventure Ave.

It’s strange to go to sales at homes of people you know who no longer reside there. Larry Tee , NYC DJ and former Now Explosion member lived in this house with a number of other people I once knew. I think Romeo Cologne latter lived here. There is no evidence of them living here now. Lots of kid’s things including a box of Berenstain Bears books, an interactive Nancy Drew CD Rom, clip on cat ears, a box of LPs including Johnny Winter and Mountain. I buy nothing.

At the end of the day I have purchased three cds from the yards sale of death. One by an Italian pop singer, one of 50's jazz and another of 30's and 40's French accordian music.