Yard Sale Addict: Bicycling in a Heat Wave 8/12/07

A mass of warm air has been hovering over Atlanta for over a week now and the 100 + degree temperatures are unbearable. The air has become stagnant and foul and Cindy warns me to stay inside for the worst of it. On normal weekend days my yard sale activities are normally followed by a long bike ride through local neighborhoods. Instead of facing the stifling afernoon heat (and bad air) I combine my yard sale and biking activities this morning.

Glendale Ave. Candler Park “Moving Sale”
I first cruise by a sale on nearby Page Ave but since they are still in the early stages of setting up I head over towards this sale near Dekalb Ave. The sale was inside an old brick building that housed a hair salon. The signs leading me there proclaimed that it was an air-conditioned event which was good advertising considering the forecast 102 degree temperatures today. Inside the salon were several tables and shelves of very clean and somewhat exotic clutter. The seller appeared to have a taste for tiki style. The artifacts ranged from oversized tiki carvings to animal skin print fabrics. On the walls were several Nagel prints, which now in a salon must be considered either retro or classic. On one wall was what appeared to be a coat rack made of manikin arms. Among some books were “Point of Origin” “It”, “The Idiot’s Guide to New Product Development”, “Aphrodite”, “The Soup Cookbook”, “The Tao of Pooh”, “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me”, “Real Moments” and “War and Peace”. In addition to all this there was a large selection of barware some women’s clothing and a pair of large lamps with cherubs on them.
I bought a copy of Isabel Allende’s “Aphrodite” which the seller packed in a very attractive zebra print gift bag.

Coat rack of arms.

Candler Park Dr. _ Candler Park “Yard Sale”

I left the coolness of the salon and pedaled a few blocks to the dead end of Candler Park Dr. Here in the shade of a large oak in front of a large craftsman bungalow was a medium sized sale just being set up. Among the stuff were bags of obscure plastic fantasy figures, two very old plush poodles, a novelty wall clock that said “I’ve used up all my sick days so I’m calling in dead”, a plush moose, a button that said “If you ain’t cowboy you ain’t shit”, and a racy “Sweet Suga Mama” Halloween costume still in its original bag. Among some books were “Magnet Therapy”, “The Art of Sexual Ecstasy”, “The Art of Scrying” and “The Prescription Encyclopedia”
Leaning against one of the tree trunks were several large framed photographs of Marilyn Monroe, a framed assembled jigsaw puzzle of Monroe and a mirror framed in marabou.
I bought nothing.

Retro plush toys in Candler Park.

Page Ave. Candler Park “Tag Sale – Four Queens Liquidation”

I was very impressed in seeing the signs that proudly professed gender identity as well as higher prices for early birds. This was the sale I had stopped at earlier but I did not want to irate the sellers as they set up. When I returned later in the morning they had finished setting up but a lot of the stuff had already been sold. Here on a side street off of Page, along the side walk the sellers had set up a well organized collection of men’s clothing, home furnishings, a selection of small mirrors with ornate frames, a miniature golf bag, a pirates head carved from a coconut husk, a skateboard and some stemware still in its original box. Among some books I found “100 Best Companies for Gays and Lesbians”, “The T Factor Diet”, “Queen of the Damned”, “Kiss the Girls”, “Cutting Loose” and “Nobody Knows”.
I bought a pair of size 32 men’s shorts hoping that I had gotten down to that size this summer. But when I arrived home I found they were still a bit too tight.

Head found at sale.

Hosea Williams Ave. – Kirkwood “Giant Fund Raiser Sale”

Later in the day when it was nearing 100 degrees, I got into my air-conditioned Camry to visit this sale held to help raise money for local writer Doug Deloach’s liver transplant. Doug did well with the transplant but his medical costs are through the roof. The event had started a day earlier so I missed a lot of the more interesting stuff they had out. But there was still a pick up truck full of CD’s and books that had been donated by a local newspaper. Among the remaining goods I found some melting chocolates in the shape of Nascar stock cars, a broken lopper, a few boxes of Rice-a-roni, some knitting supplies and a set of mugs in the shape of Santa’s head.
The sale raised a good bit of money to help with his expenses but much more is needed.