Gone To The Beach: 03.24.2023

Friday, March 24, 2023

Out and About ~ Spring Shopping

Oh we had soooo much fun!

Hi everyone. Spring shopping is like spring cleaning but more fun. The day started with a plan to run errands with my friend L, just like old times. First on our list was to drop donations at the church for their sale. The market was only open for drop offs, or so we thought. A nice man came to help with L's boxes and we followed him inside to get new flyers with the 2023 schedule. Now usually the church ladies are very forbidding :"No peeking", but the man showed us the open door to the gym/ sales floor and waved us in. "Go on, go on, you can look, take a look!" L and I exchanged glances, shrugged and tiptoed in. Imagine a flea market all to ourselves. And I had not been to a flea market since before Covid, more than 3 years. [you may recall flea market hunting is my all time fava thing to do!]

Note the sign, "Good Stuff".

I think the guy was very proud of his Irish themed St Paddy's Day displays, so cute.

Imagine having shamrock themed bone china for your corned beef and colcannon each year.

Many fun things. I thought these cradles would be adorable painted a primitive color and filled with folded dolly quilts.

Esp loved the bow one.

Continuing the bow theme:

Flow blue bowl or cache-pot, redware hen w polka dots.

I wish I'd bought her, but she is just the kind of item I do NOT need.

Various large glass jars [for seaglass]. More behind the hen, above. Loved the honey hive one. All too heavy for me to carry that day though

This was a huge beauty! Looked handblown, though modern of course.

More ''treasures'', noted not purchased.

NO German paper eggs. I usually find one here.

There's always at least one truly ''white elephant" item at these sales! Seashell ornaments--the colors, omigosh.Note the price. What were they? Pretty blue striped linen runner under that bowl. And actually not a bowl, a nice farmhouse tin screen strainer? Glass starfish hidden behind it too. [below]

Sadly I had NO cash at all and L only one large bill to share. I did find two beautiful fishing floats.

and an unusually small Murano glass fish., $10.oo borrowed from L for everything.

L snapped up a beautiful cut crystal vase and platter.

Which she elegantly filled with Trader Joe finds.

We left happy, and promised to return soon with donations. I like giving to this church because the funds are used for community programs like nursery school, kids' sports, AA and other meetings. Not for profit like Goodwill, much as I enjoy Goodwill.

............................

We were so stoked by the fun of the flea that we went on a few miles north to check out a new-to-me spice store I see on Instagram. Their website is slick and enticing, so I was expecting a spice and tea shop like I loved in Brooklyn, all blond wood, green plants, fancy spotlighting, and airtight glass canisters of spices. Where I could find fresh sweet paprika that would be carefully spooned into tiny envelopes. Ha! Instead it was a parking lot where the Spice Guy from the farmers market sets up his van.

There's an outdoor display and a wish list; you fill it out and a few hours later knock on the back door where your order is handed to you [surreptitiously]. Nothing wrong with that really, quite entrepreneurial. But the jars are huge, like Costco spices. Maybe a big pint volume? That's enough paprika to last me twenty years, I laughed.

so no....

We went to Trader Joe's instead, a different smaller store. Oh do they have cheeses!

My current faves.

Lovely spring asparagus and artichokes.

Truly authentic excellent spring rolls, something I love.

And speaking of Brooklyn days, kibbee! That's for tonight, with a butternut squash couscous. [both kibbee and couscous were awful! Disappointing after big success of spring rolls and other treats.]

Flowers, esp the Irish daffodils I had been hoping for. $1.oo a dozen!

Another day we hit Home Goods again. It was a smidge chaotic, less home décor, more food, cards and gift wrap. Too bad. I stocked up on pasta and Easter things, which I will save to show you closer to the holiday.

The sun is shining, Mo and I are on our way out. We were thrilled yesterday to find forsythia in bloom And very early daffodils in full bloom in a sunny, but sheltered spot.