400 Mile Yard Sale

Actually the 321 yard sale is now longer than that, since it has been extended to Chicago from it's beginning point of Gadsden, AL. Susan and I made a trek on Saturday to Collinsville and then on up to Dogtown which is on the yardsale trail. We have made some part of this trip a few times before in the 10 years of the sale. I could not tell the crowds have diminished any on the 30 or so miles that we made. Each crossroads that you come to is packed with individuals and dealers who are trying to unload all sorts of things. The one most impressive item in the "cannot afford" category that I found was a really fine brass bell from a locomotive. I think it was $475. The same guy had a huge ship's compass that was $1200 and the bill of a "sawfish". Perhaps the more odd things were the people who were selling and buying the goods. The buy of the day was likely some nice new golf type shirts that we bought Dad for $1. The same guy had a whole big tent full of over run tshirts that were all $1. Restrooms are in short supply on the route, and one of our better stops was at a volunteer fire dept. that advertised their relief stop. They had small baskets of tomatoes and bags of blueberries(mmmmm) for $1 inside. My frivilous purchase of the day was made at the Collinsville Flea Mkt. before our getting to the yardsale. I found a 10 ft real leather bullwhip for $20 and couldn't pass it up. No, I am not going to use it on Susan. I had one when I was a boy that I used often on the bumblebees that came to the red berry(nandina) bushes Mom had in front of our house. I can still crack it pretty good and when I got home I destroyed the leaves from a limb on the poplar tree in our yard. Sunday, my shoulder was sore. Guess I am not the young "whippersnapper"(Papa Courington's phrase for Billy and I) that I used to be. Hope you have a great day.