flea market finds

Our trip to California last weekend wasn’t all that we expected it to be. Several of the vendors we hoped to see were not there, including “the boys” Dustin and Christian who own Uber Chic Home, and Martin and Trinidad of Atelier de Campagne. Turns out they were at the Three Speckled Hens Antiques Show in Paso Robles. In addition to that, it was HOT! You know how I hate to travel away from hot Arizona to where it should be cooler and end up still being HOT somewhere else!

Although the Rose Bowl Flea Market was a bit of a disappointment this time around, Sheila and I still came home with plenty of happy finds. Some were found at the Rose Bowl, others at various shops along Main Street in Ocean Beach. Where, by the way, you can also find this sketchy Hippy Hostel, just in case you are looking for lodging,

On to the Happy Finds… (plus a fun bonus at the end of the post)

Four seriously awesome antique English crocks. These things are all the rage and often very expensive. Mine was a steal. The vendor told me that he has a guy who digs them up out of the River Thames. Seriously, it’s common practice. Read THIS little blog post to learn more.

I purposely picked out the most aged and crackly ones he had.

They have so much character and history!

And since I bought three, the vendor threw in this little chippy and cracked one for free. That sweet gesture totally made my day.

Next up, ribbons and a huge French trophy

This may have to be my last trophy for a while. I’ve now got more than a dozen…

… more than a baker’s dozen… closing in on twenty. Yes, this is the last …. for now.

A stereoscope. Dave, Marissa, and I had seen one that we wanted to buy at Alameda, but the guy was asking too much for it.

The vendor in Pasadena was not only asking for a reasonable price…

… he also threw in over 65 photo cards, including a sweet little Christmas set of 20, and a booklet on the history of the stereoscope.

I couldn’t pass up on this silverplate sugar pot with a lid. The patina and the lion head handles called out to me.

I’m always drawn to vintage French linens.

I’ve saved the best for last. These two final items are my favorites. The banana box was found in Ocean Beach. I spotted it on a top shelf and said to Sheila, “Oh my gosh, look at that!” We pulled it down and examined it. I told her that she should get it. She thought about it and then said no. I said, “Do you want to put it back up on the shelf?” When she said yes to that, I said, “OK, then I’m getting it.”

Later that same evening, as we were just hanging out after dinner, reading on the sofa. I was going through one of her many Country Living magazines and I yelled out, “Oh my God, Sheila, Look at this!!!”

Yep, right there on the printed page, a Midwestern version of my banana box. (I’ve been to St. Joseph, MO. Traveled there on a private chartered jet for a birthday party on a riverboat, in fact. I have a story about an antique chair I didn’t get and have been pining for ever since.

Lastly, this amazing red Fairbanks scale with weights. The vendor said it came from her father’s defunct amusement park, Playland Pier, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

That made it all the more appealing to me since my sister-in-law and four nephews and their families live in Coeur d’Alene. She said that the scale was used to weigh coins. Instead of individually counting or rolling all the coins brought in by the rides and vending machines, they were weighed on this scale to “count” the coins.

The weights are especially cool. There are three 2-pound and one 1-pound weight and each has a different number of indentations on the top. I assume that additional small round weights were added in the indents to slightly increase the weight.

Here are a couple of photos of the long-since closed Playland Pier, where my scale is presumably from. Gotta love getting something with a cool history.

A little bonus: This is a super cool site listing all sorts of long-lost but not forgotten tourist attractions throughout the west, including many from Arizona. Check it out and fun reminiscing.