Antiques by the Bay

Adam and I went to the art and antique fair today in Alameda and had a great time. At first I didn't think that Adam would be able to come with me but it turned out that he could. So we got up bright and early this morning and left at 8:15. We arrived at about 9:20. It was perfect timing because we got in the car line close to the entrance gate and looked in the rear view mirror and the cars were lined up big time. I don't know how that all worked out but it was great. And then the same thing happened when we got in line to buy our tickets to get in. I brought my little wheel cart after a little hesitation but as soon as I got it out of the car the women in the car next to us were complaining to their husbands "Look! She has a cart. See, I told you we should have brought ours!" Adam and I thought that was pretty funny.

Adam had never been to a flea market before and kept asking me "what are we really going to do for 5 hours there?" I said "you'll see." And boy did we see!!! There was much good stuff, so much crazy stuff, and everything in between. We guessed there were about 30-35 good sized booths in every row and 25 rows with thousands of people. Some stuff was a good price and some was expensive but we got a good haul for the price.

The fair was held on an old air base. It was on the runway and while we were there an airplane flew over (actually many flew over considering Oakland and San Fran airports were very close) that looked like it belonged.

Adam and I did some bartering. He did most of it and the first time I tried, the women told me I was rude for asking for less. Adam said she bit the head off of the guy right before me as well. Now that's not a good business plan but I did notice that he bought whatever he was asking about. I did not.

Overall the day was a success. It was a bit chilly, very breezy, and threatened rain most of the day but we had prepared for it. We spent about $100 including the entry fee and food. Here is my haul… 2 quilts, 2 glass things from electric fence, 5 embroidered linens, 3 aprons, cast iron cross, cast iron green roses key hook, metal pyramid stand, blue wood goose (named Claude), and a conch shell. I am going to use some of the stuff for other projects, like a quilt or pillows.