Treasure Hunting

Leaving Willy at home, we decided to go on garage sale safari this morning. This is the first time this year that we’ve done so, which is another indication of how different our thinking has been than in the previous years. The morning skies were cloud-free, and this seemed like a fun way to start our day.
I admit it: I used to hate both thrift stores and garage sales. The thought of poking around in someone else’s junk just never held any appeal for me. Of course, this all changed about three years ago when I bought a formidable component stereo system for only $110.
When thrifting, Mary and I present an excellent balance of interests. I’m primarily on the lookout for graphic design, desktop publishing and photography books. Computer hardware and software, photography equipment, and office supplies can also pique my interest, but it’s far rarer to find any of these items whose value or condition hasn’t depreciated them below my sidewalk’s curb. Mary’s always on the lookout for that “hootie” something. She dreams of a workplace suitable for restoring and working on furniture, but for now she has to restrain herself. Of course, her veracious appetite for books and costume jewelry, coupled with their abundant availability, almost always means she means she has something to browse.
Anyways, a few hours of driving around frantically proved far less rewarding than the eventual trip to the Downtown Seattle Goodwill. The miscellaneous stream of garage sales seemed to share a common theme of baby clothes and antique computers. From the Goodwill, however, I picked up a beautiful cloth and leather, zippered Franklin Covey daytimer, which now replaces the standard-issue, “pleather” one I’ve used for years. (New, these binders usually retail from $65 to $110 USD, so I consider paying $1.99 a significant bargain!)
Other little treasures from our trip include a little hard-bound, mint-condition sketch book (a welcome addition to my little book bag), a plastic bag of about three dozen spiral binder combs, and a small cribbage board