My Adventure at the Pasadena City College Flea Market (June 2011 edition)
Words to live by.
Today, my friends, I had what Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted Theodore Logan once deemed, an excellent adventure at the Pasadena City College Flea Market!
My Adventure at the Pasadena City College Flea Market
The weather was perfect as I started out this morning - warm, but with a cool breeze around the edges. By midday, it got somewhat warmer, but the breeze was still able to keep things bearable and rather pleasant. Taking a page from the boyscouts' manual, I came prepared, having slathered myself in sunscreen, brought a hat and a change of clothing, and loaded up on bottled water. To have all these necessities at my immediate disposal in my fabbo new duffle bag made looking around that much easier and more enjoyable.
Having witnessed a literal buttload of awesomesauce today, this will be a long and image-heavy post, so sit back with your favorite drink and come along with me!
Loved this necklace. Have nowhere to wear it, but I still loved looking at it!
Oh, the 70s, you so crazy! And kids these days think that they invented "randomness."
Saw two more "Campus Cuties" today and this one is my absolute favorite. I made the fatal bargain hunter's error of gasping with delight upon viewing her. I'm certain the dealer heard me, so my price would've been $25 for the set, but the next bored shopper may have gotten a better deal. After having seen two others at a previous show in the same condition for $3 a pop, I couldn't fathom paying this much today, even for my favorite.
You may remember this awesome rock god statue (better photo here) from a previous flea market. Note the surreptitious placing of the bow over the dude's junk, which is straining quite prominently out of his tight 70s jeans. He's just too potent for his own good!
Having such a fondness for him, something possessed me to ask about the history of this guy. It turns out he was part of an estate sale held by a wealthy octogenarian. The dealer wanted $90, but would go down to $75. If I had money to burn and a house to put him in, Mr. Rock God would so be mine. I'd put him on his own shelf in my library, and pat his magical junk for luck.
And here's Rock God's girlfriend, who was splaying on a table nearby. I love the liquidy lines of this piece and how her hair flows with her body. Oh, to look like that.
Yet another beautiful doll from one of my favorite dealers whose booth is always stocked with rare and unique Asian treasures. Again, if I had a disposable income, I'd buy a full Hina Doll set and have it displayed in another corner of this same fantasy library where Mr. Rock God and his magic junk live. *sighs* I can dream.
Oh Bob, you are my dream man. Now to build a time machine and venture back to 1945. Wonder what he looks like now?
I always love that some attendees make the commitment to dress up in period costumes to peruse the aisles. This month's show was especially riddled with these "cosplayers," if you will and I was able to get this surreptitious shot of two of them.
Amazingly, just as I turned into another aisle, one of the men in the above photo materialized right nearby, and gladly posed for me. I told him he was the near-spitting image of Bertie Wooster from P.G. Wodehouse's wonderful Jeeves tales. Although he hadn't heard of them (for shame!), he thanked me kindly all the same.
And now, we interrupt our regularly scheduled program to bring you another installment of...
Dolls That May Come Alive in the Middle of the Night and Kill You
Never trust a doll with shifty painted eyes.
This baby doll is biding its time, waiting for that perfect moment when you shut your eyes...for good!!!
What is with these super-creepy jointed dolls? I think it's because somewhere deep down, you realize that if they do indeed come alive, they'd move pretty damned fast. Escape would be futile from these netherworldly creatures, but you'd run away screaming all the same!
You may remember me mentioning this dealer in a previous entry who had loads of photos, negatives, and other ephemera, which prominently featured The Mamas and the Papas as well as loads of other subjects. Today, the dealer had only a handful of prints left, having sold the majority at the previous shows! I almost bought this contact sheet, as I love the model's hair and her various poses.
Apparently, my ex-husband was cool before anyone else caught on. He used to wear a Members Only jacket just like this for years back in the day. Although, his wearing one was more necessity and less irony.
This is an ad from the 70s trying to (lewdly) persuade store owners to advertise this brand of avocados. In exchange, the avocado growers would give them a teeny-tiny piece of grove somewhere in the world. Half-naked woman not included, unfortunately. It's too bad the ad was $10, because the copy is absolutely priceless. It notes that this aforementioned woman will apparently be waiting patiently by the mailbox for your clip-out form below. Love it.
Speaking of naughty books and such, the dealer I discovered at the last show who had the hilariously (and wonderfully alliteratively) titled tome, Bob Balaban's Hip Handbook of Nifty Moves was there again today, so I was able to expound upon the awesomeness of his wares to him directly. Perhaps I should just buy Mr. Balaban's opus, so I can acquire some "nifty moves" of my own.
Join us for another...
Art Interlude...
Ah, unnecessary nudity, a welcome staple of the PCC Flea Market!
Although Dali-esquely bizarre, I kinda liked this piece.
Mamas, don't let your cowboys grow up to be paintings...
This poor statue looked so uncomfortable. You would too if your scrotum was impaled by a metal pipe.
This photo is dying for a caption, isn't it? Suggest away in the comments, my friends!
You know your marriage is in trouble if the groom looks gloomy in the wedding photo! This was part of the wonderful ephemera of a dealer with whom I first became acquainted at the Glendale Community College Swap Meet last month. She was the same dealer with this fun photo of the happy-go-lucky friend sitting on the wooden cowboy's lap. Great stuff.
Also attending this month's show were the wonderfully serene-looking Buddhist monks from a nearby monastery. I always love seeing them in their bright orange robes. One of them had this really nifty satchel and I almost asked where he got it, but...yeah. Probably not available to the general public. XD
It was a treat seeing these guys again, especially since one of them was wearing aviator sunglasses with his robes and the monk in the photo above is toting his purchases around in a Forever 21 bag. Love it.
These tiny little river otter figures are so cute until you realize their fur is probably from the real thing. *shudder*
There is something so delightfully amusing about this jacket photo. The fact that the author's last name is Knickerbocker has something to do with it, as well as the smug, "I wrote a book and you didn't" look on his face. The author bio begins, "Charles H. Knickerbocker, the author of this book..." - as opposed to someone else? XD Perhaps I should have bought Mr. K's opus, which was described as a delightful tale of an eccentric doctor who breaks all the rules to get results. Eat your heart out, Gregory House.
Oh hello, it's me!
I felt really pretty and cute wearing my La Cañada softball shirt I bought yesterday for five measly dollars at the Goodwill. On the other hand, I was a little anxious about some potential conversations that might involve having to explain my somewhat "false advertising."
Thankfully, no one asked me what position I play on the team, but I did have one of the vendors shout out, "Congratulations on your win yesterday!" To which I heartily replied, "Thank you!" LOL. I am not a member of the team, but I do adore La Cañada, so by proxy, I guess I love the team, too. Must attend one of their games now.
All in all, this was a fantastic day and I had an absolute blast! Hope you enjoyed coming along with me!