SHOPPING: Playing Hooky - Rose Bowl Swap Meet

I recognized the signs.  At this time of year I am an absentee wife.  So many projects, working well into the night, details of projects and client needs filling my head so that I am often 'not there' even when I am actually in the same room.  My husband puts up with so much from me and my creative mind - and he knows what to expect for the holiday season - and still - I could tell he was feeling a little neglected.  <br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So before it got too crazy we decided to play hooky and have a day all to ourselves with no interference from family, friends or business - just my sweetie and me on a little vacation.  We hopped in the car and headed for Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Swap Meet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHp3rDBgSOv00JZxBGiRJ3e-VXtqsrVHvbHiPyvhRQQCWaXOJkVKu1TmZNZUH6-JRudcC8RMDB8-u2kVQjUOLs5sXxsgrscRxCFvQkS_hbwc8Ge6p8-srAigVaTFL_n277VD40CZNKU4/s1600/IMG_2492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHp3rDBgSOv00JZxBGiRJ3e-VXtqsrVHvbHiPyvhRQQCWaXOJkVKu1TmZNZUH6-JRudcC8RMDB8-u2kVQjUOLs5sXxsgrscRxCFvQkS_hbwc8Ge6p8-srAigVaTFL_n277VD40CZNKU4/s400/IMG_2492.JPG" yr="true" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74GwzYoPdXV4ggX95nWQUf2-vfaNFIxfTcA9-aqD_O2-0W0ZiF8GF67EiL_8t2dcQA2uHiErpPZSo0KrUVRZvoqR7OAkI6Q8fleTcUCUdCpT-RmzpR7wgq-ABEHYPNilQ8KLXzax0n14/s1600/IMG_2491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74GwzYoPdXV4ggX95nWQUf2-vfaNFIxfTcA9-aqD_O2-0W0ZiF8GF67EiL_8t2dcQA2uHiErpPZSo0KrUVRZvoqR7OAkI6Q8fleTcUCUdCpT-RmzpR7wgq-ABEHYPNilQ8KLXzax0n14/s640/IMG_2491.JPG" yr="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">He's awfully cute, isn't he?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Unhappily- the antique swap meet was a disappointment.  I was expecting a treasure trove of antiques, vintage and fabulous finds.  What I found was a lot of junk.  I wanted to see something wonderful I 'just had to have' - but found nothing I couldn't live without.  Keith was equally unimpressed.  There were only a few booths that were worth exploring.  We wondered if the economy had something to do with it, because we both remembered being blown away by this same swap meet when we had visited it several years ago.  </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7VKc4V0R2MWX5cBrmZc3DdZC-cN0Sh09gFkyXanHyvdnOBI0fcFAEGbOFWRV7QcUnBoaOU3mGqo7kgjYiqEfzn223cef9hI8x0DD4r2kCmySuL65qlcTkkLf6NXduNgiVOW8vQfGCpA/s1600/IMG_2494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7VKc4V0R2MWX5cBrmZc3DdZC-cN0Sh09gFkyXanHyvdnOBI0fcFAEGbOFWRV7QcUnBoaOU3mGqo7kgjYiqEfzn223cef9hI8x0DD4r2kCmySuL65qlcTkkLf6NXduNgiVOW8vQfGCpA/s400/IMG_2494.JPG" yr="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Still, we had fun, going up and down the isles, hand in hand, stopping to buy a hot dog and soda for $3 at a stand that had run out of mustard.  Even that couldn't dampen our spirits.   </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwPnWgBhxqPBcVhBcayyuAu1ryOTGjvljaC8hOEL9n9wQD8LHizgaukQumAXH9K-QI8ANp8wnTl4DErs8-kr4u45z4iOXU2im5_MrjL1g3Cf62I6uXlE0ozVCxK4lTT4jLzMoJ_MlzFY/s1600/IMG_2493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwPnWgBhxqPBcVhBcayyuAu1ryOTGjvljaC8hOEL9n9wQD8LHizgaukQumAXH9K-QI8ANp8wnTl4DErs8-kr4u45z4iOXU2im5_MrjL1g3Cf62I6uXlE0ozVCxK4lTT4jLzMoJ_MlzFY/s400/IMG_2493.JPG" yr="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I was looking for a vintage dress form and we found two in the style I wanted.  They both wanted way too much for them, so we moved on.   At the end of the day Keith said he wanted me to get one of the dress forms, so we went back to barter.  People were already packing up their stuff (best bartering time, as they don't want to pack it all back home). We got one dealer down $75 and ran to the other, which I liked better as it was more time worn, and she came down $100.   We paid her and carted off our treasure - which Keith promptly  named Matilda (I have no clue as to why) and carried her to the car.  Other than the hot dog, she was our only purchase.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvaPUmXG0rjEbEGP_BgRZ44vcuu2iA6Cse5fQ3G8mQ0rHEXqO-nYcjJvjlpSSxkcuN541EN4PbJJFlGuWu1q7kcDy8kA5mEy5O0wL9i5dezg1dtAx-DO6lSbmdehkh4OthgyG54Rvi9I/s1600/IMG_2495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvaPUmXG0rjEbEGP_BgRZ44vcuu2iA6Cse5fQ3G8mQ0rHEXqO-nYcjJvjlpSSxkcuN541EN4PbJJFlGuWu1q7kcDy8kA5mEy5O0wL9i5dezg1dtAx-DO6lSbmdehkh4OthgyG54Rvi9I/s400/IMG_2495.JPG" yr="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I'm excited to put Matilda in my office.  But that's another project for another day!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheN1OHa8G4RDX4Wtu-glhjV9YRGT3trLPm8zwgXaRP_ckPfaymlBnS9d6rEd6iz6FvDesAgHEEbu9d53yw6G8uhXDXoS1g3K0UybusKDlWA3TnCJYmP3_JL9xXQSyWUr_MA2yNWSrl_t8/s1600/IMG_2496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheN1OHa8G4RDX4Wtu-glhjV9YRGT3trLPm8zwgXaRP_ckPfaymlBnS9d6rEd6iz6FvDesAgHEEbu9d53yw6G8uhXDXoS1g3K0UybusKDlWA3TnCJYmP3_JL9xXQSyWUr_MA2yNWSrl_t8/s400/IMG_2496.JPG" yr="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Bailey was happy to see us on our return home.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /><br /></div>

SHOPPING: Playing Hooky - Rose Bowl Swap Meet

I recognized the signs.  At this time of year I am an absentee wife.  So many projects, working well into the night, details of projects and...

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