127 Road trip Take 2 - Day 3

It started to pour as we were eating breakfast and continued to pour off and on for a couple of hours :( Around 10:30 things started to clear up and we finally made our way out to the sales south of Florence.

Wildlife saved: We rescued a turtle that was about to launch itself into four fast lanes of traffic.

Possible Jerry Garcia sighting: Imagine an old large-sized dude with really long grey hair and beard. He also looked like a hippy. Wish I had a photo.

Fellow Big Lebowski fan: Imagine a tall, skinny 30-ish dude with REALLY long straight hair, wearing a "The dude abides" t-shirt. Again, wish I had a photo.

New learning: Americans get thirsty! So much so they need a 3 L bottle of pop!

Seen: Big ass jar of marbles!

Alternative spellings:  Saw a sign for "sewer" machines as well as these below

Distance travelled: probably only 10 miles. At the most. Really.

Fun finds: Strawberry Shortcake dolls, Pacman patch, red Nintendo game, Snork, mermaid smurfette and of course more video games!  Also... an original 1966 Hot Wheels in the bargain bin for only 50 cents!

127 Sale - Take 2 - Day 2

Now that car space is at a premium we are much more picky about what we buy. Kinda.

Funniest item: hand carved dog pooping with sign that said "no dumping"

Signs of note: "Man Sale", "Guns and Ammo", people who aren't ashamed of what they are selling and people who did not use the speak and spell as a child (see below)

Interesting person: Met Mr. Hoff, a 62 year old self proclaimed local history buff who proceeded to let us know (among MANY other things) that St. Mary's Lake is man-made and those who dug it did do for 25 cents per day plus a drink of alcohol and they used to drill for oil in the lake. Mr. Hoff carries around copies of his family tree in his truck and can trace his roots in the US back to 1644. (youtube video to follow soon)

Overheard: "I don't even own a 9 mm but I buy ammo whenever I see it 'cause I have the right to protect my property and when they take that away from me..."

New vocabulary: "zukes" = zucchinis and "maters" = tomatoes. Also, WTF is apparently now widely accepted among everyone as part of the English language

Did not buy: vintage Playboy puzzle

Bought: more video games, Mr Men figures, Scooby Doo books, Super Mario figures and more

Money spent: a lot less than yesterday

127 Road Trip - Take 2 - Day 1

We had so much fun on the 127 yard sale last year that we just had to do it again. We started off early by shopping at Savers outside of Toledo (this is the US Value Village).

We almost got into big trouble when I dropped our credit card down the skinny space beside the parking break. Luckily that day was saved by my ingenuous idea of using the sticky part of a ladies pad to retrieve it!

Here's a quick summary of our first day of salin':

Highlight of the day: house just off the 127 on the north side of Sherwood, Ohio which had dozens of bins full of every kind of toy you can imagine! Fisher Price, Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Bright, video games, Teddy Ruxpin... it was like an out door 1980's Toys R Us with garage sale prices!  Loved it. Doubt anything will ever top it.

 Some people were willing to trade:

Cool finds: Fisher Price Sesame Street set, Tupperware spice jars, glo friends, Jarts (these are for you Bill!), and LOTS of video games!  We estimate that we accumulated roughly 50 games... and these were later added to by our friends who really managed to wring a deal out of the vendors.

Friend finds that they generously gave to us (Thank you! :) Smurfs! Video games!  Pac Man Tray, Jaws 3D cards, and so much more!

New vocabulary: 

"dip" = chewing tabacco (there is a misconception that this doesn't exist in Canada. It does. But most of us are too smart to chew it).

We say "bag" they say "sac".

Interesting people:

Met a woman who is 43 yrs old AND a grandma! She was very nice and friendly and thought that when she visited Canada in the 1980s we hadn't been born yet. I think we have our sunglasses to thank for hiding our wrinkles from her.

Drive thru booze stores:

For when you're too drunk to get out of your car.

Food missed: Donuts in Celina :(

Glad we didn't buy: used rat traps

Wish we had room for:

Wedding leftovers:

Loved the free sugar cookies from Julie and Freddy Peebles wedding. Big thanks to Julie's mom for letting us park way too long in her driveway.

Deja vu: Saw the Atari console and games set that we passed on last year. It is now on sale for $100, down from $125.  Thankfully I picked up a good condition unit for $40 in Peterborough last year.

Priciest non-road vehicle item: 1950s John Deere toy tractor for $1150.

Miles travelled: Too many

Money spent: Too much

All of our day 1 booty. Probably day 1 - 4 booty because the car is bursting already!

HWY 127 Yard Sale - Day Two

Day two involved us making it just across the border into Kentucky.  I think we travelled a bit further than yesterday, but honestly we are splitting hairs on this.

In order to keep our sanity, we came up with some HWY 127 yard sale rules.  We came up with these while waiting for our dinner.  The rules are as follows:

1:  No crap/nothing junky.  In other words, no new toys, costume jewellery, clothes, crafts, and specifically no toilet paper comforters.

2:  We must both agree before we stop.  Each party has the right to veto, however each party also has the right to override the veto 3x per day.

3:  If one party has declared the yardsale a bust, or has cleaned it out of perceived value, then that party may invoke the "complete" clause.  At this time, the aforementioned party must inform the other party that he/she has 5 (five) minutes to vacate the yardsale or forfeit one of their 3 (three) daily vetos as aforementioned in rule #2.

Hopefully with these rules in effect, both parties will be able to traverse the entire 650 miles with their marriage still intact.  Both parties have both been sworn in by means of an affidavit and will find this contract legally binding in a court of law.

A few things are starting to become apparent the further south we go in the US:
1) Americans have a fear of lightning (multiple lightning rods per house with wire wrapping around the house and then leading to the ground)
2) English words often get shorter to the point that the English is nearly unrecognizable.  For example; tomatoes become "maters".
3) Americans (and sometimes myself since I'm half) really have no idea what the letter Z is when pronounced "zed".  Also, why did Dominoes Pizza need our postal code?  Apparently we were the first to EVER not give the standard zip code.

Yard Sale wise we are getting REALLY tired of all of the old/cheesy Christmas decorations.  Honestly it is like an incurable disease in that you must go through all 7 steps before finally reaching "acceptance".  All this junk makes Christmas seem like a nightmare that you can't wake up from... unless of course there is an extreme shortage of Christmas decoration.  If you ever find yourself needing some, look no further than heartland America.  It is really sick.

AND the Happy Meal toys still in the package!  Apparently people are deluded into thinking someone else might actually want one of these.  Please, after Sunday when the sale is over, put them into a landfill where they can rest in peace for the next 2000 years.  They are a horrible memory of humanity, and the sooner we can get their millennia long decomposition started as soon as possible! 

Some people REALLY don't like Obama.  This picture was taken in Ohio where some people don't like health care.  I can understand how that is wrong as Americans should be FREE to choose not to have healthcare.  It is what the forefathers had in mind when they wrote the bloody constitution!

Not as impressive as yesterdays haul, but I did pick up a Tonka payloader for $15.  I saw several others in the same condition for $80, which brings me to another point I feel I must make.  To all yardsale vendors:  by definition of a yardsale, people are looking to get things CHEAP!!!... not for you to take everything off Ebay and charge the same amount.  It isn't my job to put your kids through school.  Items must be priced so that the merchandise can move.  There is a reason you have a yardsale, because no one is buying your crap at the inflated book value.  Just because some jerk pulled one over on some clown in swampland Florida doesn't mean it is actually worth that amount!  There are 4000 other yard sales we have to hit... we want your crap cheap or we are moving on.

But perhaps the best find of the trip so far was this  Sega Genesis game that we purchased for the Segadude.  I hope he doesn't already have this, and if he does... well words can't describe my disappointment :(  I hope that you love Barney as much as he apparently loves you.  Have fun playing hide and seek.




In Summary:

Total Day Two distance covered: 141 miles
Total money spent: $45.85
Items we wished we could have bought: baby goats, whole watermelons, 1960s full size firetruck, Chinese RPG, bear trap (not to actually use)
Items we regret not buying: Grandizer, 1950s Buick hood ornament
Overpriced: Fisher Price Little People and related paraphernalia
Purchased, but authenticity in doubt: bottle of Holy Water for $1

Wish us luck on Day 3 as we make our way south.

HWY 127 Yard Sale - Day One

As we have emptied the Robinsby Acres coffers into our house, we were under the notion that there would be no exotic trips this summer; and then we heard about the 650 mile yard sale that takes place on HWY 127 in the United States.  That's right... 650 miles (Michigan to Alabama) through America's heartland; where everybody's junk shifts from one owner to the next, and in our case imported into Canada!

We thought we would be up to the task and might make it from end to end figuring that there would be a yard sale every 5 miles or so.  Oh how wrong we were!  In reality, there is more like 7 - 10 garage sales per mile, and at this rate we will be lucky to leave Ohio let alone make it to Alabama... especially since SOMEONE (my wife) must carefully rummage through each individual trinket in hopes of finding that one gem.  Meanwhile I'm either tapping my imaginary watch at her or complaining that i haven't eaten breakfast yet. Well that is a bit of an exaggeration, but as I'm the one writing this you will only hear my side of the story.

We took a lot of pictures, so this blog as well as the ones to come which document our trip will be more like a slide show with comments at the bottom of each picture.

Enjoy!

After I backed the car out of the drive way, we noticed that part of the undercarriage was loose (I had recently grounded it on a parking block)... so we made it about 20 feet before having to pull over for a pit stop.

We stopped at American Jewellery & Loan in Detroit which is the location of TV's Hardcore Pawn Stars.  I was hoping to get into a really obnoxious arguement with one of the owners like it seems to always happen on TV.  Unfortunately no owners were around, and you have to audition to sell your junk... so much for reality TV!

We just thought this was rather funny.  Beavis and Butthead come to mind.  Heh heh heh!

This is butter with a side of baked potato.  To quote My Cousin Vinny... "have you heard of the ongoing cholesterol problem in the country?!".  Holy smokes do they ever lay on the butter thick!

We saw this near the start of our day.  We thought it was kind of weird to be selling a tanning bed in the middle of summer... or to even sell one at all for that matter.

This was rather cool.  It was a six and a half foot tall Sonic, and it belongs with the Segadude's collection.  In fact now that I know this is out there, I'm not even sure you can call what he has a collection.  It was $750, but i'm sure you could get them down to an even $600.  Even if I could afford this, it wouldn't have fit in our car.  The Segadude owns an SUV (or rather his old lady does), and Sonic is waiting for you in Bryan Ohio!

Vintage Tupperware!!!!!!!!! For everyone who can't leave the 70s behind (and secretly wishes that they still held Tupperware parties - you know who you are).

















In Summary:

Total distance travelled on Day One - 76 miles
Total money spent - $48.75 (T - $21.75, J - $27.00) - see our haul below
Biggest observed price gap - Lite Brite ($1 versus $15)
Untapped market - baked goods for those who did not eat breakfast
Items we wanted to buy but could not for various reasons: puppies, rabbits, Corvettes, motorcycles, FULL ATARI SET with 25 games
"Advantage" over Canadian yard sales: guns... oh so many guns