bi-annual flea market, ocean grove

I love going to this flea market. it is the best we have going here at the shore! it isn't gross or full of creepy people or gross sleazy men (i'm describing the usual flea market that i go to. and i make my husband go with me!) i get up early and try to leave the house by 7:00am because parking down there is horrendous (the only down side). as it was, when i got there, i couldn't find anywhere to park! the streets are very narrow and cars park on either side, so driving down them is a little dangerous. i make sure that both my car mirrors are pushed in or else watch it! I finally found parking and walked it in a few blocks to the great auditorium (same place as the craft show last week).

I brought a nice big bag for carrying loot and it didn't take me long to feel it up! i found several vendors selling vintage wood children's blocks that i am attaching my cworky dolls to. i got mixed sizes of small and large in the blocks. i bought a couple fo dolls to alter, some tins, a cool miniature wood display box (for $1!) and some a darling little Asian couple in a cute little pouch. Although, extremely tempted to purchase it, i decided to just take a photograph of the oh-so-charming smoking fox! another woman was selling seaballs, which i use to find when i lived over seas in Guam and Okinawa, but her prices were a little too high for me.

I found the flea market to be a little disappointing this time however. there seemed to be less of the junky vintage stuff that i like and more of the newer stuff that i am not interested in. so it didn't take me too long to get through it. i'm hoping it's not a sign of the way the flea market will be run in the future.

on my way back to the car, i came across this woman with her 2 dogs. a greyhound and a little dog who used a wheelchair on his back legs, which were paralyzed. the little guy, Moxie, is also visually impaired due to glaucoma. he was darling none the less. i took her picture and gave her a few pats. Then so as to not play favorites, i also took and petted her greyhound, friend, Irving.

i went a different way back to my car and took a picture of the "honk if you love bruce" sign hanging from a house. Bruce, as in Springsteen, is big in this area. he got his start one town over in Asbury Park - and folks just love him. he is very generous (as another fellow NJisan, Jon BonJovi). I saw Bruce one time at the movies. I was there alone and he was there with 2 of his kids. i don't think anyone else realized who he was. i wanted to follow him and sit behind him in the movie, but decided that i am a little too old to start playing "stalker".

the other picture i took was of the cutest house with its darling awning (awnings are big here) and the totally vintage pink door. (my friend, Jan, would go crazy for that door!) after i got to my car and loaded up my goodies, it was time to head into the city (as in New York - about an hour and a half with no traffic). i signed up for a class with alter art teacher, Terri Ventura. go check out her cool stuff at http://.dimestoredaze.etsy.com. she's got some great stuff! she even gave me a little goody from her stash, which was necklace with a yellow dice with wings. its really cool and i'm so happy she gave it to me. she is in the process of making me a super fly purse that i will bring to artnsoul. it is so glam and sweet - can't wait to parade about with it!