Sunburns, Bargains and Things on a Stick

I went with my friend Derik to a popular flea market this weekend in a town called Canton. Since I rarely get exposure to the sun, much less daylight, I was pretty sunburned by the end of the day. The tops of my hands and forearms, my face and the back of my neck, were all sunburned. And even though I was wearing khakis and a short-sleeve rayon shirt, my legs and back even feel sunburned. Maybe it's just sympathy pains. *Note to self: Next time bring a hat and sunscreen.

So, since I am in this predicament, I thought I would share with you, a few quick helpful hints to keep in mind next time you get sunburned:
[A] When buying aloe vera gel, don't be seduced by name brands. Aloe vera gel is aloe vera gel. Also, why pay $5-6 for Solarcaine when you can buy the store brand (a larger size I might add) for at least $3 less?
[B] Store your aloe vera gel in the refrigerator. Trust me, it's completely safe and it feels like a godsend on those sunburns, when applied straight from the fridge. Plus, it prolongs the shelf life, so it's a win-win situation.

Now, onto my photo collage of my trip to Canton. I'll be posting pictures of what I bought, at a later date!

[1] Morning comes to Dallas. Can you hear the theme from Romeo & Juliet being piped in? Can you hear the little birdies chirping? No, no you can't. You wanna know why?- 1) The smog got 'em -or- 2) It's a level orange ozone alert day and they're no dummies.

[2] The WItches of Brickabrack. See those carts? You can rent those, as well as motorized outdoor scooters. THE accessory of the season for spoiled WASPs and hillbillies with aggressively "slow metabolisms."

[3] Nice puppy. Say cheese! It's no accident that this image is juxtaposed to the Cart Lady Trio. Shoppin' for treasures can be brutal! I found this nice puppy in someone's booth. I think he's been eatin' corndogs, 'cause it looks like he got some mustard on his bottom lip. Messy puppy!

[4] Karen Carpenter called, she wants you to eat something. This woman was THIN. Like creepy, turning that rocking chair around in the basement-thin. Ack! Mmmm corndogs!!

[5] Flea market eyecandy. It was few and far between. The only beef/muscle around was that creepy carnie-muscle. Too swap meet for my tastes. This was the one exception. Nice.

[6] An assortment of books in one of the few booths that actually had books. There are literally hundreds of vendors that set up in this humongous plot of land, and I think I counted maybe 3 booths that actually had books. Aye carumba!

[7] Mannequin: When she comes to life, anything can happen! Okay, not really. That's just the tagline from the 1987 movie with the same title. I just didn't really know what to say about this one.

[8] How cool is this board of old padlocks? I thought they were really great. Apparently, so did the seller. Too 'spensive.

[9] Billard balls and binoculars. Not a good combination, unless you're a sniper with a powerful throwing arm.

[10] The tea kettle police lineup.

[11] Ahhhhh. A place to sit in the cool, cool shade. Still, with the bench being made out of metal, it was like 110º when I sat on it. I swear I heard a sound like someone had just poured pancake batter onto a griddle, when I sat down.

[12] Detail of a vintage Easter card I bought.

[13] The Canton Flea Market is the epitomy of Flashdance Granny apparel. Aye yi yi. I spied this fashionista shortly after entering one of the buildings (the flea market has sellers set up both indoors and outdoors...it's insanely huge!). I actually got reprimanded for taking this photo, by the guy whose booth she was listening to a sales pitch at.

As always, I am VERY discreet and there is never a flash, sound, etc. when I take my photos. ANYWAY, I snap the photo, turn around to view it on the monitor and hear "Sir! Sir!...Sir! Sir!..Sir! Sir!" I ignored the idiocy (mainly because I knew the drama that was about to unfold) until Spalding Gray and Jimmy Buffet's lovechild, complete with ponytail, comes up to the right side of my face and says, in a hyper, chihuahua-like tone: "No picture taking is allowed inside the buildings!! There are signs everywhere!!" To which I looked him in the face, without blinking, and calmly said "Okay," them turned away and continued to browse through the photos in my que. WHAT-EVER. He is so full of shit. Like I want to steal the schematics of his hand-crafted brass Water Wiggle. LOL! Fuck off.

[14] Derik and I had lunch at Dairy Palace. Mmmm. I likes me some chicken strips and gravy! Everything was delicious. Even the FRENCH* fries.

[15] Buyer's remorse. I shoulda bought that donkey with the world on his shoulders. Dammit.

[16] I likes me some nachos, too. I had a seat in the shade and perused my purchases and people watched.

[17] I thought the speaker on this vintage radio had such a great design. I don't have any use for it, but liked it just the same.

[18]* Now you KNOW I had to take a picture of this. Behold a close-up of the menu at Dairy Palace. It made me cringe just a little. Give it up already. Oh well, I just wrote it off as small town mentality. They live for that whole flag waving routine that seems to be so popular these days. Those crazy kids and their fads.

[19] Dairy Palace proudly offers American Buffalo Burgers. I think I'd feel much too guilty to "Taste a Legend!"

[20] The carry-out menu from Dairy Palace. I love cute little places like this. The interior decor is very old-fashioned ice cream parlor. Fun!