The Cougher downstairs was singing in the shower this morning at 7:47am. What an idiot. It’s not enough we have to hear him cough up a lung every single morning (I don’t know how much he smokes, but it has to be a LOT). It wouldn’t be so bad if he could sing, but he’s awful. So, I was pretty much up at 8:00am. I tried to go back to sleep, but it was impossible. I think his singing freaked out Conrad, too! Eric woke up, but went back to sleep.
I had brought home my book BLACK MAPS and I decided to read a little. After a while I came out and worked on the computer. At 9:30am I went back into the bedroom and turned on the TV. Eric was still half asleep and I watched SHE’S GOT THE LOOK, which is the TVLAND reality TV show about women over the age of 35 trying to make it as a model. It’s down to the final 5. Good stuff.
Eric and I decided to drive to Carlsbad today, which is about 35 miles north of Clairemont. It’s a cute little town with lots of great shops (lots of little antique malls) and some great restaurants.
Eric was very patient, walking through shop after shop with me. I was very good – I didn’t buy ANYTHING, which is unusual. I found some gorgeous vintage barkcloth which, if you don’t know, is described by Wikipedia as: “a soft, thick, slightly textured fabric so named because it has a rough surface like that of tree bark. This barkcloth is usually made of densely woven cotton fibers. Historically, the fabric has been used in home furnishings, such as curtains, drapery, upholstery, and slipcovers. It is often associated with 1950s and 1960s home fashions.”
I LOVE bark cloth. I have always loved bark cloth – especially vintage bark cloth. Those of you who knew my shop know that I had a 10-foot high curtain across the back of my shop, dividing my workroom from the front section. This curtain was made of new barkcloth, which was black with a Hawaiian floral design. I brought it with me to San Diego, because I am hoping to someday use it for curtains and upholstery.
Anyway, this piece of fabric I found in Carlsbad was a 2 yard piece of vintage barkcloth on a black background with an Asian design. It was FABULOUS. It was $50. I figured they’d come down 10% or even 20%, but they were firm. I wanted it, but decided I didn’t have a particular use for it right now and it will probably still be there in six months if I go back, so I decided to leave it there. I just didn’t think it was worth the money, but it was SO beautiful and in perfect condition!
I also saw a couple of beautiful rhinestone pins and Eric thought I should get one or two, but I resisted. I really have enough pins to last me a lifetime and don’t get more unless it’s a gift, or a GREAT price. I don’t like to pay more than $50 for a piece of vintage jewelry. Most of the time I spent under $30. There are great bargains to be had out there. Carlsbad’s prices were pretty high, but it’s a tourist town, so it’s to be expected.
After shopping for a while, we went to a little Cantina and had lunch. They had such a great menu. Eric had a grilled chicken and avocado sandwich and I had a crab melt. It was like a patty melt, or a tuna melt, but with crab – on sourdough bread. YUM! Eric’s came with fries and onion rings, but I got a salad with blue cheese dressing. When we went into the place, which was primarily a bar, it was totally empty (at about 3:00pm). When we left, it was packed with a bunch of kids. We were at least 20 years older than all of them – probably closer to 25 or 30 years older than some! Boy, I felt old!
They had a jukebox, but it was something I’d never seen before. Not only didn’t it play 45s, it didn’t even play CDs. It seemed like the music was downloaded. Yikes! I’m old! This girl went over, put a dollar in and played some tunes. All of a sudden “EYES WITHOUT A FACE” by Billy Idol came on. It made me feel older than ever, because when I was THEIR age, I was dancing to that in the clubs. Now, they play it because it’s an “oldie.” Boo hoo, I’m old!
After lunch, we walked around some more, in and out of more antique malls. There was one that had one of those rotating jewelry cases that I had in my shop (which I miss terribly). I told the woman that they don’t make them anymore, they’re hard to find, and they’re very valuable. I don’t know if she believed me, but she seemed happy to hear it!
After we hit all the stores on STATE STREET, we got back in the car and drove all the way down a side street to the water. We drove along the beach, past a power plant, and then drove all the way back and got to another part of town. There were a few more antique shops there, and this time Eric waited in the car while I shopped some more. Still no purchases, but I did see lots of great stuff today.
I’ve always been perfectly happy to window shop. I love to look. It reminds me of things I had in my shop, things I’d love to collect, things I have collected, things I’ve had and sold, etc.
Eric enjoyed it, too. He really doesn’t mind walking around and looking at all the old stuff. He’ll find something really horrific, like a giant gold metal frog on a base of gold Chinese coins that looked like something you’d find in a tacky Chinese restaurant. It was huge! He'd come find me and say, "I found something we need" and he'd show me the giant frog.
He also liked looking at all the books and was hoping to find something to read, but he, too, came up empty.
We headed back to Clairemont and I fell asleep in the car (naturally). When we got home I immediately took a nap. I was bushed! Eric watched TV in the living room. When I woke up at 8:00pm, I saw that I had missed a bunch of calls, including our friends Geri and Larry, whom we had called on July 4th.
Since we met Geri and Larry in 2003 we always spent July 4th at their beautiful home in Sea Cliff. That was something we really missed this year. Larry’s a fabulous cook and would go all out preparing a fabulous meal. Geri and her granddaughter, Emily, would decorate the house, and the deck, with red, white and blue, making it a patriotic extravaganza! Their deck overlooks Glen Cove and we had a perfect view of the fireworks. We always enjoyed our Independence Day celebrations with them!
Eric was watching MY COUSIN VINNY and an Elvis Presley movie, but I wanted to watch a movie I had recorded this afternoon, before we left for CARLSBAD. It was called WHISPERS and was about these 3 guys and a girl who kidnap a kid who turns out to be the devil. It was very “THE OMEN” including the devilish kid (who was a great actor) and the wolves who come to protect him. Eric figured he'd already seen the other movies, so we watched WHISPERS. We enjoyed it!
Then, we watched the last half hour of MY COUSIN VINNY, which we’ve seen a million times, but never tire of. It’s a classic! “Are those MAGIC grits?”
Tomorrow we’re going back to the flea market. Eric wants to buy some sneakers, and I want to talk to the bird guy. They give you this list of fruits and veggies you’re supposed to give the bird, but my question is, “How do you get him to EAT it?” He won’t touch anything but seed. I had this same problem with my last few birds and I tried EVERYTHING. I finally gave up and they lived on seed and seed alone. I’m determined to get Conrad on a healthy diet. We’ll see what the “Bird Man” can tell us!