Check Out My Sweet New Ride!

With temperatures in the ’80s, this past weekend was the unofficial home opener for garage/estate sale season. There were at least a dozen likely prospects listed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Craigslist, but since we were co-hosting an engagement party for posse member Shay on Saturday night, I only had an hour or so to spare in between making the tomato tartlets and polishing up the silver trays they were to be served on. Like any seasoned estate sale pro, I have my favorite territories. In Atlanta, I like established in-town neighborhoods–like Morningside, Ansley Park, Midtown, Virginia Highlands, Poncey-Highlands, Decatur, Winnona Park and Medlock Park. Oh sure, I’ll venture outside the Perimeter for a sale promising “Estate Sale Run by Clueless Amateurs of Lifetime Accumulation of Nonagenarian Packrat with No Living Relatives.” Or my favorite ever” “Midtown Sale by Gay Men with Fabulous Taste”–and I’m not making up that last one–and yes, it was fabulous. I’ll even go all the way over to Buckhead, which is Atlanta’s priciest (sometimes, not always, snootiest) address. As it turned out, most of the good sales happened to be in Buckhead Saturday. So I snuck over there and hit a sale that wasn’t even an estate sale. It just happened to be run by rich yuppies with great stuff and questionable (to me) priorities. They were unloading last season’s Prada stillettos and size 2 Escada silk skirts, along with some nice Pottery Barn furniture. I missed out on a sisal rug, but piled in a heap on a tarp were some antique linens. I managed to snag a gorgeous red Swedish damask fringed tablecloth and eight matching napkins, and an adorable handmade white cotton candlewick bedspread with hand-tatted edging. Another woman pounced on a white damask banquet cloth and napkins, and when she asked the seller why she was getting rid of such lovely old things the yuppie waved her hand and said “oh, this was all my grandmother’s stuff–I’ve got a dresser full of this kind of stuff.” As a side note–when Katie saw my purchases, she could only shake her head and proclaim me a “linen whore.” And her point was??? At another sale down the street, I scored an oak cupboard with shabby white paint. And with my car full, I tooled merrily on home. The Saturday night party was lovely. A group of long-time neighbors chipped in to get Jack, Shay’s intended, a fancy new grill–and then they serendaded the happy couple with a tune written by neighbor Dave. “My Grill” sung to the tune of “My Girl.” On Sunday, I was trolling around on Craigslist and I found an ad for a beach cruiser–for fifty bucks! It was in a town 45 miles south of here, but it was Sunday afternoon, and the old mister was playing golf, so I motored on down to Fayetteville. I’m thrilled with my score. Aqua–my favorite beachy color, and coaster brakes. Whee! It still has the store’s pricetag on it. I’m going to trick it out with a cup-holder (standard equipment on Tybee), a basket, and a bell, and then I’ll hit the beach on my sweet new ride.

5 thoughts on “Check Out My Sweet New Ride!”

  1. hey Mary Kay!—thats MY BIKE!!

    LOL just kidding! I’ve been on the search for one since we relocated to our new island home last summer. There are many around here, just not one yet that fits my needs, our price range, the color and size I want, etc.

    I AM TICKLED TO SEE THAT YOU FOUND YOURS!!These old bikes are so cool! I’ve loved ’em since way before they were ‘popular’. Didnt some country crooner sing of “I was country….before country was ‘cool'” ?? or something like that?

    Well, that is what those bikes remind me of.

    My ‘big un’ (5oth birthday) is rapidly approaching!!, and I know hubby is frantically searching for a beach cruiser for me!

    Hopefully….he will locate one! I intend to paint it to my liking too….if/when I get my bike I will share photos with you! I, like you, INSIST on the cool little basket on the front too!

    Decorated with beachy flowers, of course! And the coaster brakes and even a little bell or horn would be fun. My purple childhood bike was one of those ancient old Schwinn banana seat bikes. ‘Member those?! It had a HUGE glitter leatherette seat! IT SPARKLED! Especially in the sun! So fun! And boy was that seat COMFY!! Wide, long, padded, comfy….nothing like those skinny, hard, medevial torture device seats on these ‘modern’ slick forty speed models! LOL

    And it had those ‘groovy’ big ‘ole oversize handlebars that trailed crispy sounding gaily colored STREAMERS! I’m tellin ya, those streamers fussed and floated in the breezes like Spanish moss!

    And it had nice big wide SOLID ‘tars’!! (tires, for those of you who don’t speak Southern! LOL) You didn’t feel as if you were gonna just tip over and just scrape yourself all along the road………you felt safe on those sturdy puppies!

    Yep, a good ‘ole bike she was……

    Anyway!…sounds like you are getting some use out of your new toy and I just wanted to wish you many hours of relaxed pedaling fun! May you be blessed with many windswept beach rides, brilliant sunsets, ……….and NO sore thighs/butt/calf muscles!!
    Enjoy!
    (as I enjoy your fun books!)
    …….Debbi

  2. LOVING the bike! I had one when I had a beach house in Delaware, but it disappeared. Still in mourning….

    I’m with you on the dream “Estate Sale Run by Clueless Amateurs of Lifetime Accumulation of Nonagenarian Packrat with No Living Relatives”

    XOX

  3. SO HAPPY YOU HAVE A BIKE. I AM STILL RIDING THE ONE SANTA BROUGHT ME WHEN I WAS 8. IN 1953!…A SCHWINN WITH SPRINGS AND BOY DO I NEED THE SPRINGS NOW! DON’T FORGET TO GET A REAR VIEW MIRROR..NOT FOR VIEWING BUT SAVING A FEW ON THE ISLAND!

  4. LOVE THAT BIKE! Great color, and a nice wide seat, and once that little basket is added to the front, I can see you wheeling along with a bouquet of wildflowers! Ah, summer! Thanks for the tips on Brimfield – this is my very first time, and I’m so VERY excited!

  5. So I was looking around on the internet the other day for old bikes and you really found a pony!(a really really great find for a great cheap price) Those bikes old and new are really expensive. Have fun crusing!!!!!

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