Today was an absolutely gorgeous day outside, so I was FINALLY able to go to my local flea market. My sister and I haven't been since late October, which is why I haven't posted any flea market hauls in ages. Technically my local flea market opens the first Sunday in April. But this year it snowed, and then the following week, it rained. I had a good feeling about today, but I never anticipated getting SO MANY DOLLS!!! The first thing we found was a suitcase stuffed to the brim with random 80s and 90s Barbies. They were $2 each, so Colleen and I opted to just pick out the ones we wanted, figuring a package deal wouldn't work. After spending at least fifteen minutes hogging all the real estate in front of the suitcase, we picked out ten dolls we wanted. When we approached the seller with this massive handful of dollies (which looked larger because of their crazy hair), he laughed and said we should just take them all for $25. Well, he made us an offer we couldn't refuse...he joked that he should have asked for $30 because we said "yes" so fast. I thought maybe there were fifty dolls counting the mutilated ladies that would meet Mr. Trash Can and the knock off dolls that we'd donate. But boy was I wrong. What you are looking at here is 86 Barbie dolls and various Disney people (not counting Courtney and Lindsey). Yes, I said 86 dolls...that has to be a record even for us. There were probably more like one hundred originally, but several had unsalvageable haircuts and there were a few really cheap knock offs we weren't interested in.

I would have uploaded this photo hours ago but I identified ALL of them first. I must say, I've gotten a little too good at doll identification...it scares me sometimes. A few minutes later, while hauling this massive suitcase behind me, I saw Lindsey standing next to a Josefina doll on another seller's table. She was a really good deal, but I was feeling temporarily frugal, so I played the "I'll walk around first and think about it" game. Before I was even done walking around the rest of the flea market, I had to ask myself, "Shelly, why on earth are you rushing through the rest of the aisles so you can go to the ATM after? Why not just go now and secure Lindsey???" So I rushed off to the ATM (where some guy commented on my orange hair), procured the funds for Miss Lindsey, and then promptly returned to the seller's table for her. I never planned on getting a Lindsey doll being that I've seen two others in person (not for sale obviously) in the past, and I didn't find them all too cute. But this girl is to die for, and she's in amazing shape. She looks a lot like my Grace doll. After snagging Lindsey, we found Courtney crammed back in her box on the last leg of the flea market. The seller thought she was from the 70s, but when my sister showed him the 1989 box date, he was willing to practically give Courtney away. Colleen has a problem saying no to Skipper dolls.

Dolls in photo from left to right:

-1991 Disney Classics Belle

-1995 Sun Colors Pocahontas X2

-1992 Disney Classics Snow White

-1997 Surprise Style Sabrina the Teenage Witch

-1999 Live! In Concert "Baby One More Time Tour" Britney Spears

-1991 Pet Pals Kevin

-1996 Teen Courtney

-1999 Hawaii Skipper

-1992 MerBabysitter Ariel

-1992 Whale of a Tale Ariel

Back row, in front of suitcase & shelf:

-2000 Kimono Loberia (made by Takara)

-Girl of the Year 2001 Lindsey Bergman

-1989 Cool Tops Courtney

-1984 Heart Family Dad X2

-1985 Heart Family New Arrival Set Dad

-1996 Big Brother Ken X2

-1997 Totally Cool Ken

-1996 Splash 'n Color Ken

-1996 Cool Shavin' Ken

-1995 Sparkle Beach Ken

-1983 Sun Gold Malibu Ken

-1985 Tropical Ken

-1987 California Ken

-1989 Dance Club Ken

-1994 Tropical Splash Steven

-1987 Island Fun Steven

Second row:

-1989 Beach Blast Barbie X2

-1979 Hispanic Barbie

-1975 Hawaiian Barbie

-Barbie in India

-1981 Sunsational Malibu Barbie X2

-1965 Twist 'N' Turn Waist! Francie

-1978 Sun Lovin' Malibu P.J.

-1982 "Bride" Tracy

-2000 Surf City Kira

-1992 Glitter Beach Kira

-1986 Barbie and the Rockers Dana

-1988 Animal Lovin' Nikki

-1992 Earring Magic Midge

-1987 California Midge

-1995 Sparkle Beach Teresa

-1998 WNBA Teresa

-1988 Animal Lovin' Barbie

-1983 Loving You Barbie

-1986 My First Barbie

-1978 Sun Lovin' Malibu Barbie

-1985 Tropical Barbie

-1984 Dreamtime Barbie

-1989 Dance Club Barbie

Third row:

-1991 Sharin' Sisters Barbie

-1996 Ocean Friends Barbie

-1995 Foam 'n Color Barbie (pink version)

-1990 Happy Birthday Barbie

-1995 My First Tea Party Barbie

-1995 Pretty Hearts Barbie

-1994 Slumber Party Barbie

-1989 Party Pink Barbie

-1992 Caboodles Barbie

-1996 Sweet Magnolia Barbie

-1988 Feeling Fun Barbie

-1993 Camp Barbie

-1998 Pretty in Plaid Barbie

-1998 Beyond Pink Barbie

-1996 Flower Fun Barbie

-2001 Spot Scene Barbie

-2000 Hip 2 Be Square Barbie

-1998 50th Anniversary NASCAR Barbie

-1995 Gymnast Whitney

-1996 Bicyclin' Fun Whitney

Fourth row:

-1987 Heart Family Baby Cousins Melody & Walker

-1987 Heart Family Baby Cousins Kenny & Tricycle

-1987 Heart Family Baby Cousins Janet & Potty Chair

-1987 Heart Family Baby Cousins Honey & Highchair

-1984 Heart Family Baby Boy

-1984 Heart Family Baby Girl

-1975 Honey Hill Bunch I.Q.

-1996 Big Brother Tommy X2

-1996 Lil' Friends "Raincoat" Jenny

-1988 Teen Looks Cheerleader Jazzie

-1988 Teen Looks Swim Suit Jazzie

-1991 Sharin' Sisters Skipper

-1993 Gymnast Barbie

MOST INNOVATIVE GAME SHOW

Treasure Hunt (United Kingdom)

U.K.: Channel 4 / Thames Television / ITV

1982–1989

Based off the French show La Chasse au Trésor, created by Jacques Antoine, Treasure Hunt is time sensitive game show broadcast on a variety of networks in the United Kingdom during its entire run. A team of two contestants in the studio had to use a library of maps and reference materials to solve up to five clues, and communicate instructions via a radio link to a skyrunner (Anneka Rice) who had the use of a helicopter. Although viewers could see the skyrunner, the contestants could not, and all communication between them was by audio only. The contestants were given the first clue for free, the solving of which would lead to the location of the second clue and so on until a trinket or other significant object was found by solving the final clue. The contestants won a higher cash prize each time they solved a clue correctly. Once the contestants had solved the final clue, the skyrunner still had to confirm they were correct, by reaching the final target. On a few occasions, the contestants solved all five clues with time to spare, in which case, a bonus clue was given to the contestants.

1983 Episode (Early in the series)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMqIZqRc7fI

According to a "making of Treasure Hunt" programme, Anneka Rice was confined to the hotel on the day that the camera operator, video and sound recordist; and helicopter pilot undertook a rehearsal (typically the day before the programme was recorded), so she had no advance knowledge of the locations. This did not stop her carrying out research about the general area in order to have a stock of facts to fill in any silences that might arise while the contestants were thinking.

1988 Episode (Later in the series)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAYZ53XHb0Q

The skyrunner and helicopter did not have freedom to fly and land anywhere they wished. Although the pilot could to an extent request permission from airspace authorities to fly off-course, as happened on occasions, landings needed to be agreed in advance with landowners of a suitable location near the clue. On occasions the helicopter would land in a clearly marked out area, especially at public places. Kenneth Kendall always stressed that he did not know the clues and locations in advance, and any help that he gave the contestants was from his own knowledge.

Treasure Hunt Theme

www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8VRCZDEmqs

Project Tally:

U.S. 2

U.K. 3

AUS 2

DISCLAIMER:_____________________________________

*Due to the severe scope of the topic, this project was narrowed down to include only English speaking material from three geographical areas = U.K., U.S., & Australia.

*I, the author generating this project, recognize that there exists other quality material that won't be represented here given the limited nature of this project.

*The inclusion of shows & people highlighted in this project are a subjective choice from the author based on previous personal exposure and biases of personal interest.

*The supporting information in the description is my best attempt at referencing all valid information, including pertinent dates and owners of the originating material.

________________________________________________

2022 -> 80's & 90's Television is posting every other Wednesday!

2023 -> Cheap Film Camera Challenge on Expired Kodak 35mm film

2024 -> A Sloth's Life on Expired Kodak 35mm film

This little haul spans two days from this week. Originally, I didn't plan to snap a photo of our flea market finds. We only found Scary Spice and Mulan, at the elderly couple's booth (where our Wellies came from earlier this year). They had a few new dollies out this weekend, but most weren't prime pickings. If it had been a busier day, I probably wouldn't have bought either doll (they are kind of pricey at $3...for the flea market that is). But I was compelled by Scary the second I found her wearing her original garb. I had her shorts already--they were on my forlorn Summer Swim Magic Avery a relative rescued from the trash (Christmas 2019 gift). I also had parts of this outfit as a kid, so she's extra iconic to me! Mulan is a character I don't see at the flea market all that often. My other two Disney Store Mulan dolls are wearing virtually the same dress. This one has a unique design and color palette. Plus her body mold is also varied! I should note that all the goodies in this photo were already cleaned before I took it. Like I said, I wasn't planning on taking this for my "Treasure Hunts" album. So the girls had already been bathed by the time I got the camper and such (the playsets were squalid, that's why I washed them before too).

As for the rest of the items in this picture--the playsets and clothes--those were all FREE!!! On the way home from dropping Colleen off at work on Monday, something caught the corner of my eye. I noticed what looked like a Barbie camper of sorts and doll hair in front of someone's yard. I couldn't turn around and look because of how busy that street is (sadly someone got hit and killed in that area later in the week--it's pretty dangerous). Anyways, I texted Colleen about what I thought I saw, so she'd remind me to slow down and pull over on our way home together in a few hours. Because the stuff was hidden by some parked cars, and it was scorchingly hot, I figured it would still be there. The three playsets were all the dolly related things we wanted. It turns out the hair I spotted belonged to some baby dolls of sorts (who we obviously left behind). The clothes, shoes, and fragments of camper accessories were all stowed away in the camper. I had to give it several hard, upside down shakes before cleaning to get everything out. Even so, I still had to use pliers to weedle out the lone knife, that had gotten stuck in the driver's compartment. Although the camper isn't 100% complete, it's still in great shape, as is the 2-Story House. We already had the Pop-Up Playhouse as kids, but ours has gotten discolored over the years. This one still looks very fresh and vibrant, despite missing so many components.

Dolls in photo from left to right:

-2016 Barbie 2-Story House

-1999 Kelly Pop-Up Playhouse

-2016 Barbie Dream Camper

-2018 Disney Store Classic Doll Princess Mulan

-1998 Spice Girls On Tour Mel B. (Scary Spice)

This season, it seems that rain prevents me from going to the flea market weekly. But I honestly don't mind, because when I do have the chance to go, I end up finding a TON of stuff! This week didn't start out too promising. My sister and I scaled through about two thirds of the flea market, and only found Cinderella and Skiing Vacation Stacie (plus a "Meet" Felicity dress which is probably in better condition than my childhood one) from one of our regular sellers. But on the last leg of the flea market, we kept finding all sorts of goodies. I spotted a container on the ground filled with a handful of dolls and a TON of clothes. Most of the dolls had bad haircuts, which meant they would be excellent body donors (which is why they aren't pictured here). Pocahontas, Kira, Chelsea, and Daniela were the sole survivors. However, the bin was well worth it considering the small hoard of clothes we found inside. My sister and I like to purchase bins filled with predominately clothes, as they balance out the lots we buy that are mostly filled with nude dollies (ahem the "Ken Suitcase lot").

Several minutes later, I spotted WNBA Christie located on one of the regular seller's tables. She was in impeccable condition, so even though she was sort of pricey I couldn't help myself! Down that same aisle, a different seller gave my sister and I a box filled with miscellaneous Barbie playsets for free! Ordinarily, I try to only purchase playsets I desperately want as they take up a lot of space in storage, but for free, I just couldn't say no! The last aisle was littered with perhaps the best goodies of them all. I came across a boxed Britney Spears doll, which excited me very much (although I was hoping that she was the same doll as my childhood "Oops I Did It Again" lady). Seconds later, I caught Crystal Ken out of the corner of my eye down the pathway. He was next to Magic Moves Barbie, Happy Birthday Barbie, and the two Heart Family dollies. But upon closer inspection, I discerned that this same seller had Katia boxed AND more doll clothes. We got all that for only $10!!! The clothes inside the baggies from this tiny lot were gold--they are mostly from the 80s, and there are also two 60s pieces. 80s Barbie clothes are seriously like candy to me. I feel like the trend for this flea market season has been Heart Family dolls and Britney Spears dolls, which makes me very happy. Plus, every week my sister and I have gone so far, we've come home with lots of dolls, which is our favorite score of them all!

Dolls in photo from left to right:

-2000 Live! In Concert "MTV EMAs" Britney Spears

-2006 Hollywood Style Katia

-2009 Sing Along Cinderella

-2000 Skiing Vacation Stacie

-1998 WNBA Christie

-1980 Happy Birthday Barbie

-1985 Magic Moves Barbie

-1985 The Heart Family Surprise Party! Dad & Baby Girl

-1983 Crystal Ken

Front row:

-2000 Skiing Vacation! Stacie

-2011 Sisters Train Taffy Chelsea

-2003 Happy Family Neighborhood Baby Doctor baby

-1995 Color Splash Hair Pocahontas

-1992 Glitter Beach Kira

-2011 Spa Makeover Daniela

Two awesome hauls back to back??? I'm so excited that Colleen and I are finally starting to have some good luck secondhand shopping this year (although I can't complain since our local Salvation Army became a dolly oasis). Anyways, the dolls and clothes shown here are from a local charity store. I had a dentist appointment in the afternoon yesterday, and like always, after I was done, Colleen and I took advantage of the nearby stores. This charity store is known for the occasional grubby, neglected doll. I never anticipated that we'd find so much good stuff.

Colleen spotted Ski Fun Ken first, staring through a clear plastic container in the toy room. I thought he was probably Ski Fun Ken, Colleen was hoping he'd be another All American Ken. Either way, he was a shoe in to come home with us, as we love Ken dolls from this generation. Plus the poor dude was naked! Miko captured my attention as well--I was pretty sure she was another Island Fun gal, but a different variant than the one I already had (turns out I was right, and they are different country makes from one another). And what could be even better than some old Barbies? Why Bratz of course! This Beach Party Yasmin doesn't have a hair cut like my old lady, and she needed a home. Poor Meygan was never even opened up-- I couldn't say no (I have a very sentimental place in my heart for "Black Friday" Bratz). I was already feeling like we had scored, when Colleen found a small plastic baggie stashed with little doll clothes. Initially, she went to put it back in the doll container, assuming the bag was filled with clone clothes. But upon closer inspection, we both realized it was loaded with Dawn stuff! Most of the fashions are complete, and the baggie was only $5! Now my poor lonely Longlocks doll has two friends, and a new wardrobe. It turns out that some of these clothes aren't actually Dawn clones, but they are just as well made as the authentic ones (plus they are adorable). I can't wait to makeover these dolls with the ones from my last haul.

Video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjlk_4_JFqE&feature=youtu.be

Dolls in photo from left to right:

-1991 Ski Fun Ken

-1987 Island Fun Miko

-2002 Beach Party Yasmin

-2012 "Black Friday" Meygan

Bottom row:

-1970 "2nd Edition" Angie

-1970 "1st Edition" Dawn

Fashions in photo, top row (from left to right):

-1971 Glamour Jams #8124

-1971 Silver Sparkler #8120

-1970 "1st Edition" Dawn outfit

-1970 "2nd Edition" Angie outfit

Second row:

-1971 Pink Sink #8122

-1969 Wedding Bell Dream #0815

-1969 Down the Aisle #0816

Third row:

-1971 Long 'N Leather #8125

-1971 Golden Moment #8412

-Party Pants

-Triki Miki Dream Hours #615

-Triki Miki Perky Plaid #605

Fourth row:

-Triki Miki Party Time #608

-Triki Miki Glamour Hostess #614

-Triki Miki Theater Date #617

-Triki Miki Vacation Wear #616

Following a talk on distorted images (polar coordinates distortion) by one our members at camera club last night I decided to give it a whirl. I wasn’t so keen on the polar distortion version but liked this one under the waves. Given it is a very wet day and a water resistant watch I thought it apt. By coincidence Treasure Hunt 71 on day 71 :-)

I seriously cannot believe the luck Colleen and I have had at the Salvation Army this year. For years, I was lucky to find one mangy doll once or twice a year at charity stores. But ever since the end of last year (right after Christmas), it seems that our luck has changed for the better. On our way home from getting an inspection sticker for my Jeep, we opted to stop in at the local Salvation Army. I was honestly anticipating coming home empty handed, or maybe with one doll. I never imagined finding so many goodies, especially since we were at the Salvation Army just last week! But we chose to stop in at the perfect time, because the store had just gotten a donation of a bunch of awesome dollies! Unlike a lot of the other dolls I've rescued from the Salvation Army, these beauties were all in decent condition. Most of them look as though they were barely played with!

I can't believe how many Twilight dolls were at the Salvation Army...they must have come from the same owner. All but Edward were still donning their original ensembles too! I'm not a Twilight fan, but I've always wanted these dolls. What can I say, I'm a celebrity/movie doll fanatic. I remember how many times I thought about getting some of these dolls when they were on sale at Kmart. I never imagined I'd get four of them at my local Salvation Army. It was an even better score, because I got not one, but TWO Bratz dolls! I don't have the best luck finding Bratz, which might sound odd considering I have a large collection. But even at my local flea market, finding one Bratz doll is a bit tricky. So finding two Bratz wearing most of their original outfits was a real treat (I always wanted Softball Phoebe too, so that was an added bonus). Then of course there is Cinderella--I am a huge Disney fan, and I've really gotten into collecting these kinds of oversized dolls the past few years. First I found Rapunzel, then Snow White, and now Cindy....and I hope to get more in the future! Last, but certainly not least, I also got three Monster High dolls. Of all the dollies I've been finding at the Salvation Army as of late, it seems I've been having the most luck with Monster High. I always wanted the Gargoyle Create-A-Monster boy. I remember stalking this set when I first began collecting Monster High dolls in 2013. I am glad he had all his limbs and even his outfit. Colleen and I named him Victor after the Hunchback of Notre Dame gargoyle. Then of course there is Avea Trotter. A few years ago, when the Freaky Fusion line was brand new, both Colleen and I detested her. It took me a while to warm up to the action figure-like Monster High dolls (the ones with two heads, horse bodies, and many arms). But despite Avea's odd body mold, she's still just another Monster High doll, and I LOVE her sweet face! The very last doll I added to the pile was "1st Edition" Deuce Gorgon. If you know anything about me, then you probably already know that I have a Deuce addiction. I've been stalking this guy for years (I was in love with him well before I began collecting Monster High dolls). He is missing an arm, and his pants are torn to shreds, but I am so very happy to finally have him! He was probably my current most wanted Monster High doll, and I'm so grateful to have adopted him from my local Salvation Army.

Video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYiSB7dN3zM&feature=youtu.be

Dolls in photo from left to right:

-2013 Freaky Fusion Hybrids Avea Trotter

-2006 Rodeo Yasmin

-2006 Play Sportz Softball! Phoebe

-2009 The Twilight Saga New Moon Jacob

Front row:

-2010 Disney Store Singing Cinderella

-2011 Create-a-Monster Gargoyle & Vampire Starter Pack Gargoyle

-2009 "1st Edition" Deuce Gorgon

-2011 The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1 Edward

-2012 The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 2 Bella

-2009 Twilight Bella

I had a dentist appointment on Tuesday, which gave us the perfect excuse to stop at a local consignment store. It's the sort of place that isn't worth making a special trip to. However, we can never resist popping in if the store is on our way somewhere. We've had decent American Girl luck here over the years (it's the location I got my Felicity doll named Emerald from). On this particular day, things were fairly picked over. However, Colleen found a loose Bitty Baby blanket (from a Starter Collection), and we snagged a pair of plain white tights (which we saw last time). You can never go wrong with these basic staples! Both items cost a little less than three dollars...supposedly there was some sort of sale (but it wasn't much of a bargain if you ask me). The blanket is insanely well made--I always wanted a Bitty Baby Starter Collection as a kid!

After my appointment, we had plenty of time to drive a little out of the way to check out Walmart. I was in the dentist for only about twenty minutes, so we had more free time than I thought we would. This Walmart is about ten minutes up the road, but there tends to be quite a bit of traffic. So we don't always make the trek there. Colleen hinted that she wanted to stop in, so I figured why not. Last time we were there, about a year ago if I'm not mistaken, there wasn't much of interest. We did snag some real baby clothes that were on clearance for the Cabbies. But as for actual fashion dolls, it was a bust. This time though, there was clearance GALORE! When we first walked into the store, there was a wheeling cart filled with markdowns. I spotted Cheeky Babe in the Lil Music Tour set. I've had my eye on her for a while (she reminds me of the Pretty 'N' Punk Bratz line...my favorite ever). I decided to walk around and think about it because she was $9 (not bad considering she originally was marked at $16.88). I did double back to buy her on our way to check out though. We checked out the baby clothes too, but there weren't any things for Oscar or Baldwin (our large softies from the 80s). At the back of the toy section, I spotted another shelf of clearance dolls. This is where I found Sways, from the Queens collection. I was ecstatic that she was eleven dollars!!! I have had my eye on her too, at our regular Walmart location. She has been in the "clearance" section there, but is still $20...insert annoyed face here. I was always mesmerized by this doll's awesome micro braided hair and cheerful color palette. I immediately snatched her up with the intention to buy. I pretty much exclusively collect O.M.G. dolls only if they are on some sort of sale or secondhand, so this was exciting. At the opposite end of the store, near the gardening stuff, there were the usual clearance aisles to check out. I spotted a couple of L.O.L. Surprise balls for $4 each. I have been curious about the Color Change Surprise dollies in particular (I wanted to see how they compared in person to the original releases). I also love the glittery holiday themed ones, which is why I snagged Prezzie. The nice thing about her wave is that you know exactly who you are buying. I ended up with Go-Go Gurl from the Color Change Surprise line if you were wondering (it was fun comparing her to my standard version of Go-Go Gurl). All in all, it was a very worthwhile venture heading out to Walmart. Sometimes it's a bust, but this trip was a treasure trove. I appreciate it since our local Walmart has been very stingy with markdowns this year.

Dolls in photo from left to right:

-2021 Queens Sways

-2022 Series 3 Present Surprise Prezzie

-2021 Color Change Surprise

-2022 Series 6 House of Surprises! Lil Music Tour Cheeky Babe

Bottom Row:

-(2005-2008) Bitty Baby Starter Collection

-(2001-2003) Girl of Today Ice Blue Outfit

After a few days of landscape and detail photography, I was happy to get back to my favourite genre with some people in Port Isaac.

This is Andy the chef. I chatted with him and his young assistant for a while, then asked if I might photograph him. He is a natural in front of the camera, and was happy to be sent the photo for his mum to see.

100 Stranger 049.

BRCC 52 2025-4

Treasure Hunt 14: Apron

So I didn't really have an exciting party last night.

It has drizzled all day, so I have a play with cross polarisation (thanks again Liz) and a plastic champagne flute I borrowed from The Shard during Photo24 last year.

Treasure Hunt 48: Plastic

Ingots are marked with a variety of stamps, including circular tax stamps, mintmarks, Roman numerals to signify the purity of the gold in karats, and Arabic numerals denoting their weight. Marks are located in several areas on the ingots so that when they were cut to a desired weight the pieces would still bear some portion of the official stamps.

According to their manifests, the “Atocha” carried 125 gold ingots, discs and bits, and the “Margarita” had 34 pieces. Over 220 ingots have been recovered from these ships to date, suggesting at least 60 pieces were contraband. Smuggled ingots bear no tax stamps only Roman and Arabic numerals. There are two in this case, the far left and right.

Exhibit at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida

A detail of one of the amazing Lego structures in the glasshouse at Wisley Garden. Despite the car park being very full and lots of people about in the gardens, we got straight in to the glasshouse and it’s very worthwhile. No extra charge and exhibition on until 3rd March. Another for the Treasure Hunt -Lego

After visiting the Chichester CC Advanced Workers exhibition, four of us from camera club went down to West Wittering beach for the sunset.

It was a lovely afternoon/ evening, and lots of people were enjoying the beach.

These two children were well wrapped up, with wellies and waterproof trousers, playing happily in the shallows.

They were probably getting soaking wet, but were warm, and their mum wasn't worried, which was refreshing!

Treasure Hunt 21: Bucket is visible in the boy's hand (while his sister has the spade).

Got to crack the code….back to reading the clues

One snap for the day, this is the final layout for a new quilt I've started. Laid out on the dining table, hence I'm standing on a chair to fit it in. I need this photo to work from!

Treasure Hunt 56: Quilt

Opened the beacon drawer and found something interesting

All of these goodies in this haul photo were from regular sellers. The tots were the first acquisition on Sunday morning. We'd gotten some other L.O.L. Surprise dolls and clothing bits from this same seller earlier in the season. I always scope out her tubs of toys whenever she shows up. I was drawn over by an O.M.G. doll, Miss Royale. I already have her in my collection, but she was a new addition to the table. Lo and behold I found THE His Royal High-Ney in the bin with other small dolls. He has been one of my most wanted tots since I began collecting L.O.L. Surprise back in 2020. Heck, I even scoped him out on eBay back then (since these dolls are sold in surprise packaging you can't just pick the one you want in stores). I also nabbed his corresponding pet, Can Do Kitty, Kansas Q.T., and Splatters. Splatters in another favorite character of mine. I have the original #Hairgoals lady with rooted hair, so I was keen to get my hands on the molded tresses version.

Then of course there are the Kelly dolls. Both Colleen and I were really hoping the "Kelly Lady" would return. She wasn't around last weekend because of the weather, and the Sunday before that she was set up at a doll show. I was concerned that her stash would be depleted after the doll show. But she had SO much wonderful stuff this weekend. In fact, I was massively overwhelmed. There were fashion packs, Barbies, and of course Kelly. This time around, I had my pick of Kelly Club dolls. It was the same deal--$5 each or 5 dolls for $20. I decided to focus on the Kelly dolls rather than getting any of the other stuff, since I don't see them often anymore. Plus, when we'd encountered this woman the for the first time, when her prices were different, I'd regretted leaving some of the Kelly Club people behind...like Veterinarian Jenny. We purchased five dolls on our first go round, surveyed the rest of the flea market, and then went back and bought five more. I honestly don't have a favorite of the Kelly dolls. Some of these are childhood icons, like Prince Tommy. Others are ones I dreamed about owning for ages, like Lemonade Stand Tamika. And some, like Babysitter Keeya were unknown to me, but it was love at first sight! Colleen picked out a few of her favorites, like Gardening Fun Melody, "Sailor" Deidre, and Amusement Park Ryan.

Dolls in photo, top row (from left to right):

-2002 Kelly Club Play Time! Babysitter Keeya

-1999 Kelly Club Lemonade Stand Tamika

-1997 Li'l Friends "Sailor" Deidre

-2000 Kelly Club Amusement Park Chelsie

-1998 Adventures with Li'l Friends Gardening Fun Melody

-2023 Confetti Pop Birthday Sisters! Kansas Q.T.

-2022 Miss Royale Family His Royal High-Ney

-2022 House of Surprises! Art Cart Splatters

Bottom row:

-2000 Kelly Club Amusement Park Ryan

-1999 Kelly Club Pilot Tommy

-1999 Kelly Club Prince Tommy

-2000 Kelly Club Spring Cleaning Jenny

-2001 Kelly Club Career Day! Veterinarian Jenny

-2022 Miss Royale Family Royal Kitty-Cat

-2018 Eye Spy Series "Wave 2" Pets Can Do Kitty

The cranes appeared to be suspended in mid-air in the morning mist.

Sunday actually turned out to be a pretty good flea market morning, even though the weather was quite chilly and dreary. Everything you see here came from the elderly couple we normally buy dolls from, except the Cabbie. They must have restocked their stash of dolls, since there were quite a few new faces on Sunday morning. I was especially excited to find two Descendants dolls in the pile. Most of my Descendants dolls have come from these sellers. They always make a point to buy the "weird" looking dolls since they know Colleen and I enjoy them. I'm guessing they find most of their stock at places like the Salvation Army, based on the price stickers we sometimes find on them. Anna and Elsa were both intriguing. Colleen vouched for them too, even though she usually passes over Disney dolls when looking at their booth. I was so excited when I identified them as being from the Birthday Party line. The 2002 Princess Party Disney collection was one of my absolute favorites growing up. It's so cool to see Frozen characters in a birthday theme too! Heidi was at the same booth, but in a different spot. I was actually consulting with the seller about some other dolls she had (she wondered if I knew anything about them), when Colleen spotted Heidi. Dad bought her Fern from this series at KB Toys years ago when we were kids. She played with Fern SO much...well actually she used her stuff all the time. I've always hoped we'd find more dolls in the series that were affordable. We've encountered others at antique stores for too much money. This Heidi was only $6...just what we wanted to pay.

As for the Cabbie, he was located at one of the last booths by the exit. I spotted him on a blanket, but was planning on walking by. Colleen always has to inspect EVERY Cabbage Patch doll thoroughly. She was intrigued by his overalls and newer styling (he's from 1987, so a little newer than most of our collection). When she found out he was only one dollar, she insisted we buy him. The seller told us he had a bunch of Cabbage Patch dolls the weekend before, when he was set up at a different flea market. Someone else bought them all...but he had somehow missed this little guy when setting up before. I'm glad Colleen talked me into getting Patrick, since it's so heartbreaking knowing he was split up from his family by mistake!

Dolls in photo from left to right:

-1987 Cabbage Patch Kids

-2001 When I Dream, I Read Series Heidi

-2014 Birthday Party Elsa

-2014 Birthday Party Anna

-2014 "Coronation" Jane

-2014 "Signature 2 Pack" Mal

believe it or not, this was at ikea.

Todays picture is shot a bit too late, but i think, since we started shootin 1 hour earlier, showing you the one that's closest to what i imagined, is the right thing to do.

PS: Like Rebel mentoined, you should press L to really enjoi the image ;)

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BCC Theme 35 September Net. I was spoilt for choice with this topic. I really wanted to get to the coast for fishing nets but didn't make it. I thought of doing something clever with a surf board on top of a net curtain - 'surfing the net' but I'm afraid I've run out of time so this will have to do.

Sometimes my sister and I get lucky two weeks in a row at our local flea market. This weekend was definitely one of those lucky days! We scored yet another lot of dollies. But this time, it was predominately clothes. The yellow tub housing the clothes in this picture is actually my doll laundry tub. I thought the clothes would fit in the frame better if they were contained in a tub (that is the same case with the accessories featured here). Plus, I have to wash them all anyways, so it saves me time! The tub is full to the brim with wonderful Barbie clothes. What is shown here is what we will be keeping (we weeded out the cheap clone clothes before taking this picture). I also found three separately sold dollies this weekend. Snow White and Britney were part of a package deal. I wanted Britney, but I couldn't say no to another Snow White doll (Snow is my greatest Disney doll weakness, second only to Aladdin). Wild Wild West Cloe is probably my favorite find of the day (cough cough, raging Bratz addict). One of my favorite regular sellers had Cloe for sale. She somehow knew that we would want Miss Cloe, so she was hoping to see us today!

Dolls in photo from left to right:

-2008 Wild Wild West Cloe

-1999 "You Drive Me Crazy" Britney Spears

-2009 Ballerina Princess Snow White

-1991 Disney Classics Cinderella

-1989 All Stars Teresa

-1990 Wedding Day Midge

Bottom row:

-1983 Great Shape Barbie

-1989 Unicef Barbie

-1989 Dance Magic Barbie

-1990 All American Barbie

-1993 Fountain Mermaid Barbie

So, the package had some kind of map printed on the underside. Other clues led to some coordinates. Gotta wait for the sunrise to beam through this glass and see what happens!!

The geometric stripe from handle to handle is traditionally seen on Inca plates but it is interrupted in this piece by the cartouche, which is European in form but Inca in symbolism. The condor is a sacred bird of the Andes. Here they are depicted holding the traditional headdress of the Inca king, much as a lion might hold a shield in European culture.

Exhibit at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida

Today I picked up my new bike after my old trusty one was stolen two weeks ago. We slowly got to know eachother today... Tomorrow its life as my Main Transportation will commence so today we took it easy.

It seems as though as the weather returned, so did all the deals at our local flea market! On Sunday we scored a stash of delightful Monster High and Ever After High dollies. The BItty Bunch House and Bitty Puppy were actually purchased the day before. These were from a local thrift store we popped into on the way home from getting my oil changed. The house was tagged including "two animals." But there must have been some rowdy kids playing with it, because we looked high and low for the two pets. I found Bitty Puppy, but the other creature was never located despite our efforts. I mostly just wanted Bitty Puppy--I got Bitty Froggy for Christmas one year and always imagined having the tea set. I seem to have the best luck finding Bitty Baby items at thrift stores/flea markets!

Cupid, Briar, Madeline, Frankie, and Daniela were all from one seller. They were spread out on the ground, on a blanket, in little lots. Daniela was by herself with the three Liv wigs, bag, and mannequin stand. She's not complete (only one of the wigs is hers), but I've always wanted "1st Edition" Daniela. Originally we weren't going to purchase Madeline and the other Ever After High/Monster High dolls. But Maddie's purse was in a ziploc of extras that came with the girls. I knew she wasn't complete, but I just couldn't resist. We thought about buying Madeline separately, but it made more sense to buy the whole group. Well, that was in theory...you can see they are a moochie bunch what with the missing limbs and nudity! That's alright, I'm always more than happy to rescue dolls in need.

All the other ladies came from the elderly couple we regularly buy things from. I couldn't believe our luck--they finally put out a new stock pile of dollies. For the past few months, we've mostly encountered the same familiar faces over and over again. Since we buy so many dolls from them, we got a deal. We doubled back to get Cleo--in the haste to grab all the cool dolls, I overlooked her. It wasn't until we were almost out of the flea market that it clicked in my head who she must be. They were all incredible finds, but our favorites were Freaky Field Trip Toralei, Dance Class Gift Set Gil, and Die-ner Draculaura. I had been craving more Monster High and Ever After High dolls, so these plastic friends came at the perfect time!

Dolls in photo from left to right:

-2009 "1st Edition" Daniela

-2012 Dance Class Gift Set Gil

-2014 Freaky Field Trip Toralei

-2014 Haunted Getting Ghostly Twyla

-2013 Coffin Bean Twyla

Front row:

-2013 "1st Edition" Briar

-2015 Epic Winter Apple

-2013 "1st Edition Madeline

-2011 Sweet 1600 C.A. Cupid

-2012 Music Festival Venus

-2011 Home Ick Frankie

-2014 Freaky Fusion Recharge Chamber Frankie

-2013 Creepateria Howleen

-2012 Picture Day Abbey

-2012 Die-ner Draculaura

-2013 Frights Camera Action! Black Carpet Cleo

Brand: Hot Wheels

Series: 2019 HW Metro 10/10

Livery: SWAT, Police, blue and red stripes, Treasure Hunt logo

Scale: 1/64

Base: Grey metalflake plastic - ©2018 Mattel

Collector/casting number: 33/250 - FYB55

Country of manufacture: Malaysia

Place/date of purchase: Wal-Mart, 2019

Condition: Minty fresh 10/10

Remarks/comments:

I am so unbelievably grateful we were able to score these American Girl items this Sunday. If you saw my last Treasure Hunt photo from a few weeks back, you'd know we found AG stuff then too. These clothes came from the same seller. She said she would be back (not the next weekend, but the one after). Sadly, when we were in my Jeep heading to the flea market last Sunday, something was amiss. I had a sixth sense that something was very wrong, despite the fact there were no physical signs. After being on the road for a minute, I turned around and headed back home. When I popped my hood open, I saw smoke and smelled gasoline. If I ignored my gut feeling, my Jeep engine could have caught on fire (it was leaking tons of gas). Luckily it was a quick fix--I guess the seals on the fuel injectors needed replacing. But by the time my cousin fixed the issue, the flea market was closed. I wasn't sure if there'd be any goodies left the following Sunday. I was especially hoping to acquire the proper bottoms to Kanani's Beach Outfit and the bikini top to the swimsuit bottoms I accidentally bought the first time.

As you can see, I retrieved both articles of clothing I'd been wanting. The best part, she lowered her prices!!! Each item was only $1. The first pass at her booth we grabbed only $5 worth of items. But after finishing the flea market, we double backed and grabbed $20 more. I was only going to grab $10 of stuff, but rather than have the seller break change, Colleen suggested we just buy ten more items. You can't go wrong for that price. There were other Girl of the Year clothes I must have missed--like Kailey and Mia garments. Colleen decided to snag Molly's Skating Outfit too. We did see this last time, but the stuff was more money (and she has this ensemble already). It's in much better condition than the one she got off eBay years ago. I also snagged Samantha's "Meet" dress for the same reason. My first Sam's dress is raggedy from loads of play, and Bethan wears the one I got with Nellie. So I figured this would be great for either one of my girls. Since the stuff was so cheap, Colleen suggested we buy duplicated Jess clothes too...turns out these are nicer than the ones I had. Jess is one of my favorites (perhaps my secret fave as Colleen always teases), so I love having more for her. I was excited to find Kanani's pajamas this Sunday too! I hope the seller sets up again, and she still has some clothes left...we'd love to grab more. I contemplated whether or not we should buy all of it, but I only had $25 with me. I should also note we saw a soft sculpture Cabbie in the wild too--she was only $50, but I thought the AG clothes were more practical. I also didn't want to spend that much money, since things might be finally picking up this season.

Outfits in photo (from left to right, top row):

-Molly's Skating Outfit

-"Meet" Samantha

-Girl of the Year 2006 "Meet" Jess

-Jess's 2-in-1 Kayaking Outfit

Middle row:

-Kailey's Wetsuit & Bikini

-Girl of the Year 2003 "Meet" Kailey

-Kanani's Pajamas

-Mia's Practice Outfit

-Kanani's Beach Outfit

-Girl of the Year 2008 "Meet" Mia

-Just Like You Snowy Chic Outfit

-My American Girl Sea Breeze Outfit

Bottom row:

-My American Girl Snowflake Pajamas

-My American Girl Cozy Plaid Outfit

-Girl of Today Ruffled Tankini

-Just Like You Star Hoodie Outfit

-American Girl Place Exclusive Doll Swimsuit

We broke our journey south in the delightful medieval town of Chinchòn about 35 miles south-east of Madrid. It’s very popular with day-trippers from Madrid and there were donkey rides for the children on a gorgeous sunny day. Warm in the sun but cool in the shade, people were enjoying lunch or drinks in the sunshine.

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73. Day #4713, 74. Day #4745, 75. Day #4586

It's not too late for Halloween, is it?

It's been the perfect time of year to acquire boxed dolls! These ladies were all from the same seller as last weekend's boxed Barbies. Barbie Had A Little Lamb was actually one of the Barbies I debated about purchasing last Sunday. But I didn't want to spend too much money in one go. This week, the seller added a bunch more new dolls, like Marilyn and Expressions of India Barbie. Expressions of India Barbie is probably the coolest flea market find I've ever encountered. She was an India exclusive...that's right, she was only sold in India! She is a Leo/Mattel collaboration. I have a secondhand India Barbie I got four years ago in the "Ken Suitcase Lot." But I never thought I'd see the day when I got my hands on a packaged one. She was filthy when I opened her, so everything needed to be washed. But she is absolutely stunning and her details are breathtaking. India Barbie also is constructed in a very unique way (see my separate photos of her for more info).

It was impossible to beat Expressions of India Barbie. But that's not to say the others weren't worthy finds too. There were three Marilyn Monroe dolls at the booth, but this gal was our favorite (perhaps we will pick off the other two sometime in the next few weeks). Obviously I snagged Barbie Had A Little Lamb Barbie since I almost got her last week. I remember how badly I wanted this doll when she was in stores! Last but not least is the only loose doll here--Sun Jewel Steven. We got him from the elderly couple we usually purchase Monster High dolls from. They had a few new additions to their doll pile, which included some Sun Jewel Barbies. We had all the others, but when I saw Steven, I felt my heart flutter. Steven is not one of the easiest characters to track down secondhand, and being a male doll, he is very generic in detail. Luckily this handsome guy had his swimsuit on still (and a very sticky face). Colleen was so excited to add another Steven doll to her collection!

Dolls in photo from left to right:

-1997 Hollywood Legends Collection The Seven Year Itch Barbie as Marilyn

-1997 Expressions of India Roopvati Rajasthani Barbie

-1993 Sun Jewel Steven

-1998 The Nursery Rhyme Collection Barbie Had A Little Lamb

It seems like good luck comes in streaks for Colleen and me when it comes to dolls. While we didn't come home with another bin of dollies on Sunday, we did score quite a few beauties. The greatest find of the day was most certainly 2002 Strut It! Sasha!!! You have no idea how long I've wanted this doll, and waited to find her. I've had Strut It! Sasha clothes for several years now, and all the other gals from the line, but Miss Sasha herself always evaded me. She was a bit pricey, but I just couldn't leave her behind, despite how expensive she was. The doll herself is in beautiful shape, plus she was wearing a Slammin' Soccer! Yasmin top which my Yasmin doll has needed for almost six years (I love mating clothes with dolls). The most interesting find of the weekend though had to be the nine Liv wigs. One of them was being worn by Miss Daniela when we spotted a pile of Liv dolls/wigs on a table at the flea market. The seller originally wanted a dollar a piece for one wig or one doll. But since we bought a lot of stuff, we got Daniela and the eight extra wigs for $6! I've already used up all my spare wigs I had on reserve for bald Liv dolls, so I was super happy to get my hands on more. Some of these wigs are really beautiful--my two favorites are the red wig and the black wig. But they will all come in handy sooner or later.

The Dinner Date fashion pack shown here was also a wonderful find. Despite having hoards of Barbie clothes in my collection, I never miss out on an opportunity to get more. It's really important to me to maintain a large stash of extra clothing in order to dress any nude flea market rescues. Besides, dressing dolls is sort of the whole point of collecting them no? Corduroy Cool Barbie has quite the interesting back story. I'll save some of the blather for later, when I retake my picture of all three of my Corduroy Cool Barbies. Growing up, Colleen got one of these brunette Corduroy Cool Barbies for her birthday, and she became one of our favorite dollies to play with/fight over. Therefore, poor Lizzie didn't fare well with age. So we've always been eager to get a nice, mint looking upgrade. This gal, shown here, popped up at our flea market the first week our flea market opened this year. She was $5...so we left her behind, since we wanted to get Glam 'n Groom Barbie. We planned on acquiring Corduroy Cool Barbie the next weekend, but the seller did not return. Both Colleen and I thought we'd never seen this doll again, but lo and behold, she did! It's an amazing feeling when you get a second chance to buy a doll you thought you missed out on. It's even more sweet when the doll is cheaper (she was only $3 this Sunday). We've named her Elizabeth, and she is just as gorgeous as I remember Lizzie being back in the day.

And of course I couldn't forget to mention Alana and Bonita. They were a dollar each from a regular seller (who usually doesn't have dolls). The lady was willing to sell us the entire box of Barbies, but we passed since there was a lot of filler stuff we weren't interested in. Plus there were quite a few Monster/Ever After High dolls who needed limbs, which can get pricey to replace. So I snagged only Bonita and Alana, who were both in top notch condition...well Bonita's hair was a disaster, but she was fully clothed. I never thought I'd be so crazy about the "tacky" Freaky Fusion dolls, but now that I have two (I also have Avea Trotter), I've got to say that I'm addicted. Even though the flea market was also open on Monday, being that it was Memorial Day, we didn't go due to the weather. It was a shame, since it's always fun to get to go two days in a week, but I can't complain what with all the great luck we've been having!

Dolls in photo from left to right:

-2013 Freaky Fusion Hybrids Bonita Femur

-2011 The Little Mermaid 3-Pack Alana

-1999 Corduroy Cool Barbie

-2010 School's Out Daniela

-2002 Strut It! Sasha

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So it looks like I need to do something with this globe thing…but what?

On Sunday, Colleen and I were lucky enough to go to the flea market again, despite the fact that it was supposed to rain. The weather where I live has been absolutely terrible for two months--constant rain and cloudy weather. I was expecting to wake up on Sunday morning and see rain, but instead it was gloriously sunny! When we first got to the flea market, we found this Liv It's My Nature Maple Lodge. I bought it from the same seller I got all my Liv wigs from and School's Out Daniela, last weekend. She also had a second Maple Lodge, but obviously I only needed the one. It's really well made, and I love how all the cabinets can open! While there were a lot of people set up, there weren't too many dolls, just the typical overpriced ones from the weekly sellers. However, we did find two amazing boxed dolls, which we had somehow overlooked the week before. Colleen saw a bunch of boxed Barbies on a table, which I somehow walked right by. When she saw this African American Baywatch Barbie, she knew I'd want her. Baywatch Barbie was always one of my favorite 90s Barbies--and it took me until I was an adult to finally get my hands on one. Plus, I love collecting the ethnic variations of dolls! I think the reason I had not seen her the weekend before was because the dolls had been placed in large container on the ground. The most expensive ones were in the front, so I didn't continue to search through the dolls, thinking they'd all be pricey. I do remember seeing the name Baywatch Barbie on one of the box tops, but I assumed she was another blonde. While I was surveying the other dolls from this seller, I spotted a rare find--a boxed Kid Kore Katie doll. Kid Kore dolls were an important part of my childhood, and they mean a lot to Colleen especially. The poor dear did not fare well in her box all these years--her face was greasy, and I'm pretty sure her legs were starting to leech, as they were covered in a black powdery residue, that wasn't mold. We may not have come home with a massive lot of dolls, but we did find some amazing treasures!

Dolls in photo from left to right:

-1994 Baywatch Barbie

-1994 "Sailboat" Kid Kore Katie

Decided to go out and try something for Treasure Hunt #65 Play with Scale.

Several things attempted, keeping one as a later 365! Others in comments below...

Week two of the flea market season proved to be prosperous! While we didn't come home with as many dollies as we did the first week, we scored lots of clothes! The weather didn't seem like it would be super great, but the two of us were so excited, that Colleen and I decided to venture out to the flea market anyways. We were hoping that the sellers we got "1st Edition" Ghoulia and co from last Sunday would still have Dance Class Lagoona. Lo and behold, she was still available, as we'd hoped. It seemed like all we would find was the solo Monster High doll. But before leaving, Colleen and I wandered into the building at the flea market (something we only do a few times a year). We hadn't been in the building since last year, and figured someone may have finally put new stuff out. At the back of the building, Colleen spotted this vintage case on a shelf in back of a booth. The elderly man selling the case was super nice and told us there were a couple of dolls and some clothes inside. We found SuperStar Ken and Fashion Photo Barbie, as well as a pile of 60s and 70s Barbie/Ken fashions!!! I always love finding bins of clothes (probably even more than the dolls themselves). Plus, I especially enjoy getting really old Barbie items. These clothes were pretty desecrated. Whoever owned them before us took artistic liberties and cut/modified many items. But I was able to save all of it nonetheless (waste not, want not!). The man also threw in all this inflatable furniture from the 70s and a Fashion Greeting Card outfit from the 90s. I had never seen or heard of these inflatable pieces before, so this was a welcomed surprise.

Dolls in photo from left to right:

-2012 Dance Class Lagoona

-1977 Fashion Photo Barbie

-1977 SuperStar Ken

Video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvA0GbFZ4Ps

When I was at Storrington Museum, I noticed that a new CWGC headstone was going to be dedicated. I made sure I was there, and checked that it was all right for me to photograph the occasion. I have now sent a good number of images to the Museum for use as they wish.

From the Museum display:

David Butcher signed up for 12 years service in the Royal Navy on his 18th birthday in 1908.

He was invalided out in 1911 for a disease of the eyes.

When WW1 broke out, he was one of the first in the village to sign up with the Royal Sussex Regiment in 1914, but discharged from the training camp 6 weeks later "suffering from what appeared to be a sarcoma of the ulna" (from his service records).

In January 1915 he attested for the Army Veterinary Corps as a horse keeper and embarked for France the same month. He transferred to the Royal Horse Artillery in November 1917, and was posted as a driver.

In May 1918 he was invalided back to the UK, and discharged from military service in October 1918 with disabilities attributable to "service during the present war". He died a year later at the age of 29, leaving a wife and two children.

Treasure Hunt 43: Monument

6 of us set out from Los Angeles, CA for Stateline, NV in the evening of the night before. We stayed in 2 adjoining rooms at Whiskey Pete's. I'd never shared adjoining rooms with friends before. Though we mainly socialized in only one of the rooms, it was nice just to have the freedom to leave the door open and see more space that was ours.

About 15 minutes before midnight, before the official beginning of his birthday, I had my boyfriend pursuade Flip to accompany him downstairs to retrieve items forgotten in the car. While they were gone, Stephanie and I comically rushed to decorate the room in the red streamers that I had brought; red being his favorite color. We managed to adorn the window, the entertainment center, and the archway - and to put a canopy of sorts over his bed. Then we shut off the lights. And waited. Within a minute, he returned and we turned on the lights and yelled "Happy Birthday!" and there was happiness.

After no more than 3 hours of sleep, we woke, ate (I tried a McGriddle for the first time and found it to be acceptable but not particularly special) then headed out to the pre-selected destinations. Where we had to go off-road, which was quite often, we left Alan's car where we safely could and piled into Flip's truck, with Stephanie in the back bouncing around and the driver yelling "Bump!" so she'd know when to hold on tight. We saw many amazing, broken down structures and abandoned homes, a vintage, turquoise bus with shattered windows, lakes of rusted-to-shit cans and bottles full of dead beetles, an array of bones and dried out gourds, and so many appliances that we took apart for their glorious insides, like the circles of rotating numbers from within an antique gas pump, the faceplates from an old stove and from the spedometer on the turquoise bus. Flip also walked away with two gorgeously busted typewriters and a metal, bullet-ridden public phone base. My favorite find was the television that was all shot up and alone by the side of an obscure road. Flip pulled over to obtain its circuit boards for my collection and, in the process, Stephanie noticed 3 massive, awe-inspiring lenses. It wasn't easy but all 3 were extracted - and I was fortunate enough, along with Flip and Steph, to get to keep one (as pictured above) at the end of the day. This item alone made the hunt a vast success, as far as I was concerned.

After exploring the day's last destination, we drove several miles on an uncivilized, dirt road back to asphalt, with joshua trees at our sides and quite possibly one of the most extraordinary and magical sunsets in existence before our lucky eyes. Sometimes it's hard not to believe that the sky is constantly being painted, painted just for me, for us. In that moment, all was right with the world. And it was a very happy birthday, indeed.

*Mind you, treasure to us is junk to most people.

The waiting room at the tiny local health centre. I fell and bashed my arm against a metal door frame in, ironically, a Balance class. Luckily the medic spoke a little English and with the help of my dictionary too, I was referred to the hospital where an x-ray revealed that I had broken the radius just above the wrist joint. Fortunately it was a clean linear break and I am now in plaster and a sling. Photography is going to be tricky.....