There are times when the most common of occurrences turns out to be the beginning of an unexpected delight. That was my experience last weekend, when we were visiting friends in our hometown, and attending the annual Show & Shine Vintage Car Rally. From my point of view, I can only kick a few tires before I’ve had enough. So, what else could we do for the afternoon?
I’m sure it’s no surprise for those who have read my page, or know me through our correspondence, that the first thing that came to mind was to look for any Garage/Yard Sales. With so many visitors in town for the weekend, I thought it would be a perfect time to set up some tables and get rid of some “stuff”! Would you believe it … our guys decided they were coming with us! Not looking for anything specific … just a bargain or two that was so cheap that they couldn’t afford not to buy it! We managed to visit only ONE yard sale … the owners were certainly trying to get rid of ‘stuff’, and we were a big help! Between the two of us, we purchased an unused carry-on suitcase, a digital picture frame, a bedside iPod recharger with a digital clock radio, a VCR/DVD recorder and player, a folding sports chair, and several music CDs … and not one item was more than $5.00. So … where does the “unexpected delight” come into this story?
In the mid-70s, we purchased a video camera the year they came on the market. It was a huge camera, with a separate battery pack, and I (being the ‘picture-taker’ in our family) was thrilled with this amazing camera. The battery pack was too heavy to carry on my shoulder, as well as carry the camera and my handbag, so I used a luggage cart to transport the battery. We had just moved to our rural location with our two pre-teenage children, and we recorded many of the activities and family adventures that occupied our time. As the photography equipment and formats changed over the years, and the children became independent adults and on their own, the tapes were packed away in the storage room, and we obtained new equipment for our entertainment. Occasionally, when in a nostalgic frame of mind, I would wish that we had kept a video player so that we could watch those old movies and videos, and/or show them to our grandkids. Now I have a $5.00 machine that will not only play the VCR tapes but can record them to a DVD disc. Guess what our families are getting as “just because, no special occasion” gifts this year? It’s going to be a lot of fun! In my mind, I can already hear the giggles of our grandkids when they see what their parents did for entertainment.
Two things that I watched today will bring loud comments for “this” generation … riding motor dirt bikes with no helmets, and a crowd of kids on our trampoline with no spotters and no safety net. It’s a wonder that our kids even survived their teen years!
Tags: Entertainment Children Photography Family
