Garage sale and Partridge Creek Mall

I had heard about garage sales and was keen to see some. During the week end, I saw plenty of signs of Garage sales around and quite a number of them were close to our house. In some places it was the ‘sub division’ garage sale, meaning many houses in the locality would arrange sales on the same day. It was convenient for us. This is the only time that I noticed people walking around in the area. The garage doors were open, the cars were put on the streets and items for sale were arranged on tables, cots, chairs and stands. The owners sat on a chair in front of the garage enjoying the sun, with the ubiquitous large glass of beverage by their side. For me, It looked similar to fishing where you put the line in water and sit back for hours enjoying the process. If at all you happen to catch a fish, fine. Here you spread the stuff you intend selling and sit comfortably enjoying the sun. If you can get rid of some unwanted stuff and get a few dollars, fine.

In most cases the items for sale were clothing, dolls, books and game videos but there were a few with used machinery, kitchen ware, tents, shoes etc etc. There were cameras with out chargers and chargers with out mobile phones and stuff like that but quite a few brand new stuff. I saw a lady sitting in front of her garage with what looked like junk spread on both her sides. Out of curiosity I looked through everything that was on sale. I finished with the spread on one side and started with the other. She said “Oh, they are not on sale. I just bought them”. May be that was it. You sold unwanted junk and bought some other junk to replace it. And you spent a day enjoying doing it!

My wife got a new bag for one dollar and I purchased a new pair of working gloves for another. The couple in the garage happily posed for us and this couple returned home happy with the bargains.



At the beginning of the new week, Bhanu and my wife had finished all the stores twice over and the garages of other people too. That was when one of Bhanu’s friends mentioned about this fabulous new open air mall at Partridge creek which was about forty five minutes drive. She seemed thrilled with the idea of an “open air” shopping mall and the thrill engulfed all of us. We had to go there.

Every city has its own shopping street or market, where there are shops selling all kinds of things. Some body thought of putting many of them under one roof along with hotels, bakeries etc etc to attract people and called it a shopping mall. Now it is back to the old market but we call it an open air mall!

Well, this mall was not like an ordinary market. It had a central place where there were water fountains in which children were enjoying themselves, and a stage near by where there was a live band and a singer. Chairs and benches were placed around the area and people sat there listening to the orchestra, chatting, eating, drinking, and watching their children play in the fountain. There were the usual shops of clothes, footwear, bags and toys and the usual McDonalds, Sub Way, KFC ,Taco bell and Baskin Robins. The only unusual thing I noticed was this Bakery for Dogs, which contained stuff like ‘pup cakes’ and ‘Dog hots’ apart from a variety of dog toys, beds,shampoos,comb sets and accessories.



The great kannada poet Pampa, while describing the city of Banavaasi in Karnataka and it’s people, wrote the verse “chaagada, bhogada, akkarada, geyada ………. ……… ………. mari dumbiyaagi, meN, Kogileyaagi puTTuvudu nandanadoL banavaasi deshadoL” meaning that “ it is such a great place, having such cultured people, one has to be born there one day, if not as a human, at least as a bird or a bee.”

Now, in case you have such a wish to be born in the US, pray to be born here as a DOG and if not, at least as a human. Have a look at this advertisement in the news paper. It offers "trained pet friendly staff who will sleep on the beds cuddling your dog!"



While I was looking around the dog bakery, others had found more interesting things and had moved along. I had to search for them if I had intentions of returning home and so went searching for them. I located the party in Taco bell where Dharini and Dhruva were enjoying 'Chalupa', sort of a thick chapaati made out of tortillos, eaten with baked beans and vegetables folded in it. It neither looked nor smelled good and I declined the offer to share it with them while the lady in the next table (who actually should not be eating anything for the next ten years,) enjoyed her choice along with a gallon of beverage and her daughter seemed quite happy with the bottle of water.