Sandy Mountain Days

 Today we drove up the Mountain to Sandy, Oregon, to enjoy the Mountain Days Festival.  It was great fun!  You can still make it on Sunday if you want.  There was a carnival with rides on the main drag, but the bets part was in the park behind Joe's Doughnuts (best doughnuts on the mountain - swear-ta-god!)

The park has this awesome play structure, and lots and lots of trees, but the real action was further downhill.



Local crafters and vendors had set up their tents all over the hillside in amongst the trees.  There were potters and quilters and soap-makers, people frying elephant ears and selling lemonade, people selling really neat wooden swords and pretty tinselly crowns with ribbons to trail down a girl's back.

There was live music and people picnicking in the shade.  There was a strolling magician, and there were gleeful kids playing in the crick (or creek if you're fussy.  I always played in the crick.)

We parked quite a ways away and walked to the park.  On the way back, we passed a house where people had evidently decided to take advantage of all the foot-traffic and have a garage sale.  They were pulling out boxes of stuff and stacking it on the lawn.  They had some pretty vintage blue glass cup and saucer sets, and no prices on anything.  A lady came out and I asked the price.  "I don't know," she replied.  "I'll go ask dad."  Five minutes later, she emerged with another box of stuff.  "He says everything on that table is five dollars a piece."   "Five dollars for the cup and five dollars for the saucer?" I asked.  "I'll go ask dad." and she vanished into the house again.  Five minutes or so later, dad emerged with an armload of stuff.  "Will you take three dollars for this?" I asked, holding up a cup and saucer.  in one hand and a twenty dollar bill in the other.  He looked flummoxed.  "I don't have any change. Let me ask my son-in-law."  Five minutes later, he re-emerged with another armful of stuff.  "How about I take two sets of cups for five dollars?" I asked.  "Take 'em all for five dollars." he said with a smile.  So I got four blue glass cups and three blue glass saucers for $5.  Deal!!

All in all, it was a splendidly successful expedition.  AND we got in almost two miles of pleasant stroll to and from the car.