Who can resist passing up the words GARAGE SALE in big bold letters on a Saturday morning? I'm guilty, but this past weekend, the tables were turned and now we were having the garage sale. My experience - shock and awe. In six hours, we managed to sell off 90% of our excess "stuff", making $300 worth of small bills and quarters. Crazy. The secret to it all - attitude, organization, and florescent pink signage.
"I just want to get rid of everything!" This was the frustration I expressed when I announced to my husband that we were going to have a garage sale. We had already gotten rid of old things, but still had been storing a lot of other things we weren't using. Not only was all our excess becoming a sore spot in our relationship, it was becoming overwhelming and a waste of time to keep all these things in order. I was desperate and this was just the attitude I needed to make the my 'everything must go sale' work. Yes, it was hard to sell things we had paid hard earned money for, for the cheapo price of five dollars, one dollar and even a quarter, but they had been a burden for long enough. By that morning, I was happy to give, give, give and see people hauling away my long time burden.
Grouping similar things together also made things move like lightening speed. I noticed that the early birds did not really buy much because they were still in boxes, but the moment they were unpacked and spread out on the driveway, the grass and on tables, they sold! We had spent the previous weekend taking everything out of the garage and then putting it all back in categorized boxes with the 'keep" boxes farther inside. This was extra work, but worth it so we could relax at dinner the night before, and then prevent any stress or confusion that morning.
Lastly, florescent pink rocks. You can see it a mile away and once someone catches the necessary info (GARAGE SALE and an arrow really big, and the date and times really small) all they have to do is follow the pink blocks of color all the way to the treasure! One buyer mentioned how fun it was to follow the pink arrows through all our little streets.
Amazingly, people came till the very end even picking through and buying from the little pile that was left (see pic below). They were determined to find gold - some sort of bargain whether they needed it or not. It was a little bit scary to see this side of American consumers, again something I am guilty of myself, but hoping to resolve after this experience. Admittedly, by the end we did take some things back into garage. Now, it was less overwhelming, more manageable.
Some tips for the market: walk the the whole market before spending because yes, it is pricey and you want to buy the right things, get there early for the best selection, just because it's local does not mean it's always good, and even beef and poultry are seasonal. Other interesting notes, "locavore" according to the Oxford American Dictionary means eating only local grown ingredients and was 2007's word of the year (btw, italian olive oil and columbian coffee are not local, but there is a "Marco Polo Exemption" that states "if an item has been traded for centuries, you can buy it at a locally owned vendor to support your community") and finally, eating locally (and probably more veggies) for her made her poop better - agreed!
Huge rocks and huge palms.
The first time we saw this hotel, was during an architectural tour we took in 2003. It had not yet been remodeled, so you could still get a glimpse of an old school glamour when the Rat Pack and crew would get away.
Bungalows center around a large lap pool. There are only 22 rooms so it's quiet and you quickly begin to recognize your neighbors.
Loved the circular patios. I noticed this was the only room with a chimney. Three long bungalows all connected at one end with doors inside if you chose to share all three with family or friends. You can see two here.
Our front door and steps from our patio to the pool.
We upgraded to a room with a small kitchen so we could snack and lunch at our leisure. Brought with us fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and bread from Thursday's farmer's market. Then bought deli meat and potato salad from 
I quite liked this nighttime shot.
Front gate that opens up to the home and two more parcels of open grass area. You can see some of the tarp in the top right corner.
Front entrance to the house. Imagine walking into this for a dinner party! The blocks are just as gorgeous in real life. All that concrete in a pattern has so much volume, but never feels cold like you might think concrete would feel.
This balcony came off the 2nd floor living room. This room was a spectacular space with tall redwood ceilings, a stunning fireplace bound by textile block columns, these french doors that opened out into the balcony above. You could just imagine the evenings spent there. The light was amazing in the space, especially at the time the we were there. I almost snuck in a shot, but I was afraid of bad karma.
No photography was allowed inside the house, but I did sneak a shot of it from the outside. This is the studio where she had an upstairs loft office and then this downstairs where Alice Millard, the owner of the house, showcased her antiques and vintage book colllection. 
