August 10, 2011

Two retablos I bought at an estate sale today. The one on the
left is dated 1946 and the one on the right is dated 1915.
Can't wait for my son-in-law Nick to translate them for me.

I went to an estate sale today, which advertised that people had to pay $1 for the pre-sale event, or wait to attend on Friday and Saturday for free. New concept for me, but certainly got my interest. Great marketing gimmick because it creates a sense of urgency in people (like me) who think that if we don't go to the pre-sale and pay $1, we'll miss all the really good stuff. Apparently many people think everything will be picked over unless they attend the pre-sale because the crowd was enormous! The photos posted on the Internet before the estate sale featured beautiful Native American pottery, baskets, jewelry, clothing, blankets, folk art, beadwork, rugs, etc. Lots of art was also featured, along with Spanish Colonial and pine furniture. Most of the items had hefty price tags and, come to find out, even though you've paid $1 to attend the pre-sale, there's no dickering around on the pricing. I was hoping to find some blankets that I could cut and make into tote bags, but alas, there were none I could afford. I did find two retablos that I thought were way under priced, so I bought them, along with some old Mason jars made from blue glass. The Mason jars will be great for storing dry goods in the casita's pantry.

The house is also for sale so I picked up a flier. The house is probably 20 minutes away from the Plaza in Santa Fe and has great mountain views. The asking price is $998,000 after a recent price reduction. The property includes 9.3 acres. The main house has 4,094 sq. ft, the guest house has 1,450 sq. ft. (bigger than Pettita Casita), and then there is a 40' x 72' five-stall barn, a separate kennel and a chicken coop (which are apparently very vogue right now). Although the price tag for the property is out of my price range, I can't help but think what a great deal this is compared to what we paid for the in-town Pettita Casita. But as with the Houston house, Mr. B and I prefer the close-in location. But as I walked through the barn I was thinking about the terrific parties I could throw in there!

Today I'm creating, or rather finishing, the magazine articles I've been working on. I finished working on them at about 2:30 a.m. I still need to write one article, but am waiting on a phone call or email regarding timing for the interview. Then, I'll have to review and edit six or so articles that are being written by other people. Can't wait until this magazine goes to print!