Editor-In-Chief
SAN JUAN, Texas - The day broke sunny, one of those late-November days with high humidity and temperatures in the low-90s. A wispy cloud or two angled-in, perhaps thinking should I stop somewhere here, or should I slide over toward cooler Alpine out west? Steady, moist-heavy winds crashed through tree branches and palm fronds, no doubt believing there was just no one to stop them. Life is funny that way in the rainy, cloudy, muggy, blowing world of meteorology. No damned respect for human feelings from those guys.
Welcome to the shopping mall as something from the Cro-Magnon Era. Neanderthals walking in any day now. I jest. Flea markets are too-damned-cute. Life all around. Voices rising from behind makeshift displays of music CDs, baby clothes, Mexican pan dulce, tools, shoes, blue jeans, bridal gear, voices coming at you in differing tones, but in the same manner: "Pasele, pasele!" Come on in, son. That $6 straw cowboy hat'll look killer on you. Hey, here's a leather vest from Guanajuato, Mexico - the real deal.
It's a taste of Old Mexico, although you can find flea markets just about everywhere in this country. The mother of all flea markets - Trader's Village in Grand Prairie between Dallas and Fort Worth - is a monster-sized enterprise that surely is about the same size as Harlingen. Los Lobos play there once ayear. So do Los Lonely Boys. Helicopter rides. Chili cook-offs. Patsy Cline and Selena impersonators.
It's rather enjoyable, like going to Paris and watching European TV. The picture is familiar, only something's very different. All this sort of belongs here, however. Fresh-faced families are all over the place and the parking lots are packed. You'll find a minimal admission price, to perhaps pay for the security cops. It'll stay open til sundown, a time in the day when the winds have died down and the packing and folding and accounting of the day's receipts ends another stab at capitalism. Taxes, we presume, will be tabulated and forwarded to the city and state. We wonder, yes.
Life is daily...
- 30 -
5 comments:
You have to becareful at the flea markets, some of items you are buying were at someone's garage the week before.
Being at that flea market sometime back, sold used sheet metal siding, sold it in two hours. People barter prices at the markets.
ANONYMOUSES:...I am intrigued by them. Word has it that Jesus Christ shopped at flea markets, so they can't be all bad, can they? Didn't see much bartering, by the way... - Editor
I lived in Colorado for about 15 years, there were some nice markets. They sold a lot of new merchandise.
There is a flea market, going west on old 83. They even have dances, at that place. The last time I went to the one in Brownsville, we bought a couple of parrots. Very reasonable I might add.
I hear through the grapevine Jr. Bonner, mr. Jerky himself is back at Combes, living with a 300 lbs woman name jeanette. Am I right?? A friend of mine who lives at a trashy mobile home park in Combes told me, while I was visiting him, and saw a beat up goofy looking man driving an old pick up, drop by the trailer with an 18 pack of cheap Natural beer.
Alcatraz, are hiding something??
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