“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” — Lewis Carroll
I keep reading this and thinking, “Well, no, not really, well maybe, hmm, OK, I guess,” which is a clear indication that I spent some time recently not knowing where I was going, but I had a great time anyway, and enjoyed everywhere I went. So, I guess that means I got there?
I love to travel, but so far, I have no trips planned anytime soon or even for next spring or summer. That’s unusual for me. I have some ideas, and it will all gel pretty soon about where I can go based on work, budget, and schedules, but I decided that a one-day road trip is easy enough to manage.
I had to drop someone off at an event in Maine, and then I had show tickets that night for a performer in New Hampshire, so I had some time to kill in a place I don’t get to that often. Only twelve hours, start to finish, but who cares? With no new clothes or travel gear to buy, no plane tickets or expensive hotels, I could splash out a little on a good meal and a few vintage treasures.
The plan was to hit a few thrift stores and find some deals. Thrift store trips are some of my favorite trips, even if they are local. Google had some listings of places in the area, so with my GPS bleating out directions, the search was on. It was a gorgeous day with beautiful foliage, and I was actually organized and ready to roll.
Here’s a hint, though. Use more specific search terms when you look up stuff. Yes, the store I found online was right where Google said it was. It was also next to three massive antique markets, two indoors and one outdoors. You know that scene in The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy lands, and everything is in color? Ya, it was like that, which I’d have known if the word “antiques” had been in my query. Still, a surprise is nice, right?
The first market was almost an overload for me. One of the employees definitely chuckled when she saw me practically shriek like some banshee, “Jadeite Fire King? OMG! It’s real!” as if Jadeite was some imaginary creation. Next to that was an entire shelf full of uranium glass, lit with a black light, so you could see it glow. Radioactive dinnerware used to be a thing. Can you even imagine? Then there was the Art Deco jewelry and a bracelet that might soon convince me to sell a body part so I can buy it.
One of the gigs I have is writing about vintage and antiques, so I know a tiny bit about a whole lot of different pieces and periods, as well as the history surrounding them. Recognizing items I’ve written about was a hoot. Fun Fact: Those “lady head” vases from the 1950s are way smaller than I thought they were, and while that stainless steel, mid-century modern, dome-shaped toaster was practically a piece of art, the old cloth electrical cord, and frayed wires meant it did not come home with me.
However, the vintage Jadeite measuring cup is mine now, and I can’t wait to use it. There’s already a plan to go back because there just was not enough time. Dinner time rolled around, and then the show, so I stopped at a seafood place because if you’re in Maine, why not? Seafood stew, lobster roll, and fried clams? Yes, please!
Then, some more shopping near the venue, in a funky downtown space where a Halloween parade was happening, helped pass some time before the show, which was in an old building full of carved antiques and brass fixtures. As a friend always asks, “Does it get any better than this?”
I am so lucky that the day unfolded as it did. It was stress-free, fun, included a small splurge, and was worth every penny. Hopefully, the next adventure will be equally successful. When it’s impossible to hop on a plane, a cruise ship, or a theme park ride, hit the open road and see what’s out there. You don’t even have to plan anything; just start driving and see where the road takes you. Happy trails!
Brenda Kelley Kim has lived in Marblehead for 50 years, and is an author, freelance writer, and mother of three. Her column appears weekly.
