wednesday, april 18th...loaded up the mini-van, woke the kids up and left spfd about 7:00 am...drove to st. louis...the kirkwood missouri friends of the library booksale started at 1:00 pm...usually i would have been there the night before to reserve a better spot in line...but since i was travelling with the family, this was the better option...we got to the sale downtown kirkwood at 10:30 am...i went to get my line number (similar to the DMV etc.)...and i was 93rd...this might not sound like a big deal to you...but i am usually in the front 5...so standing in line and having every dealer ask why i was so far back demanded the same reply..."i brought the family"...no more explanation needed...anyway...but there was a definite up-side to bringing the family...instead of hitting all the thrift stores and flea markets in the greater st. louis area...i did things like this instead...
so from 10:30 - 12:30 we hit the breakfast joint "first watch"...great move...ever in st. louis...
i would recommend...and from there we went to kirkwood park...
so after a bit of play...i went to work...standing 93rd in a line of about 200+ people...sorry for the abscence of pictures of the actual booksale...walking in amongst my trade piers and taking pictures would be a bit odd even for me...anyway...imagine a supermarket like open space with nothing but six-foot tables covered with books...like a whole supermarket...anyway...you sprint in and start grabbing good books like a maniac...take them to a corner or against a wall...cover them with a sheet to protect against thieves...sheets are like the force fields of booksale protection...anyway...hopefully the sheet keeps getting larger and larger do to the vast amount of books underneath...so this goes on for about 2-4 hours...at the kirkwood sale, i did not do well in theology or history...however i did do well in gardening, decorating and cookbooks!!!...after the booksale, it just so happened that there was a ben & jerry's next door...so we indulged...and some of us wore the delight...and others slept from the hard half-day of play...
we then went to find a hotel...which if i was by myself would have been motel 6 or days inn...but since i was travelling heavy...i sprung for hampton inn...i know what you are thinking...but dont worry i can afford it...anyway...i like palace living...so know complaints here!...
and after shelling out over $100 for a bed and shower that "looks" better...we went to the elephant bar...i would highly recommend the teriyaki chicken dish...if you look behind the restaurant...see the parking garage...that is full of books and my next days book-buying adventure...
so the next morning i awoke at 5:30 am...i was at the parking garage at 5:45 to stand in line...this line was to determine my place at the sale which would open at 6:00...at 6:00 we ran in to get a place in line for the sale which started at 4:00pm...so what would we do with the day...well glad you asked!...
the first semi-fun time killer was the st. louis zoo...here is jake with a hippo...and ethan with a hottie!...the latter was only there on a one day exhibit...
i did well at the "greater st. louis area bookfair"...i bought many good books and enjoyed my trip...the best part was my beautiful travelling companions...especially this one!...
later from 3rd St.
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