P O R T L A N D E X P O !!! Antique Xanadu...

So, for those who care, the annual Portland Antiques & Collectibles Exposition is now officially the BIGGEST show of its kind in the country! Greg & I just returned from three grueling days on our feet trying to see it all...three huge exhibition halls and a massive outdoor "swap meet"...literally thousands of dealers, yowza!

We showed some restraint out of necessity, but still picked up some cool bargains: Ohio Art tin game boards for our game display wall, a primitive cast iron hinged reamer for my kitchen wall, a vintage Disneyland pin for the Disneyland Museum (aka home office), etc. I did not see a SINGLE Mattel Liddle Kiddle this year :( (My one collecting vice)

I did wax nostalgic though over other childhood toys I wanted: Original Chatty Cathy, Stadium Checkers, a cool mint-green Schwinn bicycle, straight-leg Skipper ($20! But I just said NO)

We ran into the adorable Jake Schultz at the show yesterday and the three of us shared three-hours of dinner & drinks at Kennedy School McMenamin's outside in the courtyard. Out waiter was this sweet gay guy named Michael who was making suggestive jokes about himself & my way-straight hubby, too funny! I tipped him very generously.

I liked having time to reconnect with Greg, but kind of miss the days when the kids came along and Sami would do her "Addie" routine from the movie PAPER MOON. She knows her stuff, and we'd give her money to pick up bargains from people who thought it was so cute that she'd DEAL! This little 10-year-old in braided pigtails would scope out the most valuable doll and say "Oh my Mommy used to have one of these! Gosh I'd love to buy it for her but I only have $15..." She said it stopped being fun when she grew too big to be "cute".

Anyway, too hip. gotta run, hugs & kisses, Corinne