Go North, Young Thrifter.

How lovely!

After wallowing in sadness since the untimely loss of my dog, Penny, I thought the time had to come to post some upbeat business to the blog. My vacation, while punctuated with sickness and depression, was not a total loss. Like I mentioned in my last post, I was fortunate to spend some time with friends up the mountains during my paid leave from work. And in addition to taking photos and trying to scope out the local wildlife, I was also able to do some up-north thrifting. 

On our way to Arrowhead Lake, we happened upon a flea market on Sunday afternoon in Blakeslee, PA. Since it was after 1pm, many of the outdoor vendors were packed up for the day. But the indoor market was still open and packed with merchandise booths. It was a tad pricier than what I'm used to paying. But, what the heck! I figured, "Hey, I'm on vacation. I'm splurging." 

My splurge? 

Mint condition. Great for making loops and mixing. 

I love this series. I have another in the set that's mostly city noise and machinery. I can't wait to rip this onto my iTunes. SONAR? Sperm Whales? Sounds good to me. Since these were antique booth prices, I was surprised at my ability to passively "talk" a vendor down on the price. The record wasn't marked. When I greeted the cashier nearby and asked for a price, he gave it a once-over and said $7. I thanked him and began walking back to return the record to its spot. He then said..."How about $5?" That was a little better. Also, I scooped up this book.

Another quirky art book for my collection. $1 

Six dollars for a book and a record? Eh, not too bad. The next day, we ventured out to the long stretch of road that held all the shops, restaurants and entertainment that the mountains had to offer. Our first stop? 

Mountain thrifting! 

Goodwill seems to outnumber Salvation Army thrift stores in my area back home. So maybe I'm just not used to the arbitrary pricing of clothing at Salvation Army, when compared to the flat fee of the typical $3.50 per shirt from my local Goodwill. I didn't see much anyway....except for this adorable decorative scarf for my sister.

Talk about eye-catching. Vera Neumann silk scarf, $3. 

I paid for the scarf and we hit the road in search of more shopping. Our next stop was The Old Village Trader, a rather strange store with a large miscellany of souvenirs, novelties and secondhand wares. This family-owned business is a must-see for those in the Mount Pocono area. The staff were super friendly and there was just...a ton of stuff. 

Be sure to brave the descent to the basement. 

It's a little creepy. It has the musk of age. But they have a basement literally filled with vintage books. I didn't want to keep my friends waiting while I thumbed through thousands of pulp paperbacks. But I did gladly fork over the $2 for this...

Zombie bonus!

Halloween is right around the corner...

Imagine listening to some of this up the mountains...where there's nothing around for miles but complete darkness. Spooooky. 

Behold. The beauty of nature. 

Well, maybe this wasn't entirely natural. It doesn't take much to amuse me. I just...like tree faces. 

I guess the overall theme for these past few days is trying to adapt to a place without Penny. It's been hard. And I've felt especially guilty about being on vacation when she passed. I know she loved me. And I loved and cared for her. 

So even with the unpreventable loss of my puppy, which I deeply mourn, I tried to make the best of my time off from work. Friends, photography, thrifting. And now blogging about my experiences... It's all I can do for my days  to bare a semblance to normalcy. It's what Penny would have wanted. Well, all that...and a pillow fort with an endless supply of Twizzlers. 

Have you had a thrifty vacation? 

PS. Don't Forget to stop by Apron Thrift Girl for Thrift Share Monday!