A FLEATTITUDE SALE..... COOL, PICTURE THAT

IF A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS....

WELL, I GUESS I'VE GOT NOTHING TO SAY

 

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article for the New Century Collector, chronicling an afternoon I spent yard sale-ing with my grand daughter Sarah Lyn.  Although the primary theme of the article revolved around the idea that the antiques and collectibles business was among the "greenest" of industries, I also spent a considerable number of words concerning my amusement with my grand daughter's bewilderment over an old red rotary desk phone. "What's this grampa?" the education of this child had obviously come up a little short.
 

Well, as it turns out, what comes around does go around, and I confess to being relieved that Sarah Lyn wasn't there to watch as her grandfather found himself equally perplexed at the Saturday morning Pleasant Grove FLEATTITUE sale, when having forgotten my camera,  I found myself face to face with my wife Lyn's "smart phone".  
 

She handed it to me with the phase "you can take a picture with this".  However, my apoplexy must have been apparent, as she immediately began assuring me that "you can do this".  My first question left me even less confident, when "how does it work?", was countered with "I just make phone calls with it". 
 

I hadn't fumbled with the phone very long before I decided that this was all a step or two above my pay-grade, when, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted some likely help.  An amused twelve-year-old girl sitting at the booth next to us.  I was direct.  "Can you show me how to take a picture with this thing"?  "Just press the camera icon".  "Which one is that?"  I could almost hear her condescending thoughts "geez.... they let this guy out of the house".
 

However, as a strong believer in the concept of the happy accident, I persevered, and after testing an icon here and a button there, voilà, a nifty little camera aperture appeared on the screen. I gave Lyn my best conquering hero look, bashfully ask my 12-year-old guru which button to press to take the picture, and snapped off my first pic.  Don't call me techno-challenged.
 

Okay, now I was ready to roll. The idea was to take a photograph of the sign on each vendor's booth, and weave them into what would be the great FLEATTITUDE collage. I was a photographic juggernaut as I moved from vendor to vendor, snapping picture after picture, capturing every image I would ever need for the project. Now, all that stood between me and the ultimate FLEATTITUDE photo, was an hour or so with Photoshop.
 

An hour or so later I was sitting at my desk, and eager to get started, but had just one question.  Humm... how do I get these photos from the phone to the computer?  Lyn just shrugged her shoulders at the inquiry.  But now, as master of the phone camera, I came prepared, I instinctively knew that all I needed was one of those little cord doohickey's that hooked into the phone, and plugged into the thingamajig on the front of the computer. We found one with two likely looking ends, and hooked the thing up like a couple of kids.  Are we the bomb or what?
 

I was ready to go.  After all, wasn't I now a cell phone pro. It was easy to locate the icon that would take me to stored photographs.  One little click, and ...... hey..... what the hell?  No pictures.  None, nada, zero, zip, zilch, not a hint that I had spent the morning recording the FLEATTITUDE vintage sale in all of its glory.  Whatever. Shucks, am I embarrassed?  Naw.  I suspect this is all part of a Chinese conspiracy to take over the world.  I hear the things are made by 12-year-old girls in Beijing.
 

Like most stories, you just have to look for the silver lining. At the Fleattitude sale, I met Debra Washburn, from "Relic Mercantile" who had a booth at the sale, and had offered to send me a couple of pics. So here it is, my complete photo record of the event.  Next time, don't count on me...... get down to the sale and take a look yourself.
 

 

You can also find Debra at RelicMercantile.etsy.com