Greetings from Santa Monica! More specifically, from Mr. A's car in LA traffic on our way to Santa Monica.
We've been on the road since yesterday, taking his brother to a few favorite haunts -- Idyllwild, the mountain village where I spent almost every vacation as a child and which still has many charms, even for a grown up, and now the beach at sunset.
And... I have discovered mobile blogging!
In Idyllwild, I wandered into my favorite candy shop, where the smell of sugar hits you the second you open the door. I ordered a watermelon and pink lemonade doused sno-cone, and shyly told the teenage cashier that I used to get one of those every day when I visited Idyllwild as a little girl.
She nodded indifferently, and I suddently felt very, very old.
On to the next boutiques. At 4:58, I entered an antique shop that closes at 5, but the owner invited me in anyway.
"I'll be quick," I promised. "Just a glance."
Ten minutes later, the glance turned into one of my most efficient shopping expeditions in recent history. I piled a bavarian porcelain dish, a cake cutter, a hand embroidered table cloth and a delicate plate onto her counter. Time to get to work.
"Could we do a discount, since I'm getting a few things?"
"Ten percent is the most I can do. Cash or credit card?"
"Ten percent is great. Well, I guess you prefer cash? Let me see what I have on me."
I had $36. The total was $41. I put the money on the counter and showed her my empty wallet.
"$36 is fine."
Tips: cash is your friend, but know ahead how much you have or put a ballpark appropriate amount in your wallet first; places where the owner runs the register are ideal; and let people feel they are working with you, not for you, when they provide the discount (depends, of course -- you also need to read the person's attitude)
Gained: $5.
