The Dunster Mother's Day Yard Sale

    Every spring on Mother’s Day, the tiny hamlet of Dunster, BC has a big yard sale so that residence of the Robson Valley can circulate unwanted items among themselves.  It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny, so Joan and I headed east of McBride to Dunster for the event.  The yard sale is as much a social occasion as it is an economic opportunity, and since I didn’t really need anything, I was hoping to return empty-handed, but alas, it was not to be.

    As soon as we arrived Joan noticed a pair of brand new felt pack winter boots in my size.  They were only $10.00 and I couldn’t pass up the bargain, so I bought them and we continued on, surveying the wide array of items for sale.  Amazingly, Joan discovered some cooking books that she didn’t have and so she forked out a handful of change so she could add those to her collection.

    As we proceeded past tables piled of containers of nuts, bolts, old faucets, knick-knacks, VCR tapes, used cooking appliances and containers, bedding plants, and baked goods, up toward the Dunster General Store, we came upon Warren Jones and his offerings.  I always think of Warren as a cowboy.  He is usually wearing a hat and cowboy gear, and sports a really long handlebar mustache.   He works as a horseshoer, a cattle truck driver (the Bull Shipper), and a chainsaw repairer, so we were surprised at what he was selling--office chairs.

    It seems that Warren bought a huge supply of used office chairs, (I think he said eighty of them.)  He had a few sitting there on the gravel, and they looked pretty good.  The chair I have in my office was starting to deteriorate, so I tried out the ones that Warren had and decided to lay down $20 for the most comfortable one.  At $20, it too, was a real bargain.

    At another table the vendor gave me an old laminated Robson Valley poster I had made 20 years ago, so with our arms full of our new possessions, we headed back to our truck, knowing that we had utterly failed in our desire to to come home empty handed, but we are happy with our purchases.

    When we got home and Joan began looking through her cooking books she remarked about what good ones they were, and I am presently sitting on my new office chair as I type this blog.

    Dunster is beautifully situated in the Robson Valley, surrounded by mountains.  On our way home we passed a green pasture full of sheep and newborn lambs.  Below is a photo of the scene. 

I paint, see my paintings at:  www.davidmarchant.ca