I went to Santa Fe recently to see M’s cousin. And I was reading the newspaper while I waited for her to get ready to go to dinner, when I saw a notice in the paper about an interesting looking estate sale. I looked up the addy on my phone and thought I knew where this was (as it turns out, I didn’t) so the next day we were off, looking to score some treasures.

The sale was at an impressive house up in the foothills. The guy selling the stuff said that it was mostly from his uncle, although some of it was his. The uncle liked to collect things so much that when he filled up one condo with things, he had to buy another one to live in. And here it all was, and although there were no bargains to be had, it was fun as usual to be able to snoop through someone’s life.

It was an interesting collection of bits and bobs from various cultures Native (Red Indian) and foreign (Thai artifacts are quite popular). M’s cousin bought the basket visible in the upper left corner and it fits in nicely with her decor.

There were two rooms of this stuff. Here we have a bronze lady lamp and an African thing in the back, then a Native storyteller figurine (very popular in the 80’s), a bodhisattva from India, an antique Hispanic Santo, modern Santos, a bust (could this be of the uncle?) and a bit of hand painted pottery all mixed together on this one shelf.

This grouping was interesting to me because of the dolphin vase and Aegean candlestick figurine. I guess he must have touristed Greece (they don’t sell this stuff in the local tourist shops).

The seller had so much stuff to get rid of that he had hired a person to come in, price everything and display things, and he still had this collection of figurines and artifacts shoved into a box. One could purchase similar items in the smarter sort of tourist shops today. But one has to remember (I’m talking to you, self) that this is the ultimate fate of our personal talismans.

I think that we all start out with a fairly minimalist home at first. As a young person one can hardly go out and acquire everything at one fell swoop. And our style changes over time as one has leisure and money to pursue objects that mean something to us. And then there comes the time when we are gone but the stuff remains. What’s left is the estate sale.

I went to a nearby estate sale after a friend mentioned that it was full of interesting stuff. And it was packed to the gills with items, so I took a few pictures in lieu of buying things and adding to my personal hoard.

These are empty commemorative whiskey bottles. Shortly after I took this picture the coal miner was sold and was off to a new home. Perhaps it will be sold again someday from it’s new estate (or perhaps it will end up in a charity shop).

The woman of the house was a doll collector and these represent a few of the many trips she must have taken. They are the sort of thing sold to tourists, they aren’t really made to be played with.

When I first moved here (many years ago) I worked in a toy store. The doll department (Mrs. O) had a list of collectors that she called whenever a new shipment came in, I’m pretty sure that this woman must have been one of those customers. And now her entire room devoted to dolls was being sold off, bit by bit.

There were these unattractive figurines representing medical conditions, so I assume that her husband must have been a doctor (why else would one have these?). It was her estate sale, so he must have predeceased her.

These are not exactly dolls, but are Kachinas, which are spirit beings in Pueblo religions. They are carved from Cottonwood and represent both the spirit and the dancer. These were originally made as an act of devotion for family members, but now are made for sale to tourists. These are a popular decorative item for Southwestern decor, and she obviously loved the Southwest and Native (Red Indian) culture.

It is a somewhat melancholy experience to be going through the detritus of someone’s life, but on the other hand, she had lots of pretty things and obviously enjoyed them. A minimalist like Marie Kondo would be appalled at the quantity of stuff I’m sure, but we each live to please ourselves. I would much rather be surrounded by beautiful things, like the late Mrs. X, and I suspect that I shall go the same way. 😉