A Little House by the Sea, for You and Me - Carmel Doll Shop

that Michael and David never wrote notes and
never did ask…not even Michael who sometimes
liked to break “the rules”. They always just
politely stood and marveled at the fine quality of
my construction, the perfect scale of my small
front door, they would touch my graceful porch
posts, admire the bands of fish-scale shingles
upon my expertly designed, but leaky hip
roof…and desire me…but rarely were they alone.
There were always countless other visitors in
Moss Landing – visitors milling around me,
loudly speculating where I had come from
originally, who built me, how much I might
command if I were ever for sale, and sadly, how
much longer I might be allowed to deteriorate.
Rumors were gleefully shared, including an
account that “someone” even presented a blank
check to my owner, with the rather desperate
option for him to fill in any amount that it might
take for him to part with me. That rumor could
have been truth, but ownership of this playhouse
simply wasn’t about money. My owner already
held title to nearly all of the real estate in the
entire village of Moss Landing – my ownership
was deeper than money, it just had to be. So I
sat…and waited…like I had been doing for many,
many years.
Meanwhile, Michael and David eventually
completed the renovation of their shop, opened
for business and managed to make a success of
it…and they continued to visit Moss Landing.
In the antiques business, after a period of time,
one realizes that perhaps some of those treasures
that one purchased maybe weren’t such treasures
after all. You’ve given them a chance to move and
they just won’t budge. Of course, there is
absolute truth in that old saying “one man’s junk
is another man’s treasure”, so one July, Michael
and David decided to do a little cleaning out of
the inventory. What better place to clean house
than the annual Moss Landing Flea Market and
Pancake Breakfast?
The morning of the flea market dawned foggy
and gray. With the scents of damp, freshly cut
grass and pungent seaweed heavy in the salt air,
the dealers arrived to take their places along
Moss Landing’s main thoroughfare. Business was
brisk and Michael and David sold like wild
fire…something to do with their display
technique, (another story) and after a few hours,
things quieted down enough for Michael to go in
search of the traditional, flea market breakfast of
deep-fried artichoke hearts. Off he went, but he
returned all too quickly and totally emptyhanded,
yet his eyes were wide as he exclaimed
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A view through my open front door…Princess Rose, a Bru Bebe
Teteur is a frequent guest for tea parties.
A family doll — Carmen reclines on a chaise with a book and
a friend.