Road Trip, Part 2 -- All this . . . and Jason Castro too!

Ever wonder where you can get Emu oil? (Apparently it's good for arthritis.)

How about an artistic armadillo for your yard?

Or some long horns?

Or any manner of Texas items?

Need a little something for your man cave? (I know someone who does!)

All of this and more . . . so much more . . . can be found in Canton, Texas, the home of the world's oldest and largest flea market. Canton is one of the reasons we got in the car last week and drove 15 hours both ways. Yes, 30 hours in the car for a flea market!

But it was worth it, friends. I'm here to tell you, it was so worth it.

Just look at this pie!

Worth it?! I'll say.

Canton is a treasure trove of flea market finds. Some funky and weird (see the armadillo above), some pure Texas, some just plain tacky. But in the midst of all this funky weirdness, there are treasures to be found and adventures to be had.

I can't count the number of times I've been to Canton, but one particularly memorable trip involved four of my girlfriends, a trailer, and a sale back up here in Illinois. We were young then.

Since I've just remodeled a bathroom, I decided that I needed something from Canton to fill it, so that was my focus. Along the way I got sidetracked . . .

. . . by fake pomegranates in a cool wooden bowl.

. . . by more fake fruit and apothecary jars with little birds on top.


. . . and by more apothecary jars and candles.

But I did find what I was looking for--a cabinet for our "new" bathroom (ignore the fact that I don't have a toilet paper holder yet) . . .

. . . and some pretty glass jars to go in it.

Oh, and I also found a vintage mirror that is going to look perfect over the sink once I paint it black (the mirror, not the sink).

What I didn't find was a hairdresser. That Texas humidity is just like everything else there--BIG! (Nope, no pride left at all, folks.)

Speaking of hair . . . here comes the highlight of my day. Do you know who this is??

Yes, my friends, it's Jason Castro, my all-time favorite American Idol contestant EVER! You can imagine the squeals of excitement when, just as I was deciding whether to buy that mirror pictured above, my niece, Kira, says, "Aunt Shelly, turn around!"

I whipped around to see Jason. Cutie patootie of American Idol fame. Buying a lamp! Jason Castro buys lamps! With his wife (!) no less.

We whispered frantically, debating whether or not I should ask him for a picture, but in the end we decided to leave him to his shopping. After all, shopping is serious stuff at Canton.

And that lamp looks a little heavy for wee Jason (he's so tiny!).

I guess I'll just have to settle for a quickly-taken picture and a close-up of the same.

So there. Canton. I hope you've enjoyed your stroll through one of my favorite fun places. And if you're ever in the Dallas area around the first weekend of the year, you should check it out.

You might just see Jason!