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disposed along easily navigable paths. Another museum show I reveled in was one of Japanese bamboo basketry at the Asia Society: elegant and infinitely clever configurations place the Japanese artisan at a very high level indeed.
    In two weeks, I’ve skipped around Asia, Africa, and Southeast Europe without leaving New York, or spending more on travel than a subway token. (4/30/99)

YOU NEVER KNOW THE SURPRISES IN STORE
    I look forward to the weekends with anticipation and some anxiety because my weekends are the time given to “shopping.” Shopping, not in the ordinary sense of the word. I am out on these days to hunt for antiques, works of art and artifacts that I might deem worthy of acquisition. It’s a fishing expedition, a matter of chance. The Saturdays and Sundays may be rewarding or they may be disappointing. In any case, those days are dedicated days. And who knows what you will come up with. New York is actually a great place for finding objects that originate around the world and that are appropriate for collecting.
    This weekend has been auspicious. I aim for the familiar places: the flea markets about Sixth Avenue and 25th Street. There are inside and outside markets; I go to the outside markets first of all because they are more accessible and generally less expensive, although price is a very flexible and unpredictable thing. Take for example, the Kuba rattan woven vessel which was offered to me for sixty dollars and ended up being sold for six dollars. Hard to explain how the transition occurred except that it does in the course of banter. The woven vessel was small, about seven inches tall and a little lopsided, but I already have several examples of the same stuff and this new one will fit into the group.
    I then made my way down the garage on the other side of Sixth Avenue primarily to deliver a packet of seeds to an African dealer about to return to his farm in Africa. The ambling walk up and down the two aisles led me to a stand where I spotted a totally unexpected object: a sixteenth century Chinese blue and white bowl probably made for export. It had the usual floral spray on the bottom of the inside surface, and similar motifs on the exterior bracketed in loosely painted lappets. It looks really good to me. I asked the price. The vendor said “I’m selling it for one hundred and twenty dollars, but for you I will make it ninety.” When I made a counter offer of fifty dollars, he winced and came down to seventy. At that point I spotted a little African iron bracelet with two small figures standing on the spiral ring. I proposed sixty-five dollars for the two objects and the sale was made. The vendor grumbled a bit but agreed. Now I had purchased two objects from two continents and the afternoon was still young.
    Before going to another market specializing in African artifacts I stopped at one of my favorite coffee shops on 23rd Street; just a tiny place with only a narrow shelf and four high stools for customers but the coffee is really good and the croissants are made on the premises. Refreshed, I was ready for the next encounter. This time I was surrounded by wood statues from Gabon, all of which were intriguing. I looked at them; one after the other, turning them upside down, and checking them front to back. If I had my ‘druthers and the means I would have bought them all but, alas, I could only handle one of these treasures. I had to make a hard decision, to choose one that would have all the virtues of the others and something more. I made my choice and we began the pricing at six hundred, a price clearly too pricy for me. We went back and forth, coming down and going up until we reach an agreement which included two small metal pieces: a rattle bracelet (for dancing) in iron from Mali and a brass figurine from Burkina Faso. I went home with six objects that varied in place of origin and in materials from porcelain to iron to brass to wood to raffia. I thought this