Road Trip: Destination Reached!

Since I couldn't work on my blog last night, I ended up getting some much needed sleep.  Both of us woke up early and we got on the road right away. Today was a big day - only about an hours drive to our destination, Divernon, Illinois to pick up our harvester tracks!

We drove through St. Louis Missouri and saw the St. Louis Arch in the distance . .

right before crossing over the Mississippi River!

As we continued north, we drove past some beautiful farms

and lots of fields of corn!

The Dowson family farms 50,000 acres of corn and just built a new dryer to dry it.  Mike said I would know we were there when I spotted the big dryers, as we had bought the tracks from the Dowsons. Corn harvest has already started back here so truck after truck rolled in to unload while we were there. These dryers are the biggest I have ever seen and they still can't hold their entire crop!

As we drove into the dryer yard, I saw our tracks sitting off to the side next to a pickup.

We parked our rig and walked over the check them out again while we waited for Chris Dowson to come with a front loader so we could load the tracks onto the trailer.

Mike dug the chains he brought out of the lock box . . .

and measured out and marked placement of the tracks on the trailer, while we waited.

Chris arrived shortly thereafter, along with "Big Mike" - a 6'8" young man who was driving the front loader.  The guys proceeded to chain up the tracks to the front loader as I snapped these pictures!

The first track was carefully lifted and placed onto the bed of the trailer.

Then the second track was placed next to it.

Chains were run through the tracks

and then hooked onto the bed of the trailer, then tightened with binders.

For extra safety, we added strong straps through the top of the tracks to keep them from tipping during transport.

Finally, Mike toenailed in four boards around the base of all sides of the tracks.  The load was secure but Mike wanted to find out what his load weighed so we drove up the road one exit.  Mike dropped me off at an antique mall while he went to the scales to weigh the load.

The antique mall was out in the middle of nowhere and it didn't look like much but when I walked in, there must have been 200 booths - a whole mall of antiques to treasure hunt in!  I have a whole list of things I am looking for - both for friends, and for clients!

 One client collects these glass chicken/nest dishes and she needs a purple one - I found this one, sent her a picture from my phone, and got a message right back from her that the one she needs has a beaded edge instead of this edge!  So if anyone out there knows where I can find one - let me know!  Until then - I'll keep searching!

I went around the corner to another booth and I was met with this whole case of Candlewick glass!  My friend Margaret inherited some Candlewick from her aunt and she is always looking for unique pieces.

Margaret once told me she was looking for a special cookbook for her mother.  I found a booth full of vintage cookbooks and sent her a text!  She confirmed I had found the one she was looking for - her mother had received a copy of the cookbook for a wedding present and five years later, she and her husband lost everything, including the cookbook, in a devastating flood.  Margaret wanted to replace the cookbook she had received for a wedding present!  But shush if you know Margaret or her mother - it will be a surprise gift!!

Another client is looking for vintage hats with veil netting and I was able to find three for her here and great prices!  I found some miniature bottles for another client, some vintage wooden spools, a vintage birdcage, some piano player rolls,  a dainty rosary, a vintage wedding dress, an off white demi-lune table, and a Catalina Pottery Vase - all for a grand total of $126.00!!  THAT was a great day! 

As I walked out the door with my hands full, Mike told me I had to go into the next building.  The sing on the building said "Crafter's Mall" but he said he went it and found a booth with some vintage stuff he thought was pretty cheap.  He led to one booth filled with antique oak furniture and other home accessories so I started checking price tags - he was right - really good prices - then I saw the find of the day!  A vintage double laundry tub - perfect for filling with ice and beer bottles, or other beverages for a party and the price tag - $22!!  In California, this tub would have cost $150!  We also bought a vintage gateleg table, in excellent condition for $65!!

We loaded up everything without taking pictures because it was about 98 degrees with 75% humidity and we had to get on the road because we had been treasure hunting for about 3 hours and we had to start heading back home.  Look for my posting "Opening the Treasure Box" when I get home to see all these treasures!  We left Illinois, passed back over the Mississippi back into Missouri, and turned west.

Once the air conditioning in the truck had cooled us off, we realized we had not eaten anything since breakfast at our hotel!  So again, I got online, checked Trip Advisor for restaurants in a town called Hannibal - the number one listed was a place called Fiddlesticks.  GPS told us we were just about there so we pulled in.  The service was unbelievable! Our drink glasses were never empty, our salads came within 3 minutes of us placing our order and the main course was not much further behind.  We were in and out of there in about 30 minutes! Pretty good for a sit down dinner and the food was pretty good!

It had been a full day.  Back on the road, it wasn't long until the sun started setting. Now we were heading into the sun towards home, and we still have room in 'the treasure box' so who knows what we'll find on the way home?! Now our cry will be - Westward Ho!!

Sacramento Antique Fair

In my days as a first grade teacher, I would often read the classic Three Billy Goats Gruff to my students.  The repetitive text was one of their favorites as they echoed the troll "Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge?!"  In the case of the Sacramento Antique Fair, they would have to change the echo to "Who's that trip-trapping UNDER my bridge?!!"

Beneath the freeway bridges at 21st and W-X street in Sacramento, there are lots of treasures, and yes, you may even find a vintage troll or two!  Held the second Sunday of every month, The Sacramento Antique Fair has grown to be one of jewels of Sacramento. 

Under beautiful blue skies this past Sunday, I had the pleasure of introducing my friend, Margaret, to the fair.  We arrived early, found parking easily, paid our $3 entrance fee and we were in!  Watching my friends' jaws drop is something I cherish!  Margaret was no exception - she was in awe of the numerous vendors, and the selection of merchandise.  As I was explaining pretty much anything can be found at this fair, we walked by these 4 foot bunnies!

I mean, seriously, where else can you find four foot bunnies?!  They would be great for a store window display for perhaps Easter?  Since Margaret and I were not in the market for 4 foot bunnies we moved on!

 

  I found this vintage train case at the Sac Antique Fair months ago and I bought it with the intention of reselling it at Melange but . . . I loved it so much I couldn't give it up!  So when I came across another one I had to check it out to see if it was better in anyway.  The new one has initials of the previous owner as well as the original 'Samsonite' label on it's underside so you guessed it!  I bought it to keep for myself and now this one is on sale at Melange!  I have an affinity for old suitcases but I'll save that story for another post!

Vintage dresses, hats, purses are plentiful!  If you ever need the perfect costume, this is the place to come!  So many decades are represented, 

from the gold rush days to "Mad Men" days!

We saw vintage fur coats, stoles, jackets, hats - you name it!  There were all kinds - rabbit, mink, sable, and even those little scarf like ones with the fox heads and feet still attached - decided not to take a picture of those!

Its always fun to treasure hunt for a particular item!  Margaret searched all the tables filled with vintage dishware for candlewick crystal and Fostoria!  

She found a beautiful candlewick relish dish and a candlewick tab handled dish from two different vendors.  These will be cherished reminders of her first visit to the Fair!

Antique and vintage furniture is everywhere to be found down under the freeway! Dressers, mirrors, beds, cafe sets, armoires, bookcases - some with the original finish, some have been refinished - I plan on painting this headboard I bought. If you like super chippy style or refined, you will love the variety the Antique Fair offers.  Even if you don't need furniture, it is fun to look at!

My oldest son, Max, came with me one day and looked at all the vintage guns and tools. Alex, my youngest, came with me to the May show and found a vintage Bourbon decanter to celebrate his 21st birthday!  One look at the picture above shows the variety of treasures to view - a chest of flatware, a vintage scale, Chinese checker board, wicker and bamboo side tables, and a bobble head dog like we used to see in the back of cars!  Just goes to show you, one man's trash is another man's treasure!

See that little sailor boy riding that seagull?  I found him on a previous visit!  He won my heart and I bought him but had no idea what I was going to do with him until I got home.  Somebody was kind enough to bring him to the Sac Antique Fair 

instead of tossing him in the trash. 

 Now he resides over the vignette that includes a photo of my three sons when they were much younger.  He reminds me of how I used to dress my boys in cute sailor outfits to take their picture.  I wonder - what is his story?  Just a fleeting glance over a vendors table and the sailor boy jogged a memory of the day I took Max, then 2 years old, to get his photograph taken. I'll post the picture when I find it!!

Margaret and I had a great time that day. As Margaret walked the aisles at the fair, she spotted numerous items that were inherited by her generation from her Aunt Celie or Grandma Erica - the items were once cherished by them, and now remained with a new generation to be part of making new memories.  And that's why I cherish this show - from the vendors, to the shoppers, to the merchandise - so many treasures waiting to be found and so many stories waiting to be told!