Danger. Keep Off Roof.

Up at the crack of dawn and off to the penultimate Flamboro of the season and bloody cold it was too. And at the field we added damp to the mix with a very nice fog hovering. I was dressed very sensibly, suitably layered and toasty and all, while quite a few hardy Canadians were comfortably strolling around in sweaters, shorts and sandals. Pioneer material I am not.

But the fog burned off and by 9:00am a lovely fall day.

Here's what I saw:

a great soapbox racer, sold very, very early in the day

art needs no explanation, it stands or falls on its own
or sometimes it just leans




a beautifully alligatored hutch from Ed Locke



file under: terminally cute


file under: little red shovels, box of


file under: spools, box of


and the crew from TreasureHD was there

wanted to get this WPA kit, but didn't



Elaine was shopping along with her dog, Hanna, and Hanna's dog, ChiChi



Always good advice; wanted to get this and did.

So, all in all, a good time time was had by all. Except certain wives who didn't get any jewelry.

There's always next time.

As long as we remember: Danger. Keep Off Roof.

'Shrooms and a Hat

With the weather being so great, and the dollar being so equal, it was time for another road trip. We'd been wanting to visit the Ontario Antique Mall, just outside of Rochester NY so off we went. They boast of a thousand dealers, and are in Farmington, NY. Just get off at New York State Thruway exit 44, drive three miles, and you're there.


We'd been warned to expect delays crossing the border at Lewiston NY but the delay was all of three long minutes.

An hour later we were parked at the mall and ready to go. It's a lovely mall, but mostly comprised of dealer showcases. Not much for me, mostly collectibles, glass and china, but enough jewelry and accessories to keep P occupied while I sat in the car and read.







We bought nothing.

On the way back we stopped at Clarence, NY. Hadn't been there in five years or more and what a difference.

A little back story first. The first time we went, almost thirty years ago, the busiest field was Hickey's. Truly a field, with a bunch of rickety dealer tables set out every Sunday and one small shack of building for those few dealers who didn't want to unpack and repack every week. Clarence Antique World was just a mile or so away and with better facilities eventually took most of the dealers away.

Hickey's closed.

Antique World expanded. Then there were partner squabbles, buyouts, non-competition agreements, then competing fields. This is all over a twenty year span or so. And all during the heyday of antiques mania.

There were two huge Extravaganza Expos a year in addition to the weekly Sunday offerings. It was fun then to be there shopping with flashlights in the misty, biting-bug ridden pre-dawn hours, and there were treasures to be found. Some dealers even packed up by 11:00 am not wanting to be around for the tire-kickers who'd show up after church let out.

During the Expos we'd sit with twice-a-year friends, play catch-up and feast on the chicken BBQ set up by Chiavettas. (We still buy their Italian salad dressing by the case).

And all good things must come to an end.

With the dollar then at at 1.50 or more and the creeping price of gasoline and 9/11 and the ease of ebay, we, along with a lot of other Canadians, just stopped going.



We still don't know how it is on Sundays, but during the week there are a number of building/group shops open and that's what we saw this trip. A lot of the same old, same old: some interesting things, some not so, but worth a look if you're in the neighbourhood.

And we were.

One thing we didn't do while we were in the 'hood back in the Rochester/Avon area was have lunch at Tom Wahl's.

That alone would have been worth the drive. Especially the mushrooms. And the rootbeer.

So in the end what did we buy (and this includes a final stop at the Outlet Mall)?

Two Mighty Tacos (actually not too bad and pretty big) and a hat.

A very nice hat. And worth the trip.

But I'm sorry we didn't make it to Tom Wahl's.

If You Can Read This, You're Probably Not a Woman in Lowland Nepal

It seemed like a good idea: we'd been going to yard sales all summer, so let's have a sale of our own and get rid of some of our mistakes, and then it became a neighbourhood sale with a number of families participating.

And it was a good idea, except that the weather didn't cooperate. It was bloody cold.

Oh well. But all in a good cause. My good cause was clearing a path in my hallway.

The real good cause was halfway around the world.

My neighbour's sales' profits are being donated to WELNEPAL a wonderful organization which supports Womens' Education and Literacy in Nepal. And they had some great stuff all donated by volunteers and fund raisers.

Here's what you missed.

Just beginning to set it all up around 7:00 am

C'mon who doesn't love Nancy Sinatra?
Vinyl is a hot item; almost all of it went.

Did I mention there was Wedgwood? SOLD! (and not to me.)

Good to the last bite.

Hand knit Aran sweaters. A best seller considering the cold morning we had.

And what's a yard sale without a box of plush toys?

And the left overs...? All yours. Come and get 'em

So six hours later, I asked my neighbour how he thought the sale went. His reply: too much work; he'd rather write WELNEPAL a cheque.

This from a guy who spends almost all of his free time volunteering for WELNEPAL.

You can write a cheque too, if you want.


Or just go to Nepal and drop it off in person. Henry! Gas up the jet! Wheels up at Oh-eight-hundred hours.


Here's that website again: www.welnepal.org

A Change in the Forecast

If the antiques business is in a slump, don't tell anyone at the Gadsden's Christie Show. I don't know any official numbers but it seemed that there was fairly sizable crowd anxiously checking their watches waiting for the 8:00 am opening.

No early admission here, and there are signs posted admonishing dealers: "No sales before opening".

The weather (forecasters) had been threatening rain, but nope, it was beautiful. Perfect shopping weather and it sure looked as though people were buying. I saw money changing hands and packages being carried and carted.






While I was chatting with show promoters Wendy and Jeff Gadsden, a number of people stopped by to say thanks and compliment them on a terrific show; these were customers: some regulars, some first-timers. How often does that happen?

A lovely end to the summer shopping season.

And an assortment of random shots:
Salvation Army Camp that-a-way


Bull's eye mouldings
Tin Ceiling Squares
Frames
Cedar canoes.
I didn't buy any of these.


Hudson's Bay Point Blankets.
I did buy one of these.



All in all, it was just a bee hive of activity.

Yep. I bought that too.