Sold! to #97 . . . A New Jersey Auction Adventure

'Scuse me while I go close the skylights in the sunroom;
it just got through to me that it is pouring rain.

Leaves blow in and get caught on the screening.  Looks awful, doesn't it?

I never claimed to be a MENSA candidate.

Done, and I'm back at my desk.
Watching the ferns fly in the wind.

Dear Howard: Where DO those extension cords on the metal chair belong?

  

Everything outside is wet and toppled over.

 These pictures are taken through the drippy sunroom glass.

The poor iris-es . . . they finally bloomed, and they're getting their iris-es kicked by the weather.

There's been a lot of rain, but thankfully Sunday was beautiful.

Clear, a little on the cool side, but a perfect day for this -

a barn auction in a gorgeous gentleman's farm setting.

Howard's carrying the coffee cups; we are ready to bid!

Where's Howard now?

Getting ready to bid on some small vintage chairs.

And we got 'em.  Nine country Sheraton-style chairs.

Rush seats.  8 maple. 1 oak.  None is identical to any other.

They must have been collected over time.

Broken rush; we're keeping this one to use ourselves.
What do they say about the shoemaker's children going barefoot?

5 have seats in excellent shape; they're going to my antiques booth.

4 have holy smokes falling apart rush seats.

We're using them around the old oak table in our sunroom.

Slat backs, with thumb back posts.

Yup.  Boo-Boos on the seat of this one, but the chair is still

very sturdy and usable.  I'll trim and glue the rush,

and make nice ruffled squabs for the seats.

This one has little black rubber shoes.  None of the others has rubber shoes.
Possibly there's damage beneath that black rubber.  I'm ignoring it.
I think the little black feet are kind of adorable.  Like tap shoes.

Howard and I had talked - at length - about buying matching chairs

for around the sunroom table.  We just didn't think we'd find them

at an auction, and pay $4 apiece for them.  Yes, you read that right.

****************************

Other auction wins . . . .

For $5, a box full of old silver plated stuff.

Like, a couple of old dog trophies from the 60s that appear to be shrimp servers.

Those Weimaraner folks apparently love their shellfish.

And . . . meat platters, serving trays, serving dishes, and a water pitcher.

Some of these pieces are going to polish up nicely; they'll head for the booth, too.

Others?  Not salvageable.  I'm going to try painting them.

Never thought I'd do that . . . but there's a first time for everything.

To the right - Clothes from Goodwill for Anne's latest
costuming job, a revival of West Side Story.

As the deli man says, "And vat else?"

Among other auction wins - a big lot of brass candlesticks,

a cut crystal lamp, a child-size drop leaf table, a country-style

Windsor bench, a brass tray on a stand, a Chippendale-style hanging shelf,

a box of antique linens - most of them useable! - and this:

a lamp made out of an old water pump, mounted on a piece of barn wood.

Yeah.  It's no great beauty, is it?  However, it brings back memories

of when my sister and I pumped oceans of water

from Grandma's backyard well to keep her garden in good health

when she took her annual summer visit to Aunt Bertha in Vermont.

I can still hear that distinctive squeak of the pump.

And how Peggy and I were sure that if we filched

a warm ripe tomato off a vine, that Grandma  - 

across Long Island Sound and many miles north - would know.

Well, I'll clean up this strange old lamp, and 

rewire it, and then decide - keep or sell?

It might look good in the sunroom.  Hey, you never know.

At least Dylan can't break it when he sneaks up

on the corner table to get a better view out of the windows.

How our Dylan spends a rainy day.  Love the damp curls!

Well, I have putzed around at the computer long enough.

Time to make myself useful.  -- Cass