ESTATE SALES, BOBBLEHEADS, AND AN AUCTION

The last few days have been a whirlwind of activity! But a whirlwind of fun activity so it's all good!

On Thursday my granddaughter, Brianna, and I went up to the Cities to pick up some things I won on an online auction. I got four vintage sleds and a large flat vintage drawer ( similar to a printers drawer without the shelves ) that I will turn into a chalkboard. Then we went to three Estate Sales where we picked up a large vintage drying rack, a vintage metal milk carton holder, a vintage mini cutting board ( not the kind you might be thinking of ), enamel ware, yellow ware, large wooden bowl in the shape of a goose, vintage typewriting table, old keys, a cute old suitcase, and vintage books! Our car was full! I'll put the pictures up later but haven't had time to sort through everything and get photos up. We had a great time with Bri helping navigate (with the help of Greta the garmin) around the suburbs of the Cities. We had lunch at Lee Ann Chins! Yummy! I took my camera but got so caught up in all the buying, that we forgot to take pictures. And on top of that it was raining so we were running from the car to the houses all day! Still it was a fun time to share this hobby with my granddaughter.

On Friday my husband and I went to the Twin Cities for the Twins baseball game. We had to get there early and stand in line...in a massive crowd... in the hot sun... for over an hour... to make sure we received the free Harmon Killebrew bobblehead giveaway! Guess whose idea that was? Then after we got in, we had another two hours before the game started! Tired from standing in the hot sun and not having much sleep the night before, I was ready for a nap! Yeah, that wasn't going to happen! Fortunately, we belong to a club that lets us into a really nice air conditioned area with seating for dining and restaurants that offer more than hot dogs and cracker jacks. So I perked up a bit and we sat down to a meal of fresh Minnesota walleye, french fries, and lemonade. Note to self: Next time get more sleep before baseball games!! Oh, and we did get there in time to get our bobbleheads...one for each of us. I'm selling mine on eBay!We also made a decision that if we don't have commitments the following day, we would stay overnight the next time we went to a game.

After driving home after the game and getting home close to midnight, we crashed into bed. Another late night and getting up early the next morning for a big sale that I couldn't miss! I picked up some ironstone, a cute vintage lunchbox with thermos, vintage pitcher with juice glasses, and antique grate. These photos to follow in a future post also.

Then it was on to an all day auction. My husband loves these auctions also and this time my daughter-in-law and Brianna came along to get some deals. It was a really long, hot day but we had a blast and picked up some fun stuff! The owner of the business, John, is a friend of ours and we know a lot of people who go so it is like a party really! As you can see John is very patriotic and begins each auction asking everyone to stand and say the pledge of allegiance. He also then shares where the auction contents come from telling about the collections of the families and in this auction how one family's bell collection spanned three generations! (And yes, I bought a few very interesting bells!!) John also is very interested in history and preservation and is in the forefront in our community in trying to save historic buildings from demolition. He encouraged everyone to write letters to the local paper, encouraging the community to keep preserving historic buildings. He makes these events fun and interesting, occasionally sharing bits and pieces of information about people who end up winning a bid. Like the elderly gentleman who could hardly walk and was losing his memory but his wife brought him as he always enjoyed the auctions. He would win a bid and John would tell us that this gentleman was an extraordinary lawyer in his younger days and he enjoyed the privilege of knowing him all these years. John is a very kindhearted person himself.

Everyone brings lawn chairs to the auction and relaxes ( and eats ) while bidding in the main arena which offers the higher end items.  At this auction in the main arena there were vintage motorcycles, like the Indian Motorcycle  pictured here, and vintage cars. My husband talked to the owner of the vehicles who was in attendance. He had an oxygen tank and stated that he didn't have long to live so he had to give up his collection. It was sad but also a reminder that everything we have is temporary and fleeting and we can't take anything with us. We need to hold our stuff lightly and be willing to let go of them when we need to.

There are always two areas with items being auctioned off. The other auction being in the adjacent building. My husband, Les, and I usually go back and forth so as not to miss items we've decided to bid on. Sometimes we split up and are bidding in both areas. I tell Les what I want and how much I think we should spend on an item.

Each auctioneer has different little sayings they like to throw in the middle of their " auctioneering speil". One auctioneer likes to say, "If you're done. I'm done." Another line is, " It's only money. You can always make more!" Hah! I like that one! That guy knows my buying triggers! It actually motivated me to buy! I'm not sure if other auctions are as fun as the one John's company puts on, but if there is an auction near you, you should check it out. There are bargains to be had for sure. It does take all day, however, and some people don't like to take the time. I guess that is where we come in. We do all the running here, there, and everywhere and spend all day at auctions just to get you some of the best deals in vintage finds around! I'll be sharing photos of my finds this week so keep watching.

Anyway, today I rested up from the whirlwind of the last three days. Now I have to go though all the goodies I bought, clean them up, tag them, and store them. Oh yes, and take photos of them for ya'll to see before the Labor Day sale!