antiques

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Today was the annual town-wide yard sales extravaganza here in Coudersport. This event was cooked up by Shirlee Leete... who is a great friend of my parents. It takes alot of organization, but she managed to gather over 100 different homes for the event... plus people who sold on the courthouse square... and lots of impromptu sellers... and even had a map for the event that was distributed. As a bonus... there were stands of Kettle Corn, home-made baked goods... even the band boosters were selling barbecue chicken! It also coincided with the Saturday Farmer's Market... so there were lots of fresh, organic produce to be had as well.

Needless to say, I not only had alot of fun... but also had a fab photo opportunity as well. PLUS... I got some great deals.... alot of old books for art/collage/reference, a shirt for my daughter, a baby blanket and some stuffed toys for my soon-to-be-born granddaughter, 5 large puzzles for my husband's aunt who is in a care facility, a small tv with a built-in DVD player for my mom, a pair of earrings for myself, and lots of organic produce, home-made bread and a small blueberry pie (YUM).. all for about $50...


*photos by Elaine A. Russell
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About the photos for today's post: These were all taken at various sales around town. I saw everything from toys...to clothes... to books... to dishes... to antiques and collectibles... even (yes) a brand new kitchen sink! Photo opportunities are everywhere if you take the time to look.

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(all photos by Elaine A. Russell)



When I was a little girl growing up in Coudersport; I lived just up the street from this house. I would pass it every day on my way to Elementary School... and coming home every day I would see this older woman working in her gardens.

She was not an overly friendly woman... and when I asked about her I heard stories of her chasing people off her property... and scaring some of the local kids away. But I was curious. Eventually... one day I walked up to her and casually started weeding the flower beds with her. At first we never spoke... just worked silently together... pulling weeds and gazing at the birds. As the days went by... she started chatting with me... telling me about the flowers... telling me about the trees. Telling me the latin names of everything we could see and touch.

One day... she allowed me into her house. She made me tea and brought out cookies. She told me of her previous years teaching music at the famed Juilliard School in NYC. She played her violin for me. We began a friendship... and I treasured my moments with her in the gardens. She eventually showed me the entire house... including a secret passage that was once used in the Underground Railroad times. I only saw her sporadically over the winter... shoveled her sidewalk a couple of times... but she was a bit of a hermit... and I didn't see her much in the wintertime.

She died one winter...I think it was the winter of 76... her frozen body not found for weeks... because few ever came to her house to call....I was devastated.

Ironically... the only "brawl" I was ever in; was when a local bully was ranting about how glad he was she had died... and I clocked him one... the force sending him clean over the teacher's desk and knocking him out when he then hit his head against a cinder block wall.

Her estate was quickly settled... her sister lived in New York. She had no children... no extended family. Her house was bought and sold several times over the years... and then lay empty... literally rotting into the land.

Recently, another fabulous soul... Mr. John Peet... bought the property and is trying to restore it.

Mr. Peet has a profound love for antiques, history and music... and was also acquainted with my dear lady friend in the red house. He is working hard to restore it in a manner becoming to the era of the house.

Yesterday I was driving by the house, and noticed that Mr. Peet was there; and he graciously gave me a tour. We talked about "dear Helen"... and room by room... we wandered. He told story after story... detailing the history of the town... of the county... of the furniture... and the families that owned them/ made them/ cherished them. It was fabulous... and happy... and a bit sad too. So many memories ....

And here are some photos from my tour....

an antique spinet piano made by the B. Shoninger Co of New Haven, Ct with an Italian wedding tapestry hanging above it....

and old spinning wheel


and old brass gas light -- once used on the streets of this town... now an electic beauty...


even a gorgeous antique 4 poster with a trundle... and antique handmade quilts....

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(photos by Elaine A. Russell -- this one was taken at the 2nd Time Around antique shop)


Today we started out near St. Louis, Missouri....and tonight we are in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Today has been sort of a rough day. Lots of construction on the roads... and some bad experiences with other drivers have made it a little difficult. Also... the roads seem to be in worse condition than I remember... or maybe it is just because my back is more sensitive to every pothole and bump in the road *(and there have been alot).

That said... we have seen some gorgeous scenery. Kristin did alot of the driving today... so I was able to look out my window at the stunning countryside. We saw lots of rivers and streams... and lots of really pretty birds.... tons of cows... horses and such. We even saw an alpaca farm off in the distance.

And there were the pleasures of being in more "city" areas as well...

We stopped in Springfield, MO for a Starbucks (my first in about 6 weeks)... and we discovered this awesomely loaded antique shop called "A Second Time Around." See this link: here

I think every square inch of this place had cool treasures to see... and we saw a ton.


For dinner, we stopped in Miami, OK at the Waylan's Ku Ku Burger (link: here). This is the cool place that I took a photo of last summer when I was in Miami... but I didn't get the chance to eat there at the time. This time... we took our time and sat down for a bite. It was really, really awesome. This place had been a nationwide "hot spot" since the Route66 days... and it is still going strong.

I had a fantastic steak sandwich, home-made fries and fresh coffee... FABULOUS.

Almost to our stopping point for the night, we saw a red glow and alot of smoke. Turns out.... some local farmers were burning their fields... and boy did it look cool.


These purple trees were everywhere... and boy are they gorgeous!


Cows... grazing in the fields....


Waylan's Ku Ku Burger joint....



...and fields ablaze....

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Today we left Coudersport, and are on our way back to New Mexico.
We left rather late... and we have stopped for the night at a Days Inn in Ohio....

It has been a fun day for the most part....although leaving my parents was hard. I can only hope that I have helped them a bit... and that from here on... they will get some additional help from people they know.

We stopped in Burtville, only about 10 minutes away from Coudersport at this little book store. It looked a little "worse for the wear" on the outside... but had an incredible selection of books inside. The owners were really nice... and I was able to buy a fantastic book of Tennyson's poems. Turns out that one of the owners is also a painter -- her name is Pat Bosworth... and she runs the "Galloping Gallery" from the back room of the book shop; which is also a framing shop. I have included a couple shots of the book areas, and one of one of her paintings as an example. Pat does not have a website... but you can reach her at galgal@zitomedia.net .




For a late dinner... we stopped at a Waffle House. The staff there was absolutely fabulous.
We had a terrific meal *$24 for 2 people* and some great conversation as well....
And we saw this stunning magnolia tree on the way,
and I couldn't resist stopping and taking a photo....

-----------------> all photos by Elaine A. Russell

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(Vintage Conoco Station in McLean, Texas)

After yesterday; frankly; I was a little reluctant to head out on the road again.

But head out... we did. Somewhere near Kellerville, TX we drove by a nasty accident where it appeared that there were several fatalities. A helicopter was trying to land nearby... presumably to transfer a survivor that all the medical people were attending to. The police had traffic stopped on I-40 heading east, and were waving people to go on.. on I-40 heading west. I tried to find out what happened... but couldn't find anything. Within the next 20 miles or so... we saw almost 30 dead dear along the road as well. All I can think... is that the storm that has been around us... was actually ahead of us at that point... and must have caused some awful winds/ storms or whatever and caused the damage the day/night before. Tonight... while watching the news... I did see where tornadoes had touched down in that area as well. .. and also in Oklahoma.
It was all very surreal.

Life is so precious. I think that sometimes we take it all too easily for granted.


(local farm in Texas)

The rest of our day was relatively uneventful. We drove.... alot. When we were in Elk City, OK.... we found a massive 18 wheeler sized truck wash.... and washed the SmartCar. All the mud from last night's fiasco was erased... at least from the outside of the car. Kristin drove the better part of the Oklahoma turnpike route... and around the city of Tulsa. She did a fantastic job.


(Southwest Antiques, in Weatherford, OK)

We would stop... but mainly for gas,water, or to walk about.
We stopped at a fabulous Antique Mall in Weatherford, OK ( it was much bigger on the inside than it appeared from the outside); and for burgers at Braum's ( and Kristin got an awesome hot fudge Yogurt based sundae).

The scenery is changing from the almost completely flat fields and ranch land... to slightly more hilly areas... red dirt...and trees. It was great to see the wind farms in action... they are really cool. We are gradually seeing more water as well... rivers, creeks, and ponds. Signs of spring are peaking about as well... some fields have been really, really green. ... but most are still dressed in their winter clothing.



(sunset in Oklahoma)

And we stopped for the night in Miami, OK... just a few miles west of Joplin, Missouri. We are staying at a MicroTel Inn; and it is fabulous. Last night we paid about $50 for a really tacky and somewhat questionable Motel 6. Tonight; we spent about $60... and have a beautiful room; clean and fairly posh... and we get breakfast as well. Go figure.


( Theater in Miami, OK)

Talked to my mom on the phone... the hospital (actually .. a social worker)...is talking about the possibility of transferring my dad to a rehab place of some sort. She apparently told my mom that dad could be transferred as early as tomorrow. He just had massive surgery yesterday. He is still in a heavy fog of pain... and can't really move at all. Sometimes I really don't understand hospital/ insurance stuff at all. I can't really see how that could happen... but I am trying to get there.... in the meantime, I encouraged my mom to talk to someone tomorrow about it.

But for now... rest well. Be safe. Appreciate the bounty we all have.... health, family, friends... blue skies, happy puppies.


*all photos by Elaine A. Russell

Laura's house....


*photo by Elaine A. Russell



So... Laura is a very interesting person. The daughter of 2 avid antique collectors... she said she never anticipated going into the "family business." In fact, she said she went in the opposite direction, becoming a clinical psychologist. She has 4 degrees, and an insatiable curiosity about the world.. and the people in it. She is also a fantastic artist herself.
Her home is also her place of business, with several rooms devoted to the "collections" that people come from far and wide to see and buy portions of. She caters primarily to collectors, enthusiasts, and artists. Drawers, shelves, cupboards, closets... even entire rooms are full of interesting items.

It is easy to lose track of time in a place like this. Believe me. Hours went by like mere minutes.
More tomorrow.. but in the meantime.. enjoy :)

I am also including a link to a video from YouTube that shows an interview with Laura.. and it helps explain things so much better than I could.

YouTube Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alwqmjdH9fM

thursday's child



photos by Elaine A. Russell


"Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay."

---I certainly have far to go. But not today. Today was spent helping my dad organize his state quarter collection into books. Somehow he is missing Ohio, Delaware and Mississipi.
Go figure.
I went to Rite Aid to get some photos put onto CD, and looked at used cars for my dad.
I got McDonald's for dinner to go with some fresh corn on the cob.
And -- I was thinking about going out to take some photos... because it wasn't raining.. and then it started raining. Ah well.

I also went to Valley Hardware to get some yarn to work on a scarf. I also picked up some fresh roasted cashews for my mom. This is a cool place.. it has a little bit of everything there.
Then I went to "The Right Stuff." This is an antique "mall" just outside of town. It actually isn't a mall at all, but a series of rooms that are connected in one long building. It is however, extremely cool. It has a ton of stuff... lots I would like to get. The photo above is a college of some of the cool stuff you could get. I picked out a bunch of little things.. but ended up not having enough money with me *(they only take cash folks).. so I will go back tomorrow.

I am being 'encouraged' to stay until next friday so that I can be Godmother to my neice's son who will be baptised that night. So -- we'll see. I think we have found a good/affordable dishwasher and microwave for my folks. I also found a lady who does massage.. so I made an appointment for Monday for both my mother and I.

I am trying to fill my days with good thoughts, peace, health... and photo taking.
Oh-- and my nephew slaughtered my neice at pool last night. YIKES. But -- good coffee, good company, and some wicked cool pool playing.