Hi there! It has been such a busy time around here as we prepare for the first days of Adventure Mendota 2016. Mike and I have also been on the fundraising merry-go-round for the Goodson Kinderhook Volunteer Fire & Rescue, Crossroads Christian Academy and the Washington County Public Library. We’ve bid in three silent auctions in less than 8 days. I’ve ended up with a few dinners out, several tickets to the Barter, and a pretty wall piece. We’re now broke.
Last night, however, we got into a bidding fever over these…apple crates from Chilhowie.
Mike bid….are you ready…$185 for these crates. We want to use them to hold Adventure Mendota’s t-shirts. We’re rural…they’re rural…it’s a match. If you are still reeling from the $185, the real shocker is that we didn’t win the bid. They went for $200. Mike was bummed, but I was secretly relieved. Whew! Close call!
However, as we went out to deliver Adventure Mendota rack cards today, I suggested that we stop in a few antique stores in Gate City to see if they were aware where we could find some similar crates. We stopped in the old Hackey Furniture and Appliance Store. I don’t know what it looked like “in the day” but here’s what it looks like today, and it is the home of Memory Lane Antique Mall. Very, very nice folks.
So, I went in…
I left a pool of drool when I saw this. It’s sold, and I’m kind of relieved. It’s hard to explain to Mike why I want something chippy and blue and wonderful. He does not get it. Sorry for the blurry picture. I took this with my iphone.
This is all about hunting crates, but there is one more thing I want to show you. This light fixture was $199. I’m going to look at similar new ones and compare prices. When I redo my dining room, I’m replacing the light fixture and this one would look very good. They were asking $199. I’m sure I could get it a little cheaper. $150??
But the real story here is the crates. I cannot see things in stores like this. Something in the way my mind is wired does not let me find that “needle in a haystack.” If there is a lot of distraction going on, I am…well…distracted. So I walked all the way through and started to leave and then I asked the salesperson if they had any old fruit crates with markings.
Here’s all the ones I passed walking through the store. I’m so glad I asked. This was just the start. We bought 7.
Here’s a few of my favorites…starting with my #1 favorite..it’s from Saltville. This box has so much history. It’s really about the rise and fall of an industry and how it affected a town and the environment. I’m honored to have it as a home for my t-shirts!
I’ve seen fake crates in stores. I do not meant to sound snobby, but really…why get fake when the real think actually tells a story? I’d rather do without than have a crate that doesn’t know how to speak!!! My crates speak AP-PAH-LACH-UN!
Here’s another one…this is actually from California and doesn’t speak AP-PAH-LACH-UN very well, but I couldn’t resist it. My XL tees will go in this one.
And finally…this little Canada Dry sings to me as well. I think it’s singing “I want tank tops!”
Yes, those are my feet.
New topic. Guess how much the Adventure Mendota Basket went for at the WCPL A Tisket A Tasket Fundraiser…$120. I’m thrilled! Each basket is around a book. My book was “A Day on the River” and if you can believe it, the little girl’s name in the book is….Eva!
Thank you for reading RiverCliff Cottage. XOXO
