Geez, I'm having trouble writing 2010. Does anyone else? I woke this morning around 7:00; Frank always rises earlier but we got going from Miami around 8:00 am and headed North on the Florida Turnpike which turned out to be an expensive proposition when we had to pay the $12.00 toll. Well we couldn't stop traffic and talk about it so we swallowed hard. I'd taken Route 95 North had we known. That's one thing I find about Mapquest or Google directions - they both send you over toll rolls where there might be an alternative.
Anyways, we arrived at the Flea Market and we're amazed at how wicked busy it was. It's what''s called Extravaganza weekend and it certainly is. We walked until our feet hurt and begged us to get off them. Two days in a row on my feet - but so worthwhile. They have these Extravaganza weekends 2 times a year in Florida and then 2 or 3 times a year in Pennyslvania.
Some people think that if you don't piss and moan then it's not work. Some people think if you don't piss and moan then it's not serious but I learned a lesson very early on when I worked at the Wolfeboro Area Children's Center (WACC). There was a prominent Alton NH women antiques dealer who would bring her child to the WACC so she could go to auctions 3 mornings a week, or go to group shops or something similar and I'd get so mad at her because I was employed as a Secretary / Bookkeeper and she was doing what I loved, which was going to auctions. The Director at the time, Edie DesMarais told me "it's not against the law to love what you do and in fact it's best if you do." It was shortly after that in the mid 1980's that I entered into the business of dealing antiques.
So please, just because I don't piss and moan doesn't mean I'm not working. I just love what I do so it doesn't seem like work, but it is. We go to museums to learn. This is our continuing education. When people ask "how do you know?" we can tell them with confidence because we've looked at acres and acres and miles and miles of shows, shops, museums, auctions, and more. We study with our hands, and eyes and yes we have fun doing it.
One issue we all face is what the word "old" means. I've been giving it considerable thought which is also a gift Paul Dewees of Certified Appraisers Guild one told me to give myself, an hour of thought each day. Not doing anything but thinking through a situation, Anyway back to the word old.
As an antiques dealer I think old is good.
As a daughter I think old is bad it means Blindness, Throat and Breast Cancer
As a daughter in law I think old is bad because it means Alzheimers & Parkinsons
As a wife, I look at my husband after 23 years and ask how we got adult children
As a mother, I ask myself if my children are old enough to make decisions on their own?
As a women looking forward I see my own mortality. What will my legacy be?
It's something which effects every one of our lives. If we ain't getting older then we ain't breathing.
But just because I don't piss and moan about it doesn't mean I don't think about it, or deal with it, or let it wash through my life. My grandmother once told me that old age chips away at you little by little. I guess she was right. I'm so blessed to have all the wisdom and beauty of the ages surround me all the time in this business. I'm so lucky to love what I do every day of my life because I therefore love my life. Enough of my rants and raves.
Frank and I both felt at home when we arrived at Renninger's Flea Market in Mt. Dora. It was our tribe, we immediately found friends and dealers we knew but I lost my new water bottle in the first booth I stooped to buy something in and then couldn't find the booth again. Damn!
So on we trudged; it was a beautiful day for a flea market. Overcast, 70, nice breeze although we did hear some crashing glass - these dealers should know by now. Renninger's is big! They claim to have 1,000 dealers and I can't really be sure or not. It's not as big as it used to be, but I still think it's one of the larger shows on the East Coast. Definately worth the few hours it took us to get here.
We bought a rug; a dozen large colored balls almost like bocce balls and a circa 1900's photo of a fellow on a beautiful sailboat and mahogany name plate that said Capt. Melanson because we have a lot of Melansons in Wolfeboro who I can probably sell it to. We also found a hooked rug that was red plaid with a fisherman in the center with big vines on it. We'll offer these things this summer in our shop in NH. We stay open every day in the summer and work the road in the winter. It's a great life we lead and we know it.
My computer is warning me I'm down to 14 minutes so I must go for now. I took a bunch of pictures today which I'll post tomorrow with captions and dealers websites when I could get them. We had a great day today, albeit long. We started at 7:00 am and here it is at 7:00 pm. Met some interesting, quirky people, bought some stuff for resale, and now we're camping out tonite in Mt. Dora Florida. Yes ineed - it was a work day. They have $2.00 showers here - yeha!
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