Treasure hunting

The weather was beautiful this weekend and we were out and about treasure hunting. We headed down south to Fredericksburg….I had visions of stopping in a few antique stores in the downtown area, and my sons were eager to visit the area Civil War battlefields (with a metal detector in tow).

We made a stop at a Civil War museum and then headed downtown to the quaint shopping area. It’s been a year or two since we had visited Fredericksburg. People were milling about enjoying the warm day (hard to believe we had a “blizzard” the weekend before!), and a line was out the door at the ice cream shop. No problem for me, as I went to the Fudge shop instead.

Here’s the latest Father and Sons photo (my 6 year old is missing from this photo…he was off with his Grandparents on what was probably the last ski trip of the season). Can you guess who takes the pictures in this family? My poor husband has his face showing up on this blog more times than he realizes or probably cares to! And by the way, this was the first time he wore the Baby Bjorn baby carrier and he pointed out that he overheard two different men commenting on him wearing it. One looked at him (with disdain) and then told his wife, “No way! That’s why we have a stroller.” We didn’t mind. My little Sweet P (from N.P.W. – his initials) was riding in style and eventually fell asleep!

Do you remember me mentioning that I just have this thing for pie safes? My husband and I like to see who is the first to spot one in a shop (that and Scottie planters)….boy did I get double credit for finding this one in a window! In all of my pie safe admiration, I have never seen one so big!!! My husband got to talking to the dealer about this one, which he attributes to the Wythe County or Shenandoah Valley regions. And the price tag….try and guess. $12,000.

We were informed by one of the store owners that metal detectors were not allowed on the battlefields of course nor on any private property nearby. The boys wanted to search for Civil War bullets or other lost and buried scraps of metal (and boy did we find some interesting things, including a buried fender with a “Fly Navy” bumper sticker on it). We drove all around to find a place that was not a battlefield or private property. We finally found a wooded area near University of Mary Washington. We’ll have fun with this metal detector on the beach this summer.

While in the antique shops, I noticed advertisements for the DC Big Flea…and it was this very weekend! I knew I just had to go….even. if. it. meant. taking. THREE BOYS!!! We went to the show today and they were remarkably good! Nathaniel made his big Antique Show debut…and in 2 separate, huge buildings (one is where the Gem and Jewelry show is held, so he’s already familiar with that facility!).

I found some interesting pieces of vintage ephemera. I was looking for some pretty props for jewelry pictures. One find was an old ledger that belonged to Arthur Black Derby and is dated July 25, 1898. They lived on Park Avenue in Hoboken, NJ. The entries are from 1903 to 1905 and catalogue receipt of payment for items such as hauling gravel, 7 acres of mowing to berries and tobacco. Oh and the girls names are from a different time: Cora, Mabel, Edith, Hattie, Lulu, Matilda, Lucy, Vera, Bessie, Ella, Lillian, Irene, Cecelia…. And what a surprise to find an old picture of a Mr. Walder with his son and daughter at the Mississippi Levee tucked inside.

And lastly, here amongst worn postcards, mysterious keys and chandelier crystals is my favorite find: this sweet Linden alarm clock. Look at those aqua blue rhinestones. I think it is perfectly shabby chic and just what I’d like to place in my dream studio/craft room. It may be from the 50’s. Can’t you just see a girl running in to her room with her pony tail swaying, and plopping on the (pink, frilly) bed. She glances over at this clock on her night stand to check the time. Ah, she made it home by her curfew! Then she reaches for her diary to make a note of her evening…she just returned from a sock hop with her Richie Cunningham of a guy. 🙂