Four Alarm Fun! A 1940s Fire Engine Rolls through Raleigh

Recent Estate Sales

Up before dawn recently for more yard sales and estate sales. I try to be very selective when choosing yard sales to attend because, face it, they are usually huge wastes of gas and time so I stay within the Raleigh city limits focusing on Inside The Beltline. Some recent yard and estate sale finds:

This charming plastic bank was yanked from a under-advertised estate sale recently. A family had bought a small older home in a good neighborhood and was selling off all of the old junk that remained inside. I bought a small souvenir pitcher with JFK and Jackie-O for a dollar or two. I was delighted to find a packet with gold fillings in it worth about $140. Not bad.

A handsome 1940's piece of technology, I like to think that this camera pulled from a yard sale really describes my personality.

This estate sale featured the leftovers of an Olde Raleigh antiques dealer. Most of his vast, superior collection was liquidated by a high-end auctioneer in Hillsborough. But there were a few items left over. This ship's wheel is large, heavy and was likely taken off of a 19th Century British craft.

I collect (among many, many things as you know) U.S. Navy wardroom china (the kind with a blue ring around the plates along with a cool 'fouled' anchor). I came across this spittoon and couldn't pass it up. I'd guess that it's from 'between the wars.' Cool and large, it would be good to put hydrangea blossoms in. Or spit tobacco juice in. One or the other.

I pulled this tray at a recent estate sale which didn't yield much else. -Most don't really. This circa 1955 Coca Cola tray is very common. Every antique advertising collector has one. But the shiny-new condition and that great smile were too good to pass up.

This bottle is from a brewery in Brooklyn NY dating from around the turn of the last century. -Considering the cool embossed anchor, I think that it has Jim Dandy's name on it.There's something very strange about being in a small, dark, subterranean space and coming across boxes and boxes of pale limbs and heads. Fortunately for me, I was picking in a Raleigh estate sale crawl space that was once a warehouse for the lady of the house's Porcelain doll making workshop. -Didn't make it any less creepy though.

I didn't get much but I did get this nice printing roller that I want to try with my vintage printing blocks. -Could be cool. I'll keep you posted how these prints turn out.

Happy Fathers Day!

Today is the day that we celebrate fatherhood. This could mean you, your father or dads in general. Despite how we're portrayed by Madison Avenue today, we are not dumb or dweebs or dolts. If you watch TV, we are knuckle dragging halfwits dependant on the wisdom of female co-workers, wives and even our kids .
We are dads. We are overworked and overstressed. Too many bills and not enough money. But here's the good news. We are American men and we relish doing anything for our family, friends and community, even accomplishing the impossible.

I received a couple of wonderful presents on Fathers Day. Lil' Bean practiced facial features in her new sketch book. She doesn't like the eye that she drew. What do you think?


Lil' Bean knows all too well that her Dad is a breakfast guy, big time. So, she made me a breakfast feast from scratch. Biscuits with cinnamon butter, a wonderful omelet, a couple of eggs over hard and bacon. The works. -One of the best breakfasts that I've ever had, it was gone in under ten minutes.

Pax Victoriana! Raleigh's Oakwood Neighborhood

Madras Monday

I've come across some madras sportcoats since first showing this one off a couple of years ago. -But they don't have the subtle mustard yellow, faded navy blue or earthy burgundy colors. They just aren't the same. -Know what I mean?

Question: When can one begin celebrating summer by breaking out the madras sportcoat?

Answer: I dunno. It depends on when you want to kick ass.

Old Madras