Spring Pickin 2013

Want to look like you were just teleported from a Newport beach bash awash in Narragansett Beer during the Kennedy Administration? Check out this apron, perfect for your next party's oyster bar shucking station. - A couple of bucks.

A friend went to a really good ol' fashioned country auction and found this great piece of folk art by the garden. What's it good for? Absolutely nothing. I just thought that it was funny and cool.

From the same auction, she pulled this hornets nest that was hung up in the barn rafters. Again, what's it good for? Absolutely nothing but it makes for great natural sculture. 

Kind of scary, ten minutes after my friend told me that she was lucky to have her health after some serious health issues, she tripped over a box in her booth and hit her head on the pavement. After an ambulance to the emergency room, she was released. Pretty lucky.

Church rummage sales have been fairly good. I happened upon one rather late one Saturday morning recently and was able to find some pretty decent things cheap. This 1960s curtain fabric was in perfect condition and passed the 'Bud Collins' test, meaning that it could these be taken over to the Andover Shop and made into kickass G.T.H. pants. Under $10 for many yards of fabric.

I can never resist more diner china and this airbrushed pine cone china from the 1950s was too perfect for the dream cabin to pass up, especially at a buck or two a plate.

At the same church rummage sale that I found the choo-choo fabric, I found this complete set of cool Danish Modern dishes in versatile blue and white. Although a few pieces were chipped, a whole box full for $8 isn't bad.

I haven't been to many estate sales this spring but this underadvertised one was pretty good. Low key, Old Raleigh family trying to liquidate a bunch of stuff. What is the roll of stuff? It's 1960s grass paper that was very popular as wall paper back then. I think that it could be used as a good, cheap runner in a beach house.

My church held its annual Trash 'n Treasure rummage sale to support youth missions and it's quite a scene. I looked around and looked around and didn't see anything. Here's another lesson or two. First, don't give up too easily and make that extra curcuit around the junk because that's when you often spot stuff. Second, if you have eclectic tastes like I have, literally hundreds of people can beat me to a sale and I can still find stuff. No one paid much attention to the artwork and I found a couple of decent items. This civil war piece is pretty decent. Well executed and an original painting, I got it for $6. Anything Masonic is interesting to people because that stuff is often so weird and mysterious. This framed shadbox frame was probably made as a memorial for a member and, although it looks like it was made yesterday I'd guess that it is from the 1940s at the latest judging by the framer's label on the back. One interesting thing about it is that, if you notice, there is a 'flap' hidden by the ribbon. I'll bet that there is something hidden behind that flap!

Calling All Hamletonians & Wannabees: Meet At the Upper Cabin June 28 & 29

 That's right. We are giving it another go on June 28 & 29 2013. All Hamletonians, B&Os and any other assorted reprobates are invited to attend. If you have questions about the campout or if you want to comment on my blog-

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You ever try to get the guys back together for old time's sake? For years, some of the reprobates from college met every once in a while for a camp out or a canoe trip. Memorable trips down the James River where it's narrow below Charlottesville or perhaps camping at the rustic yet perfect Upper Cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains meant long days of portaging the canoe over shallow stretches (of which, on the James, there are many) along with late nights playing cards, smoking Camels and sipping Obnoxious Gobbler (also known as Wild Turkey). I'd often come back to work on Mondays looking pretty beaten up. But despite the wear and tear on an increasingly middle-aged body, I enjoyed the time away and came away with some great memories. There was the time when we camped in the middle of the James on tiny Dog Island. It was great until the heavy rains came. We cobbled tarps together, made a make-do tent and resumed partying. The River certainly rose but we made out OK. What about good ol' Spew who would get into great wrestling matches with his brother or the time he took off his drawers and threw them into the camp fire. -Violated some air pollution laws on that canoe trip. And of course we did the prerequisite smoking, fishing, shooting, bragging and cussing all along the way. In short, every once in a while we checked off items from The List of Things Dudes Do. Every year, though, it seems to get harder to pull these trips off. Conflicting schedules, family and work responsibilities make getting 'the full roster' seem impossible sometimes. However, THIS year appears different. 'The Jaguar' (he doesn't drive Jaguars, he drives only SNAABs) has risen to the occasion and lined up some fine accomodations, shooting sports and other diversions so it promises to be great. Here are some shots of much younger Hamletonian Campers on long ago outings.

Remember when you could open up a Bean catalogue and get all of that made in the U.S.A. gear?

That's me bugging the dog. The lab remained unimpressed. The Dogs of the Campout were always the stars of the show and were honored guests.'Phineas', 'Blackie', 'Ace' and the rest were always the best behaved. That year, we held it at my famiy's property on the Rappahannock River in Virginia. I posed drinking Tobasco out of the bottle and ruined the picture, I was told. -So, I cropped myself out of that one. Ah, 'The Old Man's' truck. -Not my father's truck mind you. But the guy driving it is nicknamed The Old Man. -Ironically, he is now the youngest looking one among us.

Words to Live By

"Time to grow up, shut up, and play rugby. Anything besides you touching the ball down in the try zone or tackling someone disgusts me. I'm done talking."

-The wisdom of Dave Steckler, coach of the Mother's at Cherry Blossom Festival, spring 1995. That day, UMW beat Penn State 25-5.

P.O. Palustris Visits Jermyn Street

Mr. Palustris took these photos when he was on Jermyn Street recently where he was kind enough to pick up my quarterly order from Turnbull & Asser. Unfortunately, my order contained shirts with a Windsor collar instead of the more versatile English spread collar. He berated them over their incompetence and threatened to take my account to Hilditch & Key. He remained in a sour mood while picking up my blazer from Savile Row's Huntsman and complained at how the quality of the brass used for the buttons had declined."What is this, Urban Outfitters!" he exclaimed while stomping out of their front door.*

*None of that is true. But it ought to be.

Summer's Comin' by Trailer Trad