Thelma and Louise (and Harriet) hit the road again… Part 5, and More Ohio!

Friday morning dawned bright and clear…

we took a quick walk through all the in-process-of-being-set-up booths at Simple Goods, then a quick check and fluffing of our booth and headed out the door…

places to see, things to do!

Our first trip to Ohio, we were off to hit a couple of must-do visits!

An hour-and-a-half later, we arrived at Curry’s Antiques in Lancaster, Ohio for Ginny Curry’s Christmas Open House!

We followed the drive (as directed) up past the main house to a field at the top of the hill…

The view from our parking area was breathtaking!

We had heard so much about Curry’s, excitement was just bubbling up…

We couldn’t wait to walk back down the hill to see everything!

But first, we had to stop and visit with the chickens…

and snap photos of this adorable log shed…

and of course Ginny’s dooryard garden, too!

We headed back down the drive to the shop and outbuildings…

so much to see and take in… so beautiful!

Everywhere we turned there was a beautiful garden…

and creative holiday display…

I just love the way they use apples in their garlands… so pretty & festive!

This sign pretty much spells it out… PINCH ME!!!  Am I really HERE???

It’s funny how weird it feels to have looked at photos for years of a place

and finally

have the opportunity to see it IN PERSON!!!

This fellow was set up outside demonstrating for passers-by…

BUT

we had other things to see first!

After stopping to chat with a couple of friends who had traveled from New York for the festivities and show, we ventured into Curry’s Antiques!

The shop was a delight…

with holiday displays and gorgeous antiques in every nook & cranny!

Absolutely loved this Christmas tree display…  soooooo neat!

Such a pretty bedroom set-up and…

a couple of our favorite people, James Cramer & Jill Peterson were doing book signings of their new book, ‘Tis the Season – Christmas Eve with James Cramer and Jill’s new book, Simple Cooking for a Simple Life (note there are a few of our recipes within those gorgeous pages)!

We love them AND their books!

(Sorry this shot is blurry, but it was hard to get them to sit still!  Oops!)

A beautiful pomander display greeted us in one room~

I loved this pine garland with simple mittens for decoration… so sweet!

Christmas was everywhere~

Back outside, we had a chance to visit with the blacksmith…

Such a nice guy!  He showed us how to make a rose-head nail… so neat!

My cohorts in crime, Doreen & Judy (of Country Plus), headed back up the hill to our truck!

We headed off to our next destination…

passing by this sweet log cabin,

this picturesque church and burial ground,

and we parked in this little field next to an adorable farm, complete with vintage truck in the back yard!  Gotta love Ohio ❤

We could hardly contain ourselves… Miller House Antiques, here we come!

As we walked down the country road, we got a glimpse of a log cabin and a puff of smoke…

ALMOST THERE!

Oooooooooohhh!  So excited, “LOOK!!!”

No words can describe or pictures portray how sweet this place is…

AND

how nice Linda and Ralph Miller are…

we were welcomed in style!

With fiddlers on the shop porch… and lots of food!

It was like walking into a fairy tale!

So sweet~

Great antiques, displays and Christmas goodies everywhere!

The shop was a total delight and the food on the porch was delicious!  Have to keep our energy up, you know!

Next was the Miller’s home… open on this special day, what a treat!

The dooryard garden was so sweet… little special touches everywhere~

Visions of others…

so sweet!

It’s the little touches that warm my heart.

Perfection.

Special things for special folk…

how privileged were we to experience this special place.

Warmth and comfort,

overflowing.

Taking a deep breath, trying to soak it all in…

s l o w l y…

I headed back outside

to see what other little surprises awaited.

Alas, it was time to go…

so much to see, so little time.

BUT

we’ll be back, of that I’m sure.

We took another quick stop at American Traditions Antique Show in Lancaster, Ohio which was organized by Donna & Don Smith of Southern Star Antiques.

Again, we were in such a rush… visiting with dealers we know and love… never took the camera out for photos.  This show was fabulous, lots of great antiques and handmade crafts… a wonderful group of people!

We hit the road again… back to Mount Vernon and Simple Goods~

Here’s that sweet little church again…

an abandoned farmhouse…

and this dilapidated old house, set up on piers and forgotten… saw this on our way, had to stop and take photos on the way home!

Finally, back at Simple Goods for the vendor dinner where Candy & Max outdid themselves, a quick walk around the now-more-completed booths and we were greeted by this atrocity!  Miss Chickie would be mortified by this CHICKEN CHOPPING BLOCK!  Shhhhhhhhh… don’t tell her!  Guess it’s a good thing she didn’t come with us after all.

A few more revisions to our booth on Friday night…

and we were ready for showtime!

Saturday dawned cold and clear… we moved along quickly, getting dressed in our colonial attire (probably takes us a bit longer than the ladies of 1700!) and headed down to the breakfast room where the place was hopping with anxious and excited shoppers and happily stressed vendors.

We had the opportunity to meet new Facebook friends, greet old ones and quite a few customers from all over… WHAT FUN!!!

Then we were off to the show.  Customers were waiting in line outside the main building, warming their hands by the campfire… the excitement was palpable!

A quick walk through the main building, admiring all the booths… finally complete… and we were off to the second building and our own booth.  We buzzed around, getting organized and preparing for the crowd that was sure to come!

I took a walk around our building since everyone was finally set up there as well… beautiful booths, wonderful people!  Such a great atmosphere~

Our next door neighbors~

Sweet Audrey of 1824 Antiques talking with Jenn of Rabbit Hill Primitives… lovely ladies, both of them… Facebook friends we finally got to meet in person!

Another Facebook friend, Lesa Cook of Brier Creek Primitives had this great booth… so fun to meet all these wonderful talented people!

Loved this lady’s jacket!  She was gracious enough to pose for me~

Folk Magazine‘s booth… never had a chance to meet and talk with Ben Ashby, though… another Facebook friend.

Carriage House Lighting has beautiful light fixtures… love them!

Putting on the finishing touches… that cupboard in the back left came home with us!

Stacey Mead (The Goode Wife of Washington County), another Facebook friend on the right in Stephanie Monahan’s booth, Monahan Papers… some of Stephanie’s papers came home with us, too!

Entrance to our booth just before opening~

Kristine Berg Doss and Kris Thomas from A Primitive Place & Country Journal… our neighbors, such sweet ladies!  We met Kristine and Kris at Walker Homestead for one of our 2010 Simple Treasures from the Past – Antiques & Primitive Goods Shows and Kris stopped by to visit us this summer when on a trip east~

Doreen’s beautiful rug she made for Candy & Max, using Candy’s design for the show!

Mickey Bakeman of Primitive Pursuits and Sue Beahm of The Painted Cupboard… great neighbors!

A special surprise we were able to get for the show… yes, it’s POD CORN!!!  We were totally beside ourselves when we found it… pretty scarce around these parts this year!

This is a close-up… so neat!

Once the show opened, this is how it was… busy, busy, busy!  So wonderful, but difficult to get back into the booth to re-stock!

As I mentioned before, our dear friend, Judy Coffey of Country Plus, was helping us out for the show.  Here she is posing with Kristine & Kris and the newest issue of A Primitive Place & Country Journal WITH HER HOUSE ON THE COVER!!!  YES, Judy’s house is featured in this issue… don’t miss it!

More of the crowd!

As the crowd slowed down, we took the opportunity to leave Judy (soon to be known as Harriet) in charge and headed over to the other building (in a horse-drawn wagon!) for a quick run-through.

That’s it folks!

We completed our journey over the next two days, stopping again at Seville Antiques and Bridgewater Primitives before leaving Ohio and heading east.

What fun!  Just wait until we hit the road again!

Fun, food & laughter all the way~

Thelma and Louise hit the road again… Part 4, More Ohio!

After a week on the road, we were bubbling over with excitement… our new cd of foot stomping, knee slapping Appalachian music playing loudly in the truck (compliments of A Simple Life Magazine’s winter issue)… we were psyched!!!

Our first view of Mount Vernon was delightful… a quaint mid-western town with well-kept historic buildings.

How sweet is this!

Buckeye Candy and Tobacco Co.

LOVE IT!

The Comfort Inn was just around the corner, we checked in and went out for food!  Real food!  The one thing about being on the road is you miss real home-cooked meals.   We were lucky the first step of our journey with our sweet friend, Cecilia, cooking for us, but were ready (after 2 days on the road) for a real meal!

Food, a good night’s rest and we were off exploring.  The first person we ran into outside the hall was Max Squires, one of the promoters of Simple Goods and her husband… what sweet people, we totally enjoyed them!  Before long, her sister and co-promoter, Candy Looker, showed up and we visited for awhile.  Candy has done a lot of the art work for the show and her signs and t-shirts are fabulous!  Especially our Walker Homestead sign with Miss Chickie on it!

Miss Chickie had been invited by Candy and Max, but we were afraid that 2 weeks on the road would be too much for her… and would hotels let her stay???

This was the sign for the new building, where our booth was located…

It was exciting to see signs for some of our friends’ booths…

and how each one suited the individual vendor…

such attention to detail…

is what makes this show so special~

We checked out the Salvation Army building and found our booth location…

the guys were busy at work already!

Our next chore was to straighten out our truck… the 2 previous shows had created havoc… between the snow, mud and bad weather, our packing was not exactly organized…

Our work was cut out for us!  We made a big mess in the parking lot, reorganized, re-packed and were ready for set-up the following day!

We went back to our rooms to freshen up and head out for dinner.  In the parking lot, we ran into friends and joined them for a decent brick-oven pizza… what fun!

SET-UP DAY.

We worked all morning on setting up our walls… the porters were awesome!  Such gentlemen and they actually helped us with set-up as well!  Great guys, can’t say enough about them.

This was our trial run setting up the walls at home… it was a little easier with the guys and no real walls behind us!

We spent all day setting up, finishing up around 9 pm… we missed lunch altogether and the lady in charge of our building was nice enough to make sure we got dinner!

Our finished booth… more or less… a little tweaking to do in the morning, but we finished up in time to go pick up our friend (and helper), Judy Coffey of Country Plus, at the airport in Akron!

Doreen’s beautiful mural over our fireplace~

We were amazed at how quickly our linen short gowns sold!  We even took orders for them… for regular wear, too funny… guess we’ll have to make more next time!

We took a quick walk around the booths set up on Friday in the main building…

So neat, love this wig stand in Carolyn Thompson’s booth…

Pretty ladies… Carolyn Thompson and Judy Coffey… so excited to finally meet in person!

LOVE~

Jill Peterson’s Frontier Homestead booth… that trencher came home with us!

Matthew Ehresman Antiques

James Cramer’s booth… what a great guy, we enjoyed him immensely!  We came home with some of his great decorating ideas as well.

A Simple Life Magazine‘s booth where Jill Peterson and her husband, Todd, handled book signings.

Christina & Scott Hummel of Primitive America talking with Molly Garland of Tinkertown Antiques during set-up.

Primitive America‘s unfinished booth… came out fabulous!

Richard Fuller Antiques

A few more shots of our booth~

Soooooo, there are lots more photos from the day of the show and our other escapades which I will save for the next segment…

Thelma and Louise hit the road again… Part 3, Ohio!

Maryland and southern Pennsylvania faded into the distance and

WE WERE OFF!

OHIO, here we come!

Let me preface it to say, neither of us had been to Ohio before…

or even western Pennsylvania for that matter.

First, a quick stop in Lancaster County, PA…

You wouldn’t think it would take us long to stop and buy gourds at an Amish gourd farm,

WOULD YOU???

Sure, no time at all!

After a perusal of all the gourds in stock in the showroom, we knew we were in

 DEEP TROUBLE!

There was only one problem…

ALL the gourds were clean and shiny!

Our dear friend, Connie had given us the contact information for this farm through one of her friends.  Low and behold, this fellow was at the farm this very same morning AND

THEY WERE EXPECTING US!

He likes pretty shiny gourds… shyly, we asked,

“Do you have any uncleaned gourds?”

The sweet fellow behind the counter said,  “you want dirty gourds?”

YES!!!!

He took us outside to bins and bins of dirty gourds AND

more boxes and boxes of dirty gourds inside this HUGE barn!

GOURD HEAVEN… a couple of happy campers!

So, with smaller purses, we were off…

OHIO, HERE WE COME!

The hills of western Pennsylvania were beautiful!

BUT, hours and hours later, we were very grateful for the sign

WELCOME TO OHIO!

We were supposed to visit a shop in Alliance, but as it got late and we got a little lost, we called and postponed our visit for the following morning.

Let me tell you, finding a hotel room without a credit card can be a little daunting!

It seems that CASH isn’t accepted at the Holiday Inn Express…

so, in search of a room, we drove 15 miles to a skanky place in Warren, Ohio…

one quick look and we kept on going!

We decided to go on to Alliance and see what we could find there, tired and hungry by this time!

We ran into a little accident along the way, which left us sitting and waiting for a half hour or so… lucky for us, we weren’t involved in it!

Finally, a good night’s sleep at the Comfort Inn in Alliance!

Nothing prepared us for our stop at Bridgewater Primitives!

An unassuming warehouse building with some primitive decor outside

OPENED UP to

ONE OF THE MOST AWESOME PRIMITIVE SHOPS WE HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE TO SHOP!

We were welcomed by Lesa Green and Scott Miller and given the royal tour!  What a great place, fantastic finishes on their primitives with a sprinkling of antiques and other stuff~

A real log wall in the middle of the shop defines the space and atmosphere… you’d never know you were in an industrial building!

Believe it or not, this is the bathroom!  I just love the old tub!

Beautiful things in every corner and reasonable prices!

We were given a tour of their workspace as well… it’s amazing the amount of merchandise they pump out each day!  Talent, talent, talent… and nice people.  They even stopped by to visit us at Simple Goods later in the week.

After picking out some new merchandise for the shop and saying our good-byes, we were off!

Much to our surprise, just down the road, we had to wait for a train crossing (don’t see that back home anymore)!

Seville, here we come!

We were really looking forward to our first visit to Seville Antiques!  So many people told us it was a MUST DO for any country antiques lover…

Again, the exterior was deceiving…

Joyce was wonderful and graciously allowed me to take photographs and gave Doreen a tour of all her back rooms.  What a fabulous collection of country antiques dealers… ALL IN ONE PLACE!

The girls told us the music playing was the gift cd included in the new issue of A Simple Life Magazine which had been delivered that very day!  Of course, we had to buy one since we knew we wouldn’t be able to wait until we arrived home for our own issues.

special things in every booth~

love this cow!

the crewel chair pad really works… ideas, ideas… mind is buzzing!

every corner was a delight~

I LOVE hetchels… saw at least a half dozen in this shop!

Doreen bought this little treasure… sold it, too, at Simple Goods!

flax… linen warp in 3 widths… be still my heart~

Loved the sweet painting on this cutting board, reminded me of my sweet Miss Chickie~

Missed her enough to talk to her on the phone… am I nuts???  Yep.

One of the sweetest baskets I’ve ever seen… wanted to take it home with me in the worst way, but alas… I wasn’t buying for me~

What a treat, what a treat… I know I’ll be back again and again and again!

Our damages were tallied, and new cd in hand, we popped it in and with toe tapping, knee slapping Appalachian tunes to drive by, we headed on to Mount Vernon and Simple Goods!

To be continued…

Thelma and Louise hit the road again… Part 2 – Maryland

The next step in our journey began at Cecilia Taylor’s home and shop, Henhouse Primitives in Lewisville, Pennsylvania which led up to a fabulous show of primitives and antiques at Cecilia’s show, From the Farmhouse in Elkton, Maryland (just down the road)!

The Cecil County Fairgrounds is an awesome place for a show… the grounds are amazing!  I don’t know how Cecilia does it, but she managed to have a half-dozen houseguests, run a show AND have an open house back at her shop… AND she fed ALL of us!  A wonderful hostess, her attention to detail and caring nature shines in everything she does.

(Here, I have to note, regretfully… we utterly failed with photos of Cecilia’s shop!  Believe it or not, we felt so at home, we forgot about taking any pictures… NEXT TIME!  Or, go to her picturetrail for more information.)

Absolutely LOVE this church… on the road from Cecilia’s to the fairgrounds… so sweet!

Friday dawned clear and cool, an easy day for set-up with no sign of what was to come!

Here is our booth at From the Farmhouse show… we seem to be getting a reputation for first to set up and last to take down!

Close-up of the side of our booth…

Our Buttery and part of the back wall.

The back wall (ignore the cooler… our stepping stool!).

Last but not least, the back corner!

Martha~

Snowman wreath~

Our own Cheddar-Rosemary Bisquit Mix~

Christine Crocker’s Deerfield Farm “Deerfield Purple” Garlic… for growing or eating… it’s the best!

Walker Homestead‘s FAMOUS Apple Crisp Mix~  A favorite of our customers ❤

Doreen’s hand-dyed wools and Walker Homestead garlands~

More of our garlands~

Garlands~

garlic scapes~

Little mouse peeking out of an aged crewel pocket~

Handmade Rowan Tree Soaps~

Make-do tp & magazine holder with our handmade aged stockings~

On to the show!

Clough Farm~ (our neighbors, Amy is so sweet!)

Clough Farm~

Connie Gleed’s Hands of Time Antiques, Palmyra, PA~

Hands of Time Antiques~

Christina & Scott Hummel’s Primitive America~  Another favorite shop of ours to visit… Christina always has fabulous country antiques and is located in Pennsdale, PA!

Primitive America

Primitive America~

Primitive America~

Primitive America~  LOVE this set… seems to me that a certain black cat has claimed the ottoman!

American Vernacular Antiques~  LOVE their stuff… they always have something special and unique!

Fabulous bowl… American Vernacular Antiques~

American Vernacular Antiques~

Great penny rug… American Vernacular Antiques~

Debbie Reiter’s Seven Valley Primitives~

Seven Valley Primitives~

Seven Valley Primitives~

Donna & Don Smith, Southern Star Antiques~  Our housemates… great people, so glad we had the opportunity to meet and visit with them!

Southern Star Antiques~  LOVE this bed!

Millstone Mercantile~

Tina Iosca’s Fences and Hedgerows – another delightful dealer we met this trip and one of Cecilia’s neighbors!

LOVE this chair!  Fences and Hedgerows~

Fantastic Russian sage (I’ve never seen this variety before!)  Fences and Hedgerows~

Cecilia Taylor’s Henhouse Primitives~

Henhouse Primitives~

Henhouse Primitives~

Stones and Wares~

Stones and Wares~

From the Farmhouse is always a great show and we weren’t disappointed!  Great merchandise, wonderful customers who were brave enough to go out in miserable weather… rain, which turned to snow… we only ended up with an inch in this section of Pennsylvania and Maryland, BUT the folks back home weren’t so lucky!  Our husbands were faced with power outages, heavy snow and broken trees… guess we chose the right time to go on a road trip!

AND, there’s more to come!

To be continued…

Thelma and Louise hit the road again… Part 1 – Pennsylvania

A slight chill to the air greeted us as we arrived in the first leg of our journey…

Diane Windle’s gorgeous home (Windle’s Log Cabin Antiques) of log and stone in Coatesville, PA was our first stop as we set up for her 4 day Christmas Open House event.  Crafters set up their wares throughout Diane’s home amongst beautiful antiques, most of which are for sale.

Windle’s Log Cabin Antiques is one of our favorite shops in Pennsylvania and we make the effort to stop there each visit.  For this event, we set up crafts throughout Diane’s house on Wednesday and worked the open house Thursday and Sunday.  Thousands of people pass through for this annual event and this year was no exception… even with a bit of a weather event!

Diane’s porch was fully decorated with Christmas crafts, greeting each and every visitor.  There were baskets for shoppers to gather their choices available and workers would carry them to check-out.

The lovely front hall was fully decorated with Christmas wares…

as was the living room (some of Doreen’s Walker Homestead candles seen here on the great table)…

look at this fabulous dry sink filled to the brim with merchandise!

no inch of space was spared…

All sorts of Christmas treats spilling out of the antiques!  Some of Walker Homestead‘s garlands in the background.

Even the kitchen was filled with sweet gifts; dip mixes, spiced cider mixes, apple crisp mixes, chai mixes, jellies & pumpkin and banana cake rolls… yummmmmmm!

Hmmmmm… I spy some Walker Homestead wool hanks hanging by the fireside!

Windle’s was a lot of fun, great people and of course, we LOVE Diane ❤

If you like country antiques, Windle’s Log Cabin Antiques is a MUST SEE!

Then we were off to Cecilia Taylor’s Henhouse Primitives in Lewisville, Pennsylvania!

Cecilia was our lovely hostess during our stay… putting up with us, feeding us and taking care of all our needs… what a sweetheart!  She is also the promoter of From the Farmhouse show in Elkton, Maryland… the next leg of our journey!

To be continued…

Simple Treasures from the Past – Antiques & Primitive Goods Show

Walker Homestead will be hosting its 4th Simple Treasures from the Past – Antiques & Primitive Goods Show on Saturday, September 24, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 19 Martin Road, Brookfield, Massachusetts  01506.

Walker Homestead is set around a 1698 New England saltbox on 30 acres at the end of a country lane featuring a quilt shop, antiques & primitive shop & garden shop with heirloom gardens for you to stroll through.

For the show, our tavern room will be set up as the Homestead Tavern offering dining for the event catered by Haymaker’s Grill of West Brookfield, MA and there will be simpler fare out back at the chuck wagon.  The Podunk Ramblers will be playing live bluegrass music throughout the day, and there will be demonstrations in bookbinding by Paul A. McClintock of Whidbey Island, WA and basketry by 15 year old Dakota!

Scattered across our lawns and back fields you will find an amazing group of country antiques and  craftsmen of handmade primitives!  Truly an amazing display of wares and a wonderful group of people.

Parking is free in our front field and admission is $5 per person at the gate.  We sincerely hope you can make it!

Below are some photos from our June 2011 show… enjoy~

Mary Elliott of Pepperell, MA

Best Booth Winner June 2011 Show – Robin Rock & Milltown Primitives of North Stonington, CT

Pied Potter Hamelin & Kulina Folk Art of Warren, MA, photo by Bonnie Lucente

For more information and a list of our vendors for the September 2011 Simple Treasures from the Past – Antiques & Primitive Goods Show, visit our website www.walkerhomestead.com or call the shop 508-867-4466.  We look forward to seeing you!

Walker Homestead Girls on the road again… Madison-Bouckville Antiques Week~

Well, morning came early for us.

It was still dark when we left, but by the time we hit the Berkshires, the fog was lifting and the sun was coming up at our backs.

A new destination and we were psyched to get there!  Friends had been encouraging us to experience the Madison-Bouckville Antiques Week held the 3rd week in August in Madison and Bouckville, New York… right on Route 20!

But first, a 4 1/2 hour drive.

Along the way, we decided to try and keep track of all the antiques shops… a little game to liven our trip!  We weren’t disappointed… many, many shops for future antiquing dot the roads through southeastern New York state.

Loved this little hardware store on our detour (GPS malfunction???)…           so quaint!

Once back on I-90, we passed by Albany…

and shortly thereafter, we left the highway and headed for the beautiful, rural Route 20, with antiques shop….

after antiques shop…

after antiques shop…

after antiques shop.

Beautiful farms abound… such a sweet ride!  Neither of us had been to this area of New York in many years and had forgotten just how pastoral it is!

Beautiful farm after…

beautiful farm after…

beautiful farm!

We stopped at a Hannaford’s to get some fruit for a snack… couldn’t believe this place, all energy efficient utilizing natural light via light tubes and other energy features… so neat, wish they would do that to the Hannaford’s near us!

Along Route 20 in Richfield Springs, we saw a little blue sign with an arrow… Butternut Barn!  These ladies come by Walker Homestead when they are in Massachusetts and we’ve made a few custom pieces for their shop… we had no idea we would be traveling near them.  A quick U-turn and we took Allen’s Lake Road… much to our surprise, they were a short distance up the road!

The sign said closed, but it was only 10 minutes before opening… we decided to wait and were delighted with their grounds and beautiful displays.

a sweet front porch…

beautiful planters…

we fell in love with this old wagon…

and carriage, both covered with lichen and moss…

After a few minutes of waiting, Judie Stone arrived to open up for the day and invited us in…

What a fabulous shop!

EVERYTHING about this shop is special!

These boots were awesome, perfect for a wicked witch~

Doreen totally loved their use of a sleigh for a display piece ❤

EVERY LITTLE DETAIL was just PERFECT!

a GREAT little cupboard ❤

The shop was once upon a time a carriage house… with stalls on the first floor and hay storage & groom’s quarters on the 2nd level!

A nice array of primitive reproductions with a scattering of antiques… who could ask for more???

Little nooks and corners~

This display is so totally awesome!  A NFS collection belonging to Judie’s husband… absolutely delightful!

Judie Stone, our gracious hostess… in her element!  Stop by and visit Butternut Barn at 427 Butternut Road, Richfield Springs, NY  13439 the next time you are in the area… you’ll be glad you did!

So, back to our travels… so many neat houses, the architecture is sooooo NEW YORK!  We love it!

Our excitement continued to mount as we passed each village, each farm, one after another… such glorious countryside~

You could tell we were getting closer…

and closer…

as we passed antiques for sale on the side of the road.

Finally, we made it!

Since it was close to noon (opening time) for “The Big Field”, we decided that would be the place to go.  A warning for newbies like us, that there is an admission charge of $29 for early buying on Thursday… free from Friday on!  We were told that you could buy discount tickets at Price Chopper up to Wednesday… too late for us!

The line to buy tickets at 11:30 a.m….

The line behind us at 11:45 a.m…. waiting for the gates to open!

… and they’re off!!!

Lots of great booths…

LOVED this booth!

… where we ran into our friends, Cindy & Joe Shepard (Joe’s in the background in orange… can’t keep that guy in one place for more than a minute!) of Hometown Antiques – the instigators in our adventure!

The Big Field is exactly that… BIG!!!  Tents and tents and more tents…

We found sweet Jane Desjardins… an antiques dealer from Ware, MA who does our Simple Treasures from the Past – Antiques & Primitive Goods Show!

Doreen was in love with this prim little wheelbarrow!

As luck would have it, we ran into Martin Webster (West Branch Antiques) who gave us directions to the booth he shared with Rick Fuller (Richard Fuller Antiques)… not sure we would have found our buddy, Rick, otherwise!  The new show promoters moved the booth numbers around and they ended up in an odd spot in amongst a sea of vehicles!!!

We would happily take home EVERY SINGLE ITEM in their booth ❤

Can you guess what this is???  A RAT TRAP!!!  LOL, looks kinda like a book press, in a morbid sort of way!

Rick showed up his copy of A Simple Life magazine that Jill Peterson dropped off for him!  Little did he know that his former ram lamb, Amos (who now lives at Walker Homestead), was featured in one of the articles~

The proud grampy showed Amos off to the lovely Mary Elliott!

The to-die-for settle in Rick & Martin’s booth… love, Love, LOVE THIS!!!

They even had a W H (Walker Homestead) basket in their booth!

Here’s Martin, chatting up the pros and cons of peanut butter and jelly… it seems we agreed, much to Rick and Doreen’s chagrin!

It was back to the hunt for us…

we ran into Joe “he picks things up and puts them down” Shepard of Hometown Antiques…

… and his lovely wife, Cindy ❤

We were blown away by the view surrounding the fields… in EVERY direction it was this GORGEOUS!!!

We took a break with David and Becky Straight (David Straight Auctions) and Joe & Cindy Shepard…

Hmmmmmm…. even saw (the guy with the funny shirt and orange high top sneakers) Gary Sohmers from Antiques Roadshow fame!

We found these lovely ladies from Ohio in one of the big tents and ended up raiding their booth… came home with an apothecary in blue paint, a mortar & pestle, an awesome rectangular trencher, a side table and a fantastic 6 board chest!  We were so excited, we forgot to take photos of them but will be sure to visit them on our next trip to Ohio!

We passed Jack & Dirinda Houghton’s shop, Turnpike Antiques, on our way through Madison and heading for our hotel.  Jack & Dirinda have great country antiques and also do our show!

We stopped to take a shot of this great fence… just love people’s creativity!

HOBBY LOBBY!!!  Doreen was so EXCITED!  We don’t have them in our area 😦

We checked into the hotel, had dinner and a good night’s sleep, breakfast and we were headed back to the SHOW!

Incredible scenery in this neck of the woods…

I loved the moon cut-out in the peak of the white building…

Madison County… HERE WE COME!!!

Beautiful scenery every step of the way!

The skies were ominous when we arrived at the east field… a thunder storm came through overnight and mud was everywhere!

Look at the size of this baby!

Tents, tents, tents… EVERYWHERE!  LOVE IT!

Be still my heart, be still~  it was all I could do to come home without this piece 😦

STILL want it!

We picked up our purchases for the day and headed out early…

Storms were a-brewin’ and we didn’t want to get caught PLUS

we had a LONGGGGGGG RIDE ahead!

The look of stress as the truck wouldn’t change out of 4 wheel drive…

grinding noises, burning rubber…

we had to stop at the next mechanic.

The good soul he was, he played around with it, took it for a couple of spins and we were back in business, 2 wheel drive engaged!

The look of relief 🙂

The rain came…

with a vengeance!

Flooding Route 20…

BUT, that didn’t stop us from finding GARLIC!!!  Yes, farm grown garlic… if you look closely in this shot, right above the windshield wiper, you’ll see the sign!

THE PRIZE!

We stopped at another garlic stand, but the garlic wasn’t nearly as large and it was more expensive… go figure!

We stopped at this diner for a late lunch… ran through the pouring rain to the door!  It was a nice family-run place and the food was good!

Back on the road again, raining most of the way…

Almost to Massachusetts~

and the REAL RAIN HIT!  We ended up pulling over for a bit on the Mass Pike, it was raining so hard, you couldn’t see the car in front of you!

HOME, SWEET HOME ❤

~ A Birthday Blast for Comstock, Ferre & Co. ~

We first heard about Comstock, Ferre & Co.‘s 200th Anniversary Birthday Bash when their seed catalog arrived in the mail way back in December… or was it January?

In any event, it was cold and there was lots and lots of snow…

the perfect time to start planning our gardens, devouring seed catalogs, making just the right choices to get us through the cold, bitter New England winter months…

the perfect time to make plans to visit the Comstock, Ferre & Co. in Wethersfield, Connecticut for their 200th Anniversary Birthday Bash!

Jere & Emilee Gettles, owners of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds of Mansfield, Missouri purchased the 200 year old seed company with the intention of restoring it to its former glory and continuing its heritage by carrying heirloom seeds to supply small gardeners and retail operations as well.

A dream come true.  The Gettles brought an Amish crew from Missouri to restore the historic buildings and barns and I can’t think of a better owner to understand the value of such a place and its heritage.

The day dawned clear and cool, a nip to the air, promise of a beautiful day to come… we headed out to Wethersfield (about an hour away from our Central MA home) with the excitement of a day out, surrounded by plants and history!  Nothing prepared us for such a lovely day… a lovely day indeed!

Here are some photos of our day… LOTS and LOTS of photos of the day, but it was hard, very HARD to eliminate them… we so enjoyed ourselves!

The Belden House at Comstock, Ferre & Co.

We arrived on Main Street, Wethersfield… parking was full, had to take a ride around the block in order to find a shady spot to park (the dogs joined us).

We arrive at Comstock, Ferre & Co.

Our first view of the festival… where to first???  Re-enactors in every corner… way too much fun!  A recent trip to Fort Frederick Market Fair had given us a taste for this, so excited to find more… AND so close to home!

A blacksmith selling his wares… and demonstrating in period costume!

Heating up the iron… a portable forge!

Working the iron…

… and getting the curve just right!

Just the right amount of twist!

Using the bellows to heat the coal…

This fine lady was demonstrating various needle crafts and her skilled weaving…

Tools of the trade… a lady would have had many of these implements attached to her waist (or girdle) holding her needles, scissors, thread and the like.

This little loom was for weaving cording.

Equivalent of a sweatshirt, back in the 1700’s… this shirt is a linen-cotton mix, hand-woven and hand-stitched by this fine lady who gave me instructions on how to make it without a pattern.  Can’t wait to give it a try!

Every seam was a “French seam” which covers up the raw edges and reinforces the stitching… at the shoulder seam, cotton twill tape was used for strength.

Triangular gussets were used where the shoulder meets the neck for additional strength… keeping the fabric from fraying or tearing.

Just LOVE this gusset at the bottom of the neck opening!

Detail of the turned under edge along the neck opening.

Jere Gettles talking with a few visitors.  Both Jere and Emilee were wandering in and out of the crowd, talking with visitors and taking photos… I wished I had more time to try and chat with them!  Jere’s recent interview with Zan Asha for The Renegade Farmer was so interesting and gives you a feel for what they are all about!

These guys were fun to talk to!  Great information on this replica cannon (casting of an original untouched 1750 cannon given by the British to us, hidden away and recently discovered)… so cool!

Officer’s field desk, with everything an officer would need…

This nasty little weapon was pretty neat… no mater how you throw it, it always ends with a point up… imagine the damage this baby could do to a hoof or soldier’s foot???  Evidently, they were used up to the Vietnam war.

Paul discussing the cannon with its owner…

I absolutely loved the wheels!

The type of shot which would have been fired from this cannon.

… and a close up of the cannon itself.

This fellow was displaying 18th century tools that were found on his family’s farm in Windsor, CT…

…a great collection, used by his family for generations!

So cool!

Ice saw and tongs used for harvesting ice which was stored in sawdust in the ice house for summer use!

Blueberries… yum!!!

LOVED this arbor/trellis… new project for Paul to add to the side of my new arbor!

It’s the little things that get me excited!  Can you believe they were selling plants like this???   CHEROKEE GREEN TOMATO… awesome!!!

Inside, there were lots of vendors, seeds and great things to buy!  Here are Baker Creek cups, t-shirts and hats!

A great selection of books relating to heirloom gardening…

… honey and beeswax products…

… natural fertilizers and insecticides…

… and SEEDS…

… great displays, vintage design cards…

… and candles…

… birdhouses…

… and all sorts of gardening gadgets, supplies and information!  LOVED the twine holder!

Old seed boxes and crates were everywhere… so cool!

Looks like old seed packets, but they’re packaged for 2011!!!

Walls of old file cabinets, bins and equipment!

Great twine!

You wouldn’t believe how wonderful these Swedish natural bristle brushes were!  They had vegetable brushes, nail brushes… you name it!

Pysanky eggs!  I hardly ever see them out and about… we’ve made them, a lot of work, but so worth the effort!

There were beans in jars, lots of beans as well as all these lovely drieds… so sweet!

Catholic Charities immigration assistance had an area where they were selling these gorgeous rugs and knits!

… and SEEDS!

I just LOVE the packaging!

Samples of bread dipping mixes… mmmmmmmmm, so good!

… and more SEEDS!

A view across the main floor.

… and more SEEDS!

Paul checking out the amaranth seeds…

… now tell me, where can you find amaranth seeds… not one variety, not two varieties, but 5 VARIETIES!!!  So awesome, great seed selection!

How about this variety of eggplant… couldn’t get myself to try it this year, but maybe next year’s garden???

PURPLE TOMATOES, PINK TOMATOES, GREEN TOMATOES… whatever color your heart desires… they’re here!

Heirloom Gardener magazine!  The current issue and many back issues… we carry this back at our shop, it’s awesome!  Jere & Emilee Gettles do a great job with it!

Old signs…

… and antiques!

A view of the front yard festivities!

LOVED these old drug store bottles!

FANTASTIC sign!!!

Cases of old seed catalogues, packages and related memorabilia!

Not sure if these were measures or scoops or both, but they were AWESOME!

Sacks…

.. old crates…

… machinery used in the seed industry…

LOVED this machine… I have no idea what it was used for, though!

Here is another unknown beauty!  Look at that old paint!

Emilee & Sasha Gettles at the Farmer’s Cow ice cream booth…

… it was so GOOD!!!

One of the back buildings used for speakers… Jere Gettles on the left, talking with a customer.  There were food vendors, plants and more set up out back… great stuff!

Back out front, re-enactors were set up.  Here is a basketmaker’s display…

… this lady was showing visitors how people had to write…

… and this lady was spinning naturally dyed wool…

… all naturally dyed wool yarn, the red is from cochineal (a bug which was imported in the 18th century for red dyes), the brighter orange is from cosmos!

This young family looked so sweet!

Writing samples…

… and wares.

This lady’s needlework was AWESOME!!!

She showed me this great book with photos from Winterthur Museum and look what I found!!!  I have a sampler very similar to this that my great, great, great, great, grandmother’s sister made… same era, also from the Lexington Concord area!

LOVED this guy’s coat!

The band played on!

… and we reluctantly said our farewells!

A fabulous time, wish we had more time to stay and visit with everyone, shop and enjoy… SOOOOOO… if you ever happen to be near Wethersfield, CT, be sure to stop in at Comstock, Ferre & Co. – you won’t regret it!

Simple Treasures from the Past – Antiques & Primitive Goods Show ~ SPRING 2011 ~

Well, we’re at it again… SHOW MODE!!!

Our 2nd Annual

SIMPLE TREASURES FROM THE PAST

ANTIQUES & PRIMITIVE GOODS SHOW

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

10 – 4      Admission $5

is almost here!!!

Things are happenin’ around Walker Homestead…

Lawns are gettin’ mowed, fields cleaned up from the winter, gardens weeded, new gardens established, plants and seeds are all on their way into the wonderful rich soil.

Final touches are in the works…

This season we are having YOU, the CUSTOMER VOTE for

THE BEST BOOTH CONTEST!!!

You will receive a ticket at the admissions booth, fill out your name and choice of best booth, drop it off at the Chuck Wagon and you will be eligible to win a prize!!!  You must be present at the drawing (noon & 1:00 p.m.) to win either a Garden Gift Basket or a Wooden Crow on a pitchfork!

WE ARE… s00000000…        E – X – C – I – T – E – D!!!

The PODUNK RAMBLERS will grace us with their bluegrass music throughout the day… these guys are awesome!!!

Our LIST OF VENDORS:

American Country Rugs – Pawlet, VT

Lucille Festa, Proprietor

Angel House Designs – Brookfield, MA

Valentin J. Dzelzitis, Proprietor

Baskets by Dakota – Enfield, CT

Dakota, Proprietor

Blackstone Antiques – Primitives & Candles – Douglas, MA

Kate Foynes, Proprietor

Bowl Barn Antiques – Douglas, MA

Louise Villa, Proprietor

Country Plus – Hopkinton, MA

Judy Coffey, Proprietor

Dater House Antiques – Troy, NY

Cindy Johnson & Leann Breer, Proprietors

Dianne Sandman – East Brookfield, MA

Dianne Sandman, Proprietor

The Early Homestead Woodshop – Napoleon, OH

Dirk Dishop, Proprietor

Haley’s Gatherings – East Chatham, NY

Donna M. Russell, Proprietor

Hands of Time Antiques – Palmyra, PA

Connie Gleed, Proprietor

Hearts and Homespun – Leyden, MA

Jo-Ann Helbig, Proprietor

Henhouse Primitives – Oxford, PA

Cecilia Taylor, Proprietor

Hometown Antiques – West Brookfield, MA

Cindy & Joe Shepard, Proprietors

Kulina Folk Art – Warren, MA

Gariné Arakelian, Proprietor

Log Cabin Country Primitives – Colchester, CT

Nancy Bryer, Proprietor

Magpie Primitives – Canaan, NY

Mark & Chastity Stephenson, Proprietor

Mary Elliott Antiques – Pepperell, MA

Mary Elliott, Proprietor

Mill River Primitives – Springfield, MA

Tammy, Proprietor

Milltown Primitives – North Stonington, CT

Robin Rock, Proprietor

Newgate Designs – East Granby, CT

Theresa Case, Proprietor

Olde Country Store – Brockport, NY

Dottie Miller, Proprietor

Orphan Annie’s Antiques – Barre, MA

Ann McDonald, Proprietor

Painted Duck Antiques – Niantic, CT

Bill Phaneuf, Proprietor

Pied Potter Hamelin – Warren, MA

Rick Hamelin, Proprietor

Pine Patch Primitives – Spencer, MA

Eva Ramsey, Proprietor

The Pleasure of “Yore” Company – West Brookfield, MA

Patti White, Proprietor

Primitives by Maria – Brookline, NH

Maria Cardillo, Proprietor

Primitive Crafts – West Springfield, MA

Victoria Amato, Proprietor

Richard Fuller Antiques – South Royalton, VT

Rick Fuller, Proprietor

Richmond House Antiques – Ashford, CT

Karan & Edd Oberg, Proprietors

Sassafras Hill Primitives – Enfield, CT

Denise Davis, Proprietor

Susan H. Wirth – Union CT

Sue Wirth, Proprietor

Tinkertown Antiques – Douglas, MA

Molly Garland, Proprietor

Turnpike Antiques – Madison, NY

Jack & Dirinda Houghton, Proprietors

Village Weaver – Bristol, ME

Phyllis Leck, Proprietor

Waters Tavern Antiques – West Sutton, MA

Cheryl Bonin, Proprietor

Wigwam Hill Antiques – Wilbraham, MA

Doug & Linda Burr, Proprietors

Winterberry Primitives – South Mashpee, MA

Lana Testa, Proprietor

Join us for the experience of a lifetime!

Some of the finest dealers in country antiques & handmade primitive goods from all over New England, New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio get together FOR YOU!!!

Stroll through the heirloom gardens, visit with the farm animals, listen to the music, dine in the Homestead Tavern or out back for simpler fare at the Chuck Wagon… and SHOP, SHOP, SHOP!!!

WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU!!!

For additional information, visit our website.

While you are in town, you  may want to visit our friends at the Salem Cross Inn for their

Drover’s Roast on Sunday, June 19th… for more information visit their website.