Hospitals, Pits, Re-hab,Therapy and Shopping therapy (yea)

If life is a bowl of cherries, going to the hospital is the pits. 

My Mom (83) recently hurt her back and spent some time as a guest of one of our fine hospitals here in Gainesville, Florida.  She has now improved to the point where she is in therapy at Woodlands, one of the best rehabilitation establishments I have ever seen.  The atmosphere between the two places is like night and day. 

Woodlands has a happy, home-like feel, with personnel who smile and say "Hello" and residents who want to be friends and planned activities that all can enjoy no matter what age they are.

On the other hand, our hospital experience doesn't merit more than a fleeting mention, and then deserves to be forgotten.

Needless to say, at the lowest emotional level of having a loved one in pain and a situation out of control, I turned to one of my "escape from it all" pastimes and beat it to an antique shop - The Painted Table in Thornebrook Village in Gainesville.  After all, therapy is therapy.

I didn't have a chance to venture out any farther, and this is a great alternative to one of the big antique malls.  Here you can see a large collection of really cool stuff including antiques, collectibles, old things that may become collectibles and other old things that may become antiques.  And then there are also things that are just cute or unusual.  I would say a little something for everyone.

Wandering around I saw this beautiful porcelain pooch and he reminded me of the dalmatian we used to have when I was younger.  Technically, he was my brother's dog but he loved everybody and everybody loved him.  He even loved to sit under tables.  Well, this guy gladdened my heart so I took a pic to show Mom when I went to see her.



Dogs, real or not, are good for you.

 

Farther on I saw this darling little vanity.  Compact, clean lines, very cute.  Made me think of my granddaughter, who would like it better if it had pictures of One Direction stuck all over it.  I guess we all have our Beatles.

 

I really like looking at it.

 

 

And, tell me truthfully, could you walk by this lamp without a look?  Really?  Well if you can, you're a better man than I am Gunga Din (although, if you're a guy, you're already a better man than I am).  Lamps like this one don't entice you they demand attention.

 

Hello Beautiful.  Another day perhaps.

 

I have a set of barrister boxes my late husband bought for me in a small shop in Stark.  I love them and wish I had more.  I keep an eye out for that set that is going to knock me on my keister.  These two sets are lovely, but I was able to walk away so they are not the right ones.

 

 

 

 

 

In most of the shops I visit, there is always the book corner or room or wall or area of some kind, and I never skip it.  Here I found art, magazines, hardback, paperback, old, new, and all in-between.  Didn't have time to look at more than a third of the material, but even then found something I wanted that I could afford (want happens a lot, afford is not so common)

 

 

 

 

This is now mine and I have a smile on my face.

 

 

Maybe my trek south down I-75 will be next, but this shop is well worth a visit. 

 

The Painted Table

2441 NW 43rd St, Ste 5A, Gainesville, FL 32606

(352) 371-1555

 

Happy antiquing!

 

 

Happy 4th of July!

What a great night!

Went to the fireworks show with Ann and my grandkids, Savannah and Colton.  We had a wonderful time and it was so much fun!  Took chairs and sat on top of the parking garage on the UF campus.  Perfect view. 

Happy Birthday America!

 

Impressive booms - I love it.

A mixture of different colors, sizes, shapes.  Super show!

Nice job this year, Gainesville Florida.

 

This one was so pretty.  It looked like a flower in the sky.

 

Everyone have a happy and safe holiday.

 

Happy antiquing!

Mirror Saga

Oh my gosh!  Just found this antique mirror story - love it! And love this writer!  Check it out.
http://victoriaelizabethbarnes.com/huge-victorian-antique-mirror/

Visit to Waldo

Today I went to Waldo Farmer's and Flea Market and visited their Antique shop.  It's fairly close so I was able to get there and see a lot before I had to leave.  It would take quite some time to see all the booths at once so I just concentrated on areas that caught my eye.

Their ad says "just look for the big, white horse" and he is.

 

This is the shop entrance and here's their link.  Waldo's Antique Village

 

This was a nicely laid out booth.  I'm afraid my picture doesn't do it justice but there was a nice selection of varied items, displayed in an organized manner without being crowded.

Liked this huge sign.

 

 

But this was my favorite item.

 

Mostly I was just looking, like my course materials suggest, so I can learn more about antiques and collectables (and the difference), but I did buy a lovely pewter pitcher and a couple of small but cute solid brass cats for what I think was a good price.  By the way, I did get my exam back and I made a good grade.  Actually, I got all my questions right except for the one I skipped over like it wasn't even there.  I don't know how I managed to do that.  Must have been sunspots that day.

 

My next trip, soon I hope, will be down to Smiley's Antique mall, just down I-75 near Micanopy.

 

Happy antiquing!

Four Centuries of American Furniture

Took my Mom to the new Senior Center yesterday morning.  She and I tried out the exercise equipment in the fitness room and had a great time.  I think working on the machines will help her gain a lot of strength and help to improve her balance.  I wonder if there is much out there that would be considered antique exercising equipment.  I'm sure there would be something, probably hand weights and some sort of inversion apparatus.  Would be interesting to find out what else. Really just leading the very physical lives they did was a lot of exercise in itself. Have modern day conveniences turned us into marshmallows?  Don't know - but I'm not giving up my washing machine or my microwave!!

Found a great book at the library by Oscar P. Fitzgerald called Four Centuries of American Furniture.  It is copyrighted 1995 and is a follow-up volume to Three Centuries of American Furniture copyrighted 1982, which appears to have been the first edition.  It has a lot of great information but most of the photographs are in black and white, which I think is a shame.  If I can only see a picture of a piece then I would prefer it be in color because it makes the details pop so much clearer.  Still a black and white is better than nothing.  The text is very descriptive and filled with historical references and everyday history that brings the periods alive.  I will find a copy of this book for my personal library not just for its value as a reference but just to read for fun.  Take a look at it at your own library the next time you get a chance.

Happy antiquing!

Re-inventing Myself

Today I have finished my third examination in my course of studies and sent it off in the mail.  Hopefully it will come back to me marked with a good evaluation grade.  I am happily studying my materials from the Institute and checking out books from the library to peruse as time permits.  I wish I had done this years ago.  I've had a lot of careers in my life (so far) but I think antiques collector/dealer/appraiser/etc. (any one of those) would have been one of the most satisfying.  Well, it's never too late to start again, which is why I am so excited.  You really ought to reinvent yourself every so often.  It's like a breath of fresh air.

Have a great evening and a safe and happy weekend.  And Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there.

Happy antiquing.

Introduction

This is the first post on my new blog about my adventures in antiquing. So exciting!  I have always loved antiques, especially furniture and brass, and now I have decided to pursue my interest and learn enough about them to discuss them intelligently. I have started a course at the Asheford Institute of Antiques to get a general education without a specific focus at this time.  I'm well into my studies and enjoying myself immensely!

My late husband, Peter, had a grandmother and sister that were very involved in antiquing.  His sister, Carolinda, and her husband, David, used to participate in antique shows and had many friends in the industry.  His grandmother lived in Barnsville Georgia and collected many beautiful pieces throughout her long and eventful life. When she passed away, some of these treasures were sold and some were passed along to her grandchildren, Peter and Carolinda. Now that I have the responsibility of caring for the items we have, I want to be sure I know how to keep everything in good condition and can talk about them with some assurance that my history is correct!

Every chance I get, which isn't as often as I'd like, I go out to different antique malls and stores, antique fairs, thrift shops, estate sales, auctions, and other places to soak up some of the incredible knowledge of the people who make this their career.  I've made up introduction cards to give people to build up a database of contacts with the same interests that I have in beautiful, historic items and I'm starting this blog to document my progress in this endeavor.  I'm also new to blogging so this is a second learning process as well.

Wish me luck, and come back to visit.  I will try to update as often as I can.

Happy antiquing!