A Break for a Family Visit...

You probably didn't notice when our fall 2024 trip seemed to end in Staunton Virginia.  Well, it really didn't end there and some day in the not too distant future I'll post the ending bits regarding this road trip.  As you may or may not recall, the trip started with our first stop in western Tennessee, proceeded all the way back across Kentucky, into Ohio, touching West Virginia a couple of time, then up to northern Pennsylvania, touching extreme southern New York state, then back south passing through Maryland into Virginia.  The last stop I reported on was at President Woodrow Wilson's birthplace in Staunton.

This week Laurie and I have her sister and brother in law visiting East Tennessee all week, so this is the one short post I will contribute until June 24th.  This stop was one of my favorite roadside 'adventures' from that October 2024 road trip. 

This is Duke's Lexington Antique Center which is just off I-81 in Lexington Virginia.  Laurie and I love to prowl antique stores...especially well stocked large antique 'malls'.  I'd listed Duke's on our travel plans and we made sure we didn't miss it.  This antique center covers over 20,000 square feet and it features over 150 dealers offering a huge variety of antiques and collectables.  We had a fun time just looking...but of course we did end up making a few purchases too.

We didn't take a bunch of photos.  Part of the reason for that failure is that I didn't even get very far down the first aisle we traversed.  We always go to the right in stores and then go up and down every aisle.  Laurie did complete the entire journey but, as the photo above indicates, I got 'stuck' in a vendor booth that specialized in antique and collectable postcards!  Yes, rare though it is, that is a smile on my face!  I was a happy camper indeed...postcard collecting is one of my few remaining vices.

I like postcards dating 1920 or earlier, (ideally 1910 or earlier), used with messages on them and they must still have the postage stamp on them.  I prefer ships and trains but I also like city sights and landmarks as they appeared back 'in the day'.  The messages can be quite interesting as well...projecting what parts of life were like over 100 years ago.  I bought a bunch of interesting postcards with my only regret being that Duke's is over 5 hours from our home, probably more depending on traffic and road work.

When visiting Duke's, keep an eye open for Cooper.  He's the house cat and as far as he's concerned he's in charge.  He is very 'chill'!

Duke's Antique Market is located at 1495 North Lee Highway (US Hwy 11) at 30 Pinnacle Drive in Lexington Virginia.  This antique mall is open from 9 AM until 6 PM 365 days a year!  Phone: 540-463-9511.  Website: https://dukedukeantiques.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

No Post Week! (Almost...)

We're so tied up this week with the pending neighborhood garage sale that this will be the closest thing to a blog posting I'll even attempt.  Seventeen houses in the immediate area are all having garage sales on Friday and Saturday from 8 AM until 2 PM.   

We are still digging for other items to sell and we seem to be constantly reorganizing our garage sale offerings... We did sell one set of ladies golf clubs already.

Laurie caught 'some old guy' in this photo of one side of our garage.  We have signs on all the upper shelves stating that nothing on those shelves is for sale.  We've also covered our yard tools...rakes, shovels, etc. as they aren't for sale either.  I did sell a sledge hammer and an axe to one of folks from the crew that washes our windows a couple times a year.

This is a view of the other side of the garage.  Note the hanging items on the wall plus all the fishing rods and reels along the wall.  More golf clubs too.  That couch/love seat at the left by the garage door was sold today and it's gone.

I am selling a bunch of 'collectables' including some Olympic Games vendor's pins... This is a Vons Grocery Store pin from 1984.  I have lots of them from Atlanta and even a couple from Barcelona.  In addition, since I spent my career in retail security and loss prevention I have over 100 security badges bagged for sale.  Who knows?  I might sell a few of them.  Also on sale are 3 Montgomery Ward collectable trucks in their original boxes...

We did manage to sell a set of Mikasa China on-line and we just pulled a scattering of these Czechoslovakian plates and serving pieces out of storage, even matching boiled egg cups.  My mother inherited them from my great aunt Elsie ca. 1951 or so.  Someone might buy them... If not we'll find a home for them in a thrift store.

This rain-style shower head came with the house when we bought it.  It's been in the garage ever since... It will sell or it will become recycled metal!  We are running out of things to put out for the sale.

We have sold a number of furniture items in addition to that love seat previously mentioned.  This antique table came from my mother's house where it served her well for years.  We also sold a buffet, a baker's table with an attached hutch and 2 rocking chairs.  Basically the big stuff is gone and the sale doesn't start until this coming Thursday.

The weather forecast for the sale is that there is a 40% rain on the first day and 60% chance of rain on Saturday.  Whatever will be, will be!

All I know for sure is that this will be our first and last garage sale!  We are looking forward to 'just chillin' with a beverage on our screened porch after the madness we're expecting to take over the neighborhood.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!  I'll be back with a new post on 6/10.

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave and Laurie

What a Mess! A Challenging Event!

Everyone encounters challenges in their lives... This post is tied to the challenges presented by our accumulation of 'things', 'stuff', and 'excess' that we've gathered over 46 years of marriage.  Adding to our 'excess', are items that came from my mother many years ago.  In an effort to declutter a bit, we decided to participate in our local neighborhood garage sale.  So much effort already...and so much more to do before the sale in early June.  Hopefully our marital union will survive the stress and trauma!

The first step was to post larger items on Facebook Marketplace just to clear space for all of the other 'stuff' we want to sell.  We posted 6 larger items... 

First there was this 'loveseat' sofa.

Then there was this large buffet that came from Rich's Department Store in Atlanta.

Plus there is this antique cherrywood rocker that we purchased many years ago.  It's from the late 1800s.

This solid oak possum belly baker's table and hutch was purchased at the same time at the cherrywood rocker.  Both purchases seemed rational at the time...

This more rustic antique rocking chair came to us through my mother's estate.

While we have had a couple of inquiries about the baker's table/hutch combination, that's been all the action we've had in the first 3 or 4 days on these furniture items.  We have managed to sell three of the larger items so far.

Neighbors purchased two of these types of almost never used deck lounge chairs.  They were used once or maybe twice and had spent the rest of their life with us in our storeroom.

A master gardener who has done a lot of work for us snatched up this dresser as it filled a need for her.

If you've ever been to an estate sale or an auction, you will have noted that no one wants chinaware.  We have had this nice set of Mikasa for more than 40 years.  It was rarely used and since we retired and moved to East Tennessee it hadn't been used at all.  As expected, we didn't get very much money for the set, but we did manage to sell it through Facebook Marketplace.

Then there is the rest of the 'stuff' that needs to go...to find a new home.  It's an eclectic grouping of odds and ends, collections and past activities or hobbies.  

For years we've been moving and storing this assortment of dolls and doll clothes that my mother had acquired or actually made.  

For several years in a row, Laurie and I headed to Northern Michigan or Ontario Canada for backwoods fishing adventures.  It had been 20 years since we headed north to go fishing although I did go fishing here in Tellico Lake many times earlier in my retirement.  We found the slickers and wet suits in a box we'd been moving from place to place.

I have very little hope that we'll find buyer for these remnants of a set of Czechoslovakian china that my great aunt had willed to my mother...at least 65 years ago.  I suspect that we'll end up just tossing it out.

Antique canning jars, a nicely framed print, folders, a classic candle holder, a pair of painted antique candlesticks, a signed Brooks Robinson baseball, a collectors plate, a set of German steins, a Tiny Tears doll and boxed toy trucks for kids or collectors.  These are just further examples of the mish mash we'll be offering at the sale.

In the preceding photos you will note a couple of items that were also in other photos.  We keep moving things around looking for the 'right place' to display them for sale.  Disorganization is still our condition...although we have priced more than half of what we're going to try to sell.  I still haven't addressed my fishing tackle (4 boxes) or my 9 fishing rods and reels.  Then there is our golf equipment!  At least 4 bags with golf clubs, balls, etc., plus extra clubs.  In addition, there will be a lot of clothing offered for sale.  The question is, how much can we sell vs. how much do we end up delivering to local charities?

Just click on any of the photos...

Thanks for stopping by!  Wish us luck as we'll need it!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

On to Staunton Virginia

...yes, I'm still traversing the back roads and byways of Virginia on the last leg of our fall 2024 road trip.  We'd already done a lot and seen a lot but more places of interest as well as shopping opportunities were yet to come. 

After our stop at the Montpelier depot, we followed VA Hwy 20 a little further to the southwest and then turned west on US Hwy 33 toward the Blue Ridge.  Once we crossed over the Blue Ridge, we worked our way south to Staunton Virginia, our overnight stop for the evening.

Beautiful day, pleasing scenery...our kind of roadway.  Beats the heck out of the Interstate system unless you are in a hurry to get to a destination.

This is the Augusta County Court House.  It's located in Staunton Virginia...even though Staunton isn't actually part of the county.  The city separated from the county in 1902 but it has remained as the county seat.  This Beaux Arts style structure, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was completed in 1901 and it is the fifth court house that was built site.  The first one was a log cabin built in 1755.

The courthouse is the repository of many complete records that date back to the colonial period and, given that fact it is a meccas for people who are researching family trees, old deeds and historic buildings.  Staunton was very fortunate during the Civil War, having escaped the ravages that consumed many other Southern towns and cities.

I ran across this early photo of the Augusta County Courthouse on the Internet.  As you can see, the tower or turret has been modified in today's version.  The county was formed in 1738, splitting it off of Orange County.  It was named after Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the Princess of Wales and the mother of King George III of the United Kingdom.  Originally, this county was a vast territory, with an indefinite western boundary.  Most of what is now West Virginia and the whole of Kentucky was included within its early borders.

Located at 215 Kalorama Street in Staunton, this home is known as the Arista Hoge House (aka the Kalorama Castle). Arista Hoge was a successful local businessman and he served as Staunton's Treasurer from 1885 until his death in 1923.  Hoge built this home in 1882...but then added this massive and historically significant facade in 1891.  Located in the Gospel Hill Historic District, the home's historic significance lies in its unique architecture.  The home remained in the Hoge family until 1973.

That Richardson Romanesque facade consisting of rough-cut brownstone was added to the earlier, existing Italianate Style house.  The changes to this home are clear examples of the changing tastes in architecture in the late 1800s.  It is a brick Italianate main house, with a Romanesque facade, a Queen Anne style side-porch and a western Colonial Revival porch. (A bit of a 'Hoge' podge)

After our overnight stay at the Hampton Inn in Staunton, we decided that it would be a nice change of pace to find a local diner style restaurant for breakfast.  I took the first photo off the Internet as my photo, immediately above, doesn't really show the front of Kathy's Restaurant.  Kathy's has been voted as the best place for breakfast in the Shenandoah Valley for more than a decade.

In our opinion, if a restaurant is casual enough to have a counter with seats for its customers, it qualifies as a diner.  On top of that, Kathy's is only open for breakfast and lunch...but for 7 days a week.

Kathy's Restaurant was busy...and it was a Saturday morning.  The dining room was colorful and clean as well as bright and airy.  Service was solid and the kitchen was obviously functioning efficiently.  

Laurie is usually good for a 'straight-up' breakfast order...bacon, eggs, toast and hash brown potatoes.  She faked me out by ordering "Viva French Toast" which adds an egg plus bacon or sausage to an order of French toast. ($10.95) Everything was enjoyed and the French toast was a cut above average.

Kathy's offers 21 different 'egg dishes', which includes no less than 13 omelets.  Other segments of the menu include Meat Lover's Meals, Gourmet Pancakes plus Waffles and French Toast.

I ordered my breakfast from yet another part of Kathy's breakfast menu.  This was my "Benedict's Cousin" from Kathy's Specials.  It consisted of 2 country-style sausage patties and two over-easy eggs on a flaky biscuit that is smothered by sausage gravy.  As you can see, it also came with 'home fries'.  ($11.75)

I really enjoyed my breakfast and Kathy's did have Tabasco too... The sausage patties were seasoned nicely and although I prefer hash brown potatoes, the home fries were decent.  Of course, now that we've learned how to make our own sausage gravy, other versions can be OK but our homemade version is hard to beat.

These colorful patrons have apparently been waiting to be seated for some time... I was glad that we weren't seated too close to them as they are just a bit weird.  It was October so perhaps Halloween related?  On the other hand, on-line photos of the two characters at the left appear to show them to be permanent residents... 

Kathy's Restaurant is located at 705 Greenville Avenue in Staunton Virginia.  Phone: 540-885-4331.  Website: https://kathys-restaurant.com/.

Next stop in Staunton...was Presidential.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave 

Staying Home...

Time for a change of pace!  Leaving our October 2024 road trip just for a bit, this time its all about things, food and happenings around our home in East Tennessee...truly bits and pieces.

Let me introduce you to "Gopher", our tailless squirrel and frequent visitor.  He/or she has been around for about 4 years at this point... With a typical life span of around 6 years but with exceptions up to 12 years, Gopher may be around for a while.  Without a tail, we're a bit surprised that he/she has survived this long.  Grey squirrel's tail assist in balance when moving through the trees and they also provide warmth in cold weather.  In cold weather squirrels just wrap their tails around them like a blanket while in their nests.  Will Gopher survive a protracted Artic blast?

FYI...In Europe and in Western Canada the Eastern Grey Squirrel is considered to be an Invasive Alien Species as it is displacing native species of squirrels. 

Around New Years Day, our neighbor Jane baked this lovely and delicious Rum Cake for us...and for other neighbors as well.  I'm usually not a 'cake guy' and some flavor enhanced cakes are too over the top intense for me.  However, we devoured all of this cake.  It kept well in the refrigerator and we found that whipped cream went well with it.  Not healthy but very tasty!

We do have a tendency to buy items that catch our eye, especially antique or collectible goodies.  Frequently they just sit around and look nice...but in this case Laurie's new/old cast iron corn bread fry pan was put to good...and satisfying use.

Laurie decided to make a chicken recipe she saw on-line that grabbed her attention.  It involved chicken thighs, garlic cloves, soy sauce, butter and brown sugar...served over rice.  I didn't think that I'd like it but the caramelized sauce with the chicken and rice resulted in a fine meal...and I had leftovers too!

Time for breakfast!

My breakfast creations are not as adventuresome or imaginative as Big Dude's at https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/.  However, neither of us like to waste leftovers.  In this case I fried up some left over beef pot roast and cheesy potatoes, siding them with over-easy eggs and a slice of toast.  Excellent!

Another recent breakfast 'winner' was my combination of leftover breaded and seasoned Tilapia filets topped with over-easy eggs... While I indulge in my 'healthy' breakfasts, my better half 'enjoys' yogurt with granola.  Ugh!

One more breakfast just to avoid leftover waste... This time it was Guinness flavored Mac 'n Cheese with fried segments of leftover Klement's (Wisconsin) hotdogs.  This was a truly satisfying breakfast although it almost demanded a nap long after consuming it. 

Now for a bit of Mother Nature...

Laurie's Christmas cactus in her plant room, both pink and red, are doing their thing and looking good.  But, if you look out the window, you might note that something weatherwise was going on...

Shortly after taking the photo in the plant room, Laurie took this picture of our front yard looking across to neighbors Roger and Jane's home.  What is that white stuff coming down from the heavens?!

After the snow 'storm' passed, I took this photo of our front yard looking across at Roger and Jane's home.  We were snowed in!  Those who live a bit north would consider this a minor snowfall or inconvenience.  In East Tennessee it is a big deal.  At our stage and age, I can't shovel snow and Laurie shouldn't.  I know that the usual sequence is that it melts the following day or, at most, a couple days later.  

However, kudos to the strapping 18 year old entrepreneur who showed up at Jane and Roger's house and cleared their driveway and sidewalk.  His next job was clearing our driveway and sidewalk.  He'd cleared 6 driveways the previous night and after these 2 jobs, he had 10 more booked.  Some of the driveways were much longer than ours... I'm estimating that his prompt recognition of opportunity had to bring in over $1,000!  Not too bad...

Of course, our local birds are a bit like the residents...just not used to truly cold and snowy weather.  Mr. Robin looks confused...but I'm sure he was waiting for food bits to drop from our feeders.  As for the bluebirds, they were patiently waiting for Laurie to replace the ice in their birdbath with some hot water from the house...

This view from Laurie's 'plant room' shows our 2.5 inches of snow on the grill and railings and looking at the trees and bushes that sill remain after the building spree we've experienced in the last 2 - 3 years.

Early weather forecasts for our area claimed that we would have a warmer than normal winter.  Through January 16th, every day this month has recorded lower than normal high temperatures and lower than normal low temperatures...and we have an "Artic Blast" headed our way.

Now for a bit of retail humor...  

Laurie found this storefront photo on the Internet.  Love the name!  It actually is a store located in Berkeley California... This is our favorite kind of store...and that sign rivals the one we saw in front of an antique store in Georgia a few years back.  That one read "We Sell Dead People's Stuff".

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave