Of Wine, photo albums and vintage things~~~~~

Hello Sweet Things,

Oh how we enjoyed our little three week get a way!

After seeing Mom and Sis off on the train we didn't waste a minute and started on our travels, we did encounter some problems with brush fires which smoked up things, so we headed sea side to avoid the smoke and hugged the coast traveling further North than planned, induging in the "Trees of Mystery" and the "Avenue of the Giants" and stopping at every single tourist trap along there, the drive thru tree, the living tree house, the living chimney tree, etc. etc. etc.  pictures I took pictures.  We behaved like well-mannered tourists.

We ran into several vintage car clubs and got information about them and their tours, even an airstream travel club---Joe got a gleam in his eye and I said "Whoa Big Fella!  One thing at a time!"

We stopped in Eureka for two nights to catch our breath and carefully un-packed the car and go though things, washing drying, pressing, re-packing somethings, while there we came across an estate sale, and said "Why not?"   I found out from the person handling the sale that the former owner had no living relatives so everything was to be sold and the money's to go to specified charities.

I thought "How sad, no one to appreciate what was there, now to be pawed through like something at a basement bargain sale, how sad no one to hear your stories, to know how you lived, to know your ups and downs in life, how sad to never know you, your hopes and dreams, your loves and heartbreaks, your failures and successes."   That is what I felt going through all the things there,  until I came across several old picture albums, I mean these were photos from the 1920's to the 1950's in black and white, and each photo with a careful lable under each one saying who was in it, where and when and what event, at the beach, camping, weddings, parties, holidays,  I grabbed the albums and asked the seller to hold them for me, going more into what was there I came across women's and men's clothing patterns from the 20's to the 50's.  I grabbed all I could find.

Joe came across some formal wedding photo's we were surprised the couple looked something like us, as if we had lived decades ago.   I asked the seller about the history of the person who lived here and was told it was an elderly woman who died just two days after her 100th birthday, the year before. It had taken almost a year to properly probate the estate, the art works had been auctioned off as well as the valuble antique furniture and silver, now it was just the residue.  The woman had married at 16, no wonder she looked so young, the other wedding photos were of her much older sister and her husband, but there were no decendants, both sisters were widowed and they both lived in the house until first one and then years later the other died.

The person who handled the estate sale was quiet knowlegeable about the deceased woman and her family, so we got quite a history lesson.  We bought the photo's, and patterns,  I thought my Mother would enjoy the patterns and seeing how the clothes were worn.   I noticed that the photo albums ended at 1959 I asked if there were any more and was told there were no others.

How strange I thought to suddenly stop taking photo's but the seller told me that in 1959 the husband of the late woman as well as her sister and brother-in-law died tragicly in an accident, only she survived.   That made sense, for her time ended, her life ended, but how limiting, to just exist, waiting for death.  Joe also bought some old murder mysteries in paperback by Earle Stanley Gardner and a few other books.  It wasn't until later that mixed in with the books was a diary, it was sporatic and covered for just before she married to the accident it wasn't written in everyday, sometimes there would be months before she wrote even a paragraph, but it gave us something to read and talk about in the evenings.

We did tour the wineries, and bought some various vintages of wine, but we were more looking at things, we did stay for 4 days at my country house and was happy to see that things were going so well.  Buddy the dog greeted me like an old long lost friend, and took very well to Joe,  we had arrived in time to enjoy a harvest festival craft  fair weekend and beer tasting, Joe had to buy and bring home some of the speicality beers.

The argiculture school has been working very hard in maintaining the barn and old fashion equipment, I was surprised to see two plow horses in the barn, and was told that soft farming that is easy on the land is becoming very popular and more people want to learn this method in view of all the GMO Food business, I knew I had given permission for heritage chickens and turkeys to be raised.  But was asked if it be all right to raise other heritage breeds of animals,  well there is more than enough land but I said that buildings for these animals had to look period correct and it could not interfer with the outdoor wedding events.

And that aspect is doing very well, even very small scale (no more than 25 people) indoor weddings those are held in the formal parlor with a small reception in the dinning room. That is mostly in the winter.  My caregivers had taken on two interns who are studying history and seeing how people lived at the turn of the 20th century.  And the ladies from the historical society volunteer helping with the wedding events.  Everything old is new again. 

Now Joe and I are home again, and I feel like I'm torn between three worlds, my country house, the modern business world and the world of the early to mid-20th century,  Joe and his buddy have bought the building to hold the vintage cars, and it seems something has happened on the side, some people want to rent one or two of the cars for special occasions, the funds raised for that will help with the monthly payment and since his buddy lives in the upstairs apartment in the building there is built in security as well.  So the crowded conditions at my house has been alieviated for now.

But in the evenings Joe and I still pour over those photos from the woman whose life stopped so long ago, and we've vowed that we will not have that happen to us.

Now the outside is getting decorated for Halloween, Heather and her folks are looking forward to it they are planning a Halloween party and Heather wants us to go with her and her folks this evening to the "Pirates of Emerson Haunted House"  that should be fun.  I was surprised to see that her grandmother has moved in with them, Lillian was really a great grandmother, but was told by Heather that finacially and medically its best, her grandmother is not bed-ridden but does have heart trouble and the cost of keeping up her house was straining her limited income so she sold her house and moved in with them.  Heather could not be happier, even the little Beast, "Baby" is happy to have someone extra to spoil her.

Now I have to get into my jeans and tennis shoes, I understand that is the best way to enjoy this haunted house extravaganza.

Kisses Sweet Things.