Howdy! Hope everyone is enjoying your Spring in one way or another.
Saddle up and let’s ride! Today I want to share a cool little place I found right down the road from me, I didn’t have to travel far this time but before I tell you about my adventure I wanted to update you on Jake
Well as most of you know, my partner in crime, Jake has been put into retirement. Sadly he has a respiratory illness that makes it difficult for him to get around much less go trail riding. He is happy, bright and full of mischief, but I have a deep sadness not being able to ride him anymore. It is doubtful we will ever ride again, so we visit, he eats carrots, I talk and even cry, I miss riding him, we have had some awesome adventures. Some times he goes for short walks out on the trail with me. Time will tell, as long as he remains bright and happy, and can get around, he will just be here with me.
Since I am not able to ride much these days unless I sneak a ride on Boss Man’s horse, I have a little more free time to go lookin’ for Junk. Last weekend, I took a detour headed into our little town to see what was going on, I was supposed to be at Home Depot. I just happened to see one of those signs, you know the kind, the ones that make you flip a U turn on a highway when you are going 90. Yep it was one of those, yellow YARD SALE sign. It read something like this, “Sale today, pickers welcome” or something like that, can’t tell you what it really said as the sign had me at pickers and I flipping a U turn in old Leroy the truck like we were going to a fire.
The signs lead me down a little tiny road to a place I had seen a million times before but could never get a good look as it is tucked away in some lovely trees. I could always just get a quick glimpse of some sort of cool old Mobil Gas sign but I had no idea of what other treasures I would find.
Cool Old Mobil Horse Sign
I hopped out of Leroy and started to peak around a bit. The owner greeted me and let me know I had missed the morning rush. Ahh my kind of day, I don’t do well with crowds especially at sales. I started chatting with the owner and he looked really familiar but I couldn’t place him until he said, “American Pickers” OH YEAH! DING DING DING!!!! This was the place I saw on American Pickers, right in my sweet little home town. Dan was a fantastic host as I picked around looking at all of his cool junk.
We got to chatting, he told he how he and his dad had been collecting for years, they would go to storage auctions and do a 50/50 split. Sadly Dan’s dad passed away last year, but he did get to see the episode of American Pickers which was dedicated to him. I shared with Dan that I was a picker too,(which he said he could already tell), and I got into this business because of my dad and mom. My dad had a great eye for junk, my mom had a great eye for beautiful one of a kind antiques, so blending both of their tastes our little ranch house I grew up in was filled with interesting antiques and artifacts from days gone by. My blog is actually dedicated to my parents, my dad passed away 14 years ago which I still can’t believe. When I am out scouring old barns and ranches I can somehow feel his presence with me. He would have loved this place, and would have enjoyed talking to Dan. My mom is still as sharp as ever and is a big help, her knowledge of antiques is quite amazing. She has been a member of Questers International for over 20 years, if you would like to learn more about this amazing organization click here. I recently joined and love this group of well verses antiquers. I don’t get to go on too many outings but they keep me around anyway.
As I talked with Dan, I told him that I write a blog, and I asked if I could write about his “ Junk Paradise”. He was kind enough to say yes and he let me take some pictures. A great day and a lot of fun for me chatting with Dan. I think one of the funnest things about junkin is the people you meet and the stories you hear!
Thank you Dan for letting me look around and share stories about our dads. I bet they would have gotten on well, I can only imagine their stories if they were there in person.
So without further a do, let me take you on a little tour today I have not traveled far but I have found many treasures in more ways than one.
Look at all of this!! Is this a pickers paradise or what?!
Seriously…I could have spent the entire day here
This one is for my friend Linda C, a fellow picker who knows a cool tea pot when she sees one…even if it is on the top of a roof!
For Linda C
Vintage Mobil Horse Sign
Well I had to head on out, had such a fun time picking. Thanks to Dan for letting me take these pictures and write the post. Would love to hear about an unexpected treasure hunt, whether it was for junk or something else, like the perfect new pair of shoes. Remember it’s not about the journey but who we meet along the way.
Until next time, happy healthy trails!
This post is dedicated to Dan’s dad, I hope where ever he is, he is finding some cool junk
If you are ever interested in vintage farm house treasures, join our Facebook group The Rockin Farm Chick
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