Friday, July 31, 2009

ROUTE 66



On the south side of our little lake as you drive the eleven miles around....you come across this street sign....ROUTE 66....which directs us down a dirt driveway....



Over the last few years, often in the evenings after our ice-cream cone at the King of the Frosties....my Dad has taken us for a drive around the lake and down ROUTE 66 to see the sights and handiwork of local friends ...Mr. John Van Buiten and his lovely wife Hester.....
This series of 6 red signs say...."IF HUGGING.....ON HIGHWAYS...IS YOUR SPORT...TRADE IN YOUR CAR...FOR A DAVENPORT...BURMA SHAVE"....this was an old advertising slogan .....
The red signs lead you down this dirt road to almost a dozen little buildings.....all built by John, a retired builder from New Jersey ...
Among his charming diminutive buildings are a church, a schoolhouse, a service center, a bus stop, a post office, a barber shop, a lean to and an outhouse...



John has been an antique car buff for many years and he has collected not only classic antique cars but vintage gas pumps and all kinds of memorabilia.....The gas pumps and other items you see here are all authentic antiques...



He has outfitted one little building, inside and out as a post office...



Of course, there needs to be one of these...



A wonderful vintage weather vane adorns the top of this small building...



A miniature replica of a service station....Now when I say miniature....I mean small....you can walk inside all these buildings and they are outfitted as a normal size building....with counters and furniture and appropriate accessories...







This was my favorite building....a tiny chapel.....



The top of this sign was salvaged from John's home church in NJ which burnt down in 1946.



John and Hester renewed their vows here to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.....There was just enough room for their children and spouses to sit on the two pews (cut down from original old ones) and for their grandchildren to stand around the perimeter of this little house of worship....



A little school house complete with an antique school bell on top....







The General Store was filled floor to ceiling with all sorts of memorabilia and some antique tins and other utilitarian items which would have been found in an old store...



Here is John, posing at my request, inside the General Store....he has his carpenter's apron on as he and a friend are in the process of building a replica of an old ice cream parlor!



His Barber shop has this authentic old barber pole on the outside...



And inside are these two mannequins with this authentic antique barber chair...



Just look at all the old barber shop items he has on display!

The other morning, John and Hester let my Dad and I spend some time taking a closer look at all his little buildings...both inside and out...I took so many pictures....incredible and wonderful details! I hope the photographs shown here give you an idea of the love behind all the work that was put into creating this charming "village".... This lovely couple are so gracious and generous in sharing their ROUTE 66 with all who are interested....
Hope you enjoyed this little tour!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Junking Finds in the Adirondacks



These are the goodies that I have picked up over the last week.....The Madonna above has the most amazing eyelashes and her halo serves as a planter for flowers....



Loving these dueling vintage desk lamps....



Vintage tole tray and folding ruler with brass findings...



Kitchen utensils....Sir Walter Raleigh tobacco tin, inkwell and pretty blue bowl....



Pair of wire racks (for pamphlets or literature of some kind).....both for 50 cents!



Vintage typewriter.....check out those green keys! The best part is the cover was monogrammed with the owner's initials and it had a sticker from my very own college!!



Cornucopia to go to sister MaryBeth who hosts our Thanksgiving dinner...assorted pottery and glassware, quilted mini pillow, Rook game cards, wooden spool of green yarn....and three clam shell or oyster dishes?



White ironstone pitcher and bowl, silver plate serving pieces...





Love the detail of this old dish...



And I love these little cutters....



When not junking or cooking or eating or taking walks.....the girls sat down by the lake...looking at magazines, reading and chatting....we were blessed with the best weather this week!
Tomorrow we expect another ten family members to arrive....what fun!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Cherries On Top of the Mountains



We bought the most delicious cherries at the market....



Inspiration! I will bake a cherry pie....



Out came all my vintage baking utensils....



Out came my camera....















Out came my husband....saying "those cherries are too good to put in a pie!"















The men are off to hike one of the high peaks....



The girls will stay back today....eat cherries, chat and sit in the sun.....
To bake or not to bake? That is the question of the day!