Friday, August 21, 2009

the f-word and my neck of the woods

WT surprised me this morning by telling me he was taking the
afternoon off. "We're outta here!" So, after lunch we jumped in the
old Land Rover and headed off for one of our favorite haunts.

Here's a view heading west on I-70. We were lucky enough to enjoy
some dramatic N.C. Wyeth skies. As you can see, our neck of the
woods, here in central Ohio, is flat as a pancake.

It's a 40 minute drive to the Heart of Ohio Antique Center. It's one
of the largest in the mid-west with 116,000 square feet of vintage
stuff from over 650 vendors. If you like antiques, this place is
heaven.
I especially like browsing the book vendors and keep my eye out
for interesting vintage glass bottles. But today, this adorable framed
hand tinted photo (11 x 13) of a little guy in a wool beret caught my
eye. There was a haunting quality that drew me to him.

It's sad to think this priceless treasure was separated from his family
somewhere along the way. Actually, he looks like he could be WT at
this age. It was a bargain at $10. WT enjoyed digging through his
favorite tool vendor's ware and found a lovely vintage wrench.
Thankfully, we missed the heavy rains that passed through while we
were inside. In fact, we've had so much rain this summer, the
cornfields are gloriously lush.
In no time at all, we're back in our little town. Lots of old limestone
buildings in the main square. What is this one now? It's actually a
Donato's pizza shop, which I think is totally ridiculous.
It's always a little cooler on our drive home along the river. Ahh.

Our town is covered with these charming vintage limestone walls.
They're literally everywhere. There is an abandoned quarry site just
a few miles south. It's been turned into a high end housing
development. Oh, well.

Okay, we're back to the manor, safe and sound. It was an extra fun
day. Thanks for tagging along with us. Oh, and in case you're
wondering, the f-word I happen to use is FUN.


Here's the little guy in his new home.

82 comments:

  1. Fun for your finds and your fascination with antiques. I'm surprised you only picked up a few things.

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  2. Lakeviewer, I have learned to restrain myself. I could go hog wild in that place.

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  3. I enjoyed your trip to the antique center & photos. I used to do that too but lately we are over whelmed with fabulous furniture, inherited antiques and so I will not be stopping along at any such places soon. This inheritance may have even cured me from estate sales, etc. By the way, I left photos at my aunt's home in PA for the sale to be held on Saturday. I never undersood how families could let such things go but now I do. I don't know who the people are, and I have an abundance of old photos of the family back generations. There is no one but me so no one else to take them. I'm glad you adopted the photo of the little guy!

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  4. I enjoyed that excursion around your neck of the woods, Willow! Lovely billowing clouds, and the limestone walls too.

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  5. Thanks for the tour! Antique shops are fun.

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  6. In New Jersey, the F word is never used for fun! LOL! I loved the cloud pictures, I was seeing things in them!

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  7. Unscheduled days (or afternoons) off are the best. What fun!

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  8. cool ride willow - i love the stone walls. i grew up with those in england. when we'd visit the area around where the weaver lives. some of those walls would be very very old. there's something magical about a stone wall regardless of how old it is though. it's the idea that human hands chose, shaped, and placed each stone. have a peaceful day. steven

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  9. Love the little picture you found. The way his eyes look out at the viewer would have sorely tempted me as well. Good for you--I always look at old photos at our local flea market, and I hate to think someone's old photos aren't being cared for, so I sometimes snatch them up because I know I'll care for them! Our family photos are my prized possessions--I can't imagine not having 'em.

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  10. Great pictures, willow. Thanks for taking us along on the ride.

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  11. F-un, F-abulous and F-antastic! Glad it was such a nice day!

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  12. I just adore days like that...awwwww

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  13. Oh you were in my neck of the woods! We just moved to Xenia (my husband got a job teaching at Urbana University & I kept my job in Cincinnati, so this is a central location). We'll have to check out the antique place sometime.

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  14. I absolutely love that picture. What a little sweetie! I always wonder about those old pictures and the family that is separated from them. But you will enjoy him and those that gaze upon him. So that's a very neat thing.Fun outing.

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  15. A wonderful old photo -- I love such finds and immediately concoct stories to go with them. (Your little boy was the oldest son of a well-to-do Italian-American family. His name was Positano but he changed it to Paul in later life.)

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  16. i use that f-word a lot. coll that you got to spend it together...that makes it all the better.

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  17. One of my Besties and I love Antiquing. Thank you for the tip of Antique Center. Living in Indiaanpolis, that isn't such a far jont and I think we will run out there.
    I love that you purchased the photo and hung it at the Manor. I hope if I ever get lost in a shuffle of photos, I end up in a loving new home!

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  18. Vicki, Positano?! I love it. He does look a bit Italian or maybe French. My sister pointed out the fact that he looks exactly like my youngest son at that age.

    I named a little sparrow that visits my patio birdbath, Paul.

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  19. Bug, we'll have to meet there some time!

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  20. Awww.. what a lovely drive. I feel like saying "I'll live where she's living.." It looks so beautiful there. Here in Oz, it's vast and brown, despite it raining as I type. Our country is only 200 years old and doesn't have the years of social history as yours does. Historic town, old wares, pre loved items... Aaaahh...

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  21. Of course you know I'm jealous of you finding the little fellow. You need to have a story on hand to tell about him when guests ask. Make it as elaborate as possible so you'll know somewhere the little fellow is smiling that someone cared enough to tell the very best.

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  22. Fantastic find. I'm green with envy!

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  23. I have been banned from our local antique centre by my partner. At least until we get more storage in this cottage. What a darling little boy! I love buying old photos and displaying them. I found a superb little girl once in a red beret. I know I will write a tale about her one day. The boy must feel so lucky he has come to live at the manor! xx

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  24. "A lovely vintage wrench" - I almost spilled my morning tea! *giggle*

    The little boy looks right at home at the manor. Vicki may be right, he looks like "Positano" and he may been one of those masons who built the stone walls that are still standing in your parts of the world (after all, he came from Alberobello in Apulia, where miles and miles of stone walls run up and down the ondulating hills, through fields and meadows and along olive groves, all the way down to the sea).

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  25. Fun; one of my favourite things to do. The 'little guy' is loved again. Makes you wonder, doesn't it. They were tinting photographs back in the 50s I think; he could still be in this world.

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  26. Your skies photos are great. I think I would love Ohio! :D
    Nice place you visited. I like the photo with the little child!!!

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  27. It's like my dream day off post...

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  28. There certainly seems to be nice clear roads there :-)
    And so glad to see you are using a trusty British vehicle :-)

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  29. Wow, I'm glad we don't have anywhere like that antiques place, i be living there and broke!!..the little guy looks totally at home on that wall..thanks for taking me along!!

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  30. Spontaneous outings are the best. One minute you are sitting indoors a bit fed up; the next someone says come on, let's go out - the best things can happen like that

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  31. For an f-word, fun is a beauty....Love your little adopted fella,xv

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  32. Willow,
    Funny!
    Did you give the little guy a name and a history?
    rel

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  33. I am pleased you have given him a good home, Willow - I always think it is sad when old photographs end up in such places - they are suddenly unloved. Hope he enjoys the love of a new family.

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  34. These sudden on-the-spur-of-the-moment trips so often turn out the best, don't you think. I really enjoyed this one, which must mean that you did, even more so. I do absolutely see why you fell for the little guy in the woollen hat.

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  35. Thanks for sharing your lovely afternoon with us lol

    xoxo

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  36. What a fine piece, I really did feel as if I was there with you. It's an excellent idea to show people around the streets and roads of our neighbourhoods, perhaps we should all try it.

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  37. What fantastic cloud formations, just gorgeous. Love that you rescued the little boy in the beret; looks like he's found a very good, FUN home.

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  38. Remiman, Vicki Lane gave him a perfect name! "Your little boy was the oldest son of a well-to-do Italian-American family. His name was Positano but he changed it to Paul in later life." Positano is perfect. I've been saying it with a very heavy Italian accent all morning!

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  39. It's amazing what great stuff Ohio has. We were in Cincinnati 10 days ago visiting our Kid. We went to Jungle Jim's (thank God we flew because I would have spent hundreds of dollars on food), Half-Priced Books, Joseph Beth Booksellers, and every day we went to First Watch for breakfast. The thunderstorms were beautiful and wild, the sunsets fabulous, the river magical.

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  40. Great day.

    We have a picture like that that we found at auction. Mother-in-law thought it was her, then was mightly put-out that we were displaying pictures that weren't family.

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  41. Fantastic! Glad I came for the ride.

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  42. one of my all time Favorite F words, too - FUN! and what a day of fun for you! thanks so much for letting all of us tag along - really enjoyed the trip - great day! and it was good to get out of my place and on the road for a while! and the hauntingly beautiful little boy in the picture! exquisite! and now, home where he belongs! a great great day for all!

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  43. Sharon, glad to hear you enjoyed Ohio. Did you sample the marvelous buckwheat pancakes at First Watch? Half Price Books is always a treat, too.

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  44. Willow, thanks for the ride-along! And you can just leave me at the antique shoppe, next time-LOL! There are some pretty big one like this in Tennessee, along I-40 :)

    And great cloud shots!

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  45. Lovely, descriptive post of your day trip.
    I feel ackward purchasing someone's photo, especially to hang in my home. The word haunting is exactly how I would feel if it was hanging in my home! Glad you gave the little boy a new home.

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  46. Gladly you solved the mystery regarding the f-word at the end of your post... :-))) Very F-unny!

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  47. I love finds like your "little guy" photo! Then I have to sit and wonder about him...is he still alive? Wouldn't he be flattered to know that you have his photograph in your home? Did he die alone and without family since no-one claimed his photograph...THIS is what I LOVE about collecting things with GREAT HISTORY...whether I know the history or NOT!

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  48. I've read that people rarely smiled in early photographs because their teeth were so bad... I don't know if that's why. Perhaps the size and novelty of the photographers' camera and gear were intimidating. The extended length of time for the exposure may have made it difficult to hold a smile.

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  49. Sounds like one of our lovely Ohio days of old. I miss those afternoon antique rambles.

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  50. Really nice Willow!That seems like a great day!Have enough of the high temperature too!Today a bit better than yesterday but still!Have a nice day and weekend!:)

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  51. Hello Willow,

    Glad you managed an away day and both found something to delight. Nice to see a little of your area too.

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  52. What a great find! I'm actually going to be starting a booth in the local antique mall in two weeks! I've got boxes of antiquey things sitting all over my office at the moment. I'll find time somehow between now and then to get everything tagged.

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  53. Willow-
    "Fun", that was my second choice!
    Oh, how I'd like to roam thru that antique mall..and find little treasures such as yours!! Lovely day..

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  54. Wonderful photo story, I enjoyed going along. But you did fool me with the caption:-)

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  55. So happy that the little guy has come home.
    Much too sad having him wander the world on his own.
    He seems to fit perfectly.

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  56. great find and what fun, an impromptu trip. I keep forgetting my "old age motto in the form of a question." Which is to ask myself: "Is it fun?" and if I have a choice, and it isnt to not do it. Or if it is fun, then to do it. although keeping in mind that sometimes what appears to be not fun might turn into fun and vice versa as is the way of the world.

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  57. Beautiful photos! And I love the picture. I think you pegged it when you called it "haunting." :)

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  58. What a day willow, and what a keepsake! I love the location, and your decor.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  59. Wow. I think I know where you were. My girls go there all the time. One found one of my wash drawings from 1976 for sale there and bought it and gave it to me last Christmas. What a surprise that was.

    My dad's farm in Preble County, north of Eaton, was so full of stones that they spent years picking them up and hauling them over to the edge of the fields ad made stone walls out of them.

    Their farm was where the last ice age glacier stopped and of course all the rocks from everywhere in the glacier dropped there on the farm and nearby farms.

    I always like to look at very old books and old photo albums at auctions. There was a time when you could buy a bushel basket of photos for a dollar.

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  60. Always fun to go to a good antique store! Of course, you want to avoid places that are actually flea markets! Heh!

    There is one excellent antique store in Des Moines that I enjoy walking through about every two months. I especially like the black and white photographs - so I enjoyed the treasure you found.

    Take care.

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  61. Thanks for sharing with us.I love all of the limestone walls in your community!

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  62. I just got home from a week of gathering round rocks at the beach and junking with my artist girlfriends. We all found wonderful stuff. I too look for old letters, old books, ledgers and hit the jack pot. I would love to go to that gigantic Antique mall.

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  63. I like your F word better...and antiquing is always just that and I would have totally snagged the lil' boy too, what a great deal you got girl. I do love 'F'all too, however if I had a more stable income, winter would be more tolerable.

    I just drove through torrential downpours on my way home from antiquing with a 2-piece 1930's china cabinet in the back of the truck...who knew...but I drove fast so the rain wouldn't torture the veneer, it's getting painted black, so I'm not too worried...

    ...a day in the life...s

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  64. lush green...blue sky...icy clouds..Great Landscape!A perfect place for Friday!
    loved each of the photos...

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  65. Congratulations on the adoption.

    Your town looks like you should live there. That probably makes no sense but you do seem to go together. I'm off for a fun little jaunt myself in an hour or so. Goodbye!

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  66. Thank-you dear Willow! Loved the day trip to the antique store. The little boy reminds me of a rare highbrow china doll from Hungary found in dusty attic at an estate sale. It would be wonderful to find a website that has photo identification and plant ID. His hat would be a give away, placing him somewhere in China early 1900's. What is this CIS Willow Manor? How many times have I come across something I'd love to know exactly what it is and have no way to find out its origins. A historian of the photographic arts or an antiquies specialist (Sotheby's?) or have others could discover this lad's history. You wouldnt want a nasty "ghost boy" hanging on your wall by the settee, but then again he may be a lucky "ghost boy"! Forbide he be both! Many thanks yet again Willow dear! F always is F-U-N in my books! Are you in marketing, such a sensational header "the f-word" my mind never flinched, not once. Although, flinching sounds fun too.!:)

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  67. Now that's what I call a good F-word! What a charming way to spend the day with WT. I think your little fellow with the jaunty beret is a real find. He looks right at home on that wall--as if he was meant to be there all along.

    Kat

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  68. Sounds like the two of you know how to spend the day together! Thanks for the tour of town and neighborhood!

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  69. What a super trip and so nice that you bought a little boy home with you. I think he'll be very happy in his new spot.

    Sometimes people lose their belongings through no fault of their own, e,g. repossessions, inability to pay storage bills etc..... and in the case of the latter the storage company after auctioning off what they can, dump the remainder - never to be seen again. Or, they end up in a store and lovely people like you come along and give once much loved precious items by one family, a new, arm home.

    I especially love the scenery in your part of the world. The limestone buildings remind me very much of those in Richmond, Yorkshire, England where there are many delightful limestone houses/shops and miles and miles of limestone walls on country lanes.

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  70. First of all, I love the clouds.

    Second, I know the sadness of finding deserted family pieces, pictures that were once so cherished tossed aside.

    I even realize that many of the things I hold dear have no meaning to my kids. That's just the change that happens as generations leave and new ones are born.

    How neat that you took him in. I hope you are developing a story about his life - it will be fictional of course - but the way you write, no problem! ♥

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  71. Thanks for the ride and shopping trip. I do like the picture you bought, and the ones you took.

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  72. I do love that little fellow in the picture frame. Very handsome, he is.

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  73. Thanks for the ride along! I did notice that you keep your windshield very clean.
    And I love the use of 'gloriously lush' when describing your cornfields!

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  74. Doh! Iwas waiting for the swearing and the fighting. was a good day out though nd I wasn't sure of the photo you bought till I saw it in situ where it really works.That shows you have a good eye!

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  75. Willow...the instant I saw his beguiling face I thought..."Looks like WT"...and so you said yourself as I scrolled down...and confirmed my impression. It is a precious child...he is fortunate to be yours!

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  76. I love your little guy . . . I wonder if, someday, family legend will confuse the fact and decide that it really IS WT.

    How nice that you and WT enjoy the same idea of FUN!

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  77. Thanks for bringing us all along in the car. Good thing we're all magic, otherwise you might have had trouble fitting us all in the car :-)

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  78. That photo looks perfect there, and will garner lots of comments, I am sure. I often wonder when looking at photos in shops like that, too...how they got separated from their family. My dad always had a darkroom and so we have lots of family photos and before he died, my 3 brothers and I got together on his living room floor and went through them all and picked our favorites...

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  79. Wow, what a great day you had and I just loved sharing it through your photos. The little guy in the cap with his rather wistful face looks just perfect in his new home.

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  80. I was going to say, I didn't take you as one for swearing!

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  81. That sounds like a delightful surprise afternoon with your hubs. How fun. that antique store would be fab.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)