Morning sunlight streaming in from an upstairs window highlights this detail at the Nantucket Atheneum.

The photo was taken at one of what we consider the loveliest libraries in the U.S. — the Atheneum in Nantucket.  With its antique chairs and tables inviting you to sit and read, its displays on current topics of interest (last week it was the upcoming Nantucket Daffodil Festival), and its enviable collection of maritime antiques (scrimshaw, figureheads, whaling artifacts), it has distinguished itself as not only a repository for books but also an architectural and cultural gem.

The Nantucket Atheneum

So have you identified the tiny part of the whole we shared above?  It’s one tiny segment of an excellent antique Windsor desk.

Antique Windsor desk in an upstairs corner of the Atheneum in Nantucket.

For more entries in this week’s WordPress Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Abstract, click here.

For more information:

The Nantucket Atheneum, 1 India Street, PO Box 808, Nantucket, MA 02554; 508-228-1110

Facebook: Nantucket Atheneum: https://www.facebook.com/NantucketAtheneum/?fref=ts

Collecting has always been fun for me, and, thanks to my dad who left me several old shaving tools, my collection of all things barbering has grown.  From a time gone by, shaving brushes, razors, and Old Spice mugs allow us a glimpse into bathrooms of old.

For more examples of old-fashioned ways and times, click onto Ailsa’s blog Where’s My Backpack  for Travel theme: Old Fashioned.

For us, the word relic seems linked to the phrase from the past. So, when we were driving through Spokane hunting for antique stores and came upon this farm relic from the past, we couldn’t resist stopping by for a closer look. Where had this old guy been?  What crops had it seen in better days?  What stories could it tell?  All unanswered queries, of course, but this old relic has present-day charm for those of us who love faded glory, peeling paint, and the encroachment of rust.  You just can’t beat relics of the past for reminding us that there were other times with other useful instruments, and some of what we know and use today will be relics in the future.

For more relics, click here for the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Relic.

Pair of silver sauce boats by Fueter at Case Antiques Auction. Estimate: $3,000

The catalog description read as follows:  Pair of 18th century American silver sauce boats or butter boats, mark of Lewis Fueter (New York, (1746-1784). Crafted in the Rococo style, each sauceboat has a scalloped rim, broad, extended spout, and cast double-scrolled handle with acanthus leaf thumbgrip, and rests on three cabriole legs with stylized shell patterns at each knee and triple pad feet supports. Matching stylized cypher monograms on both. Each marked on underside, “Fueter” (see matching circa 1770 mark pictured in Ensko’s American Silversmith’s and Their Marks , p. 265). 3-7/8″ H x 6- 3/4″L x 3- 7/8″ width. 16 oz troy. 

Mark of silversmith Lewis Fueter

When they came up for auction as Lot 274 with an estimated value of $3,000, my friends and I were surprised when the bidding reached $8,000, $9,000, $10,000 rather quickly.  And right behind us, we heard a young man gasping, Agghhh!  Ugghh! at every bidding increment.  We looked back at the man (turning pale at the exorbitant bidding), and asked, Are you all right? He leaned forward and sheepishly whispered, Those are my sauce boats! 

Detail of cabriole leg on Lewis Fueter silver sauce boat, Case Antiques

Well, what a treasure these were turning out to be as the bidding reached $20,000, then $25,000, then $30,000.  I was afraid the man would faint.  When the auctioneer gaveled down at $37,000, we all gasped and wondered how the original estimate could have been so low.  And then we wondered what made these pretty-but-nothing-special-to-the-naked-eye so extraordinary.  I walked to the case where purchased items were stored until pick-up and noted the silver mark on the bottom.  One of the assistants frankly admitted, We may have underestimated this one.

Silver sauce boat, one of a pair that sold for $37,000, at Case Antiques Auction in Knoxville

Then I walked back to my seat.  The owner (by now, he was the previous owner) of the sauce boats had gone to get iced tea, yet I dare say he might have taken to strong drink had the opportunity presented itself!  His friend then leaned over and whispered to me, You have no idea of the whole story.  He  bought them in a box lot in a yard sale in Morristown, Tennessee, for only $25.00!

Quite the treasure indeed, I thought.

For more entries in the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Treasure, click here.

(To access the information on the Lewis Fueter silver sauce boats, click here.  The final price of $43,290 quoted on the site includes the buyer’s premium.)

Case Antiques

2240 Sutherland Avenue, Suite 101

Knoxville, TN 37919

865-558-3033

http://www.caseantiques.com

Driving from Boise before dawn one morning for my inaugural visit to the high school in Idaho City, I listened carefully to my GPS lady as she told me to turn onto Main Street off Highway 21.  I did what she said.

Then in her matter-of-fact voice, she instructed:  In 200 feet, make a left onto Centerville. And that’s when I saw it.  It was a house.  No, an antique shop.  No, a pile of junk.  I really didn’t know what it was.  But I was running late.

I hurried into the school, introduced myself to the superintendent, John MacFarlane, and then asked, What IS that on the corner of Main and Centerville? He smiled.  Even tilted his head back and chuckled a bit.

And then he replied, That’s the most photographed corner in Idaho City!

At the end of the workday, I grabbed my camera and headed back to that corner — parked nearby, walked around and around alternately stooping to look below and standing on tiptoe to see what was “up top.” Each viewpoint became another Kodak moment.

Of course, I still have questions.  Who lived there?  How long has it been empty?  How could anyone work in there?  Where did all that “stuff” come from?  And now that I see it’s for sale (asking price was $300,000), Who would want to buy this thing?  And what would they do with it?

I return in January.  And you can bet I’m gonna ask more questions.  It’s now my favorite corner, too — in Idaho City!

To read more posts on the Inland Northwest, go to the Page marked Inland Northwest at the top of this blog.

This is post #30 (Yeah! The last!) for National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) 2013. (I did it!)

A UT fan checks out the antiques at Ramsey House Country Market

Fall for me just wouldn’t be the same without a trip to Ramsey House for the annual Country Market.  And since last fall came and went without the annual celebration, I was feeling a bit of withdrawal.  The Country Market celebrates so many things I love about East Tennessee: colorful fall flowers, homemade cobblers, homey crafts of spinning and quilting, and primitive antiques on burlap-covered tables.  It’s fall at its finest, and I was glad I had the morning to myself to meander the fields and talk to the people who make it happen.

Ramsey House, built in 1797.

The focus, of course, is on preservation.  Ramsey House was built in 1797 by Knoxville’s first builder, Thomas Hope, for Francis Alexander Ramsey, one of the founding trustees of Blount College, now the University of Tennessee.  With its signature red trim, this gray stone home boasts some of the prettiest exterior and interior decorative art in East Tennessee.  The Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities purchased the house and the 101 acres upon which it stands in 1952.

Col. Ramsey (a.k.a. Jerry Griffey) welcomes guests to the Country Market.

It was fitting, of course, that Col. Ramsey (who closely resembles Jerry Griffey, owner of Gentry-Griffey Funeral Home) would greet guests to the property on this pleasant, but rather warm, first day of fall!

Log house to the right of the main house

I parked my car in the field and headed straight for the antiques and crafts booths set up in tents on the grassy expanse between the Visitor Center and Ramsey House hoping I’d see some familiar faces and a few new vendors, too!

Barbara McDonald who specializes in antique quilts had several quality pieces on display as well as bowls, pottery, and a child’s rope-tied bed.

Barbara McDonald — Dealer of antique quilts

I was drawn to this table of red and white mostly kitchen items displayed on a graphic antique quilt in Joe Wolfenbarger’s booth.  Joe owns both Gertie’s Commissary and Whistle Stop Antiques in Cumberland Gap, so we chatted about the influx of tourists to his area now that the leaves are getting ready for their big fall flourish.

Joe Wolfenbarger’s display of red and white items and antique quilt

Hugh and Barbara Webb have been painting and setting up at craft shows for almost 45 years now.

Barbara and Hugh Webb of Knoxville — artists and long-time exhibitors

I own several pins and driftwood pieces, but I couldn’t resist the almost stony face of this yellow tabby!

Barbara Webb’s hand-painted wooden cat

She’s known for drawings of old Knoxville homes as well as paintings of animals. But there was a surprise this time — tiny little birds Barbara fashioned from leftover building materials.

Little birds from The Webb’s Works

Albert and Sandra Davis of Clinton put out collections of thimbles and buttons.  But sometimes Albert just demonstrates how comfortable his old lawn chairs can be!

Ahhhhh. The joy of old lawn furniture!

Roger Farneth of Louisville brought his hand-carved canes and walking sticks as well as his best asset and the “brains of this outfit”:  his wife Madilyn.  Roger agreed to come out into the sunshine to hold his “food chain” walking stick bearing a snake coiled to attack!

Roger and Madilyn Farneth of Louisville brought hand-carved canes and walking sticks along with jams, jellies, noodles, peanut butter, pickles, and chow chow.

Under the name of Paw Paws Woodturnings, Joe White of Friendsville hand-turns bowls and vases of must-touch woods that I dearly love.  Black cloth contrasted the grains and colorations of the various types of wood.

Joe White hand-turns bowls of wood that beg to be touched!

Craftspeople set up a bit closer to Ramsey House eagerly shared their love of what they make from what they find.

One of the outbuildings on the Ramsey House property

Gloria Felter of Oak Ridge had come upon a stash of scraps last January and set about to make a Log Cabin lap quilt with a tiny inset piece featuring — would you believe? — Elvis!

Gloria Felter uses a hoop for the hand-quilting process.

Linda Avery and Lalena Stewart take pride in making authentic quilts under the name Tennessee Quiltworks.  They’ll be back for the October 20th Second Annual Quilt Show right here at Ramsey House —  a sight to behold, they said, since so many quilts hang gracefully on clothes lines for viewing on the grounds. (Put that one on your calendar!)

Lalena Stewart and Linda Avery of Tennessee Quiltworks

Nancy, a spinner since 2007, gave a demonstration using the vermillion piece she was spinning of cotswold and mohair. Nancy is an advocate for Pick Tennessee Products, noting that the wool comes from sheep in Tennessee.

Spinning cotswold and mohair to make yarn for a shawl.

A drying rack of lovely yarns hanging in the sunshine.

Right behind her was Mark who researches and faithfully replicates powder horns with turned wood tops.  It’s not easy, I gathered. Mark described how he heats up the irregularly shaped horn and molds it on a wooden form prior to fitting it with the top.  Many, many steps, but worth it when you see the beauty of true craftmanship.

Mark holds powder horns that he shapes using heat and a wooden cone.

Inside the Visitor Center were appraisers offering their services for a mere $5.00 donation.  Darryl Mackley, who owns Mackley and Company in Knoxville, and Selma Burgin stood ready to evaluate jewelry.

Darryl Mackley and Selma Burgin, jewelry appraisers

Joe Rosson, News-Sentinel columnist who answers readers’ questions each week, was on hand to appraise antiques.  We talked a bit about the state of antique collecting and wondered if the next generation feels as strongly as we do about keeping family pieces in the family.  We didn’t have any answers, but we did do some head shaking and even more wondering!

Joe Rosson, columnist and appraiser, waits for his next customer.

Autographing her books was Dr. Lin Stepp, who writes modern fiction set in the Smoky Mountains with each book set in a different locale: The Foster Girls — Wear’s Valley; Tell Me About Orchard Hollow — Townsend; For Six Good Reasons — Greenbrier, and Delia’s Place — Gatlinburg. Her book covers feature paintings by celebrated artist, Jim Gray, and Dolly Parton has given her stamp of approval to someone she says “believes in all the things that I do.”

Delia’s Place, a modern-day novel set in Gatlinburg, by Lin Stepp.

Lin’s husband J. L. has a book coming out Spring 2013 outlining easy hikes anyone can enjoy:  The Afternoon Hiker: A Guide to Casual Miles in the Great Smoky Mountains. Click here to read more about their publications. Click here for Lin’s books on Amazon.

J. L. and Lin Stepp autograph books outside the Visitor’s Center.

In another area, flowers and farm goods beckoned.  Carefully arranged mums, cuttings of Sweet Annie, paper-wrapped bouquets of dried lavender, and white and orange pumpkins artfully positioned on hay bales added a fall touch to the Ramsey House booth.

Pumpkins, cornshocks, and mums for a lovely fall setting.

Sylvia looks over the osage orange for sale in the Ramsey House booth.

Stuart and Martha of Strong Stock Farm brought their signature grass-fed beef to their artfully arranged booth flanked by white-blooming hydrangeas and fall foliage.

Stuart and Martha talked to me about where they market their grass-fed beef.

In the children’s booth, little Kendall waited patiently for Mickey, the volunteer tattoo artist, to peel off the stencil and reveal a much-anticipated glittery heart.

Kendall waits for step two of her glitter tattoo!

And in the background, I heard the bluegrass stains of an old-time string band, Boogertown Gap.

Musicians from Boogertown Gap

By this time, I had worked up an appetite for either the beans and cornbread or the bar-b-que served by Janet Oakes, Charlotte Brown, and Miriam Anderson, three Ramsey House board members.  I chose the bar-b-que smoked by John Wallace whose wife Connie is also on the board.

Janet Oakes, Charlotte Brown, and Miriam Anderson serve bar-b-que for lunch.

Smoked and pulled bar-b-que by John Wallace was my choice for lunch!

You’d think that would be enough, but not so.  Two men had piled the goodness of dough and the richness of peaches into a black kettle that sat simmering over hot coals for almost half a day.  When I got there, they scooped out the steaming goodness into a cup, topped it with homemade ice cream, and watched me smile!

Dessert was a big scoop of peach cobbler right from the black cast iron pot!

Full and oh-so-happy, I joined Dr. Charles Faulkner for my last act of the day — a tour of Ramsey House!

Dr. Faulkner chats with another visitor about the architecture of Ramsey House.

Fall festivals in East Tennessee showcase the very best in area crafts, food, and the heritage of a land we love.  But you don’t have to wait until next year’s Country Market to visit Ramsey House.  It’s open year round Wednesday through Saturday.

Hoping Ramsey House has a Country Market every year!

You can have that Country Market experience every time you walk across the grounds or peer into the rooms or sit a spell on a bench and just imagine what life was like back then.

It was good then . . . and it’s still good now.

Lovely view of Ramsey House with begonias in bloom.

Ramsey House

2614 Thorngrove Pike

Knoxville, TN 37914

865.546.0745

info@ramseyhouse.org

Leave me a comment about a fall festival you’ve attended or you’ve got on your to-do list. Or just let me know what your favorite part of a country market is for you!  Thanks for reading!