I bought the sewing machine for the stack of postcards that came with it. What did I need with a monstrosity of a sewing machine, although it was a lovely one with an orange, lime green…
Category: Culture
The auction house was holding another one of its “special” sales – the second, it seemed, in as many weeks. These are the sales where everything is out of my reach, the merchandise high-rent with…
So you bought it, the auction house assistant noted – not asked – as he eyed the solid wood African figure I had straddled across a shopping cart near the door of the auction house.…
Romantic postcards of a life most women didn’t live
Posted in Culture, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Women
I saw the title of the drawings under frame on the auction table before I figured out exactly what they were. The title was pretty comical in this 21st-century era, but I found it intriguing enough…
Sweetgrass baskets by Annabelle Ellis
Posted in Art, Black history, collectibles, Crafts, and Culture
My auction buddy Janet had missed the two baskets entirely. I had, too, on my first walk-through at the auction house – a new one for me but a return spot for her. They were…
The Martha’s Vineyard of artist Lois Mailou Jones
Posted in Art, Black history, Culture, and travel
We weren’t sure where we were going. My travel buddy’s smart phone was offering directions by car, not on foot. But Oaks Bluff was a walkable little town, and I was determined to find the…
Portland, ME – a city full of surprises
Posted in Art, Black history, Culture, and travel
I was a bit giddy on this crisp Sunday morning, the air more fall than summer, as my travel buddy and I walked down a hill toward a restaurant on our first day in Portland, ME.…
Inside boxing’s fabled old Blue Horizon
Posted in Architecture/Buildings, Businesses, Culture, and Sports
Are there ghosts in here? The words shot from my brain straight through my mouth without warning. I was standing in the lobby of the Legendary Blue Horizon boxing venue in Philadelphia at the beginning…
Getting a buzz from just being at auctions
Posted in Culture, and flea market
The man was quite honest about his failings. I’m an auction addict, he said matter-of-factly, as if he’d recognized and accepted this condition of his long ago. I’d seen him around auctions for awhile, as…
Surfboard art, anyone?
Posted in Art, Businesses, Culture, Sports, and travel
I was strolling down a tight aisle of dark antique furniture when I first spotted these big splashes of color. They looked so out of place that I had to check them out. “They” were…