Found Things

Sunrise, Sunday, August 11, 2013

I have a tendency to poke around looking for things that interest me.  Over the years visiting Canada, I have found a few unusual items. 

Ox and Cart, Craft Sale Find

Oxen Team, Garage Sale Find

First and foremost,  I have stumbled on a few original pieces of locally made Folk Art at garage sales and craft fairs.  That is where I found the handmade wood carvings, above.

Stuff found at Beth's

Although I consider the carvings collectable Folk Art, my favorite source of good junk has always been Beth.  A local woman, Beth spent every winter combing the Maritimes for vintage clothing and unique stuff.  She had a keen eye and being native to the area she knew all the places to search for special one of a kind items.  Each summer she would set up her yard with tables and put out a YARD SALE sign.  

I never knew exactly when Beth would be open for business.  It was always a hit or miss proposition.  But when I drove into town and that Yard Sale sign was out, we pulled over to check out the sale tables and also to see what was inside her cottage, as the front rooms were her shop.  Most all the good stuff I have at the cottage was found at Beth's.  Beth's is where I found a beautiful jar of vintage Christmas balls, a Canadian stand mixer, Cinderella sewing machine, and a  patched up piece of Roseville pottery, the list of items goes on and on and on . . . While I shopped the housewares and books,   Lisa would explore all the vintage clothes and accessories.  She played dress up every time we visited Beth.  Even Dan would explore and find a knife, or a book, or other unusual object.  We never left empty handed.

Looking back I wish I had taken photo's of Beth's Sales.  A few years ago we came for the summer and there was no sign of Beth.  I finally asked a shop keeper in town about my friend.   The lady told me that Beth had been diagnosed with cancer the previous fall and did not survive the winter.  My heart fell.  This news came as a terrible shock.  I still find it difficult to believe that Beth is gone.

As much as I miss Beth, she does live on for me.  I cannot come to Shelburne without thinking of her.  Just about every small item in the cottage reminds me of Beth.  I will always miss her beautiful smile and all the fun and knowledge she shared with me over at least 10 years of many summer visits.  She cannot be replaced and there will never be another Yard Sale, of the scale and quality of Beth's.