Junkin' May 2014, Part One

I am about to start a marathon of junkin' and I am jazzed about the whole thing.

The first day of this excursion is Friday, May 23rd.  My first job is to take my wife Denice to work.  Then I have to go to the bank and pack for my own trip today.  Somewhere in here I make a stop at a garage sale and make the first purchase of the trip:  a belt which has a cool buckle for assemblage for $1.  Yeah, baby--I am junkin'. 

My wife Denice is going to Italy to attend and workshop and my next duty is to drive her and her coworker Trish to O'Hare Airport in Chicago from Milwaukee which I do this morning.  Denice is studying an educational technique called Reggio Emilia which is also the name of the city she will be staying in. Hit the link to go to a Goggle search on Reggio while I pretend I am not jealous of my wife.

From O'Hare I took Mannheim Road north to Des Plaines, Illinois, where it is time for lunch. Des Plaines turns out to have an art deco downtown area.

I wanted to eat at the Choo Choo but it was filled with families getting ice cream and there was a wait for a table.  So I walked over to the main drag and stopped in at the Sugar Bowl (Pancakes and More!) where I had...pancakes.

There were a few rummage sales going on in the area and I managed to pick up a rosary and an old saw for $1.  Whoo, two stops today and I am only $2 into the wallet!

My next job was to go to Lake Geneva, WI, for the wedding ceremony of Ryan Jacobson, the son of my friend Robin.  The ceremony was in The Riviera, a lake front building which has a space on the second floor that was a beautiful setting for their union.  The wedding was at 4:00 p.m. and the original plan was for me to leave immediately after the ceremony.  However, because of traffic getting out of the Chicago area (and not leaving enough time on my part) I did not get to the ceremony until it was starting.  So, I hung around after to talk to my friends and did not get on the road until 6:30 p.m.

The last task of the day was to drive to Crivitz, WI, where my Mom lives where I am going to spend the weekend.  Four hours later, 10:15 p.m., I rolled into my Mom's driveway.  Although almost 88, Mommy was waiting up for me and we talked for awhile before we went to bed.

Total miles for the day:  404.

Saturday, May 24th, had been scheduled to be a day of family fun junkin'.  Plans shifted a little because my brother-in-law Bob is recovering from open heart surgery and still needed some tender lovin' care.  So, the first order of the day was to run my sister to the dump to unload her yard work and then to return immediately to care for Bob.  But my sister Barb is like me and the siren call of a few rummage sales got in the way.  (Under terms of full disclosure, we stayed in contact by phone with Mom and Barb to make sure all was well).

When we got home, it was to switch my sister out for my Mother in.  Now the serious junkin' commenced.  We did stop to eat at Mary's Place in Beecher, WI, but otherwise it was rummage sale after rummage sale.  We were home around 5:00 p.m. for a family dinner.

Total miles for the day:  164

Junkin' Finds:

Seashells (8)
Revolving picture frame
Ornate metal tissue box
3 frames
Wood shape
Decorative elephant
Vintage kitchen mixer
Bronze mask
3 small saws
Statute of Hippocrates
Knife sharpener
Plastic hummingbirds
Holy water wall hanger (2)
Box of old lamp parts

Sunday, May 25th, found my Mommy and I saddled up again and on our way to the Shawano Flea Market.  Today temperatures were going to reach into the 90s but my Mommy had her walker today for support and for carrying her water.  I made three trips back to the van with our finds before we were done around 1:00 p.m.  Looking for lunch, we found the Farm 'inn On Main where my Mom and I both ordered a steak.

I decided to drive back to Crivitz by going north out of Shawano on Hwy. 55 into the Menominee Indian Reservation.  The drive is beautiful as the reservation is in a very natural state and is gorgeous as it is turning green this spring.

We were home for a lite lunch this night and my Mommy and me stayed up together to play cards.

Total miles for the day:  140

Junkin' Finds from Shawano:  

3 bags of plastic soldiers
Horse head cigarette stand
Lamp top
Duck decoy weight
Horse, 3 small plastic
Elephant, one small
Vintage key
Boy Scout compass
Tusk with 3 elephants
Ice cleats (full)
Plastic soldier wall hanging
Stand with casters
Vintage photographs (4), cabinet cards (12),  and tintypes (15)

Junkin' Finds from the Road
Axe handle
Horse tack strap
Two dolls
Bookends with monkeys
Puppet

Monday, May 26th, is a travel day home with no junkin' involved.  The mileage home is 196 and I am home by 2:00 p.m. in time to mow my lawn before the rains came.  Tomorrow I have to work but part two of this junkin' vacation begins in two days.  Join me for the next blog.

Four days of driving = 924 miles
Three days of junkin' = $150

As we were driving out of the Shawano Flea Market I told my Mommy I would regret not buying the elephants on the tusk.  She told me to stop the van and go get them.  So, I did.  

Remember these elephants!!!!