Over the Mountains and Through the Woods...

To my grandparents' (and parents') former homes I went! lalalala As I've probably blogged about before, my great-grandparents came over from Italy (mom) and Scotland/England (dad) and eventually settled in the small communities of Cle Elum and Roslyn in central Washington. My paternal grandfather was a brick mason who built structures both inside and outside the coal mines. Thankfully, he wasn't a miner like two of my mom's Italian grandfathers who died young of black lung. Since I had many childhood memories of that area, when John suggested I accompany him to a tiny adjacent place (Ronald, WA) to pick up a huge load of goods, I was eager to do so. Even though I heavily disapprove of his estate sale mania. P.S. We had an in depth talk last night about the situation and we're 100% fine. 

Snoqualmie Summit, where we (actually I) had to make a pit stop, looks WAY different in the summer. I'm not sure why these bear sculptures are here at the top of the pass, but they almost burned my hands. Hopefully there are no real bears around? shiver That tube behind me is a conveyor belt for the bunny slope. What happened to the rope tows of my skiing days? :)

The estate saler was a 68-year-old electrician who had a bunch of huntin', fishin' and camo gear. He also had this cool spiral staircase (they are rare) which John clambered up while I stayed at "sea level." The guy died in January, probably (from his medication bottles) from a heart attack. His name was Mark Mickelson. Oh, the info one can find out if one is snoopy curious. As for my first visit to Ronald: it was very hot, the people were quirky and not my type, politically or interest-wise, and the amount of stuff that Mark had accumulated during his lifetime was unbelievable. Looking at you, John. 

This is his SECOND full Subaru load of goods from the sale, including this black powder rifle that he couldn't pass up. Don't worry, by today's standards it's more like a musket than a modern rifle! I won't tell you the exact amount John spent for everything, but it wasn't in the hundreds, it was in the thousands. Gulp. And I had to ride with a huge motorcycle helmet under my feet, one of four that he bought. Does John have a motorcycle or intend to get one? No. 

We decided not to stop for lunch at the Old #3, Ronald's well-known watering hole. It's named after one of the local mines, long shut down. On their website, they claim to have "honest food." What is dishonest food? Anyway, we continued on to the more famous Brick in Roslyn. If you watched Northern Exposure, the exteriors and some interiors were filmed in this town, my dad's home until he left for Marine Corps Boot Camp. 

The food and service were surprisingly good, and our Arnold Palmers were refreshing in the 90+ degree weather. The Brick isn't air conditioned by the way. Part of that is because it's Washington's oldest still operating bar. And it's called the Brick for a reason!

Northern Exposure fans would recognize that mural on the last building on the right. To me, it's just the Roslyn Cafe. More importantly, the road at the end that turns up to the right was where my dad's parents lived. I have fond memories of Grandpa giving me a quarter (so exciting!); I would walk down that hill to buy myself two comic books with my riches. Scottish grandpa also had sticks of Double Mint, Spearmint and Juicy Fruit gum in a china dish which was a treat I very much looked forward to. My mom's dad (Italian grandpa) was a dentist so sugary treats were verboten around him. :)

John insisted on reenacting one of my favorite childhood photos in front of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Roslyn. 64 years ago, this other picture was taken at my mom's cousin's wedding. Mom was pregnant with my late brother, and I was the blond toddler, holding her hand.  

Today our positions are reversed as I'm the one helping her. It's only fair though, right? On this date 68 years ago, my parents were married, but not here. They were different religions: my mom Catholic and my dad Episcopalian. My birthday is coming up soon and two days after that my late husband would have turned 69. John and I had our first date on August 19th four years ago. August is packed with special days, some of them happy and others poignant, all worth celebrating. 

 

Comments

[Doug M]

You certainly had a full day!! Margaret you do more in a week than I do in a year, I'm getting sorely depressed here. But very glad to read you and John talked things out and I am blown away with his ambitious undertaking! Love the photos, and I love that one from 64 years ago...gosh how precious. 🙂

[PipeTobacco]

Interesting about the estate sale. With all the stuff John is acquiring, does he have or plan to have a resale shop? Or, does he sell things on eBay? If not, perhaps that is his retirement “calling” so-to-speak? Otherwise…. Why would he WANT the four motorcycle helmets if he does not ride? Or does he have to purchase things at an estate sale in lots…. so he gets extraneous stuff because of that?

PipeTobacco

[Debbie]

At first glance I was worried that bear was part of the estate sale haul, although I suspect you wouldn't have been smiling if it was... I'm glad you talked, a good first step. What fun to visit places and memories and kudos to John for the staircase picture!

[Susan]

That Subaru is packed to the gills. John has lots of merchandise to sell so he might not need to go to estate sales for a while. It seems you had a pleasant trip and visited several meaningful family landmarks. The last photo is very sweet...the angelic, adorable little blonde with her lovely mother; both dressed for the special occasion.

[Joanne Noragon]

Northern Exposure! A good show. With all the streaming now days, we don't know where our neighbors were Monday evenings, and certainly not what they watched.

[AC]

You were a blond. My dad and grandson were born with light hair and both changed. I still have a blond lock of my dad’s somewhere or other.

[Arkansas Patti]

I was a fan of Northern Exposure but it was so long ago that I have no recollection of sets.
So glad you and John had the "talk". As long as he turns over his finds and makes a profit, it seems an acceptable way and fun for him way to make a living.

[Karen Sullivan]

I love the reenactment photo! Such a good idea.

The pile of stuff in the car is a little overwhelming, huh???????

[Jenni Elyse]

Does John sell the stuff he buys? Or does he just hoard collect this stuff? It seems weird to me that he bought four motorcycle helmets even though he has no plan of using them for their intended purpose.

[Jenni Elyse]

Oops. That "hoard" was supposed to be crossed out, lol.

[Ed]

I could think of a lot of worse hobbies to spend money on than estate sales. I also know people who have more money than they can ever spend who refuse to spend a dime if considered frivolous. As long as he isn't spending himself into the poorhouse, (know several people in this category as well), I wouldn't complain much.

[Elaine/MuddlingThrough]

What a neat photo! And what a lot of wonderful memories. Not all memories are fun, but they are what have made us ourselves. ;)