Day 1 - Nashville Flea Market

This was our first trip to the Nashville Flea Market held at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds every month. Guess because it was winter the turn-out was not what was expected. Still managed to buy a bag full of old bottle caps, some old hardware, doorknobs, keyholes, and a wonderful oak dentist cabinet that would be classified as a fixer-upper. Picked up a brochure featuring Franklin, TN and it said Franklin's antique district was in the top 5 in the country according to Country Living. So the jalopy heads to Franklin tomorrow morning to see what we can see. There's a 10 foot trailer just begging to be filled. More adventures tomorrow from Franklin!

Bay City General Store

Here goes another day..........

Just when I think I can't possibly add any more blogs to my favorites list, I do. If my day starts right, I'm sitting at my computer (no webcam please) with a cup of coffee touring my favorite blogs. From my upstairs window I can see the sun rising over the Ohio River, which is never a disappointment. And in a matter of minutes I can go around the world visiting blogs and talking to people I've never met. For those of you who blog you will understand this..........I start with one blog, and that leads to another and another and another until you feel like you fell down Alice's rabbit hole. Sometimes I have no idea where I started. This morning was one of those blog journeys and this is where I ended up. Oh my, I could just see my whole entire day evaporate right before my very eyes - such wonderful projects for my junk collection. And what inspiration for our buying trip to the Nashville, TN flea market this weekend. The photo above actually has nothing to do with this post - I just love the photo and thought you might like to see where our "junk market style" hangs its hat.
What's that? I hear the washing machine calling my name!
Later

Road Trip

It's time to head out of the City, Bay City that is, and point the jalopy towards Music City. We hear there is a ginormous flea market there this weekend and we're going to check it out for ourselves. Don't you just love this old photo? This was actually taken in front of our general store many many years ago. When one of these contraptions pulled in front of the store I'm quite sure it drew a crowd. For Bay City that could be 5 or 6 people! These vehicles drew crowd just like these old paddlewheelers draw a crowd still today. They travel our river with a quiet and stately grace. They sneak up on you. You can be minding your own business plugging away at the computer or washing dishes and glance up and there one is right outside our window. Sadly 2008 was the last year they will cruise the rivers of this great fly-over country. The economy has caught up with them too. We will miss the Queens..........their appearance always caused quite a stir in these parts no matter how many times you had seen one. The news would travel fast up and down the river.........DJ, this is Calvin, a Queen is headed down river! Jerry, this is DJ, DQ is coming! Homer, DQ alert, grab your camera! And no matter what we were doing, we'd grab our cameras and binoculars and head to the riverfront to watch their graceful passing. Sometimes on a really quiet day we could hear the riverlorian telling the passengers "Folks, this is Bay City, where they shot the airplane crash scene from U.S. Marshals starring Tommy Lee Jones." One of the Queens even stopped Hollywood during the filming so they could all watch her stately cruise up river. Good-bye Queens! Thanks for all the good memories!

Now I'm really getting out there...

This is a test folks...........I'm trying to create an active link to our website. We'll see how this goes -- I'm usually pretty good at following directions until it comes to technology or math or assembling something but otherwise I'm really good at directions. OK, maybe not so much. But if you are looking for a scenic, quiet, relaxing getaway on the Ohio River Scenic Byway then this is your place.

Branching out...

This post is the beginning of meeting several goals. The first goal was to use some supplies I have been hoarding for a very long time. I have had this silverware chest for quite some time. I knew when I finally broke down and covered it in gesso and ripped the insides out of it that I was on my way. Two years later, I finally decided on a color for the box. Then a purpose for the box came to me in the middle of the night. Seems everything I make or create must have a purpose besides just sitting there and looking pretty. Must be my German upbringing! Then a theme emerged and that led to the selection of more supplies and more hesitation. What if I never have another crystal door knob? Nevermind that I have a substantial stash of them already. What if I never find another little nest at Hobby Lobby? Then there was the whole twisted, tortured dance of should I put this here or here? Should I use this bird or that bird? Arrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhh! "Just do it, it's only a silverware chest for goodness sakes" a little voice screamed inside my head! So I did it! Another goal achieved. The chest was finished about 3 months ago - time for the next goal - to actually show it to someone and then to show it to someone else who didn't feel obliged to say "oh that's beautiful" in order to ever have peace again. Now onto another goal -- to actually decide to sell it which leads to where to sell it and that raises another batch of issues -- who will buy it and what will they pay? Looks like I have a long way to go before this project is really and totally completed. But hey, I made it this far. So what do you think? The first person to leave a comment will receive 3 vintage Valentine postcards in the mail from the Bay City General Store. As for me, I'm going to go see what else I can gesso...

Future Nest for the Arts

Color me reluctant, but ready...

This blog has been primarily about the comings and goings of the Bay City General Store and Lodging and the characters that pass through our little slice of paradise here on the Ohio River. And Lord knows that is enough to fill one blog for a lifetime! However, the Bay City General Store Ledger is branching out this year and entering the world of arts and crafts. See, we have been window peeping into many blogs around the world to see what other folks are doing to decorate their homes and stores, what they do to fill any spare time they may have, what inspires them and what gets created from that inspiration. And what we have discovered during this worldwide journey is that there is just an awful lot of us all enjoying much of the same with our own little twists and tweaks! So this year we decided rather than be reluctant to participate in all this artsy crafty goodness that we would plunge right on it. The first thing we have done is sign up for Kari Ramstrom's A Year of Color blog. It's just loaded with inspiration and there are bloggers connecting from all over the world and all for $12. The colors for January are blue and white and the following shadowbox/mixed media collage is our contribution. Now if we can just figure out Flickr and how to get this from here to there our day will be complete...
We hope you will stop by from time to time and see what is going on at the Bay City General Store - there is never a dull moment in this little spot on the road. You'd think with only 20 people what could possibly happen to make life interesting...........stay tuned!

Here comes the sun...

Looking forward while looking back

When I was a little girl wishing for Christmas to hurry up and get here, my Granny would encourage me to not wish my life away. My Mom would tell me that as I got older time would go much faster. Of the many pearls of wisdom she offered me, I thought that was one of the dumbest (right next to one of these days you'll wish you WERE skinny again). I thought an hour is an hour whether I am 50 or 5! But once again she was right - where did 2008 go? Tempus fugit as my high school Latin teacher would say!

A new year brings new resolutions for the future. This year instead of resolutions I'm going with intentions so when my resolve vanishes I won't be quite so disappointed in myself. And I "intend" to do better on many fronts starting with the Bay City General Store Daily Ledger blog because there hasn't been anything daily about it, not even weekly and lately not even monthly. And it's not because there is nothing going on around here - every day is an adventure of some sort! So starting today I intend to post more frequently and to also leave comments on the many blogs into which I window peep. Then there's the whole healthy lifestyle changes (diet/exercise). That ought to be enough for starters.

If there is a photo above this posting you are seeing how the new year greeted us folks here at the Bay City General Store and Lodging. This is looking down the Ohio River from our view on the hill. If there isn't a photo above this posting then you should come and see the view in person by staying at the Bay City lodging. More info at www.baycitystoreandlodgingohioriver.com