Colombus Auction Vehicles

  I had to make a separate blog just to post the vehicles that were seen on our day trip to the Columbus Auction.  This Auction draws people from across the board in socio-economic levels.  You often feel like you took a trip to Africa, South America, Mexico or Appalachia.  You might even find a Nazi, a Quaker and definitely some Amish. But the vehicles are just as interesting as the people. Check out the 1976?? International Scout  Rallye and a first for me---a tag from Hawaii!

   My son rarely is able to go on day trips but we managed to have a perfect day in his new Jeep. It was a bit chilly right before summer began so we kept the top on as we traveled to the Columbus Auction/Flea Market.

     Took route 206 that takes us through the Pine barrens and right by the road that leads to my grandfather Tassone's old homestead.  My father's last living brother lived there as recently as last year.  So we took a ride down East Stokes Road.  I expected to see it quite deserted but there were cars parked on the grounds.  My cousin and uncle still own the small farm but I am afraid it will soon be sold just like so many other small farms.  There are larger farms waiting to gobble up the available land for blueberry farming and cranberry bogs.  I rather this happen than housing developers getting the land.   I hope the farms in New Jersey go on long after I am dead.  So special to look out over miles of farm land to a beautiful sunset. So I am posting the old homestead that seems to have no front steps and next to it is the old canning building where I remember my father's sisters came from Philadelphia every summer to work during the blueberry season. I guess you can say that the home was maintenance free because the siding was cedar and nothing was ever done to it.  Going back to 1955 this house had a pump in the kitchen that had to be primed to get a pitcher of water and there was no indoor toilet.   The house had one great feature---a player piano that my cousin Mary Jane had since she lived there with her mom, dad and grandfather. The coal/wood burning furnace was another prominent feature and quite scary looking fore me.  There were giant ducts leading off across the ceiling but the bedrooms were extremely cold in the winter. My father used to tell the story about ball lightning coming in the front door and going out the back door.  I am going to guess that the place had electric and a TV  (thanks to my father) before they had plumbing.  I remember my grandfather did not talk much but he liked to watch boxing matches and smoke stogies. Also, I have to mention again how close they were to the Carranza Memorial that my father often spoke about.  Just recently found out that my sister married a Ford whose family also was from the area on Carranza Road.

 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Carranza

 

     My son almost went for a chrome art-deco airplane and a book of antique Paris postcards in the flea market but settled on a silver dog head cane.  At least half the time when you visit Columbus auction you will find some live music.  I have a fond memory of seeing an Ecuadorian group playing their pan flutes with their indigenous colorful serapes and selling their Cd's.  So I will be posting some keepsakes of my father's about the memorial, homestead photos, the antiques shop and photos of our flea market trip.

 

I will update this one after I locate the Carranza Memorial photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you see my crunched up bills ready to make a quick purchase?

 

                            

                                     Belts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This pampered cat had its own coach:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just Flowers

These are all mine except the last one belongs to my cousin---a hollyhock--hard to grow:

So I am late with my Memorial Day photos!

     I had been trying to keep my focus on the meaning of Memorial Day.  It hasn't been that long since we laid our father to rest with the flag on his coffin and the short military ceremony.  So I finally decided to post a few photos.  What makes it difficult is that I live in a section of town that is physically quite removed from the main part of town.  So when we have festivities right in town you sometimes feel you are visiting a neighboring community.  So with the new housing development in our area, property tax-abatement plan, and the protests that have been raised, it makes me feel just a bit more of an outsider. Even when they published last year's local phone book they used a map that leaves our section of town off.  Terms like the "Gold Coast" and "Egg Harbor City North" do nothing to help lessen this schism.  No one on the local council is from our area but they all voted for this so-called rehabilitation project. You can't help feeling that this is what "they" did to "us."  Despite those ever constant negative feelings, I managed to enjoy the celebration. Some of the shots were taken in Lincoln Park where several speeches were made. Also you could view children's artwork and other mementos. This following shot was from my father's funeral this year:

 

 

Wrens, Turtles, Ducks and Bulldozers

     My yard has quite a few wrens and one family is occupying a birdhouse.  I have a feeder filled with dried meal worms to the delight of the wrens and catbirds. So yesterday when I mowed the lawn, I had the garage door up. Two of wrens flew into the garage. They kept perching up high and they would not fly out. I was chasing them around for a while but then I gave up and they stayed in there until about 7.  They finally figured it out that they had to fly lower to get out of the doorway. It must be instinctive to fly up higher than to fly lower.  What a relief! Are these house wrens or Carolina wrens?
 

     Also we have a pond not far from my house and there were about twelve ducks (first photo below) but in recent weeks they have been leaving the pond on rainy days and cars have killed all but four.  Looks like two domesticated white ducks, a mallard and some weird looking cross breed with a long neck.  The  lady with the pond says that she does not own the ducks nor does she feed them.  She said they are afraid to stay at the pond because an owl got a few of them while in the water so they are nervous when they are in the water.  If they come through my yard I feed them bread and they seem to make a daily trip down the road.  Yesterday after being only four ducks for many days they must have had two other semi-wild ducks join up.  I did not get a photo of one that must be a black duck.  It is smaller than a mallard and it has gleaming blue-black feathers.  So now the wild ducks are taking up a life of waddling around and walking into neighborhood garages. 

   Also found a box turtle and normally when I do, I open a can of cat food for a treat. One whiff of that stuff and the turtle loses all will power to stay inside his shell and starts to chow down.  With the promised development it probably will soon be a thing of the past to have visiting box turtles.

   They are hard at work using those large road building tractors in the development behind my house.  For five days they have been skimming off soil from the high places and then filling in and grading other plots of ground.  It is still sickening to me to see this beautiful pristine pine lands developed.  If the lots were large and well wooded I think I could tolerate it better but the frontage of the homes will be half the size of mine.  Again I will have to say how much I hate the idea of a terrace which allows people to drive not only by my front yard and side yard but also in my back yard, too.  I would rather be up against someone's junked up yard that to have snoopy people driving in the back of my house on the dirt terrace.  There's no privacy at all!

Back Again

     Well, I all I can say is the structure is mesmerizing.  Every time I go to the Revel it is new again.  Every position on the walk gives you something new to look at and the clouds reflected on its surface are ever changing. I will never get tired of framing this building in my view finder. I do not know much about photography but I know just altering the angle for the shot makes a world of difference.

Ok, this shot below has been photo-shopped.  Can you tell where I erased a whole head?

 

This is a boat that is a part of dredging or beach replenishment: