On our way to Ayr, we stopped once again at one of my favorite roadside attractions. Literally situated on the side of the road in Buffalo, North Dakota, is a spectacular display of lawn ornaments. So grand, it is the sort of thing which makes me yell, “Oh my gawd - turn the van around now!”

Just as this is no ordinary lawn but a farm, this display is no ordinary lawn kitsch (or even a less typical lawn decoration scheme) but a huge collection of even larger cement animals, each weighing hundreds of pounds. The traditional Midwestern deer stand near their wolf predators, a rooster towers at the same height as a rhino. There are elk, cows, emu, bears… a giraffe. There’s even a boulder painted to look like a panda.

And then there are the vignettes: a chimp sits on a tombstone slab surrounded by squirrels & assorted poultry, a totem pole has all sorts of critters climbing on it, folks ride in wagons, make-shift riders on the horse and the donkey, and a family fishes in a small pond with even smaller polar bears in attendance.

Each animal is lined up to face the street, and bolted to stone or cement bases to secure them. At first this seemed rather silly to me — who could walk off with such heavy things? — but it’s winter, with it’s heavy snows and bulldozing winds, who is more likely to move or damage the mish-mosh herd.

This time, after we poured out of the van and once again marveled at the awesome display, the owner of the collection drove up on his riding lawn mower. He was only too happy to talk about his large collection of concrete animals.

Bud Beilke started buying the animals in 1993 or 1994, after his wife said ‘no’ to getting animals. His first purchase was the magnificent metallic gold painted lion. The polar bear is an international purchase, from Canada and weighs over 600 pounds — which makes me think the shipping was the real ‘bear’. His last purchase was the mountain lion prowling down the rocks, which cost about $750.

This is no cheap, fly-by-night collection, but rather an expensive, drive-by-and-see-it-at-night collection (via an elaborate system of floodlights), arranged with love and care by the collector.

Bud and his wife, Alta, are selling the farm and moving to Fargo, and so all 45 animal statues are going on the auction block on July 14th. We plan on going, if only to say goodbye to the giant collection. I’m going to miss it terribly.

But before then, we must get back and see it under the stars and floodlights one night.

After all, Bud went through a lot of trouble for folks to see it like that; the least we can do is give it — and Bud — their due.

 
We had a wonderful Father’s Day celebration at our home and invited a few folks who had not been here before. So, they got the 25 cent tour (we gave them credit toward the cost of their drinks – Ha!) One of the ladies asked me about my mermaid collection and how it started. I was perplexed, I had not thought of this as a collection. But as hubby says, more than three…

So I wracked my brain to recall my first mermaid item. Then it hit me! My mother-in-law gave me a pin about 25 years ago. It’s sterling and has an abalone center and detailing around the rim. When you look closely, you’ll see a fish and there she is, a mermaid! I think she is charming and wear her often.

Another time we were traveling with friends to North Carolina and stopped at an art fair. The ‘artiste’ had a lot of sea-worthy items and this mermaid pin in metal was a must-have item.

A vacation in Florida netted me a pair of silver earrings and matching ring. They are a lot of fun as well.

Then I came across this lovely Bing & Grondahl plate. It shows a mermaid perched on a rock with a sailboat in the water. Marked Den Lille on the back. This is Danish for “Little Mermaid” and was from a story by Hans Christian Andersen, first published in 1837! It’s the lovely fairy tale of a mermaid who wants to give up the sea, gain a human soul and the love of a human prince. It sure has a familiar ring to it – ahhh, that’s because Walt Disney made it into the movie with Ariel as the star!

A short time later I found this little mermaid on a rock (at a yard sale) and you must admit, they truly complement each other.

We took an “antiquing” trip to Illinois recently and hit a few rummage sales. That’s where I found this beautiful figurine It has the look of expensive glass and ivory, but it is a simple plastic but so nicely done. She sits next to my shell collection in the sun-room, the light shining through the ‘waves’ at her back.

And just a few days ago, I came across this little ‘treasure chest’, actually a trinket box, made of medal and featuring an anchor and heart and mermaid on the front. How cool is that?

Before writing this article, I checked Wikipedia and found out a lot more about the enchanting sirens of the sea. Said to be a legendary aquatic creature with the head and torso of human female and the tail of the fish; the male version is called a merman. The first known mermaid stories appeared in Assyria circa 1000 B.C. The story goes that Atargatis, the mother of Assyrian Queen Semiramis, was a goddess who loved a mortal shepherd and in the process killed him! Ashamed, she jumped into a lake to take the form of a fish, but the waters would not conceal her divine beauty. Thereafter, she took the form of a mermaid-human above the waist, fish below. There are numerous other stories from one in the Arabian Knights to some in British folklore. Makes for fascinating reading.

They say they are mythical, but some of us, who still await a viewing of a unicorn, are not sure. What I AM sure about is that they would be friendly, not vengeful as some are thought to be. You can find fantastic paintings on the subject, such as this one by John William Waterhouse entitled “A Mermaid” Maybe I should drop a hint for the next ‘gift-giving-occasion! Probably won’t get the original, but a print would be lovely!

Mermaids are such charming creatures, very sexual! I’ll continue to reel in more mermaid collectibles whenever possible and that’s no “tall tail.” Love to hear about your mermaid collection!

This picture is the one that started it. I was at an auction with my dear friend Bonnie. We had purchased a little glassware, some photos and such, but then they brought “HER” onto the stage, ready to auction off. She must have been tucked away somewhere because we had done an early viewing as usual. In any case, she came up and the auctioneer just called it an ‘old print.’ But she is much more than that. To me, she has an innocence, almost the look of Betty Boop, with a sweet face, tousled blonde hair and, of course, sensuous body. But it leaves a lot to the imagination as well. You know she is without clothing, but there is still a mystery about it.

I had to have her! Bonnie had a huge smile on her face because she knows that when I want something, I rarely back down. But luckily, the other bidder did not know that and I won her at a very reasonable price. I would have gone much higher if need be.

I have often wondered about her. Was she a professional model? Perhaps a starlet? Or the girlfriend of the photographer? Was this her first ‘photo shoot?’ Or are there many more pictures of her out there? Whatever the circumstances, she is at home now. She hangs proudly in our ‘deco room’ for all to enjoy!

While checking out an antique mall in southeastern Wisconsin, I picked up a copy of the Antique Week Newspaper.  The issue made mention of an auction in California, at Michaan’s Auctions by the Bay. One of the items they’ll be selling is the Star Maiden sculpture, created by Alexander Stirling Calder. It is fantastic! It was created for the 1915 Panama-Pacific-International Exposition, and there were originally 94 versions of this sculpture. I learned that Audrey Marie Munson was the model Calder used. In fact, she posed for three-quarters of the statues used at the Expo. Munson began posing for sculptors in New York when she was just 15 years old! In 1916.

This incredible bronze sculptor, “Star Maiden”, is 54 inches tall, and estimated at a value of between $12,000 and $18,000. The auction is June 21^st. I doubt that hubby would allow Bonnie and I to head to California; he knows my paddle power too well.

She moved to California and appeared in four silent films. The first was “Inspiration”, the story of a sculptor’s model, and it featured the first time that a woman appeared fully nude on film. It turns out that the censors were reluctant to ban the film, fearing they would also have to ban Renaissance art. Her films were a success in the box office but the reviews were polarized. Only a single print of one of her films, “Purity”, has survived.

But her story continues on! She moved back to New York in 1919 and lived with her mother in a boarding house owned by Dr. Walter Wilkins. Wilkins fell in love with her, murdering his wife, Julia, so he could be available to marry. However, Munson and her mother had already moved to Canada. The negative publicity generated by the case ended Munson’s career as a model and actress. Wilkins was tried, found guilty and sentenced to the electric chair. He hanged himself in the prison cell before the sentence could be carried out. In 1932 Munson was ordered into a psychiatric facility after showing signs of mental illness. She remained until her death 65 years later at the age of 104! (Credit is given to Wikipedia for this information.)

I found it to be a fascinating story and understand there is a book called “American Venus” with more on her life. I’ll be searching for a copy and perhaps you will too.

We have a home that is about 70 years old and we often fill it with period décor and furnishings. But we are also fans of “true antiques” and do our best to find older items. We rarely purchase pieces for their intrinsic value, but more for what we like and what fits in. The comment “very eclectic” has been heard quite often from guests.

On occasion, I have found items that are contemporary and it takes a little creativity to make them fit with the ‘old stuff.’ Let me give you an example. I fell in love with this 1920s garden table as it was being pulled out of a van in front of an antique store. The dealer was just bringing it into her booth. I asked the price while she had it in mid-air, not wanting this to hit the show-room floor! I know, I know, you should never appear to be anxious or the price can easily escalate, but I knew this would have appeal and plus, she already had a tag dangling from one of the legs. That pretty much locked in the price. She showed me the tag and then offered a very generous opportunity. It turns out the mall was having its semi-annual sale in the coming weeks and she had planned to put her booth on sale for 20% off. She kindly allowed me to buy it for the reduced rate! It was quickly a done deal and as we loaded into MY van, I thanked her profusely. I have continued to shop in her booth and will do so whenever possible.

I just adored its look – green metal curvy legs, glass that has been painted and somehow treated to look wavy and look at those marvelous stone feet! Hubby helped me bring it into the house and we proudly set it in our sun-room. We have numerous items from the ’seashore’ and although we put some shells and figurines on it, nothing seemed to do it justice.

As luck would have it, my daughter and her friend asked me to join them on a trek to Cedarburg, Wisconsin. This is a charming, historical town, not far from Milwaukee. It is just filled with boutiques, art studios and antiques. If you ever get the chance, check it out! Well, we walked into an art gallery, and there it stood. An egret in mid-flight, quite large and dramatic, but brand new. Would it work with this old table? I’ll let you be the judge, but somehow it looks like the bird is coming in for a landing.

Another example of the old/new concept is in our kitchen. Another of my addictions is old copper. It is so warm and inviting and while I have stayed away from the copper molds and kettles, the teapots, chafing dishes and plates have drawn me to them. The item on the left is a copper sink sieve.

While at our favorite antique fair, presented by N.L. Promotions and held in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, I found another must-have-item. This piece of art glass is so elegant. The dealer told me her mother had purchased it at an art fair in Racine, Wisconsin in the 1990s. She recalled her mom saying the artist was present at the show. I knew it would work with my old metal pieces and held my breath, asking what she wanted for it. To my great surprise (and delight) she gave me a price of $5.00! I did not even ask if she could take $4.00, that’s how excited I was! Somehow this truly fits into our kitchen with the antiques.

It just goes to show you that you should not limit yourself to one style or time-frame. You can mix and match and let your possessions do their own thing. Wishing you happy hunting for your next treasure be it old or new.

Last week I went to a rummage sale. Anyone who knows me is now saying “gee, that’s hard to imagine.” Boy, they sure can get sarcastic. But then, admittedly, I do go quite often.

I came across one of the neatest salt and pepper shaker sets ever! It is very ‘art deco’ and features a bell hop! He is made of metal and wood and he is carrying a pair of glass shakers (most likely meant to resemble luggage.) Now while it is true that I have several collections going, salt and pepper shakers are not one of them. But this one was so darn charming. I ran to my s&p “Bible” is Salt & Pepper by Gene Florence and Published by Collector Books. I was unable to find the exact one but there were some really unique examples inside. They gave me ‘food for thought’ if you’ll forgive the pun.

There were some neat advertising ones such as the Campbell’s soup kids, the Tappan (range) chefs, Millie and Willie, penguins for Kool Cigarettes and a large group representing Mr. Peanut by Planters. Certainly conversation pieces on any table.

I also discovered some adorable animals, and especially liked the ‘huggers’ which included bears by Van Tellingen, and ‘green huggers’ marked Japan. Again, some cuties for your dining pleasure.

There were also ‘jungle animals’, including giraffes with necks that were intertwined, and monkeys hanging from a tree. Awww!

And of course, the seasonal shakers. Mr. & Mrs. Claus, Christmas Trees, Snowman and Tree and the like. Even one with a pair of gingerbread cookies!

Many of these make good sense and are delightful ways to serve your best guests. But then I came across a section called “anthromorphic” and found rather unusual characters. The folks with teapot-heads are almost scary. And those veggies with distorted faces, yikes!

And check out the “appliance section.” Did folks really sprinkle spices onto their food with a wash machine and dryer or TV and stand?

I also found a pair of carpet sweepers, which I understand would usually contain dust bunnies, doesn’t that sound yummy?

You might want to rethink using these shakers when Great Aunt Leona and Great Uncle Harry come to visit. It’s hard to believe she would not frown upon her hubby gleefully using these boobs to enhance his food! And he’d probably handle them a lot longer than a ‘hugger-bear’ set.

But even those are surpassed. Consider using this pair of “commodes” at the table. Pass the toilet please, I need to put some contents on my spaghetti!

I know there are a lot of collectors out there moaning and saying these are for display only. But did the original makers intend that or were these just ‘for fun’ at a table? In any case, I enjoyed my perusal of the book and will keep my eyes open for even more unusual sets.

I welcome hearing from any collector with a bizarre example, a pair that can ’spice up’ my blogs and your dinner table.