Contains Lead. And soap.

Saturday, chasing blue sky, we ended up in Cloverdale. We stopped in, as we often do, at Red Barn Antiques. At the door, a hand-made sign gave us unwelcome news; after 40-some years, they are going out of business.

Looking backwards at the Red Barn

I've known the Red Barn for over 20 years, and always enjoyed visiting. Laurie looks for Japanese porcelain in the display cabinets up front, but I also like to wander around the back rooms, intrigued by the hodge-podge of battered oddities, decorations, and necessities that show up there.

There's colour:

Detail of stained-glass window.

Six of the seven dwarfs

1950's nostalgia

Pink pay phone. Yes, there is a slot for your dime. And it gives change.

Everyday household basics:

Canning jars and milk bottles

Rinso Soap and Salada tea bags.

New and improved paint. Dries overnight.

Traveller's needs:

Rooms for rent. With baths.

Gas pump. "To be used as motor fuel only."

Animals, wild and tame:

Real, live, chirping budgies in a carved wood cage.

Buffalo.

Can you identify this?

He's a dino-moose!

We went on to the Antique Mall, where I found this:

A vintage painting, with lamps reflected in the glass.

We didn't buy anything this trip. Near the closing date, the prices will drop; we'll be back.
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