Treasure Trip

...this is post 1 of 2 on our annual antiquing trip to York and our visit to gal pal Stacey Bear, artist extraordinaire, and creator of Momentos...

I would love to say I could take you there, but with Stacey driving and my mind on the next great find, I am clueless to the back roads and byways we travelled. I can tell you the collection of antique shops, malls and vintage marvels we encountered is not to be surpassed. Even better, the company of good friends on our shared mission will long be remembered.

Let's see...the journey started at 4:30 am when Lisa and I roused ourselves and set off to pick up Ro in New Jersey. Our first stop was Adamstown, PA to hit the Sheds at Black Angus (not unlike a religious pilgrimage I try to make a few times each year...)

I should mention that I almost got us thrown out of the Quickie Mart on Route 222 shortly after 7 am ... I just could not fathom why I had to enter my breakfast order on a touch pad doo-dad when there was actually a human standing behind the counter with whom I could converse. Besides a general loathing for techno stuff (I do not even own a hair dryer), I doubted there was some magic button to order a toasted sesame bagel with Swiss and hot peppers. Thanks to Ro we made it out alive, and with our breakfast! (...I digress, but keeping four ladies fueled up on food and caffeine was a big part of the weekend...After all, having fun is serious business and surely burns those carbs!)

The Black Angus in Adamstown yielded 1950s pink-painted kiddie kitchen furniture for my Charlotte, some fabulous chippy benches for Ro and a few beloved old toy doggies for Lisa. I also bought an incredible half size dress form...the one I've been waiting to find since I fell in love with old textiles and dolls as a teenager (...the only other one I've seen like it belongs to Nicol Sayre, and she bought hers from the same dealer a few years back!). From there we headed west to meet Stacey in an obscure parking lot off Route 76. I confess, I did get us briefly lost somewhere near the famous "Star Barn"...but we did find Stacey....and all this by 10am!

Next, we motored up to Lemoyne's Antique Marketplace...and that's when it goes all fuzzy. We were awake now and in full swing...it was antiquing heaven. A thin haze of lust had set in, with us peering around the aisles for something undiscovered and wondrous, gasping at some booths' price tags and chuckling at the bargains in others. I unearthed some divine green furniture buried in a booth so dusty it was akin to an archaeological dig. Stacey hit a tidy jackpot of old trays and Lisa kept herding all the chalkware, ceramic and stuffed doggies she could find. Did I mention that Ro actually got the most amazing pair of chairs for two bucks apiece?

The next day the merriment of the hunt continued with a jaunt to Columbia and parts of Lancaster. If you find yourself there, don't miss the Burning Bridge Antiques Mall. Oh, and can you read the historical marker for me...When did the bridge burn? I am sure I was supposed to take note, but I needed coffee! In between shops we found the best of burgers near the now, un-burnt bridge. By the end of the day there was a splurge, the folk art ferris wheel you see in my arms above, and some steals and deals, including yummy brown transfer ware and a kitschy Statue of Liberty.

Stacey was the perfect hostess and tour guide...ever patient with our incessant wanderings, up and down...all over...back and forth. Thanks Stacey for a wonderful gal pal weekend. You totally spoiled us and I love you even more for it!

I am hoping if I am a good girl she'll take me again next year, and I will carefully note the routes and roads on my own treasure map!

xxoo Jen O'Connor

Earth Angels ps ...watch for my next post on Wednesday...I'll be giving you a peek inside Stacey's amazing home and studio....