Treasured Family Pieces

Many years ago, when we joined the Peace Corps, we left what little furniture we had with my parents.

When we returned, we had added to our family and had a 6 week old baby boy.

We found a place to rent in the Mission Beach area of San Diego.

Steve flew to my parent's home to rent a truck and load it up with our belongings while I stayed behind with the baby.

He removed far more items from the garage than we had placed there originally.

It was amazing what he found stored in their old garage.

He brought us pieces of furniture and knick knacks that I had never seen growing up.

It was like Christmas all over again that day.

This cabinet did not look nearly as good then as it does now after being professionally restored.

It is actually the top part of a store cabinet.

Those drawers at the bottom would be at waist height when placed on the base.

Parts were missing, but we can see that there must have been a little drop down section.

The base is now in San Francisco with KC and has gone from white, to yellow and now back to dark wood.

I seesaw on whether I will paint it this summer or keep it as is.

Many of the other pieces he brought back that day have been given to my sister.

When we bought our beach house, there was just not room for much.

My sister has a large, beautiful home and I gave her several wonderful chairs and a beautiful sewing cabinet.

Our fantastic secretary desk is at Steve's brother's house and some day we will reclaim it.

One of my favorite pieces that Steve brought back that day was this little supply box that must also have been from a store.

I don't know which of my ancestors kept a store, but I know it would have been somewhere in Kansas.

This piece has moved around in all of our houses.

In our old house it was in my sewing room holding thread which would have been its original purpose.

You can just make out the words J & P Coats 

I sanded it down last summer because Steve had been using it in his studio to store paint and it had gotten splattered all over.

I didn't want to take off any of the writing.

This photo shows the corner of the room where the box rests.

The painting is one of my favorites by Steve.

Besides loving old trucks, it reminds me of a special day in Napa, California with KC and her friends.

Everyone loves to go wine tasting with me because I don't drink - constant designated driver!

I loved the truck so much, that when he sold the original painting, I asked him to paint it again.

That is one of the downsides of marriage to an artist, your walls are always changing and you might lose a favorite painting to a client.

This last photo is an enlargement to show off the photographs in the red frame.

Steve and his brother are on the left and my sister is in in front of me.

We are all on our little toys which must have been top of the line at the time.

Oh, if we had only realized that one day we would want our old tricycles and fire engines!

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I am linked up today with Knick of Time Tuesday for her weekly Vintage Style Party.