Good morning, everybody!

Good friends and good times!  Any excuse will do to be together, right?  Even driving 8 hours to poke around in the "stuff" presented at the World's Longest Yard Sale??? Well, yes! Now, for some of you, driving one block to go to a yard sale would be a stretch and definitely not your cup of tea.  That's ok, and I still love you if you fit into that category!  Those of you who know me, though, understand and accept the fact that I brake for all yard sales, and nothing gets my heart rate going quite like the prospect of some serious treasure hunting!

So, almost a year ago, when we saw the segment on the 600+ mile yard sale featured on the Home and Garden Channel, Bill tucked that little bit of information in the back of his head!  Maybe he was thinking what a great way to make up for all those yard sales that he passed up when he knew I was drooling to stop and shop!  No, I think he genuinely knew this might be a fun way to meet up with our good friends, Ralph and Peggy Jones, who live in Memphis, and do something he knew I would enjoy.  (Ralph and Bill were colleagues at LeTourneau, in Longview, Texas, in the late 50s and have remained close friends since then.)

Fast forward to August 6-10, 2008 and bingo!  We found ourselves meeting up with Ralph and Peggy in Danville, Kentucky, a location Bill arbitrarily decided would be a good spot to meet.  Now remember, the sale begins in Gadsden, Alabama and stretches all the way to Defiance, Ohio, along Highway 127!  Before you conjure up images of Velta and Bill traveling the entire 600 miles, sadly, I must report that we only canvassed about 60 miles ... around 30 miles north and south of our anchor spot: Danville, KY.  We spent 4 days of pure delight!  Yes, I know fun is in the eye of the beholder!  I'm told that the purpose of the extended sales event is to lure folks off the interstates and on to the less traveled roads that meander through rural America.  And, being a real patriot, I definitely wanted to do my part. 

We got a fairly early start our first day out, after enjoying a delightful breakfast with our friends.  We didn't get too far out of the town itself, and oh, my!  You should have seen the endless arrays of STUFF!  Some sales were clustered together in vacant parking lots, others in neatly mowed fields and pastures, many were meshed together in subdivisions, or in church parking lots.  You name it, stuff abounded!  Some were underneath large tents, some out in the very warm Kentucky sun, and some in creepy abandoned tobacco barns, but you dared to enter, anyway.  Many held items from trash to treasures, but ALL beckoned "Come check me out!" 

Peggy and I loved looking at all the girl "stuff" while the boys rambled around the boy toys ... knives, guns, hammers, saws, all those mundane things.  We discovered lovely displays of vintage china, vases, linens, jewelry, dolls, jams and jellies, and a gazillion other things!  For the most part, we got our "fix" by looking and touching, but on a few occasions I succumbed to temptation and gave in to my inner urge to actually buy a few pieces of milk glass compotes, some Currier and Ives berry bowls, and some egg cups for my sister, Bea, who had been looking for some and could not find them.  I love the grape pattern of milk glass (1) because my mother loved it and I have her set of hostess cups and plates; and (2) Pat Humphries shared some pieces from hers and Bennett's collection; so, Pat it's all your fault that I'm passionately in love with milk glass!

Lest you think all we did was sweat and shop till we dropped, we also increased the value of Cracker Barrel stock on several occasions!  But, perhaps the highlight of our get-together was going to the Renfro Valley Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Museum.  it was a most enjoyable, self-guided tour, and transported us back to an era when folks actually listened to the radio on Sunday mornings in the 40's and 50's.  Photos, videos and memorabilia of well-known singers who hailed from Kentucky, such as Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, Bill Monroe, Ebberly Brothers, Crystal Gayle, Patti Loveless, Alison Kraus and many others were featured.  In the same area, was the  New Barn (not to be confused with the Old Barn!), which was a wonderful theatre where special events are held.  We were fortunate to have tickets to the Ray Stevens concert.  Coming out of a brief retirement, he held us in a permanent state of laughter!  He definitely still has it, even at his age of 70 or so! His rendition of Mississippi Squirrel just about did me in!  Nestled in the Renfro Valley, about 50 miles SE of Danville, we can highly recommend this area for rest and relaxation.  You will be transported back to a kinder, gentler, slower pace era, I guarantee it.  You're never far from ice cream and down-home real hamburgers, either.  An RV park adjoins the museum/entertainment area and we are tucking that fact back for possible future consideration, too.

As we said our goodbyes yesterday, we were filled with a twinge of sadness, gratitude, and the anticipation of "next time we get together we'll....."  We haven't filled in the blank yet, but who knows?  Maybe I can talk Bill into exploring another 30 miles of stuff next year!

As I pondered our time together looking at "stuff" and realizing too much of it becomes clutter, I was made aware of the correlation of "stuff" that sometimes seems to clutter our lives and snuff out the real, the genuine, jewels that God desires for us.  God is good, all the time, and yes, all the time God is good.  He has truly blessed Bill and me with family and friends too numerous to count.  So, I encourage you to make some time to catch up with those special people in your life.  Maybe a 600 mile yard sale is not your thing, but any plan will work. Good friends, good times, wherever you find them, go for it!  Thanks, Ralph and Peggy, for being such an important part of our lives: past, present and future!  We love you!

Lest you think I made all this up, here's proof!  (No, this isn't a picture of what we bought ... aren't you relieved!)




Ralph and Peggy at the museum.


Bill and Velta at the museum.