The Fruits of a Day Off

So, yesterday being such a nice day, and yesterday being my day off, I got out and wandered down to Marquette and McGregor. Many of the antique stores down there were closed for the season, or at least operating on that odd seasonal antique schedule where they're open maybe three days late in the week but not on a Monday. But there were enough places open that I managed to entertain myself for the day.

River Junction Trade Co. looks like a store from the days of the Wild West. Step inside, and you'll see old-fashioned shirts, top hats, long johns, and more for sale. I came away with a box of True American matches, complete with an Indian on the box— note, matches are struck on sand glued to the side of the box. I sort of suspect this box is new old stock; surprisingly, the matches still work quite well.

I also got a deck of playing cards, modern day reproduction of some ancient style allegedly from "the Arizona Territory."


At one antique and crafts shop, I found a pillow on sale for half price. A dragonfly pillow! Note the green pillow with purple cord around the edge, and just covered with iridescent embroidered dragonflies which shimmer in multicolor when the light strikes them right.

And at the used book store I ran across a copy of Foxfire 3: "Animal care, banjos and dulcimers, hide tanning, summer and fall wild plant foods, butter churns, ginseng, and still more affairs of plain living." I love the Foxfire series, with all their funky articles on old-fashioned living down South. I've been picking up the Foxfire volumes one at a time as I've run across them over the years, and this now leaves Foxfire 5 as the only volume I'm still missing.

Also stopped off at the Marquette Bar & Cafe and had a bison burger for lunch. Buffalo burger with fries.

All in all, a good way to spend a day.