June Market Days!
by Courtenay Altom Kehl on 06/04/13
I am having a very hard time believe that it’s June. School’s out and the delicate balancing act of working from home and entertaining my boys has begun. Luckily they are very supportive of Blue Chelsea, always keeping a sharp eye on the ground for rusty treasures and willing to hang around the “field” as I set up the booth for Wimberley Market Days.
June first was a gorgeous day to be out strolling through
the tree lined lanes of booths. Such a
variety of vendors. Our booth, number
161, is tucked in the little horseshoe trail of Buck Bend off Jack Rabbit. 
Our neighbors are wonderful and we don’t get direct sun. Not sure what a difference that will really make in July and August, but it’s lovely.
We are always thrilled when folks find their personal treasures as these ladies did...
however, this past Market Days we were the ones who received precious treasures. Our dear friends, Charlie and Darlene Pridmore, came to visit all the way from Manila, Philippines. What a treat!
And Market Days shoppers all got treated to the rockin’ rhythms of Little Beverly and the Shades in the Pavilion. With their Elvis Medleys and old school 'American Bandstand' favorites, the crowd was boppin’!
Keep ya posted!
Homestead Antique Fair - Hico, Texas
by Courtenay Altom Kehl on 05/27/13
First of all the town is pronounced HIGH-co.
Upon arriving from Hwy 281 we were welcomed by two signs.
One that made us feel important;
and the second was good news indeed; 
Very impressive for a tiny town, population 1379.
We headed straight to our B&B, The Old Rock House, and embarrassingly got turned around in a city center of about 3 streets. "You turned one street too first!" said my mom. We tend to forget how to speak proper English sometimes.
We found our lodging and it was precious! 
We immediately began anticipating sipping vino blanco on the front porch. But first, the reason for our visit, setting up our booth for the Homestead Spring Antique Fair. 
The Homestead Store by the way is absolutely gorgeous. The kind owners Mike and Brenda have such an eye. 
While enjoying our beverages that evening, me having just started Ken Follet's Fall of Giants and Mom reading a Victorian Novel on her Airbook, our roommates Tim and Ali Michael arrived. (We agreed to share the Rock House since it has 3 rooms; way more than mom and I needed and cut the cost as well.) Tim and Ali are a super nice couple from Ft. Worth. Ali is a dealer and a Picker and had a booth at the show as well. (https://www.facebook.com/RebornAlly)
The Breakfast part of our B&B was a voucher to eat at the local cafe, the Koffee Kup. Typical Mid-American food, but with a pie menu that rivals any. I recommend the Coconut Meringue.
The entry way has a bulletin board with local businesses advertised, flyers for local services, etc but one particularly caught our eye.
Very tempting, but no room in the van.
Needing to update our website and "go live" with new photos, etc I set out to find the Downtown WiFi hotspot. Turned out not to be the most conducive to working...
So I popped across the street to Jersey Lilly's, the local Mexican Food restaurant and they were super nice and let me set up office for the afternoon.
The show was great, even with the much needed downpours on Friday evening and Saturday morning. Shoppers weren't deterred. 
As usual we met the nicest people who offer beautiful products.
Check them out.
Deidre Cockerham of The Junkyard Dog,
Amy Young Art
Deanna Turley
Michele of RedoVintage
Sue and Asa Ellis
Debbie Wallis of Salvage Junky
and Lisa from Paper and Lace.
One of the highlights though was meeting sweet Mr. Ted Burial who was having a yard sale kiddy corner from the Market.
We dug through buckets of rusty things and he uncovered boxes of vintage costume jewelry for us. He was precious!
All in All our Hico Adventure was a success and we hope to return in the fall.
Keep ya posted!
