The brass sconces

My cousin, Isabel Wolfe, lived on Church Street in Monroe, NC.  Church St. was the main historically homed street in our town.  Isabel's family home was one of those houses, a lovely 2 story white home.  When Isabel died, her estate was a mess as far as her family was concerned, but that's a story for another time...or at least an update on a previous blog.  Anyway, she had an appraiser come in and price all of her antiques.  She had made lists of people who wished to purchase some of her things after her death.  Fine, whatever. 

Across the street from Isabel lived Robert Deese.  He was a local business man and antiques dealer.  He and his wife, Donnie, and their family lived in one of those huge white houses with the enormous columns in front.  I never went into the house, but it was just lovely from the outside.  Fast forward 6 years to when I met Mr. Deese.  There was a small house near the high school that had an antiques shop in it.  It was going out of business as the owner was retiring, so there was a big sale.  Grandmother and I went and that's when I met Robert.  He and Grandmother had known each other for years and they spent a good bit of time catching up.  I did not add much to their conversation, but I definitely listened.

Of course, the subject of Isabel came up.  Robert was one of the people that she had listed as buying pieces of hers after her death.  He mentioned that he thought he still had some of her things stored that he was planning on selling at his shop in Cameron, NC.  This particularly caught my interest.  I was going through a time when I wanted to keep family heirlooms in the family.  I don't know why that was of importance to me, but it was.  He told Grandmother that he was not sure of what all he had remaining, but knew there were a few pieces.  The conversation ended and that was the only time I ever saw Robert Deese in my life.

A day or two later, I wrote to Mr. Deese.  I told him how much family pieces meant to me and that if he ever was looking to sell the things he had that belonged to Isabel, I would love to purchase them.  Granted, I was 15 at the time and probably couldn't afford his prices, as he was a high end antiques dealer, but I still wrote none the less.  The following week I was mowing Mrs. Nash's yard, my high school job, when Mom pulled up into her driveway to talk to me.  She told me that Robert was so impressed by my letter, that he called Grandmother and told her so.  He also told her that he would find those pieces of Isabel's and bring them to her that day so that I could look at them.  And that's exactly what he did.

After mowing, I went home and showered and Mom and I went to Grandmother's to see what all it was that he brought.  I was quite excited.  He had brought a pair of turkey foot lamps, brass sconces and 3 pieces of art.  They were all lovely.  The art was a painting of fruit in an antique frame and 2 Gibson Girl fashion prints.  We, and by we I say Mom and Grandmother, decided that we would buy the lamps and the sconces.  The check was written and the purchase was made.  I felt quite accomplished with myself over the whole deal.

The lamps were put in our living room, as were the sconces.  And these sconces were old and very heavy.  They were made to last.  I got them for myself when Dad got remarried and have loved them.  Right now, they are in a box in my garage....along with so many other things.  Hopefully one day I will either place them back on the wall or find someone else who will cherish them as much as I do. 

That is all.