Picking & Junking ~ A BeeHive Teapot / Tea Kettle Is it a Rare Antique?

I've been sitting (well, Not literally) on this

Beehive teapot or Tea Kettle if you so choose,

since my trip to Davenport, Iowa.  When we went to go see the "American Pickers"(Antique Archaeology)

 from the History Channel.

Whom, we didn't get to see :( 

 Mind you Mike, Frank & Danielle were all in town that weekend, but they're such big Celebrity's now,

that you only get to see them at paid events or perhaps if they are Picking at your door.

If they are picking at your door, YOU have a Serious Junking Problem!  Just like We Do, since that's why we picked Davenport, Iowa for a mini vacation.  And guess what we did while we were there?  Yep, we went Junking!

OK, so we went River Boat Gambling Too!

Lost our butts, but whatever, we had fun.

Of course I found (just by chance mind you) a town wide sale just over the bridge in Milan, IL.  I know it just sounds wrong, doesn't it - especially being from Indiana.  What's even worse is I found an auction house that was having a sale that night, that we went back to later that evening.  Yes, Saturday night, on our vacation & we're spending it at an auction house.   What's really bad is we got like this VIP treatment.  I didn't find this out till much later, because the rest of the gang had already signed in & I'm by nature such a lollygagger.  So I'm signing in, like 30 minutes later than everyone else & they ask me if  I'm with the Indiana Tour Group?  Which I say No, not knowing what that is or who they are & thinking it's Ironic that there is a group of people from Indiana that are here in this small little town on a Saturday night to attend this quaint, but podunk Auction.  So after checking in the one of auctioneers, stops me as I'm leaving.  Mind you he's kind of cute, and said "Hey, I hear you're from Valpo.  I'm from Valpo too!  And you know the Birkey's (family name)."  Yep, lived next door & around several of them.  They're like a plague up here in the region.  Not a bad thing, love em dearly, but just saying, you can't grow up in Porter County without knowing a Birkey or two or at least hearing about them.  Now Led Zeppelin Dazed and Confused is rushing into my head; how the heck does he know all this? So I locate the  family, and find out that our whole life history has been has been shared with the auctioneers & we're all blood brothers now.  Good thing cause, cousin Tom is spending like BIG Time & doesn't hurt to be noticed.  Did I mention I was out with professionals?  Tom ate up ALL the jewelry, like gosh, $400 worth?  I don't know, but he got just about all of it.   Let's just say it took him several trips to the car to carry it all out.

My partner in crime, whom I sat next too all night was this lady from Davenport, Iowa who said she does a lot of shows (guessing fairs) in Chicago.  We kept bidding on the same items.  Meaning I was driving up her price.  Bless her heart, she bought me several items to take home with me. "Oh here, you just take this girlfriend, I didn't want this part of it anyway"  Saw her & her hubby loading up many items that they had won that night.  Heck, she even had me go check up on him at one point, to make sure he was doing their business right :0

So anyway I snagged this antique, guess I should say vintage, BeeHive Teapot or Tea Kettle.

I think it's from the 1950's, but I'm not quite sure.  From my research, I think It might be a McKee.  It has a BakeLite knob. The ribbed glass handle & body is marked from a 4 cup to a 10 cup level. The bottom is very cool all dimpled for heat transference & marked USA GlasBake 104 on the bottom.

I did a Google image search for a BeeHive Teapot & I'm not seeing a thing, but then again with them trying to cut out the small independent business owners, I'm not surprised.

So I'm hoping someone see's this, and has some more information that they can swing my way.  I think it's just adorable.  I use to sell Princess House & they had a glass teapot with an infuser - which everyone thought was so cool.  Just a new take on an old idea.  Soon this old tea kettle / tea pot is going to find a new home, since I don't drink tea.  But feel free to grab yourself a cup and check out the related articles on teapots, and If you have any information on this quirky old pot or if you just like old teapots, please leave a comment, & I'll join you with a cup of Java.

Ciao Caravan Cruisers!

Related articles

• A Very Brief History of... The Teapot
• Good Design, Everyday Objects: Teapots

Morel Mushroom Madness - a May Day Treat

They call basketball March Madness  - well just let the warm weather hit at the beginning of spring and round here in Indiana, it’s Morel Mushroom Madness.  Walk into a store, a bar, or get a few locals gathered at a garage sale and they start talking Morel Mushrooms – how much so & so got, where they found them (they lie about that part), how big they are etc…I never knew folks could talk so much about a mere mushroom.  But a morchella mushroom, is not an average mushroom, oh no, a morel mushroom can only be obtained during a certain time of year.  And to date, they can Not be cultivated successfully; (plus they cannot be mistaken for something that will cause an agonizing death) so they are highly prized and fervently sought after.  Those in the know (and with the Eye) guard their secret mushroom haunts and hunting abilities.

This would be considered the Morel Motherload –

I could only dream about stumbling across something like this!

Many of the people who stopped by for the garage sale (after spying the beautiful wooded setting) asked if we had been out hunting for morels.  “Not yet, but as soon as this sale is over it’s the 1^st thing on our agenda.”  Steve headed out 1^st while we were still manning the sale and came back with two.  They were Huge!  I was so excited, I couldn’t wait to get out there and start hunting.  After the sale we decided to check in the opposite direction, and cover the front part of the woods first.  We searched & searched to no avail.  So we headed back to the area where he found the first two and Bingo I found my 1^st morel.

And not too far away another one!

After that my luck ran dry and I resorted to photographing other types of fungus.

Do you see him sitting in that log?  This is it up-close.  Like some deformed figure.

While watching this cute little snail truck across this log, 

 This little guy was much easier to shoot than that bubblebee

 Steve scored three more!

I would have been happy with my two shrooms, but my friends graciously sent me home with the whole lot.

The biggest was 6” including the stem, about 4” for just the head.  7 mushrooms total -  more than enough to get my morel mushroom fix.

So are you a Morel Mushroom Hunter?

Leave me a comment & tell us how you fared.

I heard it was a bumper crop this year!

  

 Ciao!

Kentucky Derby ~ Beltane ~ May Day ~ Mint Julep Drinks

Kentucky Derby Beltane May Day Mint Julep Drinks

Hooray, Hooray for the First of May, Outdoor Fun Begins Today!

Ok, so it was a little drizzly, but not a torrential downpour, and our blind draws didn't win, and we don't drink whiskey, but it was still a great day to pull out the derby glasses and toast to Calvin Borel's 3rd Kentucky Derby Win!

Plus I scored some great vintage hat pins from New Zealand.  Thought it appropo, being Kentucky Derby day ~ hats and all things May day.
Oh, and fresh Indiana mint from my friends garden!