Instead of responding to your comments on yesterday's Auction Tomorrow post, here is how it turned out:

It was a lovely drive up to Cheyenne. We've been getting a lot of rain this year so everything is lush and green and beautiful, like I've never seen it before. Usually the non-irrigated areas are starting to dry out by now.

The stuff at the auction was just about as nice as the Internet pictures, but smaller, somehow, when I saw it in person. Everything was in excellent condition, as if nobody had sat on the chairs or walked on the rugs to wear them out.

The stuff that wasn't shown in the photos was sort of pathetic - raggedy, taggedty linens and kitchen stuff. I came home with a box of cookbooks, most of them about bread baking, and most of them keepers, and a box of cooking pots because I might find pots to fit all my extra lids from previous auctions. Remember that expression - there's a lid for every pot? I'm out to prove it so, even if I have to travel interstate to do it.

I got there early and it was interesting because people in Cheyenne apparently aren't used to auctions because a lot of the lookers thought it was a garage sale. I stood and watched women pick up items and wander around with them until they noticed that nobody else was picking things up and taking them to the cashier. Once they figured it out, or someone told them, they quickly put the items down, not necessarily where they got them.

There were a few professionals there - mostly had driven up from Colorado. I don't consider myself in that group because I don't resell what I get at auction. The picture of the iris that I wanted sold for $300, too rich for my blood, but I seriously considered it. Apparently the artist is well-known in the area and people came knowing what they were getting.

The auctioneer was young and inexperienced and slow as molasses in January. It wore me out, and I left after a couple of hours before the really good antiques started selling; my heart just wasn't in it. But it was fun to see all that excellent old stuff and to know that there is still nice old stuff in the world, and most of the auction attendees were very nice to talk to.

Here is some of the sheet music from the auction:




Here is the lovely house across the street that is on the historical register:



Here is downtown Cheyenne, or as Honeybugg refers to it, Cowsnot. This was taken about 9 am on a Saturday, but around noon it wasn't much busier.