My Plundering Partner

Mothers and daughters are quite a combination. I count myself lucky to have two wonderful daughters. Though the teen years can be tough for a variety of reasons, I believe that with some tender loving care, you are just adding rich patina to your lives, much like the antiques and prims we enjoy so much.

Both my girls seem to understand and appreciate my love of timeworn antiques and the treasure hunt I so enjoy. I must say that Olivia has taken a much greater interest in my obsession and has created her own twist in the adventures we pursue.
You see, Olivia likes photography, and she likes history too. She has been on several of those road trips that involved stopping at many flea markets and antique stores. When she was little, I would show her some items in a Country Living or Country Sampler magazine and challenge her to find them wherever we were. Now, she just takes her camera along and looks for the art in the aisles of furniture and the rows of booths.

Her interest has also grown to my blog; making suggestions about items we should photograph for it, or commenting on things I should mention when writing. Her eye for the old meant we spent some time last weekend taking photos of great old homes in Eufaula, Alabama. It is a beautiful town that boasts some gorgeous old houses and churches. I plan to do a post on them very soon as Olivia told me they would be "great for the blog". An old barn and abandoned general store on an old county road became the perfect place for portrait photography. The photographer handed the camera to me and she became the subject.

Our journeys, often accompanied by Rebecka and her daughter Madison, are the things legends are made of. The laughs we've had, the crazy sights we've seen (we make a list of these on each trip we take), and the people we have met along the way are memories we can share forever. She often remarks where an item came from or the trip it was associated with when she takes note of something in our home. She and Madison have hilarious stories to tell about their "crazy mothers" and they know that their dads could never understand what this whole thing is about!

Sweet Sixteen is rapidly approaching for my plundering partner. It's hard to believe that the little girl in the photo on our entry table (oval frame in the picture) has grown up so quickly. I am thankful that, no matter her age, we can always hit the road together and hunt for the next great find. One thing I am sure we'll always find is the special friendship that a mother and daughter share. I am pretty sure that is the greatest find of all. ~~ Beth