I shuffled off to the breakfast at 6:15, and in the lobby I’m greeted by half the members of the club who are just finishing up and preparing to get on the road to Tabs ranch for the swap set up. These are serious collectors!
Since I already knew the way, it was an easy drive out to Tab’s arriving around 7:15. The swap does not officially start till 9:00. I brought about 50 bricks out to trade from my horde. Mainly I had Graves, Southern Clay, and Metropolitan pavers with a few other oddball bricks mixed in.
After arranging my “trader bricks” on the ground I set out to see what was available. There was an abundance of yellow pavers this meeting. I’ve always been partial to yellow bricks. My head was spinning on how to incorporate a yellow brick design into the dark red pavers of the newest patio addition.
Don from St. Marys, PA had a wonderful variety of bricks. He is an old time collector with a fabulous collection. At the last meeting in Wellston, Ohio I was shocked in that the four yellow bricks he brought from Clearfield, PA had not been snapped up in the first wave. These brick have a wonderful iridescence from the salts and clays used in their manufacture. When wetted down they have a look comparable to Tiffany glass. I snatched up those four bricks, which now have a featured spot in the new patio.
Collectors have notebooks to check off the bricks they need to compare to the bricks in the swap. Coffee and donuts were on hand to keep nerves calm. There were so many great bricks to choose from. I found some wonderful spotted yellow bricks very similar in colour to my treasured Frank Lloyd Brick. After making the first loop, I planned my strategy.
The beauty of the brick swap is: no money changes hands. The bricks on the ground are there for the taking. The rule is: You have to carry the bricks yourself. No wagons or carriers allowed. If there is a special brick you want, you can “hold it” by having your toe on it when the swap officially starts at 9:00 a.m.
My “toe brick” was at Don’s display. Don had four yellow bricks in a pattern that matched the pavers I salvaged many years ago. To find patterned pavers in yellow is nearly impossible. Two of those bricks would make the perfect center of the new patio. I’m in luck in that the other bricks I’m lusting after are not that far away in a counter clockwise direction.
The car horn sounded at 9:00 and the madness commenced. I scooped up two of those yellow bricks, and then ran around the loop grabbing up other bricks I had scoped out. The bricks were deposited onto my truck bed and the cycle continued: after the first 15 minutes things slowed down. I lucked out with collecting up some beautiful and unusual bricks. I was happy to see all the bricks I brought to trade were gone.
When everyone had their bricks packed away it was time for the auction. Bricks and related items are donated to the club to be auctioned off. 100% of the proceeds go to the club to offset operating expenses. I’m usually able to find treasures here. A fancy building ornament came into my possession along with a fancy cast iron water meter cover from Fort Worth, TX. There was a heated competition between two collectors for a rare brick from Texas. It brought some $260.00.
After I paid I forget how much for the fancy water meter cover, a member asked me if I wanted some more covers. He had five more (not as fancy) on the back of his truck. But, I had to take them all!! He needed to lighten up his load! These will be good for trading.
I know I overpay sometimes at these auctions, but knowing that all the proceeds go back to the club makes it all right. I always return home with more bricks than I came with. It all evens out.
It was about 12:30 when I headed out. I plotted out a route around Dallas on the outermost beltway to get me back to I-20. Even on a Saturday afternoon the traffic was at a crawl. Fortunately there were no accidents so things kept moving.
I had enough of the highway when I pulled off the interstate at the Motel Six in Shreveport, LA. I’ve stayed here in the past. There are no good places to eat nearby. Across the road were a Truck Stop of America and a Wendy’s. Supper was a chicken salad from Wendy’s.
I want to get home. A 4:00 a.m. wake up call was put in and I was in bed very early.
My internal clock had me up at 3:45 a.m. A quick clean up and I was on the road by 4:15. Mercifully it was a fast and easy 400 mile trip home. I arrived to my little house around 10:30.
Daggy and Stumpy were glad to get out of the house and I got to work cleaning out the truck and getting organized. The house was a mess, I had mountains of laundry to do, and Billy was arriving the next day for the next road trip to the phonograph show outside Chicago leaving on Wednesday!
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