I love the serendipitous moments when you come in contact with an object(s) that’s meant to be yours!

While on vacation I stumbled across some beloved finds. The most notable were two books, one old and one new.

The first, was an early edition Niles’ Elementary Geography Book which includes a section on the history of and resources in the State of Minnesota (my home state). Admittedly, it has been well used and is in need of some expert care but it spoke to the traveler in me:-)

Here is what I found about my vintage collectible. According to the Esther Jerabek, her research on early geography textbooks, Some Sources for Northwest History;

1885 geography texts had become sufficiently specialized to include large sections devoted to the state in which they were to be used. Sanford Niles’ Elementary Geography is an early example of such a text. It contains eighty-eight pages about the world, including all of the United States outside Minnesota with an additional forty-six pages covering the state in considerable detail including many illustrations (retrieved online from The Minnesota Historical Society, 7/6/13).

RRose and Sue Whitney. Image by RCompass 

The second was a newer book titled, Junk Beautiful: Outdoor Edition my son suggested in an impromptu stop at a beautiful store called Get Fresh Vintage, Junkmarket’s Little Sister in Lanesboro, MN.  The store owner, Sue Whitney, was warm and welcoming. She offered advice on searching out and rescuing discarded items, “Find things you love and get creative! “And, to my unexpected surprise, she was also the author of the book I purchased plus two others titled, Decorating Junkmarket Style and Junk Beautiful: Room by Room Makeovers with Junkmarket Style.

It was only after our trip, I discovered that Sue had a remarkable career; a former columnist for Country Magazine, a nationally recognized speaker including appearances on The Today Show, editor, blogger, etc.  However, on this particular Sunday, she was a passionate, small town shop owner. Her displays were artfully arranged so much so, I would never think to call the items they held “junk.” It reminded me that a large part of our travel experiences are the people and the connections we make along the way. Thank you Sue for making our trip even more memorable! To learn more about Sue go to her website-Junkmarket Style.

RRose inside Get Fresh Store. Image by RCompass.

Side alley at Get Fresh Store. Image by RCompass