A pinwheel & an amazing museum

Yesterday we paid a short visit to Miss Lilly's grave.   I had bought her a little present I picked up the other day.  Just a simple Lilly colored pinwheel.  But it looked cheerful.  Sometimes when I'm out at a store, I enjoy buying a little something for one of our children.  Lilly is no exception.   

I was pleased to see that her gravestone looked very clean.  Maybe it's from all the rain we've had.  Her wreath is getting pretty old and tired, though.  I need to think of replacing it.  I've been pleased that it has lasted a whole year.

This past Saturday we took a field trip to the Brady C. Jefcoat Museum in Murfreesboro, N.C.  It was such a fascinating place to visit. Mr. Jefcoat (once a plumber, electrician, and contractor - now living in a retirement home) began collecting interesting things over 35 years ago.  Some things date back to the 1850s.  (Note that at this time, the museum is only opened on the weekend, and there is an admission charge.)  I don't think I've ever been in a museum where I have said "Oh wow!" so much.  :)

  I know I have NEVER seen such huge variety in one person's collections before.  Every time we walked into another room we were amazed!  Taxidermy animals, weapons, glassware, antique toys, furniture, farm tools, old appliances, phonographs, rubber stamps ... etc etc etc!  (There are over 13,000 items on display - it takes up 3 floors and more than 17,000 square feet in a historical high school.  And apparently there's even more that is not on display!)  

He has the largest collection of antique irons in the world - 992 of them.  (You'd think he would buy 8 more to round that collection up to 1,000):

Hunter loves dogs and washing machines.  So he was DELIGHTED to see a dog powered washing machine downstairs in the museum, among the world's largest collection of old washing machines.  His stuffed dog Woofie is in the picture:

 Another neat thing about the museum is that visitors are allowed to touch almost everything.  There are some things behind glass, and a few things roped off, but not much.  One thing that visitors may not touch is the below courtship couch from the set of "Gone With The Wind."  (It can be seen towards the beginning of the movie.)  The couch has been recovered since the movie.

I don't have any more time to work on this post, so I will end here, with a picture of a Lilly colored phone from the museum:

I had to wonder - did anyone have to dust all these things??!!