May 28, 2017-Queensbury, NY:  Our redecoration of the interior of the Pewter Palace is almost finished.  Today we tackled the finishing touches of our dining area.  This final step included a repainting of a very rusted ceiling fixture and installation of the curtains and lace valances.  The cut glass crystal cover is original too and cleaned up well and sparkles with the new LED bulb we exchanged.  We refitted all of our fixtures with LED bulbs from M4LED.com which offers great products and customer service.

(Kevin got a kick out of the “Western Germany” label–obviously pre-Berlin wall take down era!  and yes, we did save the sticker and gently placed it back onto the newly repainted fixture base for posterity)

We also were able to do some staging of our German goods and theme too–including one of the fabulous vintage German tablecloths I purchased off Ebay last winter and two pewter tankards.  These tankards were thank you gifts to Mr. & Mrs. Johnson of MD in the ’80’s at one of the big Avion rallies that used to be held around the country.  They were member # 2018 and belonged to the Mid-Atlantic Unit.  This along with some other “travelcade swag” was also an Ebay find.  The seller was the Johnson’s son who now we are in contact with offline and he is providing us with some great photos of his fond memories growing up as an Avioner from 1968 and forward into the 80’s.  So cool!  Watch for a separate post on all this. (I think we have had a hand in re-igniting his passion for Avions too!)

Here is our lovely, cozy dining area in our Pewter Palace.  We repurposed one of our custom made wood reenacting tables made by Fort Augustus Woodworks which collapses down and folds away when this dinette needs to be used as a bed for guests.

We just love it.  I am awaiting delivery of the small clock face that goes underneath the vintage Black Forrest Deer Head mount (what legitimate “Gasthaus” would be without one right?!).  It was found at a local antique shop and is actually hard plastic so its lightweight and we could really secure it to the wall with no problems at all.  When we take our big trip to MI and IN this summer- one of our stops is Frankenmuth, MI which is a Bavarian town.  I hope to find a quartz table top style cuckoo clock for the trailer….THAT will be the crowing glory!  For now, the small antler clock on the table works.

The little red car and trailer on the table are Salt & Pepper Shakers from Vintage Trailer Supply— are they adorable or what!?  The fab vintage look lamp was a find at the Goodwill Store on Shelburne Rd.  in VT (I always try to make a stop when coming or going to visit our daughter Sarah and her family)–for $4 what a find!