A Picnic on the Beach

Finds: Mid-Century Orrefors Romeo & Juliet Vase. Mid-Century Birks Regency Silverplate Candlesticks.

At this time of year, I like going to sales in the country hoping to find choice pieces for my boutique inventory. Hunting for antique and vintage treasures is what I enjoy most in what I do.

My husband likes to come along if the sale is on a weekend so that we can take some of the time to explore the area. On a recent trip, we decided to take a small picnic lunch. It is fairly easy to find a spot for a picnic in one of Ontario’s provincial parks or conservation areas. At home we normally eat from good china, but having a meal in a natural outdoor setting with few implements seems to add to the enjoyment of being on a picnic.

Finds: Spode Copeland Hand-Decorated Plates, ca. 1940.  Vintage Wedgwood Creamware. 

Find: Victorian Enameled Glass Decanter, ca. 1880

We found a sandy beach on the shores of Lake Ontario only one and a half hours from Toronto. There's an island on the left in the photo above, but you can’t see all the way to Rochester, New York on the other side of this huge lake. We brought my movers’ quilt that is comfortable to sit on and seems impenetrable to any ants lurking nearby. Lunch was thinly sliced left-over New York steak on thin whole-grain rye, limeade, and take-out cut up watermelon for dessert.