Sunday, May 23, 2010

Engelbrecht Auction

On Saturday we went to the estate auction of one of my younger schoolmates. Harlen lost his battle with cancer several months ago. His wife was selling the farming equipment.

I remember riding the bus with Harlen. He was always the shy, quiet, little boy sitting half way to the back and always had a big smile.

The last time I spoke with Harlen, he came to my drive up window at work. It was just about 2 months before he lost his battle. Yet he was inquiring about one of my co-workers who was also suffering from the same horrible disease. Here he was himself fighting and still concerned about others. That's the kind of guy he was.

The auctioneer started the sale by asking everyone to remove their hats and to observe a minute of silence. I had to fight back tears then and now as I type this.



For you Zoey, I found this Missouri Primrose blooming while walking from the car to the sale.

This trunk sold for $27.50 I believe. I didn't buy it.

This is the biggest ice cream freezer I've ever seen. It sold for $17.50. I didn't buy it.



The crowd around the tractors.


An antique horse drawn sprout beater. Too funny seeing it being loaded on top of the rack of the truck. Especially since the bed of the truck was loaded with boxes of fruit jars. I can only imagine how many were broken when they arrived home.


Solid oak fern stand. It sold for $25.00. I did buy it!
The sale ended at 2:00. We came home, showered, and went to the blacksmith's nephew's high school graduation party.
It was a beautiful afternoon/evening outside. The little ones sure enjoyed the playtime. So I will leave you with some pictures of the kids playing.




7 comments:

GardenOfDaisies said...

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. But glad you found some nice things at the auction.
Happy 40th Anniversary to you! Sounds like a fun family gathering!
And the handkerchief blouse is so pretty!!!

Deanna said...

Cancer is such a horrible disease. Love auctions!

Only three months difference in our ages, huh? Jim is only 2 months younger than me. Neither of us went to Simonsen, though. I went to IC until 8th grade, he went to St. Peter's. Then I went to Helias, while he went to HS at JC. Small world...

Oh, and I love your hankie blouse. So creative!

Missouri Gal said...

Bless you heart! I lost one of my best friends, 2 years ago, to a massive heart attack. I still miss him to this very day! Know that he is out of pain and smiling down on your for such a wonderful post! Hugs to you Patti! Nicole

Nancy said...

sorry about your classmate...it's such a shame when a good life comes to an end...

Love the plant stand.. I really look forward to going to auctions when we move back... IF we ever sell this house...

Sara said...

Sorry to hear about your friend. Nice that they had a moment of silence at the auction.

We have a trunk very similar to that one, but ours is not in nearly that nice of condition.

I give up. What's a sprout beater?

Diana LaMarre said...

Ah, I think those are familar. We called them "Evening primrose". They are much different from the shorter variety I grow with my tulips. Do they spread like wildfire? I do believe that they are pretty invasive around here.

Flat Creek Farm said...

What a heartbreaking story about your friend Harlen. Sounds like he was a wonderful, sweet fella. A moment of silence was a nice touch.. wish they would do that a little more at estate auctions. All those items tell such a life story.

Cool plant stand! Do you have some more ferns to grace it? -Tammy