I feel that August was just yesterday, then when I look at the calendar and see that we are already at the end of October, I just shake my head. The days have passed quickly and we have been consumed with many projects here at Blue Caboose Station. The 1960’s Trunk Camper, the Avion is still in the garage and will be painted in the next week. After that, all the insides get put together. The lift will be installed after the paint job, and then she will sit on the trunk and get the last finishing touches. It has been a labor of love – Bruce is meticulous and the work shows. I am looking forward to when our Argosy will get back in the shop and have some work started. Here are a couple shots of the inside.
I am very excited that after taking July and September off from setting up at Brimfield, we put our heads together and made the decision to set up for 2023. We are pumped and have begun our planning for finishing up certain projects here in the shop that we will highlight and bring to the show in May. Hints will be coming next month.
This past month we also came across a very nice 1950’s Willys Overland Station Wagon in powder blue. I need to brush up on my driving a stick, but I can’t wait to drive this beauty around town and to the local flea markets. Needs a little tweaking here and there.
New month coming, but can’t say enough of how October was just spectacular. The leaves on the trees did not disappoint. Even now, still the colors are so magnificent. Check back soon for another post of happenings in November. Be well and keep on keeping on.
Choo Choo,
Kaye & Bruce
Unbelievable that our last post was over a year ago. And in that year, many things have happened here at Blue Caboose Station. We jumped head first into doing Brimfield in real life in September of 2021 – it was fantastic. We went back in May 2022 and also had a successful show. Lots and lots of hard work, but we accomplished our goal and did it twice. For now, due to full time job, we are taking a break from the July show and just selling out of the shop by appointment and listing items on Craigs List and Market Place.
Covid is still a major concern. Thankfully we have been healthy but still tough always not knowing if by chance we might get sick.
So what is new here a Blue Caboose? We recently accquired 20 vintage bumper cars from a trailer park in NH. They are pretty awesome and I know Bruce will work his magic on them. Stay tuned for some updates there. Here are some fresh photos from recent items we are working on. Thanks for the follows on IG and Facebook. If ever in the area, please give us a call and stop on by.
Be well. Choo, Choo,
Kaye & Bruce
I know a common theme of my posts is about how fast time if passing. Yesterday my daughter turned 20. I will never forget when I was 17 and my own mother told me how fast time will fly when I am a parent. Her words are so true. And at Blue Caboose Station things are moving at a little brisker pace. More trunks have been listed in our Etsy shop, among them a gorgeous brass button Civil War Era flat top. This trunk is unusual in that it is extremely heavy and the leather handles are something in my 25 years of trunking, I have never seen.
Bruce is finishing up the dragline cases. He took an original double case and split it in two. He refinished the wood cabinets and wowza, they look terrific. We wanted to be able to ship them more economically, and so decided to do the split. They will be added to the Etsy site soon.
Yesterday we came home from a picker’s dream – a Model A car enthusiast and his collection of signs, car memorabilia, antique furniture, and so many cool things. Due to the fact we did not win Powerball or Megamillions, we stuck within our budget and came home with a small trunk, some Ford Shirts, cast iron door stops, and a very cool extra large brass boxing bell. Coming soon to the shop.
Enjoy the last days of January and our hope is you and yours are staying healthy during this pandemic. Days are getting longer, nights are lighter, things will begin to get better.
Choo choo,
Kaye and Bruce
Yes, it definitely has been a few months since our last post. Here at Blue Caboose Station we are thankful our family has stayed healthy. COVID certainly has put a damper on many of our activities, but we continue to work on trunks and other various projects. We also have a couple Estate Sales coming up, which we are looking forward to. Folks are pretty patient, and we make sure that all are wearing masks, there is no more than 8 walking through the home at a time, and we wipe down everything folks touch. A different way of having a sale, but it has worked.
Here are a few photos of recent trunks that we have on our Esty site. Feel free to follow our projects on our Instagram @bluecaboosestation, and on Face Book also – Blue Caboose Station.
Wishing you and yours a better than 2020 kind of year!!
Choo, Choo,
Kaye & Bruce
I have to admit this is my favorite time of year, not just because it is my birthday month, but it is Mother Nature in her glory. Fall in New England is a true gift. It is a new painting every day – the colors changing, temperatures changing, life always changing. I was grateful for yesterday’s start to the day – my 56th birthday – going on a walk/run with a dear friend – talking about life and snapping photos along the five mile route. I was in my glory.
Life here at Blue Caboose Station is moving along – Caboose #1 looks absolutely amazing, I am sorry to sound so proud, but the truth is Bruce does the most amazing work. He sets his mind to something and it happens. Floors came up, floor was layed – MDO and insulation, done – and electricity – done. Walls are painted, and we picked up the Fir for the walls this morning. I am so excited to see the progress over the next week.
I started working on a large dome top trunk from the 1870’s – it truly is therapy transforming the old trunks to pieces of beauty.
Okay, signing off for the day –
Choo Choo,
Bruce and Kaye
September 24, 2020 – Fall Update
It has been over a month since our last post – where has the time gone? People always say that – and the truth is that a lot has been going on. Last month we hosted a successful estate sale in Greenfield, MA. With COVID, folks adhered to our mask policy and limited number of people in the house at a time. Lots of preparation before the sale, staging, pricing, and marketing. It all came together and we had a happy client.
Blue Caboose Station continues working on the ’74 Argosy, installing a floor, and re-installing the bathroom. B, L, and Z used a special formula to clean the yellow back to white, and the outcome was amazing. See photos below. Hand in hand with working on the Argosy, Blue Caboose Station started the transformation of Caboose #1 – to be a short term home for family that moved back to Western Mass. We are thrilled to have them and Rocky and Sierra love playing with their sister Winnie.
Work began by cleaning out the caboose, and then electrical was installed. The past two days were spent installing the rafters, and wow, things are taking shape. I never get tired of taking photos of the progress. Only in one week, and already lots done. See below photos with more to come.
Thanks for stopping by Blue Caboose Station, we are definitely on track this fall for working on interesting projects, renovations, and selling our unique treasures.
p.s. oh and by the way, we came upon vintage Ferris Wheel seats and three vintage old time claw games….things are always exciting here.
Choo Choo!!
Bruce & Kaye
August 16 – Sierra, Rocky, and Blue Caboose Station
Over the past few years, I often have had the thought pop into my head of writing a story book for children about the adventures of Rocky and Sierra and their daily escapades here at Blue Caboose Station. The book would focus on friendship, sharing, playing, and living with humans from the perspective of the dogs. One of these days, I will get to that book, but for keeping things short and simple, here is a brief few paragraphs about the two, and their endearing friendship and the love we have for both of them. First of all, let me introduce you to them. Sierra is a five plus year old yellow lab mix from Texas, who Bruce rescued when she was about 9 months old. Their bond is so strong and she does not go far from his side. Rocky is a 3.5 year old Portuguese Water Dog from Ohio. He came from a friend who is a breeder and I was so excited when I decided to get him at 11 weeks. He is stubborn, smart, super friendly, faithful, and a goof. He and Sierra have become best friends and spend the day inside and outside together.
They travel from the house to the workshop, over the bridge sometimes, or through the woods back and forth, and back and forth. They love running over to our neighbors, jumping the rock wall, and then running back when we call them. Often they chase the squirrels, and most recently have tried to trap the chipmunk that visits the bird feeder on the deck. They swim in our Puppy Pond, and now let me wipe their feet before they come back into the house. Here are a few pictures of a typical day in their pretty special life. Bruce and I are grateful for the happiness they bring to us, making us laugh. I know they love being a huge part of Blue Caboose Station.
August 9 – Sandblasting, Textile Boat Shuttles, and Estate Sale
On the docket for the week was helping a friend sandblast his pick up – we were delayed a few days, but it all came together yesterday and today. Fun to see the boys working together, getting things done. With sand all over the place, I kept my distance. See the photos of men at work.
I love a productive week, and that is what the first week in August gave us. I learned to rivet with Bruce, helping repair a little boo boo that happened when he was gutting the Argosy. The temps were high here in Western Mass this week, but that didn’t stop us from keeping busy here at Blue Caboose Station. I continued to organize my side of the shop – boxing up some items we sold on Ebay and Etsy. So sweet that we sold an all original 1880’s dome top trunk to a gentleman in Oregon, who purchased the trunk for his sweetheart as an anniversary gift. See photo with his special note to her. I do love a nice romance!!
We visited a local business that was established in 1925 that is going out of business, and finally are closing their doors. They made braided rugs and were a family run business – great story of their history. (Thorndike Mills Rugs) Of course we came home with some nice treasures. I am now in the wood shuttle business – offering cleaned up vintage textile shuttles as candle holders and potpourri bowls. They are so pretty!!
And last but not least, I am conducting an estate sale for a lovely woman here in Western MA – some nice oriental rugs, assorted art works, sculptures, dishes, etc. Stay tuned for more details about that.
Have a great week,
Be well, Kaye and Bruce
Happy that August is here – which means sharing the good news we are officially moved out of our storage space and have all our equipment and tools here at the workshop – Blue Caboose Station. It is a huge relief and major stress reducer now that we can concentrate on setting up shop. This does not happen overnight, as with any short term goals, we find it useful to make a list of 3-5 things we want to accomplish in the week – and if we don’t do them all, they overflow to the next week. I have to say, I used my garmin the other day and in a day I walked 7 miles – just with moving items, going up and down stairs, bathroom breaks to the house, and then back again. Feels good to be doing exercise while doing other things I love all at the same time. Finding that happy medium – it’s great. End of the day, my feet are tired.
This past week we cleaned the front of the station – making several trips to the recycling landfill, we listed items on Market Place and got ahead with Ebay and Etsy listings. We found new homes for some of our unique items and researched others that will be for sale soon.
So our goals for the month, Bruce continues working on the Argosy, has sandblasting coming up for a friends pick up truck, he is designing some custom coffee tables and I have pulled three trunks I want to finish in the next two weeks. Landscaping and working on the rock walls is also slated for this month. We are getting there and it feels good – oh and baking chocolate chip cookies of course.
Have a safe and happy week everyone,
Kaye & Bruce @bluecaboosestation
A successful week here at Blue Caboose Station – in terms of moving out of an 8,000 sq. ft storage space we shared with a friend for the past 3 years, and checking off a few other projects on our list. As the saying goes, “you don’t realize how much stuff you have until you have to move”. It is so refreshing to finally be totally out – and now we move forward with setting up our shop and finding the right place for each tool and item. I am proud of ourselves as we sold a number of items we didn’t need, and we were able to make a few trips to the dump.
Early in the week Bruce completely finished gutting the insides of the Argosy – a 1974 24′ motor home, where his daughter and finance will reside when they make the move back east. We are excited to have them close by. I have included a few photos of the work, and we will hopefully have an archive of just Argosy work photos soon.
I think it was Tuesday, that I sewed up the panels for the custom trunk we are doing for a family from Norwood. Bruce patiently measured for me and I cut and sewed the pieces. He then, a few days later finished with lining the trunk. It looks fabulous. We used a Waverly blue diamond pattern fabric and it matches the character of the trunk very well. Bruce wire brushed all the rust off the trunk, hand rubbed Watco and we waited patiently between drying times. With this humidity, you have to be real careful with allowing your finish to completely dry.
A new week, end of July and more projects and lists to complete. I hope everyone has a good week. The corn is boiling and the swordfish needs to get on the grill. Cheers Friends, Kaye and Bruce
