Rose Path...A Stroll Down Memory Lane.

As a little girl I remember when my mother and my Great grandma Granato would take time during the summer and go "fleatiquing",used, yes, as a verb and is a combination of the words flea market (garage sales for you Southerners) and antiquing, and means a time where you travel around the pretty countryside of Western PA to look for antiques. 

Great grandma would spend about two weeks with us.  This was a time of real excitement for Sarah and I because this meant we could sleep on the cot, the cot was fun because it meant that we could sleep outside on the screened in porch if it was nice, so Great grandma could have either Sarah's bed or mine.  Grandma would fry up zucchini and slice garden fresh tomatoes and boil corn on the cob bought from the local vendor on the side of the road...it was so nice!!  I remember during dinner she would pour salt in the palm of her hand and would use that to season her food all the while sipping on her hot coffee...I always thought that that was really weird to drink coffee and eat... but it's funny, sometimes I find myself drinking coffee during meals as well.  Anytime is a good time to drink coffee...Thank you Great grandma for giving me your love of coffee! If you could have known her, she'd tell you all the time that she use to cuss like a Sailor and was real mean before she got saved...interestingly my dad was the one that lead her to the Lord...anyway, this time in our summer was always fun....

In this picture from the top left, my Great Grandpa Albert, Great Aunt Alma Jean, Great Grandma Alma Granato, and my very dashing young father...Daniel Paul

Because of this family history I also like to go fleatiquing...it's normally not garage sales...it's usually the local antique shops (which by the way around the OKC area are priced way too high, in PA I guess antiques are a little less of a rare thing than here in the land of red dirt) and thrift stores in the city.  OKC has the most thrift stores per capita I have ever seen.  And every so often whilst I'm on the hunt I find some real treasures.  Like this weekend  I found an 8 place Knowles 'Rose Path' chine set,  my dad would call the pattern "buhchie" pronounced buhh-chee... because of its rose pattern.  The set has all but one tea/coffee cup...some of the plates could be replaced but still the whole thing went for 13 bucks.  I went online to price certain pieces and found that a casserole goes for about $50.00. 

Sugar and Cream dishes

Rose Pattern on Center of Soup Bowl

Soup Bowl, Dinner, Salad/Roll, Dessert Plates, Fruit Bowl, Tea/Coffee Cup and Saucer

Serving Bowls, Platter

The set is circa 1949...during a time in US history where it was the "in" thing to buy American, a post- war time when the 'greatest generation' was making a life for themselves (my Great Grandma's heyday...)...The manufacturer, Edwin Knowles, a true Amerian Buisnessman, was said to be a world expert on dinnerware production and design...his business started around the late 1800's with his father and they soon became "world renowned" for their pottery. During this time they made many innovations in the production of semi porcelain china.  Interestingly, the company didn't last into the 60's because of "said" high tariffs that made it cheaper for foreign imported dinnerware manufacturers. (Source: http://modish.net/Edwin-M-Knowles-China-Company)  The 60's was a real downer for America...feminism, sexual revolution, humanism, secularism, hippies, rock, socialism...don't get me started...lol

Anyway,  I just find it so neat when I come across something like this.  I now have some real Americana in my collection of dishes.