West Entrance ~ My Winter Garden

Throughout my life, during periods of gainful employment (what my Dad calls "real jobs"), I was always able to find time to collect. As Public Affairs Director for Palm Beach County, Florida  and an Assistant Administrator for Broward County, Florida, never mind that I often worked 13-hour days: a collector finds the time.  

My passion for antiques and collecting was first legitimized when my best friend and I opened an antique shop in Lake Worth (1989). We attended every auction on the planet, met most of the antique dealers in the area (and some very colorful "pickers"), read antique reference books til the cows came home, and OD'd on garage and estate sales.  Unfortunately, despite our enthusiasm, the cost of doing business exceeded our revenues tenfold.  That fascinating adventure ended about a year later when the money ran out. 

The experience, however, was life-changing. 

My passion for antiques and collecting really blossomed when Al Gore invented the Internet. I found the act of searching globally for rare mercury glass ornaments at 3 o'clock in the morning to be joyful and, well, ridiculous.