it might seem early, but i have it on good authority that spring is just around the corner. although there is still snow on the ground, and the trees are still bare...whenever my thoughts turn to nanton, i know spring is close!

nanton, alberta is a quaint town about an hour south of calgary - where my sister in law and i go every year to slowly and meticulously comb through each and every one of the antique shops that line it's few downtown blocks. we began this annual ritual about 5 years ago, and both eagerly await it's return every spring! in addition to the absolute thrill of discovering a hidden treasure in the shops (so much fun!) - we both like to let our imaginations loose, wondering about the people that lived behind the belongings we are so carefully browsing; who owned that pretty ring? how did these postcards end up here? who wrote them?... and of course all those stern faces that peer back at us from the old portraits and pictures (some of them a bit creepy?!) - could they ever have imagined their possessions and memories would find their way here? and in some cases, such as ours, off to a new home to be used & cherished all over again!?

i have to admit, i have hoped on more than one occasion that something i own(ed) could one day find a similar fate? perhaps my hoarding tendency to collect old magazines, vintage cameras, and kitchen crockery will one day result in one of these prized possessions experiencing a reincarnation into another home, a generation from now....? ha! a romantic thought...

in preparation for spring, and our mini road trip south, i thought i would share a few photos from last years visit...

welcome to nanton!