that she had kept over the years. I fell in
love with it instantly and it became the
first real piece in my amber collection.
When I was 18, during my days off from
work, I would meet my mom for lunch on
17th Avenue in Calgary. She loved Vaseline
glass and we would try to see who could
find the most original piece. Mom won
hands-down one day when she found the
ugliest tree vase ever! We had great fun to-
gether, scouring all the shops hidden away
in the neighbourhood. The shopkeepers allknew my mom and she them. She would
barter incessantly, loving the thrill of get-
ting a gorgeous piece at a wonderful price.
Over the years, we would attend the an-
tique show held in May here in Red Deer.
We would stay for hours, treasure-seeking.
As Mom got older and was obliged to use
a wheelchair, I used to tease her that I’d
have to tie a balloon to her wheelchair so I
would be able to find her—she’d disappear
so quickly and so often, having spotted
something of interest. She’d laugh when I
found her, and then tell me to push in this
or that direction because she wanted to
look at the crystal.
Mom began to collect tea cups for me
when I was 12. After searching out and
acquiring a new addition, she’d proudly
come home and tell me all about her find.42 More of Our Canada SEPTEMBER 2019