Why not? I had never been to a real live auction in my life. I’ve heard the stories and I had a good idea of what I thought it would be like, but I had never been to one. So when the sign went up on the property of a local farm saying the auction was next Wednesday at 9am, I thought… why not?

We arrived early and were surprised at the large parking lot in the field… with a separate area for trucks and trailers. We parked the Jeep among rows of huge pickup trucks and walked up the hill to where the machinery and farm equipment were on display. We immediately noticed the auctioneers in their black hats and coats and couldn’t wait for it to start. People greeted each other with warm recognition. Clearly we were the outsiders here… the only ones in sneakers and the only ones with a camera. Once the main auctioneer started with his sing-song melodic voice, the reality matched what I imagined auctions to be. It was a great way to spend a couple hours on a Wednesday morning.

 A short Photo Story from March 2023, by Brian Reitenauer.