LET'S HAVE SOME FUN WITH THIS!
AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, WHILE HIKING OR EVEN JUST DRIVING AROUND I'M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR TREASURES FROM THE PAST TO THE PRESENT IN WHAT EVER RE-USABLE FORM THAT MIGHT PIQUE MY INTERESTS.
I EVEN LOOK FOR FREEBIES ON CRAIG'S LIST, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS THREAD IS ALL ABOUT. IT'S ABOUT FINDING DISCARDED ITEMS FROM THE DISTANT PAST AND QUITE POSSIBLY GIVING THEM A 2ND CHANCE IN
LIFE BECAUSE YOU KNOW AS THEY SAY "ONE MAN'S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE" AND THAT HOLDS
VERY TRUE WITH ME.
I HAVE BEEN A DUMPSTER DIVER FOR OVER 35 YEARS. MY OLD NEIGHBORHOOD IN MELVILLE WAS ALWAYS VERY
CLOSE TO OFFICE BUILDINGS AND INDUSTRY. AT THE TENDER AGE OF 12 WHEN I WASN'T HANGING OUT WITH ANYONE AFTER SCHOOL, I'D HIT THE ROAD ON MY BICYCLE AND CHECK OUT THE HUGE DUMPSTERS WITHIN A MILE RADIUS OF MY HOOD. BELIEVE IT OR NOT I'D USUALLY COME HOME WITH SOME COOL DISCARDED STUFF.
OF COURSE THE FACT THAT UNDERWRITERS LABORATORIES (THE COMPANY THAT TESTS ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS AND EQUIPMENT....THE SAME COMPANY THAT PLACES THEIR "UL" SEAL OF APPROVAL ON ALOT OF THINGS IN YOUR HOME SUCH AS CIRCULAR SAWS, COFFEE MAKERS AND HAIR DRYERS) WAS ALWAYS THROWING OUT SOME KIND OF ELECTRIC STUFF WAS PRETTY COOL. I WAS ALWAYS GETTING TAPE DECKS, ELEC TOOLS AND HAIR DRYERS THAT USUALLY JUST NEEDED REWIRING. OFFICE EQUIPMENT SUCH AS DESKS, BOOKCASES SEMI-USED CHAIRS ETC WERE ALL AVAILABLE TO ME AT MANY TIMES.
OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS I'VE LEARNED TO BECOME MORE AWARE OF THINGS LAYING ON (OR IN) THE GROUND WHEN I'M OUT HIKING SUCH AS OLD SODA POP BOTTLES. I HAVE FOUND COUNTLESS HEAVY GLASS BOTTLES
OVER 45 YEARS OLD THAT PEOPLE THREW OUT THERE CAR WINDOWS DECADES AGO. I WAS ALWAYS AMAZED THAT EVEN AFTER THE SAME NUMBER OF FALL LEAF SEASONS THAT THESE BOTTLES WOULD STILL BE VISIBLE.
I HAVE SCOURED MANY AREAS ALONG THE NORTHERN STATE PARKWAY IN WESTERN SUFFOLK AND NASSAU, ALL OF THE SURROUNDING WOODED AREAS AT KINGS PARK PSYCH CENTER, PILGRIM STATE AND CENTRAL ISLIP AS WELL. I NEVER LEAVE EMPTY HANDED!
MORE RECENTLY I MOVED EAST BEYOND RIVERHEAD AND THE HIKING POSSIBILITIES ARE MORE THAN ENDLESS.
IF YOU HIKE ALONG THE EDGES OF FARMLAND WHERE IT MEETS THE WOODED AREAS, YOU'LL MORE THAN LIKELY COME ACROSS MORE THAN SEVERAL OLD FARMERS DUMPING HOLES OR AREAS....LONG FORGOTTEN AND NOT ADDED TO IN DECADES! HERE YOU CAN FIND MANY BOTTLES OF LONG FORGOTTEN AND OUT OF BUSINESS SMALL NAME LOCAL SODA POP BUSINESSES...NOT TO MENTION OLD MILK BOTTLES. MOST ALL BOTTLES ARE DATED.
ONE OF THE OLDEST AND LARGEST PLACES TO PICK UP OLD BOTTLES IS RIGHT IN MATTITUCK. I HAVE KNOWN ABOUT IT FOR SEVERAL DECADES AND LEARNED ABOUT IT FROM A LOCAL ANTIQUE DEALER WHO WOULD SCOUR THE SEMI-LARGE EARTH DEPRESSION WHEN HIS INVENTORY GOT LOW...LOL! I HAVE PERSONALLY TAKEN HOME MANY DOZENS OF BOTTLES OVER MANY YEARS....SOME HOW EVERYTIME I GO THERE (A FEW TIMES A YEAR), MORE AND MORE BOTTLES SEEM TO SURFACE AS IF THEY ARE PUSHED UPWARD BY THE EARTH TO BE FINALLY VISIBLE. OF COURSE THEY ARE ONLY VISIBLE PRETTY MUCH DURING THE WINTER MONTHS AFTER THE FALL LEAVES DROP AND BEFORE THE LEAVES POP IN THE SPRING. IN OTHER WORDS BEGINNING OF DEC TO THE END OF APRIL. BETWEEN MAY AND NOV YOU PRETTY MUCH HAVE TO DEAL WITH TICKS, POISON IVY AND THICK VINES, ALTHOUGH THEY ALWAYS SEEM PRESENT YEAR ROUND.
MAYBE, LIKE ME YOU TOO HAVE FOUND SOMETHING DISCARDED AND THOUGHT THE SAME THING...."I'LL TAKE THIS HOME AND SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AFTER I ATTEMPT TO CLEAN IT!" SURE I'VE THROWN STUFF BACK OUT
THAT I COULDN'T MAKE LOOK DECENT...BUT I TRIED.
WHETHER IT'S IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD OR ALONG THE WAY, SHARE YOUR STORIES AND TREASURE FINDS HERE!
HISTORY CANNOT HIDE!
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Originally Posted by Curly
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