A View From the Top


For some reason I seem to be unusually long winded this month. This is the eighth post for March. I've never written so much in one month on a blog. I'm not real sure what I'm writing about now. I was up at the dump the other day getting rid of some of the bits of rotten wood and other debris from the boat and happened to have my camera with me. When I first moved to Hoonah the dump was located just a few blocks from town. It was actually a popular place to check out for folks from the farm. I found several really good items that had relatively little wrong with them- a recliner with a rip in the fabric, an expensive wool  jacket with a  broken zipper and a vacuum cleaner whose only discrepancy was a clogged hose. Now the dump is located several miles up the mountain overlooking the Spasski Valley. The view is much nicer, but there is less good stuff to get anymore.  They burn most of trash and the area is caged in-supposedly to keep bears out of the garbage, but it also serves to keep pickers like myself from rummaging. I do still occasionally find something of value there in the section where metals are dumped for later salvage. I've pulled old copper pipe and aluminum roofing from the scrap pile. Why let someone else sell it when I can make the money myself? Before anyone looks too far down their nose at me, keep in mind that there is a popular television show on the History channel called American Pickers, which documents two fellows running all over the country searching though old buildings for all manner of things that most of us would consider junk. They buy it cheap and sell it for a handsome profit. When I was working at the L. Kane Store, I actually purchased aluminum from various people around town and resold it down south for a profit. On the one hand it was kind of gross- some of the cans that came in had been sitting alongside the road in water-filled drainages and smelled pretty bad. With seven kids to feed and keep entertained though, we did what we had to do. One year we went out and collected Spruce cones for a company that was sending them overseas- I think to Norway. They provided the burlap bags and we filled them for $10.00 a bag. It was actually a lot of fun. I've always liked finding things. Jan is constantly losing her keys or glasses. Perhaps I could charge her $10.00 every time I found something she's lost. I should run it by her. Then, later, I could start work on my new book, Things you should never suggest to your spouse. Obviously, not all my ideas are profitable.

Comments

  1. Good blog dad, brings back a lot of good memories, I loved going out and getting the pine cones. Nice pictures 2. Love you

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  2. It is funny what a beautiful view it is from the dump!

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  3. Hi Camille- that was fun getting the spruce cones and picking up the cans. It was a good time to spend as a family. Not everything fun has to cost money.

    Hi Erika- it's somewhat ironic that you have to go to the dump to get such a magnificent view. I guess someone felt like they needed to balance out the scenery.

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  4. HAHA..I remember doing the pinecone thang..but think it was 20 bucks a burlap bag....remember the cans as well..used to get me upset when kids would show up wantin their cans weighed but then you'd find a giant rock in there! A lot easier here where it's 5 cents a can and you can take em to Walmart and put em in a machine that reads how many you actually have..or can fill a can bag and get 12 bucks for 240 cans! The kids usually take it down to the store and turn it in and have a bit of spending money...

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