As much as I enjoy Junquing and seeking Found Treasures in the City and every out of the way Town... The Man enjoys Junquing and seeking Found Treasures in the Wilderness.
His Wilderness experiences have taken him from deep in the Arizona Desert... the dense Jungles of Southeast Asia... to the Wild untamed Wilderness of Alaska... and every place inbetween.
He's 'scored' some pretty cool stuff over the years to bring Home to Moi and I'm always eager to be surprised by his Haul. He's away right now Wilderness Junquing with his Adventurous Friends, Horses & Metal Detectors loaded up, seeking out even more Treasures this week! I could be opposed to him going out on his Great Adventures now that his Health is more fragile... but my Mantra is, if it's your Time then better to go out in a Blaze of Glory doing something you Love!
And Love it he does, he always has been an Adventure & Thrill Seeker... it's his Personal Sanctuary and Element being out in the Wilderness roughing it, if you need to know Survival Techniques he's an expert at it... and he's a Seasoned Veteran at discovering Hidden Treasures! It could be anything and everything he thinks is cool or knows I would think is cool... from Silver Engraved Snuff Boxes left behind in the Desert from the days of the Wild, Wild West...
Some still containing their Snuff! And no, we haven't snuffed it... we're not that Wild and Crazy... well, at least not anymore! *LOL*
But it is pretty cool when the contents of Antique Treasures are still present after all these years... taking you back in Time to their Era and habits.
So... if you were ever curious about what they snuffed back in the Old West, this is a close-up of it! *Smiles* I bet that Old Cowboy was pretty peeved when he realized he's dropped his whole filled Snuff Box somewhere along the Arizona Trail!?! *LOL* His loss, our gain all these years later...
So... if you were ever curious about what they snuffed back in the Old West, this is a close-up of it! *Smiles* I bet that Old Cowboy was pretty peeved when he realized he's dropped his whole filled Snuff Box somewhere along the Arizona Trail!?! *LOL* His loss, our gain all these years later...
I have enough Old Horseshoes to deem it a Collection and adorn this Old Homestead with... but, can one ever really have enough of any one kind of Salvaged Found Treasures? I think not... if he discovers more he'll likely drag them Home.
Anything Rusty, Crusty and Aged to Perfection just screams to us to take it Home where it can be fully appreciated and used in some repurposed or upcycled way. Half the time we don't know what we'll do with it, but we'll procure it nonetheless because Free is always the right price, No? *Winks*
He's brought me Home unexpected items that you wouldn't think would be gleened from deep in the Arizona Desert in desolate places... this gorgeous Old Gesso Picture Frame for example! Large enough that I was able to mount an Antique Last Rites Crucifix in the Center upon Black Velvet!
And of coarse his Mantiques always come home with him! *Winks*
It's okay, I appreciate many Mantiques too... we both have "For The Love Of Old" coarsing through our veins!
He even 'scored' my Beloved Antique Claw Foot Cast Iron Tub from deep in the Desert during a Scouting expedition before a big Hunt... exactly at the Time I had been wanting one... Serendipity, the Laws of Attraction and Divine Coincidence is always a Rush!
And what Southwestern Home would be complete without a few Skullys??! *Winks*
I keep wanting to get my hands on some of his fav Skullys and make them into Southwestern Native American Art... *LOL*
But to appease my Artistic leanings he always brings me Home an amazing array of Old Bottles to Create something out of... and probably to deter me from Decorating aforesaid Skullys!? *Smiles*
The Colors and Rainbow Patinas the Desert Sun has transformed many of the Glass pieces into over the span of years is breath-takingingly Beautiful! The Aqua, Pearlized and Amethyst are my fav Sun transformed hues.
Every Old Brick on our Property has been dragged Home from being Salvaged from somewhere... we especially covet the ones that are stamped or made of unusual colored sand or slag.
And if he finds shards of anything he knows I'll find some Artistic Project to incorporate them into... so into the Truck they always go! Often when acquiring Salvaged Items from a Property it is a Thrill when the History of the Property or the Pieces is imparted to you by the Owners... I Love when things have a Story that is passed along with them. And I Love hearing the Stories and Remembrances of even the pieces we won't be taking Home.
But the majority of our Found Treasures were just discarded or lost out in the middle of nowhere and discovered quite by accident as we, or he and his Friends were on various Adventures.
And Natural Treasures appeal to us too... he has brought Home some amazing and interesting Rocks...
Crystals, Arrowheads, Geodes, Gems and precious Metals.
I confess that these are among my most favored Finds! I have had a Love Affair with Rocks, Crystals, Gems and such since I was a very small Child... one of my fav Memories is polishing rocks to reveal their Magnificence even more clearly!
Our G-Kids share this Passion and LOVE Collecting Polished Rocks too... we have little Velvet Bags strewn all over the Bohemian Valhalla Residence of these delightful little Treasures and have fun Trading and Swapping them... developing their Art & Skills of Negotiating! *Winks*
Even Old Pipes back in the day were made Beautiful with fired Glazes of gorgeous hues & texture... now everything utilitarian is plastic and ugly by comparison. Alas, I couldn't capture the gorgeous irredescence of the Greens & other Natural Rainbow of tones of this Old Pipe's Glaze... as Beautiful as any Tile! We'll eventually make standing Planters out of these huge Old Pipe pieces.
As well as Found Treasures The Man always brings me back Visual Treasures captured through the eye of the lens of all of the interesting places he knows I'll appreciate seeing. We both have a Passion for Old Structures of all kinds, in any Condition.
There's just something mezmerizing about them to me... I'd rather walk through an interesting Ancient Ruin than a Palatial Modern Estate in fact. I'd rather Live in a Historic Home, regardless how Modest or in need of TLC, than a brand new Custom Home of any size & array of Modern conveniences.
And I especially Love it when The Man discovers some new place that will be a Picker's Dream... and offers their Treasures up to the General Public! This Place was Closed the day we discovered it, but be sure we'll be back... *Winks* Any place worth Visiting is worth returning to...
May 2012 hold many exciting Adventures for you too my Friends! With great Junquing Stories and Scores to Share here in the Land Of Blog...
Dawn... The Bohemian