Random Introduction: By the time I was 3, my dad could take me to the hardware store…

(back in the good old days when you could go to a real hardware store.
The kind of establishment that understands the sentence “I need a do-hicky that fits with the thingamabob, that fell off of the whatcha-macallit” and an employee would promptly lead you to and entire aisle dedicated to the very do-hicky in question.
The kind of establishment that had a box of toys you could play with unsupervised, under the table with the wallpaper samples while your parent went to go search out said do-hicky.
Yes, see. The good old days. Before the days of the Lowes / Home Depot enterprise)

… And I could name every tool, nut, bolt, and powertoy that he pointed to.  

There are pictures of me sitting on my dads lap, avidly helping him dig big holes in our lawn with a backhoe. 
There are pictures of me covered from head to toe in spackle in a toddlers attempt to help build a house. 

I’ve always loved creating stuff. Building stuff. Making something out of nothing. 
Or just making a big mess. Sometimes, that happens instead. 

Now then, where am I going with all of this? Well. I could go a lot of places, but I think we’ll go to The Bottle Shops Antiques. Ready? 

Looks like a junk yard. It basically is a junk yard! Full of wonderful stuff! For sale! Old, stuff for sale. Inexpensive, old stuff for sale. 
It’s dirty. It’s sometimes (depending on what you’re tying to grab) treacherous. And it’s positively packed full of goodies just waiting to follow you home.  
I’ve spent hours at this place, probably too many to count. And I’m dying to go back soon. 

The last time I was there, I was on a mission for pieces and parts for a project. What did I leave with? A bunch of things (how could I resist a few glass jars? Note: This was before throwing everything in canning jars was the vogue thing to do.) among them, an old cabinet door, piece of broken glass, and four spokes from the back of a late rocking chair. 

What did I create? 

One of a kind photo display end table.
Total Time: Half an afternoon. Plus drying time.
Total Cost: < $5 and some paint from the basement.