I suppose I was a typical kid who loved collecting things I
found along my travels through the neighborhood and surrounding area. While
others were looking up, I was looking down always being aware of any treasure
that was just waiting to be picked up. There was of course quite a few pennies,
nickels and dimes but there was also the rare find of paper money, cash, mula.
I once found a twenty-dollar bill stuck to a branch that was flowing down the
street after a big rainfall.
As I grew up my
quest for the rare and bazar continued right along with me. Living near the
beach I would spend countless hours slowly combing through the sea grass and
usually found at least one treasure to take home. I’m sure I got noticed
walking back from the shore dragging a ten-foot piece of rope or half a surfboard.
I carried a bag with me for the small stuff like one flip flop, a colorful pail,
sea glass and unique seashells just to name a few. My garage was piling up with
all my finds and that didn’t go over to well with my wife.
One day as I was
sitting on the back patio watching my kids in the pool I was struck with an idea.
My entire back yard was fenced in. It was a wooden privacy fence that for lack
of a better word was “naked” The perfect place to display my years of beach combing.
It took a while, but I carefully mounted my finds on that fence adding to it every
time I took a walk. Cheap sunglasses, beach toys, a lobster trap, old signs,
netting, fishing poles and tackle, it was endless, and the fence took on a
whole new meaning. My neighbors would stop by to have a look and some even
donated things they had found so within a few months the fence was full and
quite a sight to see.
The local
newspaper did a story on my fence and people came from all around to see it,
taking pictures and marveling at my treasures. Time passed, and we sold that
house. The new owners took everything down and discarded it like trash which I
suppose it was to them. To me it was years of walking the beach with my kids
and my friends who all became a part of my quest for broken treasures
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