Well, I think that's all, folks!

While I have a few things I could post, I've been progressing further and further from my original intention with this blog in a vain attempt to do the "one a day for a year" thing. It ain't gonna happen. I will leave you now with the last two, and most recent, fish knives from my collection. I'm now going to turn my attention to a new blog...DucksEatLamb. It's about an ancient strategy game that I recently uncovered, and I'm going to recreate the most famous DucksEatLamb game ever played (way back in 1932). I haven't started yet, but soon you'll be amazed!

Thanks for spending time with me and my assortment of stuff, and I hope you've enjoyed it!

It's Fossil Friday #11

Another purchased Knightia specimen. Oh, and thanks to the information provided by one kind commenter, next Friday, I will initiate a brief Fish Knife Friday redux! Thanks to Lisa Kadonaga of BC, Canada for turning me on to an online supplier of reasonably priced fish knives. More on that later...

Electric axe

This is my main electric guitar. It's a Yamaha Pacifica. The cat, of course, is none other than Flintlock himself, shooting his magic blue shit out of his claw. On the other hand, he's been de-clawed in the front, so where the blue shit comes from is beyond me...

A nice skully rattle

...that the missus got me a few years ago. Looks good on the Vodou Drum, n'est pas?

Tiki

Here's a Tiki that my buddy Kirk had made for me when he was visiting Fiji many years ago.

Still more paintings? Ugh!

This one's of the Crystal Wave, a walking beam side wheel steamer that used to ply the Delaware Bay. Acrylic on driftwood.

Balinese kite

This is a Giraffe/dragon/thingy kite from Bali. They used to be made from old ripped-up sails from boats and windsurfers and hand painted. This guy has flown once, in a rather lopsided fashion.

Opium, anyone?

This is "supposed" to be a Chinese opium snuff box I received as a free gift when I purchased a lot of (what else) fish knives. It may be real or it may be tourist junk. The workmanship ain't great, but I guess if you're a tweaker you can't expect miracles. It's jade, or jadeite, or something. I use it to keep a few heirloom seeds in. From some very special tomato plants. Heirlooms.

It's Fossil Friday #10

This one is not much to look at, but it represents a fossil in the making. This is the umbos and hinge of a bivalve mollusk, found on the shores of Ocean City, MD. The shell is nearly, but not completely mineralized, and the void is filled with packed mud that is nearly completely cemented and almost, but not quite, rock.

Arrrgh!

It's the old cast iron pirate doorstop. It's also a fairly effective anti-toe weapon if you are unfortunate enough to drop it from a height onto your unprotected tarsals. At which point, you will be heard to exclaim: "Arrrgh!"

More dead animals?

In keeping with the dead animal theme, here's a collection of native Delaware animal skulls mounted on a driftwood door panel. We have: fox, seagull, deer, beaver, and muskrat. All were found in my travels to natural places (except the fox, who evidently fell into a shallow bunker at Cape Henlopen and died of thirst/starvation).

Stealth Attack Gull

A partner in crime of the Caribbean Death Otter. No, just kidding. This is a taxidermied (taxidermed?) ring-billed gull in a Plexiglas display case. Another State of Delaware rescuee. It call to mind Anton Chekov, no?

Kalimba 3

Here's a homemade kalimba using a coconut body, luan sounding board, an electrician's grounding bar as the bridge, and garden rake tines as the, uh, tines. The "buzzies" are from an old vegetable steamer.

In other news, I have to admit that I am winding down. I am frankly scraping the bottom of the barrel for goodies to blog about, and I'm afraid I won't make it until August (365 days). I've learned that 365 days of anything is a lot of things. I will continue on for a few more weeks, and I have a couple of interesting goodies left to show, but the end is near, dear readers.

I intend for my last post to be a panoramic image of the room I call "Flintlock's Arsenal", where most of my goodies are housed. When that day arrives, I shall also announce my next blog project, which will be quite different from, yet keeping with the aesthetic of, this one.

Another Djembe

A modern, mass produced one, but with great tonality and depth.

22 pistol

Ahhh. My Ruger 22/45. Got the rail for a scope/red dot. Got the nice wood grips and the stainless steel. This baby is smooth like butter. Not as nice, mind you, as my old Smith and Wesson Model 41, which I sadly had to sell off a few years back when money was tight. But nice

Pepsi 2

Another Pepsi bottle from Port Mahon. Don't worry...no tall tales with this one!

It's Fossil Friday #9

This is a fossil oyster from the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal deposits. I think its from the genus Ostrea, but I forget...

Kalimba 2

Another Kalimba. This one is handmade in Africa, but is probably a tourist item, since it doesn't have the rich overtones of the real deals. That said, this one produces some interesting tone colors, and it sounds nice in my homemade kalimba orchestra. Note the "buzzies" are little bits of aluminum can wrapped around the butt end of the lamellae. These are all printed in some foriegn (i.e., non English) font.

Coked up

This Coke bottle comes with a remarkable story, which is why it is prominently displayed in the window. This is another beach find, but one with a strange story. When I found this, the top was sealed with cork and melted wax, with something inside. It was hard to tell what, though, since the cork seal had leaked and allowed salt water in. Anyway, I took it home and removed the seals, then shook out what looked like a plastic bag (it was covered with green, slimy algae). When I opened this bag, there was a wad of sodden paper. I dried the paper by placing in on the back grate of an operating box fan (I learned this from years on the water...when your cash gets wet, dry it on the fan). When it was dry, I was able to carefully unfold it, and written on it was a message in rather flowing script. It appeared to be a note from the captain of a sailboat who was soloing across the Atlantic in the Fall of 1970. The note said that the boat's name was the "Connie Mae" and that it had been de-masted in a storm. I'll spare you some of the details, but the skipper indicated that he thought his chances of rescue/survival were low, and then he revealed (in the note) a secret.

Evidently, the guy had been an Air Force Chief Master Sergeant in Vietnam, off of his second tour of active duty. The note said that during "unofficial" operations in Laos, he had acquired a number of gold artifacts, as well as a substantial amount of heroin, which he planned to sell. Under imminent threat of death on his sinking sailboat, he revealed the hiding place of both the gold and the heroin in what I assume is his last note. He said that the loot was buried in the corner of an old tobacco drying barn in North Carolina, and provided details on how to find it.

Well, a year or two after finding this note, I happened to be within about 30 miles of this location while on Spring Break, and a few of us decided to see it the note was for real. Under cover of darkness (on a rainy night), we located the barn and snuck in. Using an old G.I. trenching tool, we dug in the corner of the barn where the note said the stuff would be. After only about three inches, we hit something hard. After taking away a bit more dirt, we found three large ammo cans buried in the corner of that barn.

As for thier contents...well, let's just say that my student loans are paid in full, and also that it happens to be april fool's day.

Kershaw folder

A Ken Onion design, called (IIRC) the "Scallion". One handed opening via a thumb stud or a spring button thingy on the spine. It's not a switchblade due to the vagaries of the design, but it is still frowned upon in some jurisdictions. Not a weapon as far as I'm concerned, but a handy one-hander...the utility of which I've blogged about before. This is my everyday walkin' around knife.

Oh, and today is my kid's 5th birthday! Happy birthday, buddy. Remember, all this shit is yours someday!