Perhaps it is because I was born to parents of the great depression.
Perhaps it is because I was born to parents from farming communities.
Perhaps it is because my parents taught me “It’s not what you make, but what you don’t spend that counts”.
Or perhaps it is because I have always been one.
I drive old cars
A 1970 VW SingleCab Pickup
A 1955 Ford F100
A 1951 Willys
A 1968 Mustang
I sail a 1965 Cal 28 sloop
I shoot old guns
A 1911 7 x 57 mm Mauser German WWI infantry rifle
A 1952 Checlosavakian pistol
A 1940 6.5mm x 52 mm Carcano WWII Carbine
I shop at Second Hand shops, Garage Sales, Flea Markets, and (my personal favorite) the dump.
From those places I’ve bought canoes, kayaks, boats, surfboards, cookware, clothes, books, decorations, tools, movies, and furniture. All of which work, all of which I paid pennies on the dollar for, all of which were thrown away/given away/sold, not because of lack of value, but because of lack of being valued.
Old things have earned their place in history, and thus have earned my respect. They have proven their worth in the most extreme and demanding realities, they are far more valuable than today’s flashy fashionable purchase.
More often than not, you can take a careful look at the desire and function of some old item and you can see the exact inspiration and brilliance that led to their design.
I treasure my old scout stove, now a veteran of 50 years of cooking for me in the outdoors.
I rely on my old buck skinning knife, also a 50 year veteran tool.
Heck, nearly 40 years ago I used a wood lathe that then was over 50 years old to turn the candlesticks used in my wedding.
99% of the engineering work today is just “incremental” advance of an idea that blossomed to fruition decades ago.
And while I can afford to go out and buy a brand new gun, or knife, tent or sleeping bag, backpack or binoculars….why should I when I already have the “original” in hand?
© Copyright 2015 Marty Vandermolen All Rights Reserved
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