Some Great Finds from Spring Cleaning

On Saturday we cleaned out our garage. It was a thorough cleaning, resulting in three big loads taken to the city dump. There was a lot of junk accumulated over the years in our garage and it was time to go through it all. In the course of throwing a lot out, I also ran across some items which I've truly missed.

First and foremost is a picture of my Miniature Pinscher from the late 1990's in Arizona. His name was Beef and he was probably the finest looking dog I've ever had. Unfortunately his mind wasn't all there and he had some mental issues. At first I named him "Meat" after the character in the old comedy "Porky's." Somehow this name just didn't fit him. Beef ended up with another family when I had to move into an apartment. This is the only photo I have of him.

I also found a board game from my teen years. Panzer Leader by Avalon Hill is a sophisticated wargame of tactical combat on the Western Front towards the end of WWII. Computer wargames have rendered these board games obsolete. Nonetheless this game has a lot of good memories for me.

I also ran across my stash of record albums from years gone past. My favorite album, the Beatles' Live at the Star Club 1962, is in great condition considering that I've had it since 1979 or so. It is one of the best memories from my teen years. Even though I have the CD version, the album holds a special meaning for me.

Another album of importance to me is this record I bought in Israel in 1982 featuring the fight songs of the national teams in the World Cup that summer. My trip was only so-so, but that tournament was unbelievable. My best memories are of those games. I don't have a record player but I was able to download all of the songs from this album many years ago on the internet. Once again, it is nice having the original item.

Last but not least is this old photo from one of Jon Dean's work parties when we lived in Phoenix. This picture must be close to ten years old. Note LeDandy's goofy look in this pic. How can you miss it?