Antique tripod and level: A diamond in the rough

This weekend we made the quick drive North to Tacoma to check out the biggest swap meet in the Pacific Northwest...or at least that's what the website said. We didn't go with high hopes, which is a good thing, since they would have been dashed very quickly.

The swap meet is at the site of the old Starlite drive in movie theater, in fact the big screen is still up in the giant fenced in area. Parking is free and admission is just $1 each.

Inside most of the booths focus on clothes, hats, car radios and used tools. Sprinkled throughout are food stands where we were able to grab a humongous bag of duros doused in hot sauce for just $1.50. The predominant language in the market is Spanish leaving it to feel a lot like the markets we have woven through in the Yucatan and in Nicaragua. Nick tried to get a cheap fitted baseball cap for $3.00 but they didn't have his size...this would have been a similar problem had we decided to spring for the snakeskin and crocodile cowboy boots with matching belt.

We did see a couple of Stihl chansaws, but not well taken care of and not priced all that great. Nick found his almost brand new farm boss on craigslist for just $250 and we saw no deals of that caliber. The tools were also very beat up and mostly mismatched odds and ends.

So, was the trip worth it? Absolutely! (But just barely). In the last row we came across this beauty, an antique level (although it can't be to antique since the level came in a plastic case). I had been looking for one ever since I saw how they can be turned into floor lamps while trowling around an upscale antique store in Seattle. The lamp I found in Seattle was $375, something I was absolutely not willing to pay. It took some convincing of Nick that we "needed" to purchase this tripod and level but he finally came through when I reminded him that Obachan had given me some money for my birthday AND when he realized that it works!

Nick happened to be wearing one of his Goodwill shirts that said "Cascade Christian Ahtletics" which the booth guy gave us a $10 discount for. Paired with his awesome bartering skills we got this $60 tripod and level for just $40!

I know it's going to take a little bit of effort to turn it into a lamp but I'm not worried about that as I'm pretty comfortable with wiring things. Of course, I'll have to wait to take it out of commission until Nick is done using it...ahhhhh...compromise.

Photo Credit: I jumped out and took this photo right before Nick had a chance to drive away...a fun game that he just looooves to play.

A historical find...Dorothy comes home

I'm pretty excited about my latest salvage find, although this would probably be classified more on the unnecessary side of things, I couldn't resist! I loved her as soon as I saw her (she's over 3 feet tall) and then when I got home and started researching who she was I love her even more.

First, what is it? Apparently up until the 1960s the English churches allowed people to rub the brass tomb plates in order to create wax impressions which they then mounted.

Second, who was she? Dorothy Wadham (1534-1618). When her husband, Nicholas Wadham died he left everything  to her (despite her being a, gasp, woman). His sole wishes were to found a college in Oxford, England. Dorothy, being the strong independent woman I'm sure she was, did just that. "She fought all the claims of Nicholas's relations, lobbied at court, negotiated the purchase of a site and drew up the college statutes" (History of Wadham). Within four years of his death Dorothy had started a college from scratch, even hiring the cook herself. 2010 marks Wadham College's 400th Anniversary.

Now this is obviously not a situation I want to duplicate entirely (I'd rather have a "Notebook" style death where Nick and I pass peacefully in each others arms at the ripe old age of 100 or more) I think it's so important for women to continually find inspiration in the strength of other women.

I'm lucky enough to have married a man who values me as an equal team-member, able to pull my own weight, while still making me feel beautiful and loved. Hopefully I'll never be in Dorothy's shoes, fighting to fulfill my husband's wishes, but I like to think that if I was, my Nick would definitely trust I was up for the challenge.

Amateur land surveyors, inc.

We rented a transit today to shoot the lines between our property corners so Nick could finish up our septic design and so we could determine our new well site.