1
On an episode of The New Yankee Workshop, Norm Abrams built a coffee table out of old loading skids. Ever since then, my Dad would bring home skids, disassemble them and save the pieces, nails, staples and all. Most of it was trash, but that didn't keep him from saving it. This whole wall was blocked by the pieces. In the left corner you can see what still remains.
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2
If he had used it for something useful, I wouldn't be so down on him, but all he did was save things...everything.
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3
Imagine these shelves filled with coffee cans, and imagine those cans filled with used nails, sorted and labeled. That's what took up this space.
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4
This is a corner that had been obscured, floor to ceiling with stacks of rough, crappy wood.
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5
This is Dad's "workbench". I don't know what type of work can be done on it since it is covered with refuse.
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6
This is the northeast corner of the cellar. It was stacked with boxes of the pallet spacers, several boxes deep and at least seven or eight high.
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7
This is his tablesaw, actually cutting things on it was a rare event. The underneath was stuffed with boxes of wood, and loose pieces were piled in front and alongside, so the legs weren't visible.
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8
This is his radial arm saw. The blade is probably as old as I am. This did see action cutting up pieces of wood to be stuffed into milk cartons, oatmeal containers, paper bags, cereal boxes, paper towel tubes, etc.
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9
These shelves were filled with milk cartons stuffed with combustible material to be burned in our fireplace. He got angry, whenever we suggested burning any of it.
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10
There are actually tools on these shelves, but behind them were more boxes of things that theoretically were to be burned in the fireplace.
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11
Here's a shot of the thirty yard dumpster, with the stacks of pallet wood that I have no clue what he intended to do with.
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12
This is the size of box that he mainly used. I believe he got them from where he worked. Most of them got ruined from sitting on the cement floor, which often had water soak up through it.
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13
Here are some of the cubes that we haven't gotten around to burning yet. imagine dozens of boxes filled with these, and you're starting to get the idea.
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14
More boxes. When one didn't meet the size he needed, he'd modify them with pieces of other boxes and glue to fit his dimensions. For this reason, he wouldn't throw away any cardboard, or boxes.
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15
April is nearly over, and we're just starting our second dumpster. Bad weather and a host of other factors kept us from getting on with the removal of all the trash my father amassed. Here my sister Gina is lugging out more of the skid wood.
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16
Here's the early stage of the dumpster loading. Smile for the camera Gina.
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17
It is now the end of April, the weather has been so odd, that it's been untenable to rent another dumpster. So we are on the second one and this is what we've already piled in. Most of it is from loading skids.
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18
This our garage. another repository for all of Dad's junk.
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19
It's unbelievable what he chose to keep here.
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20
The milk crates contain shoe lasts, my sister makes cowboy boots and baby shoes and these have gotten ruined by the raccoons that took up residence here.
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21
These are just some of the many boxes of wood to burn in the fireplace. The strange thing is: Dad would get annoyed whenever we suggested that he build a fire on a winter day.
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22
We've managed to clear away a significant amount of trash, but it's just scratching the surface.
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23
It was impossible to actually walk in and out of the garage before. Now it's a matter of sorting out what we keep and what goes to the great trash depository.
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