Post #684658 by Hale Tiki on Thu, Jul 4, 2013 4:59 PM

Tiki-Ti? What? Who? Where? I'LL HAVE A RAY'S MISTAKE!

What do you mean it wasn't magically transported to Pittsburgh? DAMMIT!

So now that I've got over the heartache of NOT being within an hour or two of the Tiki-Ti, I'll have to take solace in my home bar. As some of you pointed out, I am, in fact, a bargain hunter. I grew up without money, and it taught me to be a spendthrift, but as I grew up, I developed a taste for the finer things. Which meant that I had to combine the two. eBay will be the end of me, as will thrift stores, antique stores, and the internet. I spent thousands of hours over the past 10 years scouring the internet, and stores, and I only wish I knew what I know now when I started. I've seen some amazing things in my day, and I've only ever sold two tiki items that I've come across. A Hoffman Pottery Kahiki Mug, and a Witco Outrigger. The first one I deeply regret selling. I found it in the "wild," and I needed the money as a college student. The second was the Outrigger. It's so big, and I just do not have the space for it. I'm okay with that one.

But I digress, more stories for another time. So this morning we got up early to unload all the super sharp lava rock. This stuff:

Oh, that's right, MR TIKI! He's still here in Pittsburgh. I'll be updating that thread when I have time, but after going cliff diving, he came to me, traveled to the Hukilau, Ohana Luau on the Lake, and will be going to Hot Rod Hula Hop. If anyone would like to take him at HRHH, please let me know. If not, I'll mail the little guy out. So shoot me a message if you've got some tiki places for Mr Tiki to go.

So that was Mr Tiki helping us load the rock. I got there at about 5:40, and the place closed at 6. So I knew we had a very limited time to get loaded. The wahine threw on a pair of gloves and really hoofed to make it happen. We got all three pallets loaded by...oh, that's right, there weren't two pallets, there were THREE pallets! We managed to get it loaded in time with minimal cuts. Turns out that it wasn't basalt, the type of lava rock I was looking for. It's pumice, which is still volcanic rock, cellular in nature, and contains glass. So it's sharp. Very sharp. I'm pretty sure it's pumice. If anyone has any other ideas about it, please let me know. I am by no means a geologist.

This morning we woke up somewhat early to unload the cars in 80-some degree weather. We got it all unloaded, and it made quite the large pile. I'd say 4x3x3' stacked against the fence. It was hot, and pointy, but there it is. It is covered in leftover paint, backer board, and some rusty nails. It is most definitely old, and I'm dying to track down where it came from. What building, and where they got it from. I'd love to be able to pin down just where it originated from. Of course, I'm hoping for somewhere tropical. It varies in color from light to medium grey, with the occasional white or black streaks.

She's hot, and sweaty, and didn't want to pose for a photo. But there she is. I just made her do it so that I could give her credit for all the help she has been, and will be in the progress with the bar. Also, she puts up with me, and my special brand of crazy.

That's it for now. Oh, and I got some more to add to the rum collection over the weekend. Which made me VERY happy. Because free delicious rum is a beautiful thing. It's four types of Brinley Gold Shipwreck Rum.