Beyond Tiki Finds

I am CRAPTICUS!!!!!!

No, I'm CRAPTICUS!!

My wife and I are Crapticus!

This thread has gone to crap :wink:

It's Craptacular!

I've had enough crap so I'll give you a gem found inside.
This under "Restricted Security Information" an excerpt by James Michener from the book "The Tale Of South Pacific", a book I found in an antique store.

"Toward the end of World War II. I got one of the best breaks of my life. I was stationed on a rear-area South Pacific island where the commander, a good guy, was determined to make an extra stripe. To insure his promotion, he kept his roster as crowded as possible, so that even though I had nothing to do I was reported as absolutely essential. I complained, but it didn't do any good because my commander's boss was trying to make admiral--and he needed all the people under him, too.

The system left me free to do pretty much as I wished, on a remarkably savage yet lovely island. I had as my assistants a wonderful Tennessee shoemaker named Jim, a cocky little Los Angeles Mexican named Garcia, and a worldly-wise Maine storekeeper named Morrison. To them I turned over all my naval responsibilities and the use of my jeep at night. It was little Garcia who thought up the idea that kept me out of trouble. Whenever anyone asked for me, he replied, "Mr. Michener is on the other side of the island...on important business."

Actually, my days were invariable. After handling all business routines in fifteen minutes, I got into the jeep and explored my island. I traveled with the medical man who cared for the native children. I spent long hours in the bar at the submarine base. I flew with hot-shot pilots from the airfields. I became good friends with the Catholic priest who looked after a noticeably free-living and free-loving French community. And I took long trips both into the jungle and across South Pacific seas to remote islands.

On one such trip I happened to stumble upon the idyllic set-up that some naval officers at CASU-10 had built in the heart of the jungle, on the property of Madame Gardel. Through the simple process of stealing everything that wasn't nailed down--refrigerators, generators, canned food, beer, soda fountains, and plush furniture intended for officers' clubs--CASU-10 had constructed a magnificent night club, complete with orchestra, catering service, and gushing bar. And all within a few miles of the war.

In later years, after I had written a book about this island called "Tales of the South Pacific", a lot of military people gave me hell for having described some aspects of a pretty exciting and sometimes delightful life. They called me, among other things, a damned liar. But nobody from CASU-10 ever made such charges, because they knew better. They knew I had tracked down their jungle hideout at Madame Gardel's.

The book, from which the play and motion picture SOUTH PACIFIC were taken, was born one night at the CASU-10 hideaway. A Navy nurse, whose name I never knew, was married to an Army pilot, whose name I have forgotten. To celebrate the nuptials, we had assembled a pretty substantial wedding feast; the best, in fact, that could be stolen from closely guarded naval stores. Madame Gardel had invited to her plantation an entire tribe of jungle dancers. French planters had brought in jeeploads of wine and cognac. And we killed about half a dozen steers for a barbecue. There, in the depths of the jungle, the wedding was performed by a military chaplain who alternately read from the Service and stared at the tons of government gear around him.

Nothing that I have ever written about the South Pacific could equal, in inventiveness, the facts that occured there, and I have often wished that self-appointed critics, who dismiss my report of the Pacific as 'made-up romancing,' could have seen that 'improbable' weddding.

In the evenings, while Jim and Garcia and Morrison made their tours of the island in my jeep and made their own discoveries--Garcia ferreted out Madame Gardel's, too, and muscled in on the joint--I sat in the long, drafty tin hut and typed out my recollections of what I had seen and heard. Next morning the touring trio would read what I had written and tear it apart.

With the division of labor we proceeded to fight our war. In time I suppose I came to know my island as well as any man could, and from this knowledge I tried to compose a report of what life was actually like on a Pacific backwater. The fighting part I had experienced earlier at the front; and my mid-night notes became a fusion of these two aspects of war.

The book, when published, bore no dedication page. Today, if I were writing it, I would surely dedicate it to Jim and Garcia and Morrison, and to the navy nurse whose wedding I attended. (I was invited because I had found a way to hijack nearly a half truckload of beer.)

My commander made admiral. Little Garcia won a commendation for one of thwe bravest acts I have ever known a man to perform, and the Navy nurse and her pilot husband lived happily ever after...I hope.
Signed, James A. Michener

ArRrrRrRRrRRrrgghhH! Looksee what washed ashore on ol crapTOMics beach, aye?! Tis' a Bloom'n Dubloon from the land of Disney. A fine catch indeed, but I cheated, er' found it on seabay, Yarrghh...Unstamped, and is a fine specimen, indeed.
Yea, my pirate accent sucks, whatever! I was surprised to find one of these personalized dubloons un-struck, or in other words not stamped with someones message. I used to love the machine that made these, and too bad it was always out of order when I went...I did get to make one coin, when i was a youngin', but I lost it somehow!

[ Edited by: Ol' Salty Dog Slick 2009-06-10 17:29 ]
and again for picture add!

[ Edited by: Tom Slick 2009-06-10 17:32 ]

" Hello, my name is Uncle Trav and I'm a Crapaholic. I have been dealing with Crapitus for years." An excerpt from the last C.R.A.P. meeting. (Crapaholic Recovery And Prevention). Just kidding around because I don't have any good crap to post. Great finds everyone.

Trav, send me all your crap & I will send you a complete set of my Crapaholic 12-step program on 8-Track! We'll cure you yet!

Count Crapula has crapped again!
I love Vegas! Funny how stuff from Vegas migrates to New England!


Way kool Jonah Jones LP. Time to dim the lights in the lounge!

I'll keep lookin' for more crap to brighten your days!

Picked this marvelous fan up at a yard sale for 2 bucks. And found the perfect place for it....until football season starts....:)

KK

Not that I needed another collection, but it always bothers me when I see pics of servicemen for sale at fleas & antique stores. I decided I was gonna create a little wall of fame for them in the hallway, leading into my lounge. I figured this was a good place to start:

BK, Thats a cool pic, since it incorporates a veteran and his car...It has always bothered me when I'm out and find family photos and albums for sale...I mean, wasn't there anybody in their own family to carry the torch, and hold onto the family history?! Or is it that the estate nowadays is all about blood money, and since family pictures aren't worth much to others.....
That always sends a chill down my spine, and I happen to stumble upon that all the time. Really sad to see personal items like that left behind.

That's exactly why I bought it,Tom. Nobody had room in their house for this pic? He may have been going off to war, never to return! Well, he found a home with me. That's a '41 Chev Master Deluxe, by the way.

Very cool Big Kahuna....I hope you don't mind if I also start a similar collection...perhaps a new thread showing off our "finds". As a 20 year navy vet I would hope that if the pictures of my past ended up in a thrift store someone like you would come along and give me a place of honor in their tiki bar.

Thank you for a great idea from an obvious big heart.

KK

KK, I would be hoored if you "stole" my idea & started your own wall of fame. I took the pic out of the frame, hoping there would be a name or some sort of ID on it, but there was nothing. I will continue to post these pics as I find them.

right outta the 60's ,a table 8 chairs ,aqua /pearl and orange and 2 orange bar stools.

Those aqua/pearl colored chairs are ones I have never seen before.

Great set !

On 2009-07-03 12:29, leleliz wrote:
Those aqua/pearl colored chairs are ones I have never seen before.

Great set !

these were literaly buried in debris in a basement,They came from an estate of a horder.I've never seen anything like that before tons of stuuff in bags /boxes everywhere. still diging.
It took a couple hours to get everything that was piled on out of the way and tossed , it wasn't until I got them home and cleaned them (and they cleaned up beautiful) that I noticed the pearl on the aqua chairs.
I love them ,kinda reminds me of my 69 GTO CONVERITBLE with the white pearl interior.
Now ,if I only had a place to use'm.

"Pets are welcome,Children 'MUST' be on leash" TD

[ Edited by: TIKI DAVID 2009-07-03 14:16 ]

I love going to Estate Sales of hoarders...I say the more junk to dig through the better!

I went to a 8 room house --including 2 car garage and an entire backyard of nothing but tables upon tables of stuff--estate sale not too long ago. Best thing everything was $1. I think I spent $60 total and packed my car to the brim! Love me some hoarders!

Aw dang it! I love those resin grapes - and they're a lamp? Be still my heart.

Picked this chick up to hang out with my servicemen:

Picked up this very cool painted hubcap at Brimfield on Friday. I guess I'll hang it in my pin-up bathroom. I love finding one-of-a-kind stuff like this.:

Posted some stuff in Tiki Finds & Vintage Barware, too!

On 2009-07-19 19:41, Big Kahuna wrote:

Soooooo happy you wore clothes while taking this pic-lol

Cool hubcap find

BK has some nice scores lately, and that hubcap is waay cool! I also like the fact you bought the pic of the dame to keep the GI, company! I found a rainlamp today($15), and will post pics later this week, once I get it running and set up the way I want...(Always wanted a large rainlamp, close to 32" from the finial/hangar!)

Hey, Tom! I passed on one of those yesterday cuz the dealer was off looking around & his wife didn't know the price! If it's there the next time I go, I'm gonna try & grab it. Am I the only one this happens to? If you're gonna leave your booth, price your stuff so whoever's watching it can sell it!

On 2009-06-10 17:28, Tom Slick wrote:
ArRrrRrRRrRRrrgghhH! Looksee what washed ashore on ol crapTOMics beach, aye?! Tis' a Bloom'n Dubloon from the land of Disney. A fine catch indeed, but I cheated, er' found it on seabay, Yarrghh...Unstamped, and is a fine specimen, indeed.
Yea, my pirate accent sucks, whatever! I was surprised to find one of these personalized dubloons un-struck, or in other words not stamped with someones message. I used to love the machine that made these, and too bad it was always out of order when I went...I did get to make one coin, when i was a youngin', but I lost it somehow!

I got one of those from the machine when I was a kid. I had mine stamped "BEWARE OF SKELTON"--pirates are notoriously bad spellers. It's long-gone now.

On 2009-07-20 17:18, cloudmonkey wrote:
I got one of those from the machine when I was a kid. I had mine stamped "BEWARE OF SKELTON"--pirates are notoriously bad spellers. It's long-gone now.

Maybe you meant Red Skelton.

I am home for a few weeks and came across boxes and boxes of letters and cards that my Grandparents (my Dad's parents) wrote to each other during WWII.

These are some of the 100s of cards and postcards that were from around 1939-45. Many military and some when they were courting. Reading through the messages and then the notes they wrote to each other are so romantic I have been crying all morning! Almost every military greeting card to "My Sweetheart" is signed "Good luck and write soon!".

My Grandfather died a few years ago and my Grandmother just turned 91. I have included kinda fuzzy photos of my Grandpa in his uniform and close ups of a few of the cards. I can't believe they saved all of these...there are even WWII welcome to the base booklets, manuals on how to use your firearms, menus from dinner dances.

On top of all that there must be over 1000 letters still in their envelopes. I plan on organizing them all by postmark and reading them through from beginning to end.

I am so excited to now own all this I thought I would share so everyone who is into WWII items would be able to share in my amazing "finds"

(my grandpa is the one on the left, then the right, then by himself)

[ Edited by: leleliz 2009-07-21 10:13 ]

WOW, Liz! Awesome collection. What a great piece of history.

On 2009-07-21 07:35, Unkle John wrote:

On 2009-07-20 17:18, cloudmonkey wrote:
I got one of those from the machine when I was a kid. I had mine stamped "BEWARE OF SKELTON"--pirates are notoriously bad spellers. It's long-gone now.

Maybe you meant Red Skelton.

I think that's exactly where I got the spelling. :D

Retro bar stools.
Craig's list sale (not mine) and cheap.
I did not know where else to put this.
I have not seen any like this in years.

http://monterey.craigslist.org/fuo/1239691660.html

Is this anything? this is a coffe table base ,for a glass top. I figured that much out.but... it seems to me I've seen this before somewhere.
very heavy and well made. anyone? anyone? just shout it out if you know.anyone?

On 2009-07-23 12:38, TIKI DAVID wrote:
Is this anything? this is a coffe table base ,for a glass top. I figured that much out.but... it seems to me I've seen this before somewhere.
very heavy and well made. anyone? anyone? just shout it out if you know.anyone?

This is INDEED a coffee table base. I concur with your findings :wink: (Was that helpful????)

After everyone's talk about vintage RV/patio lights I was hoping to score some of my own...so I did :) Not moai lights...but they are the vintage indoor/outdoor blown plastic ones that I wanted...and I got them for dirt cheap to boot!

Those would look good lit above some lawn flamingos! :D

On 2009-07-28 20:25, Tom Slick wrote:
Those would look good lit above some lawn flamingos! :D

I have a pair of those too! Now...maybe I just need to get a lawn!

Who needs a lawn just attach them to your hat..

Found these on clearance at my local Fred Meyer (local Kroger brand)

@ just $2 and a few pennies I had to get a set

$3.00 with the stand!
Yeah, Garage Sale gold.

The skull may be from a fur seal or sea lion.

found at a clean out of a estate of a hoarder.

complete,nothing missing

i had this same set as a kid about a hundred years ago.
this one looks like it was never played with.

"Pets are welcome,Children 'MUST' be on leash" TD

[ Edited by: TIKI DAVID 2009-08-10 15:19 ]

also these,new in box with sales reciepts from 1974.

18 vintage stage films ,post mark 1959. and a keystone projector

do ya think there could be some BETTY PAGE in there?

"Pets are welcome,Children 'MUST' be on leash" TD

[ Edited by: TIKI DAVID 2009-08-11 12:20 ]

Wow,TD! Love the Racing set. Let us know if there's any Bettie in there!

I saw this huge sailfish last week and that said $200 or offer on it and today I got a call accepting my $75 bid. It barely fit in a Toyota Camery with the head hanging out the of passenger seat.

On 2009-08-12 17:21, naugatiki wrote:
I saw this huge sailfish last week and that said $200 or offer on it and today I got a call accepting my $75 bid. It barely fit in a Toyota Camery with the head hanging out the of passenger seat.

Great steal for $75!

My Uncle is a vet and also does taxidermy. He has a huge house full of every animal known to man stuffed (or at least it seems that way!) including 2 of these.

I asked him if I could have it and he was all set to give it to me until I said I was going to paint it all aqua or pink.

He then renigged the offer :(

I should of kept my mouth shut!

Great score!

He has a huge house full of every animal known to man stuffed (or at least it seems that way!) including 2 of these.

Please tell me he has jackalopes.