And Now There Are Even More Lockers

I went to a school district surplus equipment auction yesterday in Cold Spring, Minnesota. It was bitter cold (about 15*) with a cutting north wind. About 20 minutes into the auction it started to snow. My good friend Mike was there too and he forgot to wear a hat. He was interested in some butcher block table tops (3' x 8' and over 100 lbs. each) and maybe some wood topped lab tables. I wanted some slate topped lab tables and some interesting lockers. Of course these items were in the last row of items to be sold.

There were about 3 inches of snow on the items when we got to our row. Mike got all five butcher block pieces and they will be table and center island tops on pieces that he crafts for Gypsy Lea's and Second Hand Rose. He missed on the lab tables when one bidder took 12 tables. The next item of interest was the slate lab tables.

I bought all five lab tables with their 150 lbs. tops. Oh my! Then came a row of desks and more desks and some other desks. They could not get a $1 each for the desks. A scrap dealer bought 80+ individual desks for $1 and now bought these office style metal desks for about $.25 each.

The last items sold were locker units. These are painted orange and blue and yellow with mixed door colors on other color bodies. Most of the units were a mixture of larger clothes lockers with many smaller storage lockers. There were about 22 units. The first choice of lockers sold for $90 each. The bidder took two. The second choice went 6 for $65 each. Bidder no.1 took the next four for $25 each. Then I got the last 10 units. Mike bought 2 units from me so I had 8 to haul.

I had my truck, but not my trailer. Mike and I loaded the butcher blocks into his van and then the 5 lab tables into my truck. The ride home was exciting. The first 1/2 inch of snow melted into a sheet of ice on the highway. This layer was then covered by the next 4 inches of snow. It was a slip sliding trip home. I decided to stay home and pick up the lockers on Sunday.

It was only 18* on Sunday, but there was bright sunshine and the snow started to melt. I unloaded the tables and the big lockers from the trailer and headed back to the school for the other lockers.

I was heading into a double 90* curve on the county road just south of Cold Spring. The SUV headed in the other direction crossed over my lane and then flipped in the ditch onto its side. My first thought when the SUV crossed was "there's no driveway there". I pulled up, as did the guy who had been behind them and offered help. The young girl. who was driving, and her father were not hurt, but she was really shaken.

They didn't want to call a tow truck (probably because they didn't want to report the accident) and asked if I could help right the SUV. I carry a tow strap in the truck and said that I'd give it a try. I disconnected my trailer and lined up to give a pull. He connected the strap to a frame member and I pulled the SUV back on its wheels. There was a dent in the fender and the back side window was broken, but the doors opened and the engine started. He then hooked the strap to his trailer hitch and I gave him a tow out of the ditch. They drove off, I reconnected the trailer and met Mike and his step-son Kjell at the school.

I have eight locker units loaded on the trailer. I think that they will be good sellers at Gypsy Lea's and Second Hand Rose. I am going to bring one unit and one lab table into Rose tomorrow and the same into Gypsy Lea's on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Such is the adventure of junking on the tundra.

Mr. Flannery