Long before Ritalin and stun guns there was “ the birdie”… If you’re a parent you probably know exactly how hard it is to get and maintain the attention of toddlers and smaller children… no easy task that’s for certain. Now put yourself in the shoes of a 19th Century professional photographer and imagine how […]
The other day while up on the Hamilton Mountain I stopped for a quick oil change – the shop of choice was Concession Garage. Now for most people, hanging out in the garage sitting-room entails thumbing through a magazine or two to pass the time. For guys like me however, there are bigger fish to […]
Lately the weather has taken a turn for the worst; the last three days have been nothing but rain, rain and more rain. I’ll refrain from making any lame duck jokes but I will admit a few people in the office are entertaining the prospect of doing a rain dance in front of the shop. […]
When it comes to toys there’s no doubt that things certainly have changed a lot since I was a kid, and if you it take back one step further to my grandpa’s generation I’m thinking you just might be thrown in prison for selling the kind of toys he and his buddies played with. If […]
First produced in France, in around 1845, fine glass paperweights are to this day widely produced, collected, and appreciated as works of art. The most sought after pieces are produced by sole artisans usually in limited editions. When determining a value of any given piece there are a number of factors to consider. These include: […]
Just before Christmas a woman came into the shop and was looking for that perfect gift for her son who was studying at the University of Ottawa – she told me he was a graphic design student and I in turn told her I had the perfect gift – the item, a box of Cat’s […]
If you promise not to tell the local building inspector we’ll let you in on a little secret. Promise? Alright then, we’ve got bugs in our shop! What are we going to do about them you ask? Simple….Eat them! So inspired by their presence I can’t help but put pen to paper and write a little […]
At the risk of showing my vulnerable side I gotta admit as a kid I was totally creeped out by skeleton keys – not sure if I was alone in this affliction but for some reason or other old keys of this nature gave me the willy nillys! Perhaps it was the rust, the shape, […]
History has is that canteens date back as far as 60,000 years ago; primitive canteens were made from a variety of materials including: hollowed out gourds, ostrich eggshells and animal skin. For hikers, campers, soldiers and field workers canteens were (and still are) a must have for surviving the elements. While it’s believed that humans […]
[row][column span=”5″] With the weather coming and going these past couple of days, cabin fever doesn’t come close to describing the burning fever some of us diggers are going through, so here’s a little teaser to keep stirring those embers. Late last fall my son and I … well I should be fair… he found […]
