Dumpster Divers Dream

This photo series was taken on May 20, 2013 at 8:03 am.

 

The location was in an alley behind a very nice hotel in Washington DC

 

The "Take It!" was an immediate reaction when I was able to get up close and see the contents of this dumpster included a pillow topping like I had never encountered before.  It was certainly not the same as the king sized mattress I bought several years ago - lol.  All of that aside - there is a very important note on situations like this in the Dumpster Diver's Handbook in chapter one.  It is to "ASSUME NOTHING" for who knows what might be beneath that pillow top that invites the physical dive of a lifetime. This is a good policy for life in general for all situations. Experience has taught me to double check everything that I possibly can. 

 

The After Take: was quite an experience as to some whom I showed the pictures to had never heard of Dumpster Diving.  So, I explained it to them and even confessed to having done it more than a few times myself.  I rescued some brand new carpet ends that were pitched from hotels that were remodeling.  I took them to a local carpet store and had them cut and squared then borders sewn onto them to make area rugs that are still serving me very well to this day.  I saved a few bucks and had the fun of doing it.   I also some years ago grabbed what I thought was an empty computer traveling case and found it was quite full with a working apple computer.  I could not have been more shocked.  Fortunately the owner had left a batch of business cards in the case with it and I called to ask if he missed it and wanted it back. Silly me - he almost came through the phone! He was both angry at the place that had pitched it and relieved that I had found it and was offering to return it (he had a zillion program reference icons on the opening screen - so could imagine the work that went into just installing them).  I sent it out fedex to him that very afternoon and he had it the next day.  Quite to my pleasant surprise, in the mail in about a week I found a gift certificate for dinner for two at a nearby very expensive steak house.  So treasure can abound from this form of diving.

 

The old saying that someone's trash may be someone else's treasure is very true.

 

There is also the sad fact that sometimes it is harder to give something away than it is to just toss it.

Wishing each of you a great day,

Bruce