We got up early, by which I mean at a time that would only be oversleeping by a single hour on a work day, this morning. We wanted to get to Bridgton at 10 for a guided walk in the area that Loon Echo Land Trust is hoping to turn into Pondicherry Park. We did get there by five past 10, and there was only one other person there, not the guide but an older woman who wanted to join the tour like us. So we missed that.
We drove down to the Bridgton Community Center, because one of the entrances to the park is going to be in that area, but all that seemed to be going on there was a barn sale across the street. It was in a real barn, not a big barn but a lot bigger than a garage. The previous owner of the place had been a dealer of industrial antiques. There was lots of strange stuff, a couple of old electric motors, a woodworking vise, test tubes and other laboratory glassware that I didn’t want to get involved with, metal stampings, a cast iron pigeon, in general some of the stranger stuff I’ve seen. Then we noticed a cardboard carton with some big pieces of leather. Just a couple of weeks ago I threw out a belt that I had made years ago that finally wore out — I mean, I finally had to admit that the holes I wanted to use were so torn that the buckle just wouldn’t hold any more. I had been thinking of ordering a belt blank or two from Tandy Leather and making a new one. This carton seemed to have a belt blank or two, plus lots more leather. For $20 it wasn’t a snap decision, but it was probably going to be less money than ordering from Tandy; so we took it. When we got home and looked through it, we found not only several belts but what seemed to be most of the parts to three handbags, two complete kits for wallets, and lots of scrap. Maybe some future mukluk soles. So we have to review what we have in leatherwork craft books and tools and bring them to Maine. Because although I can probably make a basic belt, I really don’t have any idea how I’d lace a handbag up without the original kit directions.