The humble Thermos

I have been working outside a lot lately...

Early this week I found myself over at my friend Andrew's  from 

Bedrock and Brambles  

digging post holes in the bush to help contain his wandering flock of chickens...

While I work I like to always drink a lot of fluids to stay hydrated. 

Usually I bring along a thermos / vacuum flask filled with some cold water...

About a month ago though my thermos broke...

These days vacuum flasks are built pretty sturdily, often out of stainless steel.

Mine was, and I wouldn't have thought I could break it but I did. It wasn't the actual flask that broke but the stopper. 

I had hoped to have the flask for years of use but as it turned out it only lasted for a few months.  

My first thought was to find a replacement stopper because the body of the container was still in perfect condition.

A little research proved that my model of thermos had been superseded by a newer one with incompatible parts.  

I tried seeing if other manufactures flask stoppers would fit mine with the thought of replacing mine with one of theirs but none would fit.

At this point I switched to using an uninsulated container to hold water and began searching for a new flask. 

Buying a "brand new one" was out of the question

for reasons of both ecological  responsibility and cost too. Im a big believer in always trying to buy used first. 

Two days ago there was cause for celebration because finally I found a replacement at my local Value Village thrift store...

Oddly enough I think it is made by the same manufacturer but has a simpler stopper.

The cost of the new "used thermos" was less than the cost of a new replacement stopper if I had been able to find one

Lets hope that this one has some staying power...

Old flask on the right and new one on the left

Some people including myself find that the thermos is not only a practical item but an aesthetic one too!

These are some of my older containers that I have collected that have glass vacuum flasks inside of them.

In my mind they are a classic "Blue Collar" collectors item like my flashlights

Here is a link to another collector and her collection.

As well the thermopolis group on flicker is worth a look too.

-Martin

Joy and Sorrow

Last weekend was full of joy and sorrow...

On the joyful side... yard sales have hit their seasonal stride.

This means more flashlights for flashlight friday and also some new finds for the shop and home.

I am working on reviving a mini mac chainsaw purchased over the weekend to use as a climbing saw and now have a new vice for the workbench too.  A fine guitar to learn some Johnny Cash ballads on was also a weekend find...

Sadly though after a enjoyable and productive day out, on the drive home, I came across a car that had just crashed into a truck parked at the side of the road. 

What was left of the front part of the vehicle was smoking and the driver, the lone occupant, was deceased, mutilated horribly by the  impact.

The events that followed me calling the accident in to emergency services on my phone are a blur of sirens and sickly smelling smoke...

The police closed down the road for 6 hours that day trying to figure out what happened and extract this poor fellow from his car. 

I didn't know this man...

The media reporting the event say he was a well known actor and comedian...

A friend I met the other day apparently knew him well...

I am still trying to understand myself what happened that day...

It seems to me so random and senseless...

Here is a British Miners light that I bought over the weekend...

It is lit in memory of  Paul O'Sullivan, the man in the car...

May you rest in peace...

-Martin