“Brit Eaton is the best of a curious breed of fortune hunters combing old mine shafts and barns across the West for vintage denim. He’s discovered $50,000 worth of clothes in a single day, and his clients include Ralph Lauren and Levi’s.”

He describes his profession as part “Antiques Roadshow and Crocodile Hunter.”

Rattlesnakes and drunk lunatics with shotguns won’t deter this guy from getting his fix of vintage clothing.

“I used to walk into a good thrift shop and my palms would get sweaty and then one day I couldn’t get excited by thrift shops. It’s like I used to enjoy firecrackers, but now it takes dynamite to get me high.” Brit’s statement reminded me of something Kurt Cobain said after he became rich. Something like, “thrift stores were just not as much fun and exiting anymore since he could buy the entire store.”

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There  are a few pad lock companies still kicking about in the US. The American Lock Co, founded by John Junkunc in the early 1900’s is a newly acquired division of Master Lock.  Junkunc has the distinction of being the inventor of the first dial combination lock.  The American Lock brand is still being produced in Milwaukee, WI.  However, Master Lock who patented the laminated steel padlock in 1924, produces some of their locks in Milwaukee but then they are shipped to the company’s plant in Nogales, Mexico, for final assembly.

Below is a WWII government issue American Lock Co. pad lock.  Nothing beats the look of worn solid brass.

Another formidable padlock outfit, Wilson Bohannan Lock Co. in Marion, OH has a long interesting history and has been churning out some first class quality locks since 1860.  Today they remain the oldest family-owned padlock company still making padlocks in America. They have been in Ohio since the 20’s but started in Brooklyn on the corner of Broadway and Kossuth Pl.  Some of their designs are very interesting looking.  Tways has a great collection of antique WB padlocks as well as Lockpad1 who has one of the better antique padlock collections I have seen.  He currently has an  Ebay auction featuring 5 antique WB padlocks up right now that ends on 1/18.  Bidding starts at $9.99.

Yale locks continues to proudly make their locks in Lenoir, TN.  They have been at that plant for over 50 years.  Yale lock has to be up there amongst the oldest American companies still around.  Linus Yale Jr. transformed the locking industry forever with his many breakthrough inventions, but his most important invention was the Yale Cylinder lock.  He founded the company in 1840 in Newport, NY.

If you are into antique locks a number of nice examples can be found here.

I have been in England since the 19th with my in-laws. They have called the quaint sea side village of Burnham-on-Crouch home since the early 70’s. My wife grew up here and knows every inch of the country side having had a horse to lumber around on when she was growing up. The River Crouch stretches for miles heading easterly towards the North Sea. The many inlets and coastal river banks around Burnham, Creeksea and Southend make for some terrific trail running. Providing an interesting back drop on a run are the WWII pillboxes (concrete defence bunkers) that dot the landscape. Burnham was in a direct fly route to London (around 45 miles due west) during WWII so there were bombers going over quite regularly and occasionally bombs and parachute mines were dropped especially when a German Heinkel needed to quickly lighten its load. The pillbox below is along the seawall in the Burnham marshes and probably one the biggest around.

8 miles from Burnham-on-Crouch sits St. Peters Chapel, the oldest Christian church in England still in use. Located in Bradwell-on-Sea and overlooking the entrance to the Blackwater Estuary for over 1300 years this remote, beautiful place really evokes a sense of history.

For centuries people have made the long pilgrimage down this very road.

Of course no trip to England is complete without the customary pub crawl. My wife’s friends are now generally well adjusted members of society and gainfully employed but some 6 or 7 years ago it was a different story and at some point during the evening a punch up would ensue and drinks would fly. Now, it is more of a reserved affair with babysitters and decent champagne. It is also a chance for my wife to size up all of her old mates, see who’s gained weight, having marital issues, etc. One old class mate of hers, thoughtfully named, ‘Simple’ got a hand shake and a pat on the back from me. Apparently, when my wife was around 16 she wanted a tattoo on her upper arm and Simple persuaded her not to do it. Not so ’simple’ after all.

All this fresh air and good food has really invigorated me and I am really looking forward to 2009.

Cheerfully yours,

Chris