A birdhouse, a planter, and a painting

One of the benefits of living near sleepy retirement towns is the bevy of wood items at the thrift stores.� Many are handmade, no doubt the product of retired grandpas with an urge to tinker.� Whether handmade or mass produced, they sit there on the shelves, patiently waiting for little ones, craft paint, and a lazy afternoon.� Mikey always picks a birdhouse.� Always.� (Look how little he is in that picture!)

I couldn’t resist a large landscape painting for $9.� It reminds me of one of our many stops during our drive to Lake Tahoe this summer, especially this one at Pine Peak.� Maybe the woman who painted this, Elizabeth Cassidy according to the signature, also pulled over on the 395 for her share of little boy potty breaks and said, what the heck, while I’m here…