Pleasant Surprises (Vintage Finds and Neighborhood Geo Cache Finds!)

This month has been rather mundane and tiresome, but things always happen in bunches, and this weekend was no exception.  I'm happy to report two little, yet charming Surprises came my way!



I love surprises, so I was overjoyed yesterday when I got my Shabbby Chic Vintage Brooch from Joann@AnythingGoesHere !

 

She has a super lovely blog, and a great Etsy Shop where she destashes her amazing collection of Vintage finds.  Check out her blog Here or her Etsy Shop and be prepared for some beautiful EyeCandy.

  

Joann@AnythingGoesHere was so sweet, she included some awesome Vintage Greeting Cards!  A beautiful Blossoms card, and Sheep N' Lion one that I absolutely Adore!

My little (actually, kinda Big n' Bold) brooch is Beautiful, with metal and vintage painted flowers.  There's a lovely Aqua colored Glass Stone in the Center, and I'm thinking abou replacing it with a darker Aqua color.  It's going to be a great addition to go with my Holiday Shawl.

Speaking of which, I moved down several crochet hook sizes, and made some progress.

 

It's looks pretty far along, but considering only a few rows up there are over a hundred stitches, I'm really, really hoping I get it done before the Holidays.

I got super mad today while trying to take pictures.  I couldn't keep a steady wrist/hand while shooting, even when I put my camera up on a mini-tripod.  I got irked after a few pictures, and decided to take Bender Oak for a walk.

Bender was really eager to go for a walk (he got a bath earlier in the day), and seemed to be drawn to anything that moved.  He went and tried to sniff a neighborhood cat, only to be swatted at and run away from.  Since I wanted to be sure he got some energy out before he ended up cooped up in the house all day with me while I was working, we went a decent distance, and then came upon a clearing.

Suddenly, he started dragging me.  He chased after a squirrel and treed it (I've never taught him to Hunt n' Track, but I guess it's in his genes), and then started dragging me.  We stumbled into the brush, and came up on this:

 

Amazing!  BenderOak found a Geocache!

 

 A Geocache is a modern-age Treasure Hunt, done with your phone or GPS, or even old school Map hunting.  There's a giant network of Geocacher's, and Geocaching has really exploded over the past few years.  if you'd like to learn more about it, Visit the Geocaching website here.

I had heard about Geocaching over a year ago on a podcast, and from the details I had remembered, this GeoCache had been ransacked and needed Maintenance.

 I did what I could, went home, and signed up for a basic membership so I could contact the owner.  It's a really interesting Hobby, and I'm thinking about taking it on fully with the phone applicatin and starting my own Geocache (another hobby to eat away at the paycheck, sigh!).

Being a Junker/Picker, and loving the idea of discovering Treasures, I felt for this poor Geo cache.  I'm gonna do what I can to restock it, and I'll keep an eye out on it, since the owner doesn't actually live near it.  It's funny how someone with totally different interests in life can suddenly fall for something so random and unique because a basic need to foster Discovery, The "Hunt", and Treasuring something Special.

PS: Researching and looking up Geocaching is addictive, and the accessories for Geocaching are sweet!  I'm currently in love with a little trackable GeoTag Charm for Dogs, since Bender Oak is the one that discovered this Treasure!

Thanks for Reading, and Take Care!