The Cleveland Wrecking Yard....

A friend of mine, Tom Webb, years ago recommended I read "Trout Fishing in America". I've fished and thought it might be a good read so I gave it a whirl. The book wasn't a bit about fishing.....but was one of the best collections of short stories I've ever read. It was written by Richard Braughtigan and was the first of his books that I devoured. I was reminded of it this last weekend in in a junk store, excuse me, Architectural Salvage store we visited. In one of the stories, "The Cleveland Wrecking Yard", Braughtigan had ventured in to a junk store to get a friend of his a birthday present. As I turned the first corner around a bunch of used somethings, the story suddenly came to mind.

The descriptions and wording of all of the books that Mr. Braughtigan wrote was a big draw for me. In a paragraph he set up mental images that resonated a reality that had to exist. In the "Cleveland Wrecking Yard", after wandering through the stacked doors, chipped columns, random bricks, and broken windows,  he turned a corner and wave of white light reached out to him, drawing him closer to the source. A white brilliance that had to be celestial in origin was radiating towards him. He walked slowly into the vortex.

As I walked through the building I saw, lined up against the wall  scores of Toilets, Lavatories, and Bathtubs, in various states of repair. The sunlight danced off of them serving as bait to the eyes of the unsuspecting. It was almost delightful experiencing the chapter I read decades ago. Lined up against the wall were the objects of discussion in all forms and styles. The light was amazing and I was taken back to the past. The following images are from the store, nothing was purchased, but a memory returned.