Dino-mite!

Nerd Alert!  One thing you may not know about me is that I love Estate Sales!  Love them! I prefer them over garage sales because you know you will have a better selection.  Garage sales often just have clothes and kid items but estate sales usually have antiques, furniture, and vintage galore.  I am on email lists for various companies in Utah that provide the Estate Sales.  It's great!  I usually receive the email on Thursday talking about what they have to offer and where to find it. 

Well on Thursday, one came through that said: Estate Sale of the First Utah Paleontologist.  Are you kidding me?! 

The second thing you may not know about me is: I LOVE DINOSAURS!  Love them in an obsessive manner actually.  I always think that if I could go back, I would have pursued the paleontology/archaeology route.  I know I have written about my love for all things Dino before.  But Man!  You better believe I jumped at the chance to go to this estate sale.  It was only open to the email members on Friday so of course I went the second I had a chance! 

The house is a small house in SLC but behind it, the owner created a giant 3 story tree-house/workshop.  The bottom floor was off limits but seemed to be a storage area.  The main floor was a few rooms and his Dino Lab. 

The upstairs was the gold mine!  He had fossils galore!  As in REAL ones!  Oh, sweet heaven!

And you better believe that I would purchased this to my heart's content and mounted it somewhere in our living room if I had the $800 to spare.  (I'm sure J would have loved for me to come home with a giant skull but whatever). 

Some people mount deers or elks, but oh no.... this man mounted a giant dino replica! Swoon!

The more and more I wondered around his old workshop, I couldn't help but think he and I could have been BFF's.  For Real.  An old 8-track recorder, records galore, a common affinity for all things dino, and a fridge converted into a giant beer keg!  Oh yes.  BFF's I tell you. 

He also had covered an entire wall with these old whiskey cases.  Amazing. 

Wish I could have just been a fly on his wall.  Since I knew this would be a rough place to walk away from.  I only brought $5 with me and ended up spending $3.  But I got the "Tron" original soundtrack on vinyl and the 1st Edition/4th Printing of "In Cold Blood" from 1965 by good old Truman Capote. 

I apologize for the grainy pictures but I was trying to be inconspicuous so I wouldn't look like a freak ;)  I have a feeling that this was the best estate sale of the year! For me anyways :)