How Far Will You Go for a Good "Dig?"

I happens all too often that a family vacation or a day trip in the country competes with my need to dig. While it may sound like I am at odds with my wife and daughter – they want to go in one direction and I want to go in the other – it actually represents balance.  

I’m not saying that without someone to pull me away from a dig I wouldn’t leave…. well, I guess I am saying that. I admit that this is a guilty pleasure and while my hope is that I will find the Holy Grail to justify my obsession, until I do, the more time I spend at a “dig” the less time I have with my family. (Why am I hearing The Lovin’ Spoonful “Did you ever have to make up your mind?” playing in my head?) 

You might ask, “Don’t you want a family that will dig with you?” to which I would reply, I’m not sure I want 2 more versions of myself running around collecting things. While my daughter will certainly dig with me, my wife will occasionally submit to my hunting dog reflexes and allow me to chase down some signs to an unknown end. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does I appreciate it that much more.

Such was the case last summer when we made our way to Cayuga Lake for a peaceful vacation in upstate New York. There were many tag sale signs along the way and places to dig, but if I had explored them all we would have never reached our destination.

Ithaca, New York, which is at the southern end of my favorite Finger Lake, is surrounded by rolling hills with mile after mile of all kinds of interesting places to explore. There are dilapidated farms outside of small hamlets with interesting homes that look much like they might have in the late 19th or early 20th century.

Along one main road we came across a large warehouse-sized barn with a single sign out front “Antique Mall.” While these are sometimes too organized for my blood, I was desperate to hold something, anything from the 1930’s and convinced my wife and daughter to come in with me.

 There, I fired up my camera and shot a short video of the massive selection we found inside. Click here to watch the video.