Well, that's a picture of the "cathedral" behind its creator, Vince Hannemann (right), the self-professed "Junk King". According to Road Side America Website, "the Cathedral of Junk is a hollow framework of improvised trusses, around and within which Vince has wired and packed all manner of mass-production cast-offs: lawnmower wheels, car bumpers, kitchen utensils, ladders, cables, bottles, circuit boards, bicycle parts, brick-a-brack, and a lot of stuff that is frankly unidentifiable."
Once we'd heard about the "Cathedral of Junk", we knew we would have to add it to our "bucket list! After we attended the NASMM Conference in Austin last January, we had a couple of days to check out Austin and the "cathedral" was definitely on our list!
As Downsizing Divas, we thought we had seen it all, but this was incredible! One observation that we made was, even with all that junk, there was some organization to the structure. Vince seemed to have found a place for everything and even displayed "like" items with "like".
One of the most interesting things about the Cathedral of Junk is that it is located in the middle of a suburb, with lots of homes and neighbours surrounding it. Do all of Vince's neighbours share his enthusiasm for the cathedral - apparently not!
On another note, I was re-reading the March issue of the Oprah magazine and found a sentiment we have heard many times before.
As Oprah explains...
I'm not saying it's been easy to give up all the things I'd invested in. Like many people, I tend to get attached to the idea of things-losing sight of whether the things themselves actually serve a real purpose.
What helped was finding new uses for old possessions. For me, it's easier to give up a once-favorite coat or chair or piece of jewelry if I can find someone else who'll appreciate it as much as I did.
What I know for sure: Idon't want to hold on to stuff that's holding me back.
But the best part came next. Oprah got to the heart-of-the-matter of dealing with stuff and shared her "SIX Things I can live without" list...
- Antique chairs that are not 100 percent comfortable to sit in.
- Stone floors. Replacing them with wood will bring me joy
- All shoes that hurt my feet.
- All clothes I haven't worn in two years.
- Scarves. I never wear them.
- Hats. I created a whole room with display cases, but now I'm selling them at a "church ladies" sale and giving the money away
In the same issue, Donna Brazile shared her "FIVE Things I will never part with" list...
- My scars which remind me I'm a fighter.
- Photographs of my Mother remind me of the sage advice she gave ..."It's not what they call you, it's what you answer to."
- Those last five pounds.
- My foul mouth.
- The "colored girls". We bonded years ago and they are still my best friends.
