Weird Collections

I've noticed over the years that many people acquire a collection of some sort.  Folks find a great amount of enjoyment while hunting for and adding to their prized collections.  Some of these groups of treasures are ordinary and some are quite bizarre, but you know, it's whatever "floats your boat."  Here is a collection of tribal masks I came across.  Creepy.

I have a somewhat unpleasant recollection of a collection our family was forced to make long ago when our son was back in 4th grade.  A school requirement was to find, label and display a large insect collection.  As with all other projects my son did, he wanted his collection to be top notch.  So, while vacationing in the southern states, as a family we caught, packaged in small ziploc baggies, and froze various unusual bugs and then hauled them carefully in our cooler until we arrived home.  Gross.

Usually people collect things they want to collect.  I was thinking about some of the things my close relatives and friends collect:

salt and pepper sets

Avon bottles

diamond rings

high heels

Pandora bracelet charms

thimbles

inkpots

As for me, I have two collections.  One is my birdhouse collection.  When traveling I keep my eyes peeled for unique ones, and I like them to be handmade by the locals.  I don't have many yet, but that's OK.  I'm looking for quality (i.e. ones that really charm me), not quantity.

The other thing I collect is diners.  Well, not actual real diners, but meals eaten at diners.  You can see my collection displayed mostly right around my waist and hips.  For whatever weird reason, I love researching areas I will be traveling through and finding new diners to try.

Recently while traveling through Shamokin, Pennsylvania I added another diner meal to my "collection."  We stopped for brunch at Palmer's Diner on Route 61 at the south end of town.  I have passed this place many times on my travels and I've noticed the lot is always full during their meal hours.

Palmer's is open from very early in the morning until mid-afternoon when the lunch customers are finished.  No dinner.  The decor is a fun 50's motif.

This diner is just a small cluttered space, yet you feel welcome and happy in there.  They usually have a breakfast special, which the three in my party sampled on the day we were there.  Three egg meals with sides, toast, and coffee for a total bill under $14.  That works for me.

At the tables we could look at old song titles from back in the day.  The three of us old coots remembered quite a few of them, even though two of us have birthdays in the 50's.

I gotta say, there was some great music being made back in those days.

So now, to all my blogging friends and family, two questions:

1.  What do you collect?

2. Have you been to any diners lately along your travels that you would recommend?  

I need to add to my collection!