unexpected treasure

one of my favorite hobbies is thrift-shopping. some people can't stand digging through another person's "junk," but i find it both relaxing and exhilirating. i get a thrill out of finding the beauty in something that looks old or unfashionable at first glance. when i have my own house, i want to fill it with things that have a history. a lot of my favorite things have been passed to me by my grandma, great-aunts, and my great-uncle, all of whom were quite snazzy back in the day. usually, these things have just been sitting around the house until one day i come across them unexpectedly. and yesterday was one of those magical days...

i was at my parents' house yesterday afternoon when i decided to break out my mom's old (not-so-great) guitar and play a while. i wandered downstairs and dug through a few things until i found what i thought was her guitar. however, i was very confused when i saw two guitar cases instead of one. i opened the first one expecting to see the dusty Alvarez, but lo and behold there was a beautiful vintage Yamaha inside! now, i didn't want to get too excited. you never know how old instruments are going to sound. i carried it carefully up the stairs to tune, warily eyeing the old-looking strings. well it sounded ok as i tuned, but then i played the first, gorgeous G chord...and if i wasn't in love before, i immediately fell head-over-heels. i like the sound even better than the newer Martin i have right now. am i crazy?! i basically made a decision to sell my current guitar and use this one forever and ever. it is LOVELY! and here is a picture...not my picture, but she looks just like it.

stella? or billie?

it turns out that it belonged to my great-uncle Art. what a guy! he definitely purchased a quality instrument :) but as for me keeping it and playing it forever and ever, i am going to need some patience...since it is so gorgeous and lovely, my mom wants it to stay home. my hopes are still high that maybe one day she will be mine!