Where It All Comes From

Somebody asked a question in a comment and I thought I'd answer here in a post so anybody who's curious might see it.  Where do I get all this music?  Well, first off, I want to assure you it's all recorded from my own vinyl.  I'm not resharing stuff that I downloaded elsewhere or ripped from CD, it's all analog and it's all mine.  I usually spend my weekends haunting the thrift stores in Florida, looking through stacks of vinyl both large and small for anything that catches my eye.  99% of the stuff I buy costs $1 or less, and 80% of it comes from major thrift stores like Goodwill or Salvation Army.  There are a few non-name brand thrift stores that I visit on occasion, but they are hard to find if I'm not familiar with the area.  If I'm staying local, then there are quite a few of those independent shops that I frequent, but you can only visit the local stores so often before you've seen it all (and seen it more than once).  I know some of you visit these stores once in a while, flip through a stack of vinyl and only see copies of Mitch Miller, The Caroleers and Goodyear records, but trust me, there are treasures in there.  Sometimes, I go weeks without bringing home a single record worth recording, but sometimes I bring home a whole collection when some once-savvy collector decides to get rid of their old vinyl.  On days like that, I get a little excited and try to visit as many stores as possible thinking that somehow it's a lucky day.  Often as not, that doesn't work out, but I have to get excited about something.  Then I rush home and put all the good stuff on a special shelf where things accumulate until it's time to start ripping (but that's a different post entirely).  Regular visitors to the blog know that most of the year I use this space to share pictures I take around the area and from places I travel to.  Wherever I'm out and about, I always try to make time to find a thrift store or two to hit.  I've brought back records from Las Vegas, Washington and San Francisco in the past few years.  Last time I was in Cleveland, I bought so many that I had to get them shipped back to Florida for me.  Oh, and that reminds me, a couple of things I hope to share this year were gifts from folks online.  I get lots of offers from people who have Christmas records they want to send, but it rarely turns out to be something I'm interested in.  (Keep trying though, you never know!)  I'll be sure to point those out when I share them, giving plenty of credit where credit is due.  As far as buying stuff online (or eBay), that's pretty rare unless I want something specific.  If I've heard or heard of something and it really piques my interest, I'll seek it out.  But those things usually cost more than $1, and that limits how much stuff I can get.  Limiting what I pay allows me to sift through more stuff that may or may not pay off.  Anyhow, that's enough blathering for now.  Hope you enjoyed this small peek behind the curtain.  :)