I was returning from a fun afternoon of bingo at the Moonlight Bingo Hall recently, when I spied a Coca Cola sign in a nearby junk yard.

Of course, as a collector of Coca Cola memorabilia I had to stop, even though I really don't need any more Coke stuff or even have the room for anything that large.

Still, I just had to see it up close, so I parked the car and got out.

... to be greeted by a dog; quite friendly, actually. "Hello, boy; nice doggy," I said, approaching cautiously, having heard about "junk yard dogs" all my life, ...

... and an exuberant lady who was busy shouting, "Don't honk! Stop!"

"Hi, there!" She said. "Don't worry about Bob Barker; he's really quite friendly unless you sound mean or I tell him to sic 'em." She laughed. "Are you a junk snuffer?"
"Well, I guess I am," I said, peering around. And then I took a second look. "Oh, I know you!" I said. "You just won at Bingo, didn't you?"
"Oh, I sure did," she said. "A nice little pot today. Sure is a lot of fun whooping and hollering with all the folks over at the Good Times trailer park, isn't it? And you are? "
"My name is Wanna. So nice to meet you," I said. "And I agree. They're quite a lively and personable group of people over there, all right. Such fun! Some of my friends were telling me about the ongoing Bingo games, so I decided to stop in and take a chance. No luck this time, though; maybe next time."

"Looks like you have some interesting things here. I noticed your Coca Cola sign and that's why I stopped. But I like the way you turned that old boot into a planter. What a neat idea!"
"Oh, yeah," she said. "You can pot up a plant or flowers in most anything."

She gestured, "Of course, I have some pots, too, if you want the real thing."
"Well, I'm not actually looking for anything in particular. That Coke sign is really what caught my eye."

"Well, you just look around, Wanna, and if you have questions, just holler," she said, and went back to waving her sign at passersby.

It was hard to tell where to begin. My eye fell on some interesting stepping stones on an old plant stand.

But I decided to look at the Coke sign first, since that was my primary interest.

Oh, Bea must have a bit of a green thumb. Look at that little deer topiary!

Well, I like the sign, and the weathervane replica, but they are both way too big for my purposes.

Well, I've heard of angels watching over us .... Looks like this one is lying down on the job!

Then I caught a flicker of movement at the old lamp post.

A couple of tiny birds are nesting in a convenient spot, looks like.

Hmm; a window frame and a gazing ball. What an interesting combination.

That chair has seen better days, and I have a feeling that cement is already rock-hard after being out here exposed to the elements for heaven knows how long.

Well, somebody could get a good deal on those stepping stones, no doubt.

Some look like they were made from fossils ...

... including a frog?

Wow, that is one wierd plant behind the junk box.

That must've been a good-sized tree at one time.

Good grief! Is that one of those old Civil Defense fallout shelter metal signs from the Cold War period? I peered over the flowers and sure enough, it says Shelter!
At this point, I noticed it was getting late and I needed to get home, so I decided to come back another day for further exploration.

I bid my new friend Bea goodbye, and she said, "Oh, you just come back any time, Wanna. We get new stuff in every day," she said, gesturing over her shoulder to the truck being unloaded in the background.

And as I left, she was waving another sign and Bob Barker was barking goodbye.
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NOTES:
This fun project was done during Good Times Trailer Park theme month for May, 2008, on the MiniDolls list.
The base, including the underlying landscaping and the old tree, a piece of driftwood, was done in a workshop at the late Beth Lane's. It sat around for almost three years waiting for the right setting, and when I decided to take the Junk Yard topic, it was perfect for this project.
I first created Bea, and then began looking for items to go in her Junk Yard. I gave everything either a brown or a black wash to unify things, and then spent considerable time grunging up the various items.
The tiny birds with real feathers were made by Alice Zinn. The horse head post was made by Shaun Crawford. The stepping stones were from a swap, but I don't recall from whom, unfortunately. The gazing ball from Kat was from a fairy garden swap.
The boot planter was a Chicago 2008 show purchase. Unfortunately, at this point I don't recall who made it; I have the sales slip somewhere ....
The large Coke sign is a refrigerator magnet, and the angel statue lying on the ground has been in my stash for a long time. The lamp post was a Christmas ornament, originally painted white. The old tire leaning against the dead tree I stole from a toy vehicle in my grandchildrens' play room.
I don't remember where I got the dog. I also put a wash on him because he looked too clean to live in a junk yard. lol I didn't put a collar on him because he has a microchip for identity purposes, and Bea doesn't believe in limiting him because he lives on the place with her, and after all there is a tall fence around the entire junk yard. Her tidy little apartment, decorated with lots of Salvage Style items, is at the rear of the premises behind a screen of oleander bushes. (I just wonder how long the city will let her get away with Bob Barker's not having a collar!)
The small wheelbarrow that Bea uses for a seat was among Christmas ornaments one year. The Moonlight Bingo Hall sign was made by Debbie D-P Paver of South Africa's young daughter for her wonderful bingo hall owners. It was used with Debbie's permission.
I hope you enjoyed visiting Bea's Junk Yard. Come back again; she says new old stuff comes in every day.And if she isn't there, you can find her over at the Moonlight Bingo Hall or visiting with some of her friends at the Trailer Park.
You can read more about making and dressing Bea in the Dolls pages.
FURTHER NOTE: You can read about my return visit with Bea in 2009 to see her Bathtub Madonna here.