New Content Coming Soon (I Hope)

Hello Readers and Tap Enthusiasts...

It has been far too long since I posted. Back in December I promised that more content was coming. That turned out to be far more difficult than I thought it would be. In that post I had mentioned that someone dear to me had passed. That person was none other than Kelly, my best friend of 29 years and, if you have read my very first post, the person that not only got me into collecting tap handles, but also became the Museum's restoration expert. Kelly saved many a tap destined for the scrap heap due to his immense artistic talent, which he used to repair a tap and make it look new again. Often his results would surpass the original, as demonstrated by the articles appearing on this site regarding his work on reimagining the color palette of the Hobgoblin tap (see below).

Kelly's amazing work

It took some time to decide if I even had the passion to continue collecting, and to continue posting here. It was not an easy decision to make and I have struggled with it greatly, because I now have a strong desire to simplify my life, while at the same time questioning my own mortality and what the future holds. Everyone has a finish line, and as the old saying goes, Father Time is undefeated. Did I want to spend what time I have left writing on a tap handle blog?

What brought me back here, however, was reading my very first post again that I mentioned above. In addition to my father, Kelly was the other person that I had dedicated this site to. That was the clincher. How could I not keep this site going, as a tribute to Kelly? So I've had to try to wrestle my emotional demons into submission, and I think I'm close. I still have pressures at work - the microchip industry is in demand as much as ever and I still put in long hours. And I have other responsibilities, from caring for Kelly's family and estate, to spending more time with family and friends in order to maintain emotional stability. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats that depend on me. There are home remodeling projects I need to finish. And I have many other interests, including pinball machines, animatronics, and card/board games.

It may be next weekend before I can get the anniversary posts started, but I promise they're coming. And then a giveaway contest, more tap profiles, and more taps for sale in the Museum Store. I'm going to try my best to salvage what's left of this year for the site - and for Kelly.