We just returned from a weekend camping trip in the mountains of West Virginia, and like any good diy’er we ended up coming home with tools instead of souveniers.

We were wandering the dusty aisles of an awesome fleamarket in Harper’s Ferry with my sis-in-law Eilis and her fiance Ted – two highly-skilled treasure hunters who were a delight to shop with – when Teague came across a pair of used drywall stilts. For someone who have never had to drywall a 10-ft high ceiling, this might not seem like a find. But with at least 3 more ceilings looming in our future, they looked like a heavenly mirage.

Drywall stilts are exactly what they sound like – metal stilts that you use for taping seams, drywalling, and painting. They save you from having to move a ladder every 5 seconds to reach high-up places. They’re not for the uncoordinated (like, erm, me) but when you see someone skilled hopping around in them, you instantly see how they could make life easier.

The guy selling them wanted $50; for that bargain price he was willing to throw in a food dehydrator my eyes had lingered on for all of 3 seconds. I’ve been monitoring the cost of used drywall stilts on eBay so I knew $50 was an ok deal, but I also knew I’d never make my own beef jerky and the guy would settle for less if we offered. We countered at $30, and ended up owning them for $35.

Thrilled, we all made Teague try them on the minute we got back to our campsite “to make sure they worked”. Also for the pure entertainment of watching Teague try to balance on them. Kids, do not try this at home. Especially not in sandals, on a hill, near some giant tree stumps. I can’t believe he didn’t break a leg.

Above, Ted and Eilis make sure Teague does not go rolling down the hill when he tries to stand up.

I didn’t find anything nearly as cool as the stilts, but my favorite purchase of the day was this cast-iron cookie pan:

In this pic, you’re looking at the bottom side. It makes alphabet-shaped cookies. The letter M (for Mindy) is a monkey. I have a real thing for monkeys AND graphic alphabet designs, so really I had no choice but to buy it. Did I mention it was only $2? Score.

Now that we’ve had a weekend away, some good company, and a lot of fresh air, I’m feeling good. I have 5 full, unplanned days vacation ahead of me this week so I’m hoping to finish a few projects (like the everlasting fence painting) and relax with the dogs. We’ll see how long my newfound energy lasts….