When you find yourself with little or nothing to do on a sunny November Saturday in Gilbert, AZ, hop on down to the Gilbert Street Liberty Museum and check out Mildred Stinnett's antique toothpick holder collection. It's a stunning collection and there's a tale to tell about each piece, says Mildred, a retired Marine aviator.
"I got this piece in 'Nam back in '69. Just after the Tet Offensive. We was lootin' in Old Saigon.", a mildly distracted Mildred mentioned offhandedly to several passersby as she fumbled with a fired glass toothpick holder from the early Ming Dynasty.
Another piece is hand carved North Sea pyrite. Mildred picked up several on her frequent trips to the Danish pyrite fields where she also raised caribou and gill netted Patagonian Toothfish with the natives under the endless summer sun before retiring to Gilbert in 1986.
Mildred enjoys a more relaxed pace these days. She's at the museum on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Joe's Real BBQ on Wednesday and the Gilbert Whist Club on Friday. Some days she plays shuffleboard or ping pong and practices her ballroom dancing with her imaginary partner, Dave Stinnett.
"And, I just like to kick back and chill with a couple of virgin margaritas and some good reefer. Life is simple here in Gilbert."
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