Dr Pepper Summer

I got home from work on Thursday and there was a package on my front porch.  I knew what it was and couldn't wait to open it.

A fellow can collector and I have been trying to track down the newest Dr Pepper can designs.  I found a couple of different ones in my area, but he had more success.  So he offered to send a bottom-opened can of each to me (the ones I had were top-opened).  

So I opened the box and checked out each can.  As a bonus, there was a Dr Thunder design I didn't have yet.

As in the business world, networking also helps in the hobby world.  Especially in a hobby such as this where different parts of the country, and world, have can designs unique to their area.  I've also received many cool cans from Canada from a collector up there.  

So it's a good idea to build a contact list of traders.  You never know where that can you so desperately need may show up.

Thanks again, G!!!

A Plastic Monster

Someone I know is currently on a trip to Dallas, TX.  It was a nice surprise this afternoon to get a text saying they had picked up this Monster can for me.  And the cool thing is... it's plastic.

I had heard someone mention plastic cans recently but I haven't seen any in local stores.  I checked the Monster website and this is their Hydro line.  The site says Hydro is "non-carbonated, lightly sweetened with natural flavors to make it thirst quenching and easy drinking."  In other words, energy water.

It currently comes in three flavors: Tropical Thunder, Manic Melon, and Mean Green (the can that's headed my way).

My only other experience with plastic cans was a set of experimental New York Seltzer plastic cans from 1987.  The set was my first can purchase on eBay and can be read about here.

Chasing Rabbits

For some reason, there has been an overabundance of rabbits in my neighbor in the last few months.  I can be outside for thirty minutes and easily see a dozen rabbits come and go.  And if I sit real still, I could almost reach out and catch one.

This reminds me an energy drink I found at Big Lots several months back called Chasing Rabbits.  Of course I had to buy it for its novel name.  I have yet to open it and try it, but tropical citrus sounds pretty good.

Speaking of chasing rabbits, I found a picture online of something that might help catch one...

Father's Day Coce-Cola

A few weeks ago my kids gave me this interesting Coca-Cola can as part of my Father's Day gift.

What makes it so interesting?  Not the fact that it has an all-chrome lid.  Not the fact that "Coca" is misspelled.  Not the fact that it has white "bubbles" all over the can.  Not the fact that it must be an import since it has Asian text on it.

What made it interesting is it's a little pencil sharpener that's only 2" long.  Haha.  Not many calories in this one!

Happy Independence Day

HAPPY

INDEPENDENCE

DAY

The Can from the River

Last weekend I spent a couple of days at a local convention.  While there I decided to visit a statue that overlooks one of the rivers.  It was one of those local touristy things I had never done.

A few months ago we had a lot of rain.  It was historic flooding that almost prevented me from even being able to get to work.  But all the waters returned to their normal levels and most places were quickly cleaned up of all the silt, mud, and driftwood.  But not the site of this statue.

Above is a pic showing some of the trees and silt still along the riverbank.  The park service has mostly cleared the concrete walkway to the statue so people can get to it, but the statue still has some muddy patches and some logs in the way.

Along the walkway I noticed a few crushed, muddy cans out in the dirt but they were all beer cans.  Until I saw this one.  I walked out to it and found a Sunkist can.  And it was a design that didn't look familiar to me.

So I loosed it from the dirt and took a pic of it.  Its outside was muddy, but I could wash it.  The inside was about 75% packed with dirt and silt, but I could clean that out.  And the can was dented, which I've had success with repairing.  So I brought the can home.

Cleaning the outside was easy.  I used the hose outside to clean it off.  The caked dirt inside was a little tougher.  I would fill the can about halfway and swish the can for 10-15 seconds to loosen some of the dirt and then pour out the mud.  It was slowly chiseling away at the dirt.  After about twenty of these "cleansings", the inside was clean.  I brought the can inside and used an old toothbrush to scrub off the remaining dirt from the outside and my special tool to pop out the dents from the inside and the result is a new can for my collection.

It isn't one of the better-looking cans in my collection, but it has one of the better stories.