In Praise Of Stanley - Thermos

The Clog-wife and I spent a wonderful 12/23 on Cumberland Island. It was cold but we were dressed accordingly, and had brought plenty of food and hot drinks. Now let me digress and plug praise my thermos.

I carried a quart of hot spiced cider onto the island in my old Stanley thermos. You know the one - big old bluegreen thing with the shiny stainless steel interior and twist-on cup/lid - the one Fred Flintstone might take to the job at the quarry. The cider went into the thermos at a slow boil around 6:00 a.m. When we left the island 13 hours later the remaining cider was still steaming and fit to warm us on the windy sunset cruise back to St. Marys.

Old technology with no moving parts, a tried and true design. I bought the thing at George's Hardware in Gainesville, FL. The neat thing about George's is that the proprietor buys top-condition items at flea markets and antique stores, and displays and sells them on the shelf right next to the new items. I could have purchased a new Stanley thermos, but got this one in perfect condition for 1/4 the price. Ditto with the old hammer, axe, anvil, socket wrenches, chisels, and other things I've picked up at George's over the years.