Thirty Years on a Hook on San Francisco Bay by Peter Roanowsky Chapter Fiveteen Dumpster Diving

Meanwhile back In Sausalito struggling to survive with my bare hands most of the time fighting through dumpsters and most of the time with my bare hands and when possible my trick was to cut off the top of a large nail and drive it backwards into something like a broom after bending it into a hook, so I could hook the bag plastic trash bags in the rich Marina dumpsters to feel how much the bag weighed and judge its contents before ripping it open. For instance I could tell if it has a lot of cans and bottles by shaking the bag and or if it had anything heavey like discarted canned food or marine hardware, discarted crusing yacht canned food was always a good find. When a yacht is being sold the previous owner will clean out thier yachts of storage food and marine stuff that has accumulated and thrown into a dumpster and one can find virtually anything discarded in general like watches, jewelry, accident discarted items, etc. The best watch I ever had at the time was found in a dumpster. Sometimes when someone dies they throw away all the diseased persons stuff away that someone in the family or friend throws away as clutter and much valuableand usable and practical things, can be found, from household items to things of value, on the waterfront, such as clothes, tools, hardware and seeming personal momentos, etc. Might even find a trophy or an award given, like I once found a Zippo lighter given as some kind momento or award too, or from or concerning somekind Maritine Admiral award ceremony and I gave it to our local street chief, whom we call the Admiral and he treasures it to this day and shows everyone he can that that Peter Romanowsky gave me this lighter, out of a dumpster and I had it reconditioned and he Carrys it to this day, as a practical thing to have, fire with you a the time. Another time or two I found fantastic womens laugerie that I could never afford to buy for my wife while married and I figured things like the left overs from one of the rich yachts in the Marina or someone's wife or girlfriend is coming around and ditching the evidence and all was clean and nice, because virtually nobody throws dirty old clothes away, but  are virtually always washed and even folded and much clothes, as we are marine hardware,  goods and household items are left next to dumpsters, and free for the taking. Another thing I found a lot were discarted Playboy magazines and other sex magazines and I avoided them, even though very valuable as trading items and one waterfront friend offered to buy all that I found and I declined, even though I would find sometimes, cardboard boxes full of them and I  was a poor as the proverbial Church Mouse, for I could not sell, my morals. I the beginning the late eighties when the Republicans where in power the dumpsters were rich and overflowing with items from televisions, video tape decks, radios, marine ship to shore radios, etc. When the Democrates got into power everything went downhill, people weren't confident anymore and held on t ok things more and even worse they took away a tax exempt for maintaintaing for improving or maintaining thier boats, even though they are taxed just like a houseboat in some instances or have to pay property tax because of  being tied up to a dock and the county taxes all boats in slips and us anchorouts are tax free.Thee bottom line is this, the bottom of the job market fell in, for all the maritime workers, mechanics, boat brights, riggers and labourers in general for virtually all non essential work on boats, stopped and not to forget to mention again, the free stuff and recyclables, were virtually, cut in half or greatly diminished. In the wintertime in the non tourist season especially aluminum cans were hard to find and glass beer bottles were the few and only things one can find and a whole gunny snack of glass bottles, if you could reasonably fill it, brought only four or five bucks and maybe six, after checking out seventy  marine dumpsters, in a day....to be continued