As The April Showers Give Way To Flower Power! (Repost)

(Originally posted to Fab Free this morning)

I was a huge fan of Woodstock (I’m pretty sure he was on my first lunch box when I started kindergarten). My memories come flooding back when I think of those times. Of course, I was too young to enjoy the summer of love back then. Sure, I may have gone running off in a field, letting my diaper fall to the warm earth, and enjoying the feeling of a summer breeze embracing me, but I am also pretty sure I would have gotten spanked for it, too. Spanked very hard, the sixties didn't reach my family home until around 1976. The good news is that for those of us who missed out on the groovy clothes and free love back then, Madcat Creations has designed an excellent prize for The Vintage Hunt. The Male Hippie Outfit is so brilliantly colored it actually looks like it is tie-dyed, as opposed to some similar items with multicolored fractal images on them. This outfit brought me instant faux flashbacks of dancing in the mud, grooving to the sounds of the Grateful Dead. Keep in mind one of the most popular club events in SL are Sixties-themed nights. This prize will come in very handy. The Vintage Hunt is not a free hunt, but the prizes are only 1L and if you look around Madcat Creations you might find the matching women's version as well (they are boxed separately). My bracelet is a free group gift from one of the best Jewelry stores on SL: Earthstones. The Peace Friendship Bracelet goes great with this outfit, but be mindful that the group costs 250L to join. My campsite is a great hunt prize from Finishing Touches. Available for FREE on The Camping Trip Hunt , it comes with the table, chairs and a nice campfire with a pot of coffee warming. Truly a lovely hunt gift.

From a full-fledged freak out of colors, we step away from the pallet to admire something entirely different. This white leather jacket with the integrated grey T-shirt from Wanted knocked me out when I saw it. Luckily for all of us, it has just been put on their Midnight Mania board! I was originally planning to pair it with a nice pair of black jeans, or maybe with a frosted texture, which I am sure would look fantastic. However, Apple May Designs had something even better to go with it for 1L in their Recolors Of Spring Hunt. These white pants look great with the jacket, and since they are unbuttoned at the very top, adding a belt to fill the space between the jacket and the pants as shown is a great idea. The Recolors Of Spring Hunt is scheduled to end today so hurry to pick up these pants. Seriously, RUN! As I was preparing this post, I realized this same men's jacket in XS might please a female avatar who has an androgynous appearance, or is going for a tomboy look. Since it's an MM board, we guys could sure use your help locking it anyway.

So, as April showers give way to the full bloom of flower power, and your travels on the grid take you to new, exotic locations, please take a moment to reflect on what a lovely, wonderful world we live in. Peace and love.-----WHC Riler

WHC is wearing...


Hoodie & Jeans - Madcat Creations Male Hippy Outfit (Vintage Hunt Prize/1L)
Bracelet - Earthstones Peace Friendship Bracelet (Group Gift/250L Group)
Camping Set - Finishing Touches Morning Coffee Camping Set (The Camping Trip Hunt Prize/FREE)

Necklace - [ Y ] Style Tribal Turquoise Necklace Black Currently Unavailable Although 2 and 3 Strand Versions Are Available On Marketplace
Facial Hair - FE Style Facial Hair - 6ED
Hair - Birth Peace Hair (Raven)

---------------------

White Leather Jacket - Wanted Mariano Jacket (Midnight Mania Prize/Free Group)
Pants - Apple May Designs Shades Of Khaki- White (Recolors Of Spring Hunt Prize/1L) Hurry, the hunt ends today!

Necklace - Etham Copper Cross (long) Currently Unavailable
Tattoo - Aitui Love Is Blind
Belt - Wanted
Skin - Belleza Mathieu
Hair - Dura *Dura-Boy*59(Black)

This Scavenging Life - Home

Step Right Up And Enjoy The Show. (repost)

(Originally posted to Fab Free this morning)

As a young boy, I witnessed a man in a raggedy, sequined outfit jump over a pair of trailers on his dirt bike, much to the delight of the crowd. Years later, here I am on the shoulder of Route 23, promoting the debut of my own daredevil show. I chose to wear a group gift from TentatioN. It is very casual and sporty, but with the camouflage pattern on the cargo pants pockets and in the lower corner of the shirt, it also says, "I am a warrior." Sometimes, it's best to let your clothes speak for you (unless they are going to say "I'm a dork", then there is no reason to give them a megaphone). This, however, says volumes in a positive, masculine manner. The gift comes with a color change hud, providing four color choices for both the mesh shirt and the pants. TentatioN is not a free group, though. It will set you back 30L, but this outfit in four colors is worth it.

I grew up in Los Tres Dolores New Mexico , a town named for a mystical formation of three cacti. For my death-defying entry into the world of show business, I will jump over that local landmark in the greatest riding lawnmower jump in the history of mankind! At first glance a lawnmower it may not appear to be the best choice for soaring through the air, but isn't a riding mower essentially a helicopter that has been flipped upside down? This very detailed (and shockingly fast) mower is the current FREE group gift from Knight Performance. This store along with the one which shares the building with them (Surplus Motors) are great sources for beautifully detailed vehicles in SL. Both stores are free groups and offer many Midnight Manias, group gifts and discounts. If you have any interest in vehicles on Second Life, you should seriously consider joining them.

If you are going to let your clothes do the speaking for you, this Rockabilly Hunt prize jacket from The Dark Fae positively screams, "Rebel.” Its cool stand-up collar and retro styling including a must see graphic on its' back are perfect for people who don't follow the rules, like me (even if it's because I can't be bothered to read them). The Rebel Soul Jacket sports versions with and without the t-shirt and comes in three sizes, plus an additional two sizes in fitmesh. Cool style is timeless, and this jacket is perfectly cool! This Rockabilly Hunt prize is not free, but at only 2L, it’s a bargain. These jeans are extraordinary as well, coming from a quickly expanding store called Illi. Currently on their Midnight Mania board, these Midnight Open Belt Jeans are nicely textured and look great, and a big surprise was the texture hud that came with them. Illi gives us 8 denim colors, 4 belt colors and 4 metal accent textures for the belt. That is excellent versatility for a free gift! It does carry a small logo, but it is easy to overlook, given the generosity of this Midnight Mania prize. Also worth noting are my mesh white leather sneakers, fresh from the Wayward Hunt. The prize, from the store United Colors, comes in both men's and ladies’ sizes and with that touch of blue on them they look fantastic for a FREE hunt gift. I was truly impressed!

Well, I dressed for success and I did everything right but sometimes that just isn't enough. Sometimes in life the ramp just isn't high enough, or maybe the wind shifts, or maybe a lawn mower just isn't meant to fly. A person could drive themselves crazy sitting back and reflecting over those kinds of things, but not me. I am on to my next great adventure and I hope you will be there with me.-----WHC Riler

WHC is wearing...


Camouflage Outfit - TentatioN Men's Mesh Camo Shirt & Pants (Group Gift/30L Pay Group)
Shoes - Giomen Lumberjack Boots


Jacket - The Dark Fae Rebel Soul Jacket (Male Rockabilly Hunt Gift/2L)
Pants - Illi Midnight Open Belt Jeans (Midnight Mania Prize)
Shoes - United Colors White Leather Sneakers (Wayward Hunt Gift/FREE)

Eyes - Poetic Colors Pearl - Clear Pond
Skin - Belleza Mathieu
Hair - Dura *Dura-Boy*59(Black)

No riding lawnmowers were harmed in the creation of this post!
Lawnmower - Knight Performance Ride-On Lawn Mower (FREE Group Gift/FREE Group)

This Scavenging Life - Home

A Splash Of Color You Don't Want To Brush Off! (repost)

(Originally posted to Fab Free this morning)


Little did I realize when I started on Second Life (watching Fab Free and jumping on any freebie I could get my hands on) that someday I would have the chance to contribute to this amazing resource. It gives me great pride to be joining Fab Free as a weekly contributor and I look forward to the great adventure ahead. Getting down to business, there is an excellent Midnight Mania prize out over at Ruca Tease. One great thing about this Mesh Men's Spilled Paint Open Hoodie w/Shirt is that it comes with a texture change hud. This gives you the flexibility of seven great color options. Very casual and comfortable looking, it is definitely a Midnight Mania board worth tapping, you don't even have to be in the group!  Do it today though, I hear it could be taken down as early as Friday! Also this week, I’m wearing the FREE GIFT from Poetic Colors. You’ll love these spotted eyes in the tropic color. The gift is very generous as it includes both mesh and system eyes, 3 sizes, and 3 brightness variations. They are quite unique looking, and for those of us who collect great eyes, they are not to be missed!  I want to thank Love, Pru, Julianna and all the other contributors to Fab Free for this opportunity to contribute to a blog I’ve admired for a very long time. I hope my time here will be as rewarding for all of you as it will be for me.-----WHC Riler


WHC is wearing...


Hoodie - Ruca Tease Men's Spilled Paint Open Hoodie w/Shirt Midnight Mania Prize
Hurry, will change soon!

Eyes - Poetic Colors Spotted Eyes - Tropic ( Free gift!)

Skin - Belleza Mathieu

Hair - Dura *Dura-Boy*59(Black)

This Scavenging Life - Home

Good News Everyone!

This Scavenging Life has turned one year old! They said it wouldn't last, or they would have if I had asked them. Instead I just built it anyway. Evolving very little from the original post which was the orion mesh leather jacket from Lavarock. It's funny that jacket was one of the reasons I became a blogger. I ran out of friends to tell about it and just had to tell others to pick it up. One year later and I still wear it sometimes, that was an amazing freebie and partially because of it, This Scavenging Life exists. The other reason I began to write this blog was because there were few resources for male freebies and low cost items. Spending money in-world is a problem for me, so when I found Fab Free and a few other internet blogs suddenly Second Life opened up a great deal more for me. Fab Free back in those days had a man posting items named Carson and I was a huge fan of his. When he posted it was like Christmas time for me and I would go running to pick up whatever he had chosen to highlight. Fab Free and Carson were huge influences on me and are the other main reason This Scavenging Life exists. So I am taking this time to wish a Happy Birthday to This Scavenging Life!

Now everything is changing!

In one day my first post as a regular weekly contributor to Fab Free will be posted! I will be following in the footsteps of Carson. I could not be happier to be joining Fab Free staff and having the opportunity to contribute to the blog that was so influential in my development as a blogger. So what will become of This Scavenging Life? I will continue to maintain it and my access to experienced bloggers means I will be able to take it to the next level. The writing will still suck, I promise! The blog itself should experience a boost in technology and polish however, something I can't wait to implement. The best days for this blog are truly ahead of it. Lastly, I have to thank everyone who ever read any of my entries here. This blog would be pointless if no one ever read it. I make an effort to try to help our community and entertain when I can and honestly I get a great deal out of writing it, but the bottom line is without readers this blog is nothing. Thank you for giving me a wonderful year and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us. -----WHC Riler

Logo-verkill Or Incredible Free Boots?

Hello fellow Scavengers, I have a very short and simple post today. Recently, a store called ODDITY popped up on my radar with a fantastic FREE group gift. It has been out for a while so if you are interested in having a very nice, highly detailed set of boots you are going to want to run there. The boots are leather textured MESH and come in black and brown with options for light or dark detailing changed via a hud. The hud is super easy to use and very well thought out, I was impressed. They are probably the best free boots I have ever laid my hands on but there is a minor problem. Oddity has rather liberally marked them with the name of their store, something which most times would mean I would not consider the item for posting. That is a personal policy of mine in general but this item was so good, I was forced to override that policy. You can see from the picture the embossed leather company name is large but somewhat subtle and the other logos are not obtrusive. Factoring in how I feel about the branding on these boots, they are still "The best free boots I have found"! That should tell you something about how highly I rate them and the quality of the items at Oddity in general. They are likely only going to be out for a limited time so if you like the pic, go grab them and give them a fair look. I bet most of you are going to love them. See you on the grid!-----WHC Riler

Unisex boots - Oddity - Casey Basics (FREE GIFT/FREE GROUP)

This Scavenging Life - Home

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
- Lao Tzu


In the United States, today is Valentines Day. I tried to research this extensively so I could add some insight into the origin and cultural significance of this holiday, but after reading the Wiki, I said to heck with that and decided to just make stuff up. There is some uncertainty about the origin of the Valentine for which this holiday is named. I think the most likely historical figure was an inventor in the early 1400's who gained some notoriety for developing a new lightweight, easily configurable kind of armor for which late in life he was made a Patron Saint. Not surprisingly, the age of cardboard armor was quite fleeting as it offered little protection from swords, arrows, rain and even candles. To this day however, we honor Saint Valentine the Patron Saint of Dubious Armor by sending messages to our loved ones on thin pieces of decorated cardboard. In the United States our modern Valentines Day tradition began in 1912 when the President signed the great holiday compromise bill into law. Frustration American women felt when earlier in the month they were traditionally given groundhogs as tokens of their lover's affection had finally boiled over and the government was forced to intervene. As the result, Valentines Day was created for gift giving, and the groundhog, once nearly as popular as the Chihuahua in American households, fell in stature to it's current position, slightly more popular than a television weather man. LAVAROCK has once again made it's way onto my blog with their FREE group gift, a black very nicely textured casual shirt which buttons up the front. It has a leathery texture and is emblazoned in back with a dark gray tribal heart design that is tastefully done. As always with a Lavarock gift you get great texturing and detailing including stitching and realistic metallic buttons. A note to some of my more conservative friends, the buttons do have tiny non-inverted pentagrams on them in case it matters. It's a very nice shirt and the perfect excuse for me to pop on and wish everyone a happy Valentines Day. Take care and spread some love on the grid today.-----WHC Riler

Riot is wearing - Lavarock - Men's Tribal Heart Shirt. (FREE GIFT/FREE GROUP)

This Scavenging Life - Home

It's Official, Spring Is Here!

Now, before you look at me like I am insane, I have to tell you I am fully aware that Spring is technically not here yet. To paraphrase a song, however, "It's springtime somewhere!" That somewhere is in parts of Florida and Arizona where Major League Baseball's spring training will open in just a week! For me, that is a very welcome sign that winter is in retreat. Riot and I got together yesterday to play a little ball at the local park in celebration of Winter’s end. We are both wearing the same shirt, a fantastic FREE group gift from LAPOINTE & BASTCHILD. The L&B Swear "Classic" T-Shirt comes with a texture change hud giving both of these textures, plus eight more. Each design has a very cool, vaguely retro, realistic, and comfortable look. It’s just the kind of thing I would wear in my first life. Included in the package are an impressive eight sizes with two variations of each (tucked and untucked). This is definitely a freebie to pick up! So, no offense to all you groundhog fans out there with your rodent oracle predicting how long Winter will linger, but there is only one critter intelligent enough to tell you what season it actually is. He says it's "DUCK SEASON!" That's all folks, now go get some sun (and this group gift)!-----WHC Riler

WHC Riler & Riot Bayn are wearing - Lapointe & Bastchild - the L&B Swear "Classic" T-Shirt featuring 10 designs available via a texture change hud (FREE GIFT/ FREE GROUP)

NOTE - There is a female version of this gift out right next to it and it is equally impressive! (FREE GIFT/ FREE GROUP)

This Scavenging Life - Home

"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination." - John Lennon

For many of us, Second Life is where our imaginations go to play and explore. The title of this post, a quote by my favorite Beatle, John Lennon, says a lot about life. It explains a lot about our second lives as well. We explore, we learn, we develop as avatars and (despite what some people believe) we do so as people at the same time. Our imaginations can develop when our real life limitations disappear. Indulging in these opportunities for play can help us become better and more rounded people. This is what I wish for all of us in 2015: A year of imaginations on the rampage and peace and joy spreading across the grid, trickling into all of our other lives. I was thrilled to see a FREE group gift from ASHBURY recently, one that is perfect for my first post of 2015. It’s the Dean Leather Jacket & Shirt, a MESH one piece combo that includes a FITMESH version as well! The jacket has a great leather texture, detailed stitching, and features striking metallic accents in the zippers and buttons. The shirt portion is a white Beatles tee, which will make a lot of people smile when they see it. Musical tastes vary, but The Beatles’ importance in music is impossible to deny. Together, it's a timeless leather jacket with realistic detailing and an iconic shirt that many people will love. That is one heck of a great FREE group gift, and exactly how I want my blogging year to begin. I want to thank all of you for helping me grow this blog and allowing it to become a source of pride for me and the others who contribute to its success. In March, it will celebrate it's first birthday, something I look forward to greatly. There is a Lennon anecdote, familiar to many, which I will repeat due to its great personal significance for me. "When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life."
- John Lennon -----Posted by WHC Riler

Riot Bayn is wearing - Ashbury - the Dean Leather Jacket & Beatles Shirt (FREE GIFT/ FREE GROUP)

This Scavenging Life - Home

Post-Apocolyptic Dream Date!

Our next guest stays eternally young by prowling the desert wasteland, picking up scrap metal and killing mutants for their fuel credits. He likes long drives in the desert and skinning and cooking rabbits for food. Please give a warm post-apocalyptic welcome to Riot Bayn!!!! Yes ladies, after the nuclear holocaust, after the global war against the undead, even after the mutant uprising that follows, you might still have to date someone. Riot and the remaining horde of mildly-mutated survivors are counting on that. It should come as no surprise to anyone that he already has picked out his clothes for that future event. The rugged-looking MESH vest Riot is wearing is the Menstuff Hunt gift from BROCADE TIGER. It has a fantastic masculine look, and the back is emblazoned with a pair of angel wings, which evoke a vest worn by my favorite character on a great television show. I won't say which one, but a friend once called it a "Soap opera with zombies". I MUTED HER! As worn in the pics, the jacket has been tinted a darker brown, something easily done if needed. I love the look of this vest.

Riot is wearing the Winter Kat Jeans from the Menstuff Hunt gift from NEKOLICIOUS and straight out of the box they are gray but can be tinted as shown here to match other garments. The Winter Kat outfit consists of a bright red MESH holiday sweater, the MESH Winter Kat Jeans (which would be great for most male wardrobes), and a set of animated ears and a tail to complete the neko theme. VESTIGIUM'S Menstuff Hunt prize "Bruises III" contributes the scratches and roughens up Riot's face some, which gives him a very authentic tough-guy look to match his nearly-authentic tough guy attitude. His shirt is a very nicely textured brown long sleeve Henley shirt which is a FREE Christmas Gift from ASHBURY. It looks great whether you choose to wear it alone, or under another item of clothing like a mesh jacket. I own a number of mesh jackets, so an excellent system shirt (layer style clothing) is especially valuable to me. It is available until the end of the month and is a MUST pick up since it can be worn with such versatility.

Riot's ride comes courtesy of SURPLUS MOTORS, and was not free. However, now is the perfect time to mention that both Surplus Motors and KNIGHT PERFORMANCE make fantastic cars, some of which are free group gifts. The level of care and detail in the creation of these cars is evident in the pics. So, even if you can't get tickets to appear on a future episode of Post-Apocalyptic Dream Date, you can look like you belong on the show: rugged, handsome, and able to take care of yourself in a world of unimaginable violence and brutality. You can have that look and still have enough money left over to buy that issue of the National Enquirer you saw at the fuel depot. Oh look! President Kardashian is posing nude again to get the budget through Congress. I always knew she would make a great President.-----WHC Riler

Riot Bayn is wearing - Brocade Tiger - the Angel Wing Vest (Menstuff Hunt / 1L)

Nekolicious - the Winter Kat Jeans (Menstuff Hunt / 1L)

Vestigium - Bruises III (Menstuff Hunt / 1L)

Ashbury - the Henley Long Sleeve Shirt-Brown (Christmas/Holiday Gift / FREE)
It should be available until the end of December so hurry!

Check out the FREE Surplus Motors and Knight Performance groups if you are looking for free high quality vehicles. They both do group gifts along with other promotions

The Menstuff Hunt ends January 2nd, so grab everything you can!

The Official Homepage Of Menstuff

This Scavenging Life - Home

The Poetry Of Winter.

Winter has fallen and flakes of snow drift lazily to the ground in the cold, dense air. Around all of us is the romance of the holidays and the joy of seeing the warm smiles of distant loved ones once again. Memories resurface of cuddling on a park bench with a lover as the snow falls, kissing their nose and sharing an intimate laugh. The joyful noise of the young fill the days with excitement and wonder. Winter can be a romantic time of the year, and within it there is poetry around all of us. Sadly, it is completely ruined by the lousy weather. The best thing about winter is sending my friends to miserably cold places to get even for trips to the beach I didn't get invited to. Riot Bayn can tell you all about that when his teeth stop chattering. The Megastuff 2 Hunt is going on right now. It consists of the Menstuff, Womenstuff and Homestuff hunts, all running at the same time. They are on until January 2nd and are generally excellent hunts. Riot is wearing the Stephen Steel Grey Jacket - the Menstuff Hunt gift from JFM (Jana's For Men). The garment is a well made, warm looking MESH jacket perfect for these winter months and JFM was very thoughtful in including a FITMESH version in the package as well. It is a well done garment and deserves some extra love from us hunters. Riot is also wearing another Menstuff Hunt gift in this post, the prize from HAWKER'S HOUSE. Their gift includes the very nice black turtleneck and chino slacks in black. The sweater is nicely textured and is a system (in layers) garment which makes it fantastic to go under mesh coats and jackets. It is a great thing to have in inventory for that reason alone. If that wasn't enough of a reason to pick up the Hawker's House Menstuff Hunt prize, here is another one: the MESH black chino slacks Riot are wearing is also part of the same gift! The Menstuff hunt is ending soon, January 2nd so, if you want in on these items, you will have to run there. The hunt objects are small blue T-shirts and cost 1L each. At Hawker's House you are only looking for one hunt item, both the chinos and turtleneck are in that box! Lastly, since the hunt is nearly over as I post this I wanted to post the Menstuff blog where you can find pictures of other gifts offered. It is fairly well covered already so I am just hitting the highlights that I feel need extra attention. Until we cross paths again my friends, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Festive Festivus to all of you. I hope you find a great deal of joy and love over the holidays wherever they take you. -----WHC Riler

Riot Bayn is wearing - JFM (Jana's For Men) - the Stephen Steel Grey Jacket (Menstuff Hunt / 1L)

Hawker's House - the Black Turtleneck Sweater and Black Chino Slacks (Menstuff Hunt / 1L)

The Official Homepage Of Menstuff

This Scavenging Life - Home