by jessie voigts
Member since:
December 19, 2005

another use for old tires

June 07, 2006 07:44 PM EDT (Updated: June 08, 2006 12:11 AM EDT)
views: 70 | rating: 9.9/10 (8 votes) | comments: 20
when we were kayaking last night, i  noticed that there are an awful lot of  used tires  being used in  a new way. growing up on a farm, we had some uses for old tires - tire swings  are the main ones i remember. but here, it seems like every other dock has a plethora of tires in evidence.  occasionally you'll see these white pillow inflatables, but those are few and far between - probably because they cost money. tires are free - well, you can always find old tires around.  we were laughing, all the way around our end of the lake.  lillie was the eagle-eye for us, and  our combined laughter, as she spotted more and exclaimed loudly, rang  out across the water.

here you go:

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Comments: 20

Bart H. Jun 7, 2006, 7:48pm EDT
this is too cool......
you can see the human mind process this....
the variety. the innovation.

good observations.
thanks for posting!
Nancy S. Jun 7, 2006, 7:50pm EDT
Interesting that you can enjoy nature and recycling at the same time, no?
Vicky P. Jun 7, 2006, 7:50pm EDT
Oh I'm so jealous you live on a lake. Wish I was, I once saw a garden that had tires laid out all over the place with different flowers planted in each one.
0000-dashiell5-0000 Jun 7, 2006, 7:51pm EDT
Ugly as sin, but practical. I prefered the huge inner tubes to truck tires -- the ones with the menacing metal air valve that would impale you if you jumped on it from the float out in the lake. Pssssssssssssssttt.... (that'd be your stomach, when you hit it just wrong).
Faith H. Jun 7, 2006, 7:56pm EDT
It's sure better than burning them, thanks jessie, I wish there were more practical uses like this for old tires, or if a recycle could be effective.
Linda Douglas Jun 7, 2006, 7:59pm EDT
I remember people using them as planters, too. Usually surrounding a bathtub turn on its side, painted blue, with a statue of the Virgin Mary in it. The old bathtub grotto, another recycling attempt that went awry. Though I do agree using old tires as bumpers is a great idea.
jessie voigts Jun 7, 2006, 8:20pm EDT
isn't it crazy?? we were laughing at the mini tires, and also at the layering of tires. what a hoot. i guess we can't talk - we have old firehose on our poles (so we don't run into the cement wall). still, i think it is a sight better...at least a little bit! thanks for the comments!

KR - i like the inner tubes, too. if you get the HUGE ones, you can fit 4 kids on it and then hold hands and try to bounce each other off. heh heh.
0000-dashiell5-0000 Jun 7, 2006, 8:23pm EDT
Where does one FIND those huge inner tubes as of old? Seems our parents had them a dime a dozen. I liked it when my brother sat in one and I leaped from the float and landed on one side of the tube in an attempt to torpedo him... heh heh.
Laurie White Jun 7, 2006, 8:27pm EDT
Jessie, you find so many interesting things to write about from your jaunts on the lake. I'm surprised you saw so many but I guess it's good they are finding use for them! KR, I grew up on a lake and I remember those babies, too!
Mary M. Alward Jun 7, 2006, 8:44pm EDT
Jessie, For years I've seen old tires being used on boat houses around Lake Erie, which is about a 40 minute drive from here. We too used them for swings and my aunt uses old tractor tires - the huge ones - as flower beds. She paints the treads white to make a white on black effect. They're also great for obstacle courses. I'm sure there's a wide variety of other things as well, but that is all I can think of for now.
jessie voigts Jun 7, 2006, 8:56pm EDT
aren't we a hoot? i love it!! KR - i have no idea where to get those huge inner tubes. maybe tractor supply? i'll ask my dad. i Never did that torpedo (fingers crossed) heehee....love it!!

yes, i can't blv how many we saw, either. no paint on them, mary - just plain. you see a lot of black marks on the sides of boats around here, though.
jessie voigts Jun 7, 2006, 8:56pm EDT
ps faith are you putting bart to work again? i like your new gathacon!
Carol Voigts Jun 7, 2006, 9:42pm EDT
How about tire fences too, buried in halfway.
Jillbilly H. Jun 7, 2006, 9:49pm EDT
That is a great idea.
Leah Christensen Jun 8, 2006, 3:36am EDT
My Dad has tires chained to the side of our dock at the cottage to keep the boat save, when tied up.
jessie voigts Jun 8, 2006, 3:11pm EDT
thanks! liz - i think it is the water and the browns and reds of the docks, eh??

thank you!
Mariana T. Jun 8, 2006, 3:47pm EDT
Hey Miz Jessie - thanks for the great post and pictures!!! Every tree in Louisiana has a tire swing hanging from it. Sometimes they hang over the bayou so you can take your chances and swing and hopefully not fall into a bunch of water mocassins or a big seven foot alligator. My friend just caught one on her dock and they had to call the Wildlife and Fisheries. Anyway, poor things have to eat. Jessie, we too used to turn the tires inside out, paint them and kind rick rack the edges and make planters. Linda, down here they cut the old clawfoot in half and that's where the Virgin Mary goes - that's her altar. Your neighbor is usually your mother-in-law so it's a good split. I do have a few tires in the shed so I would appreciate more uses. You lucky dog, living on a lake!!!!Thanks again, Miz Jessie - say hi to Lillie for me! Salud,
jessie voigts Jun 8, 2006, 4:25pm EDT
mariana - you creep me out with those gaters and snakes. yikes!!!! now, ghosts, i can take. scary wildlife - no thanks!! heehee....i think you have plenty of uses for those old tires. put them around your MIL!! haha. ok that was naughty. yes, we are lucky! thanks!
Kathryn E. Jun 10, 2006, 11:00am EDT
As I live my city life, Jessie, I envy your farm life, hard as farm life is, even for a 'non-working' non-animal farm. You have such a beautiful connection with nature; your photos are incredible. I take few pictures, so much of my creative energy goes into 'words' makeing pictures and music that way; but real art, such as you show, is much more immediate...

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