Jimmy Del Ponte On The Silly Side (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) There are a couple of great shows on TV that deal with pawn shops and antique hunters. I have always been interested in old things and have accumulated quite a bit of "stuff" over the years. Now, my 14 year old son has developed an interest in what we call, "picking." We go to yard sales, flea markets and antique shops looking for all articles old and interesting.

For Father's day, he gave me an old kerosene railroad lantern that he picked up at a yard sale. I am very happy to be able to share my love of old things with my son. He in turn shares his love of old things with me, just by loving me, as I am getting pretty old!

We spent the day Sunday in Salem, stopping at yard sales and browsing through magic, occult and antique shops. He has been after me to go down to our cellar with him so he can look around and all the crap that has piled up down there.

So Sunday afternoon was the day we ventured down to the Del Ponte family archives. The items that survived several floods (before I wised up and had a pump hard wired in) were stacked on top of each other in boxes and plastic crates. Daddy long legs sprinted over Daddy's framed photograph of his 25th anniversary celebration down at the "plant."

Actually there are two old steam gauges down there that survived after they demolished W.R.Grace in North Cambridge.

Dad was down there watching the destruction and asked for the gauges as a keepsake after 38 years of service. Other photographs that had been down there between 20 and 40 years were showing signs of age and decay.

Pictures were filthy and withering, and dirt and dust covered just about everything. My son was enjoying scanning the items in an old desk drawer.

There were old watches that my Dad never got around to fixing. Oh, did I mention, he used to repair watches in what now is our little computer room? Some of the watches still have the green name tags on them that he put on to identify them. There was one that said "Sister Nilus". She was my sister Christine's 5th grade nun. Another had "Uncle Chick's" name on it, and there is one that says, "Wee Wee" on it someplace down there. That was my Aunt Marie's nickname. Watches that had literally stood still in time.

I found an old notebook of poetry that my mother wrote back in 1944, the year she graduated from Somerville High School. There was another folder with my brother Joe's story called, "Undimmed By Human Tears." It was his recollection of living with the poor people of Morgantown, West Virginia while he was still a high school student.

There were photographs of my mother and father in happier times. Hell, happier times? How about when they were alive? Those were certainly happier times weren't they!

So our little visit to the Del Ponte dungeon had turned into an emotional experience, but what else is new .

Also found was a box of antique harmonicas that my late friend Rocky Buono (Miss Mellons from Kiss 108) gave me, some very old cameras, my mom's Singer sewing machine, and a slew of old canning jars. Boxes of ancient phonograph albums, sheet music from 1920, and several extremely old radios were discovered in our expedition.

I found a great picture of my brother Joe, former Mayor S. Lester Ralph, and then alderman Gene Brune. Gene really hasn't changed that much except for the dark, thick side burns.

I found a few programs from the 1977 Somerville Player's production of "Here's Somerville." That was a show I wrote and directed during my senior year at Emerson College. What a cast of Somerville some bodies! I will have to do an entire article on that show some day soon!

My son went upstairs with two handfuls of things. My father's Masonic belt buckle in the form of a Sphinx , an old pocket watch (not running, of course) and a Ouija Board that was never even taken out of the box.

To maneuver around the cellar is extremely treacherous. Clutter abounds at every step. Our next project will be to sort out the junk from the keepers. We will hopefully have that elusive yard sale we have been talking about forever, and perhaps have a neat cellar someday. But until then, we will keep on looking for treasure in our travels, and in our own home.

And of course, we will reminisce over each precious item. Every family collectible has a story and a fond, heartfelt memory.

You can hire Jimmy for all your music, DJ, and party needs! Weddings, retirement parties, anniversaries, divorces, and hosting for any event. Jimmy will entertain alone or with a band ( The Sleddogs !). and remember, when you hire Jimmy…… Johnny C, Larry The Caterer, Concetta, and Blanche come along at no extra charge! By the hour!!! Call 617-623-0554 for details.