Catching Up

I am  little behind with posting. Buster made a few yard sale purchases. The first is an odd little thing. I couldn't figure out what it was. I did a little research and found out that it is an early G E coffee maker. This is the bottom section and it had another part that sat on top.

Next he picked up a few pieces of dinnerware for me. He found a Blue Heaven plate and a Star Glow plate. Our daughter uses Blue Heaven as her everyday dinnerware and I thought Star Glow would be fun for the holidays.

I ran by America's Thrift and, in an odd coincidence, found more Blue Heaven and Star Glow. I found two Star Glow dinner plates, two saucers, a cereal bowl, and a cake plate. I also discovered two Blue Heaven bread plates and three dinner plates. The prices ran from 25 cents for the cereal bowl to $1.48 for the cake plate. At those prices, I can afford a few pieces for the holidays!

Buster found a few other odds and ends and I will include the pictures.

 

Short Trip

My daughter was home for a short visit and it was time to take her back to the airport. We hit I10 to get her there in a hurry. After a hug and a kiss, we dropped her at the airport and headed back home. It was a lovely Sunday afternoon, the perfect day for a few afternoon yardsales. We forego a quick trip home and head for the backroads.

Buster is the best for spotting those side of the road yard sales. He is soon doing a u-ey in the middle of the road and heading back for a road side yard sale in someone's front yard. Buster makes a quick sweep and comes up with two cast iron brackets. The man wants 25 cents. Buster pays him and we head out again.

The next stop we don't find a thing. Then we see several people with two trailers and lots of junk. I spot a bedside chest of drawers for $2 but it is made of particle board. It has several places that have already expanded with moisture and I let that one go. These items are priced to sell and I soon find another item I am interested in - a pair of glass candlesticks. They are in perfect shape and have a cut glass flower drapped across the base. I decide if the price is $5 or less I will take them. The woman asks for 50 cents. Buster hands me a dollar thinking that it is 50 cents for each one. She says - Let me get you some change. Fifty cents for the pair! No wonder Buster loves the backroads!


Sparkling, after a bath!



Covered in grease

You can barely see the flower on the base.

A bath helps immensely

The pair for 50 cents! Lovely!

Backroads in Missippissi

Another beautiful weekend and another chance to hit the backroads. We throw a few things in the BMW and head toward Mississippi. We start out on Hwy 45 and come upon one yard sale after another. Some of these sales look like permanent sales and I have to wonder if the recession is forcing people to try to come up with ways to make a few extra dollars here and there.

We came across a lot of interesting things. An old fashioned tricycle that had been made into a wine rack. A table with one broken leg. Lots, and lots, and lots of Christmas decorations. (I hope I remember this next time I think I need more Christmas decorations.) Many, varied, and interesting things made from horse shoes. The woman at the horse shoe yard sale followed Buster around so closely that I think she thought he was going to grab 30 or 40 lbs of cast iron pots and make a run for it.

After several hours and no luck, we decided to change highways. We turned onto Hwy 15 and found lots of uninhabited land. We finally came to the tiny town of Louin and found a junk store with a Rummage Sale sign. Three elderly gentlemen were visiting on the front porch and we scooted past them to walk inside a wonderland of junk. Oh, what a rummage sale! Rummaging would be the only way to find anything!

I stayed in the main room and Buster ventured off to the right. The piles were unbelieveable. Ninety percent of this stuff needed to head to the junk yard. Cardboard boxes in the back were tumbled on top of each other in a stack ten feet tall. I squeezed down one aisle and up the other. I stopped for a minute and heard a rustle next to me. I thought, "That's funny. I am not moving." I saw a long skinny tail slide along a box, and then a whole mouse, and then another one. Okay. Time to go find Buster. I am out of there!

Buster's rummaging is more productive. He found a wonderful large white speckled bowl with blue stars. The manufacturer is Royal but I don't know the pattern. The elderly gentleman wanted $2 for the bowl but would let me have everything on the table for $75. I declined the whole table offer but did take the bowl. We did shake off a few mouse droppings before wrapping it and putting it in the BMW. As I finished my purchase, Buster chatted with the men on the front porch. As most men want to know, they ask Buster, "How fast will it go?" Of course, Buster told a few tales of his adventures in the BMW. (I think they grow each time he tells them.) The men enjoyed the stories and had a few laughs before we headed out.



Love those stars! Royal Celeste

 We put the top down before we got back on the road. The day was cooling down and we decided to head back home. We took I20 back to Hwy 45 and headed south. The perfect end to a perfect day.

Shrimp Festival Weekend

Beautiful weekend and we are heading to the beach! The Shrimp Festival is happening in Gulf Shores and it should be a good weekend for bargains. We hop in the BMW and start looking for yard sales, or junk shops, or any place interesting. The traffic is heavy and we take the backroads. We didn't see any yard sales but a parking lot is filled with venders. They must think they are antique dealers because the prices are way too high for my taste! I would have to see something I really wanted to pay these prices. Buster does locate a treasure in a pile of do-dads. He finds a small barometer for $3. He just has to have it. That is the only item that made it back into the car. We hop back in the BMW and head for the beach.



Barometer for $3



When we arrive at Gulf Shores, we park at Bruno's and take the shuttle to the festival. It is well worth the dollar fare to not have to look for a parking place and walk. The weather is wonderful. The venders are interesting. The heat soon becomes intense even though we are already in October. After two bottles of water and a cone of ice cream, we head back to the BMW and head on home.

The day was very enjoyable but we didn't locate many treasures. That is okay. The chase is the adventure! The treasures are just an added bonus.

Taken For a Ride

This time instead of going for a ride, I was taken for a ride. I was making my favorite rounds and first stopped in Goodwill. A quick spin and I didn't find a thing so I headed over to America's Thrift. I found a stack of four square Paden City plates with an interesting "modern" pattern. Then I noticed a white pitcher with a yellow stopper and a matching creamer. I added those to my basket. After I finished a sweep of the dinnerware section, I headed over to furniture. I didn't find anything interesting so I headed to the checkout.



Paden City but I don't know the pattern



 Shame on America's Thrift for not disclosing
 that the design was gone.



When I got home, I couldn't wait to get all that tape, that America's Thrift is so famous for using, off the stack of plates. The first one in the stack was a little worn but in decent shape. The other three were terrible! There was hardly any design left on the plates at all! America's Thrift - you took me for a ride! At least when you buy something on E-Bay, the buyer discloses all the imperfections. I feel that America's Thrift was being totally dishonest.

After several hours on the Internet, I still haven't found the pattern. Paden City is the name of the maker and the plates are square but I haven't a clue as to the name of the pattern. Any clue as to the identity?



Any idea as to the manufacturer?

 The other two pieces were in good shape and I quickly got them cleaned up. The pitcher has USA on the bottom but no other markings. I thought at first that the pieces were Taylor Smith and Taylor but the handle on the creamer isn't quite as long as the Ever Yours creamer. Any ideas?

I guess I learned a lesson today. Everything is not always what it seems. Check your purchases carefully. Shame on you, America's Thrift.

Update: The Paden City plate is Design 88 by Anton Refregier. Sometimes a book is a quicker way to find information than the internet. After spending hours on the internet looking for the pattern, I found it in five minutes in Michael Pratt's Mid-Century Modern Dinnerware. Go figure...

Also found out that the white with yellow pitcher and creamer are Harker Cock O'morn. I am not sure if it is a covered pitcher or a coffee pot.

Finds of the Week

Since we can't go on a road trip every week, I am going to include a few local finds.



Aztec cup with saucer

 Remember the Aztec dinnerware that I found a few weeks ago? (Metlox page) When I found the cups, I didn't find any saucers to go with them. I did a little research and discovered that the saucers have no decoration on them, only the background speckles. I wondered if other people could have overlooked them as I had. So...I headed back to Goodwill. It didn't even take a minute in the dinnerware section - there they were - three saucers stacked together. Nice save!






Dark Green Planter

 I am a nut about dark green planters from the fifties. It is kind of an obsession. I use one for my sponges by the kitchen sink. I use another for my makeup in the bathroom. And I have a whole bunch on a display shelf in the sunroom. I picked up a new one for $2.98 at America's Thrift Store. I love the scallops along the top.








Russel Wright dinner and salad plates



 When I was growing up, we used Russel Wright Iroquois Casual as our everyday china. Imagine my surprise when I discovered a few years ago that it was all the rage with collectors. I inherited some of my mother's brown Russel Wright and some of my aunt's blue. I have collected a number of other colors over the last few years. As it gained popularity, the prices soared.

Five new style and three old style cups

I went into America's Thrift and was quite surprised to see the familiar shape of the cups. I didn't think  it could possibly be because Russel Wright has become so popular that it is usually snatched up immediately. Unbelieveably, it was Russel Wright! Two sets of four charcoal cups each. Eight cups for $2.00. Unheard of! Off to look for the saucers...and there they were. Also two sets of four charcoal saucers for $2.00.





Do we really need all this tape?



Of course, I had to look for more. There was no more charcoal but there was white, which, by the way, looks very nice with charcoal. Two salad plates and two dinner plates. Russel Wright was designed to be mix-and-match and so many of the colors look really great together. Now - how to get all that sticky tape off...





Blue Heaven

Now how about a couple of blue cups - Royal China's Blue Heaven  







$1.48 for two Jamestown China dinner plates

 A Jamestown China plate with brown flowers -- Early Autumn

Brown Snuff Bottles

 And a couple of old snuff bottles. 











On the Mexican Backroads

Buster seems to have adventures wherever he goes. Right now he is in Mexico and is having a few adventures there. This is his story.

September 17, 2010 Veracruz-Mexico

Seems trouble follows me where ever I go. I had just arrived in Mexico when Hurricane Karl decided to make an abrupt left turn. Karl just so happened to come directly over my head just north of Veracruz. Unfortunately, the people here didn’t know it was knocking at their front door, no news or weather warnings what so ever. I guess after 50 years without a major cat 3 storm, younger people were oblivious to the possible dangers associated with hurricanes.

I am working here as a supervisor for an industrial filtration company out of Pascagoula, Mississippi, and I wouldn’t call this place a tropical paradise, just maybe tropical in nature. Don’t get me wrong - the company we are working for - Repindsa - has gone out of their way to make us feel as comfortable as possible and have bent over backwards to accommodate us every way they could.

We are doing a job at a steel mill called TenarisTamsa just north of Veracruz. I reluctantly went into work knowing what to expect from the storm. Having lived most of my life on the Gulf Coast, I have been through a few storms before, Hurricane Fredrick being the worst. (Time Magazine - September 12, 1979 - man rides out hurricane Fredrick in beach house on Fort Morgan, Gulf Shores, Alabama.) The 2000 local men working at this plant had no idea or warning what to expect from the storm, not even from their company. A foreman told me, “Oh, the rain will be over in a few minutes” and I told him, “You need to bend over and kiss it goodbye. Hell is about to break loose. Part of the roof will come off. Tornadoes will come through and trees will be gone when this is over.” He just laughed.

Well, about 2 hrs later he wasn’t laughing . After 4 cups of coffee, I had to go but the portables were outside of this very large tin building. I tried to force my way against 140 mph winds-of course to no avail- and decided to try later. Unfortunately, part of the roof did come off, and we did have tornadoes, and the trees never had a chance. The men were running around like scared rats trying to find a place to hide. When the eye of the storm came over they said, “See - it is over.” I told them to grab a cheek and hold on again. Once the wind reversed, I tried to make it to the bathroom again only to watch the portables go rolling across the parking lot.

Now the storm is over. Of course we have no power, the roads are out and flooded, and, to top it off, the next day a levee broke and flooded a town we had to go through to get to the plant. Just so happens there is a high toll road back to Veracruz and now we get to go back to work. I guess this is just another chapter in my exciting life. To be continued--

Labor Day Weekend

Glass Flower Frogs

Labor Day Weekend was the perfect weekend to hit the road. As everyone and his brother headed south to the Gulf, Buster and I headed north on Interstate 65. We wanted get a little time on the road Friday night but we didn't last long on the interstate. We soon headed off on the backroads. We spent the night in North Alabama. We really wanted to stay at Mount Cheaha but the state park requires a three day stay on holiday weekends. Mount Cheaha will have to wait for another time.

Saturday



Some of the $5 dinnerware



Hand Painted Creamer and Sugar



We left the Birmingham area and took I-65 north turned onto the backroads towards the Huntsville area. We stopped at one yard sale after another.  Buster found a small old toy car that had a pencil sharpener in the back for 25 cents. Another stop and I scooped up three glass flower frogs for 50 cents. (I wonder why they are called frogs...) A flea market produced a hand painted sugar and creamer (Blue Ridge?), a whole box of dishes with thirty pieces of dinnerware with a yellow flower motif for $5.00, and a b b gun for Buster. (Are those dishes really going to fit in the BMW? Buster talked me into buying those. I hope he remembers that later. We rearranged and got everything to fit.)

A pencil sharpener for Buster



Woodland Gold Dinner
Plate and Platter



We stopped at a very small building that was supposed to be a yard sale and found a small metal plant stand for $1.00. Then we stopped in a town called Silverton. I found a great junk sale by the side of the road. After digging through a ton of dishes, I found a Woodland Gold dinner plate in perfect condition and the gentleman wanted 50 cents for it. That was definitely a bargain! Oddly enough, I have found a number of serving pieces of Woodland Gold but that was my first dinner plate.



Glass Refrigerator Box

 On down the road, a really nice lady was having a yard sale and I purchased a glass refrigerator box for $2.00. There are so many reproductions these days that I don’t really know if it is old or not but I thought it would look really pretty with brightly colored buttons inside of it. Although we don’t usually go in stores, we made a concession and went in to ask directions. Of course I had to look around and I found three more pieces of Woodland Gold - a platter for $7.00, a creamer for $4.00, and a covered vegetable dish for $6.00. I thought all were decent prices and I don’t run into Woodland Gold very often.



Woodland Gold Covered
Vegetable Dish

 I have heard for years about a “lost luggage” place in Scottsboro. I have always wanted to visit so we headed off in that direction. I was very disappointed. They had some great merchandise but, for used items, the prices were very high. We got back on the road and headed toward Tennessee. Somehow we went the wrong direction and ended up at Rock City. It turned out to be one of those good mistakes. We stopped on the road up the mountain for a great view of the sunset. Aaahhh, the good life! That is what the backroads are for. We went up to the railroad at top of mountain then headed down to find a motel outside of Carlton, Tennessee.

Sunday

The next morning we headed out. We left the motel and took the backroads towards Hwy 411 went to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to meet our daughter. We had an enjoyable lunch with her and her boyfriend and his family. On the way out of town, we hit a flea market held in a former drive in theater. We were a little late to find any bargains. Everyone was packing up. When we left out of Maryville, Tennessee we ended up on a very curvy road over the mountain. The Dragon’s Tail has over 300 curves in 11 miles. The BMW loved it and so did I! What a great end to the day.

Monday

After several days of leisure, we have some hard driving to get home today. We had to forego the backroads and head for the interstate. No bargains today, lots of hard driving, but what a wonderful weekend. I can’t wait for the next one….

Backroads

One of my favorite things to do is to pack up for the weekend and hit the backroads with my husband, Buster. We love to poke around in junk shops, find yard sales in the country, and eat at off-beat hole-in-the-wall restaurants. So, here is to the best of the South found On the Backroads With Buster!