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.