Long Weekend

With a three day weekend, we are back on the road looking for those beautiful fall colors...and of course some bargains as an added bonus.

We started toward Mississippi and ended up in Duckhill. Barbra and Ida run a little shop called The Thrift Den on South State Street. I found a couple of little gems there - a clear glass juice pitcher with a starburst design for $4, and four little dimpled custard cups for $2, also in clear glass. Barbra and Ida are a joy to chat with, and will definitely work you a deal on their already reasonable prices. Be sure and check out the items inside the little shop, as well as the tables outside.

 

 

We were back on the road and stopped in Elliott at a little roadside barbeque stand and thrift store. The barbeque smelled divine but it was a little early for lunch. Buster did spy a green glass bowl that he snatched up for me for $1. Won't it look nice filled with green and black olives?

 

 

 

On to Granada and Another Man's Treasure! As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I have a weakness for restaurant ware, especially pieces that have an air brushed decorative edge. I found three pieces in an absolutely beautiful blue! I have never come across this blue before. The two round bread plates and one small oval came to $6.

 

 

 

We traveled on to Abbeville and found The Abbeville Flea Market open for the last day this season. Unfortunately, they are not sure if they are going to reopen in the spring. That is such a shame as they have very high quality goods at very reasonable prices. I didn't find much to catch my eye but Buster spotted a hammered aluminum tray that I had missed. Look at the details in the tray handles and the fine lines in the tulips, and for only $4!

 

 

 

The uppermost stop on our trip was to Lobelville, Tennessee. A new shop was opening - 72 N. Main Antiques - the name and the address. The owner was working on the interior arrangement and not really open but let us browse around just the same. I found a lovely yellow dove vase for $16. Her shop is a true delight and I cannot wait to see the shop filled as her taste is very similar to mine.

 

 

 

 

 

As we started back down, we stopped in Bellmeade Antiques located in Franklin, Alabama. I didn't think this was really our kind of stop but Buster convinced me to get out and stretch my legs. I am glad I did. I found six Ballerina Ware coffee cups. The cups were 50% off so they came to $6. I love those 50's colors of burgundy, gray, yellow, and green.

 

 

 

Now for the find of the weekend! At John's Trading Post, a little open-air stand on the side of the road in Guntersville, I found Marcrest Daisy Dot pottery and Russel Wright! Four Daisy Dot beer mugs (which I use for coffee), a bowl, and a coffee cup came to $6. That works out to $1 each! Amazing considering that I have seen the mugs for $18 in antique stores. The Russel Wright divided vegetable bowl in blue was $2! Also amazing! Russel Wright is my favorite designer. In addition, I found a small mixing bowl for $1. Everything was covered in dirt and full of leaves but, at these prices, I don't mind cleaning things up a bit.

 

 

 

 

Be sure and say hello to Delbert when you stop. He is really a character and can tell some stories. Buster chatted with him and got in a few laughs while I browsed. I uncovered two matching 8x10 frames before I left. They were also $1 each.

 













That was our last stop before heading south. We had a long way to go but we enjoyed our long weekend...On the Backroads with Buster.

P.S. The fall colors were already past. We could not seem to time it right this year.

Fall Leaves and Vintage Finds

My job has not left much time for road trips but the weather was perfect and we squeezed in a weekend trip. We hoped the leaves would be changing color and we could combine a little thrift shopping with a little nature viewing. Unfortunately, nature was not cooperating. It was a little early for the color show but we did have a relaxing weekend and found a few nice bargains.

Our first stop was in Attalla. The shop was chock full of interesting items in every nook and cranny. Dishes and pottery were mostly outside on shelves next to the building. When the proprietor realized that she did not have many dishes inside, she exclaimed, "Well, I guess I need to go shopping!" and laughed gleefully! I did find one treasure to take home, a little green and yellow cat planter from the  1940's or 50's.

In Cave Springs, we stopped at an antique car show. Buster thoroughly enjoyed checking out the muscle cars. He picked up some fudge while I wandered around in the Cotton Patch thrift store. I found a green coffee pot and creamer. Although it wasn't a terribly unusual find, I had the matching sugar dish at home and it was only $2.

We moved on to the Goodwill in Rome, Georgia and picked up a LuRay sugar dish in blue. Next, we stopped in Brighton, Georgia at an old schoolhouse that had been converted to a thrift store. I picked up a Frankoma leaf dish for $2 and a gray Ballerinaware bowl for 50 cents. I love restaurant ware and found a platter with a green decorative edge for $1. A platter for a dollar? That was a deal!

Later, we came across the Flamingo Flea Market. The long buildings appeared to be a storage facility in a former life. The interior walls had been removed and were divided into thrift stalls. While there was lots to look at, I only choose a pair of salt and pepper shakers for $1.

Our last stop was at the Mountain Top Flea Market. While there was plenty of publicity, this was not our kind of flea market. The crowd was huge and the rows of stalls seemed to never end. Merchandise, however, was mostly new or fell into categories that didn't interest us - like used medical equipment - wheelchairs and walkers, or tools. If I lived in the area, I would have frequented the produce stalls. There was lots of variety in the produce stalls and many specialty items for people interested in Hispanic food.

We have to be back at work tomorrow so it was time to hit the road south...until the next time On the Backroads with Buster.

Quick Trip Through Baldwin County

The trip started out as a quick trip to a new vegetable stand but the day was mild and the perfect day to put down the top on the BMW. We don't get many of those since this far south we get three months of winter, a week of fall, a week of spring and all the rest is summer. It quickly gets too hot for daytime rides with the top down. And some of you know how painful that sunburn to the part of your hair or the tops of your ears hurts!

With the top down and my freshly fixed hair now crammed into a ball cap, we began a ride in the country. Of course, when we ride, we can't resist stopping at an interesting place or two. There are many over-priced antique stores in Baldwin County but we did find a couple of bargains.

Ballerina Ware, berry bowl in burgundy, only 50 cents

We stopped in thrift store but I was astounded at the antique store prices! They had a cute little cat teapot and creamer. It was $60 for the teapot and $35 for the creamer! I thought that a little high for a thrift store! Needless to say, the teapot and creamer stayed behind.

On to the next stop! Buster is always looking for plant stands. He scooped this one up for $5.


metal plant stand, $5

with plant at the near end of the bench



The day wasn't much for finds but it was wonderful for a ride, On the Backroads with Buster. 

Cruising the Backroads

Buster and I and the little blue convertible are on the road again. The weather has warmed to a balmy 75° in the middle of the day and it is quite pleasant to be roaming the backroads. We headed north.

Our first stop was in Bay Minette. We grabbed a quick hamburger and ran in the thrift store across the street. They had a Golden Meadow plate that I liked but I didn’t want to pay $1.50 for it and decided to pass it by. We jumped back in the convertible and headed toward Atmore. Buster spotted a road-side yard sale and we pulled over. Buster didn’t see a thing that suited his fancy but I spotted a clear glass flower frog for fifty cents. The frog was extra thick, and I snatched it up thinking that it will be the perfect stand for my technical pens. We hit the road once again.

Glass Flower Frog

I love for things to be repurposed!

As we headed to Atmore, we took a slight detour across the state line. We picked up a couple of lottery tickets. Hopefully, I will be rich tomorrow and I can open the little junk store that I have always wanted to open. Cross your fingers for me.

I made a wrong turn in Atmore and had to go around the block. On the back street I found a delightful little shop. Buster and I stepped inside and prowled around for thirty minutes or so. My little find was two more pieces of Ballerina Ware, a creamer and a sugar in dark green. The sugar had a top that didn’t match but the bottom was perfect and will look fine without it. Don’t hesitate to go into the off-the-beaten-path shops; they always have the best prices and the most surprising finds.

Ballerina Ware

Monroeville was our next destination. Right off the square was a thrift store. Buster immediately spotted a small bowl in my Autumn Harvest wheat pattern. At thirty-two cents it was a bargain that I couldn’t pass up. As we checked out we asked the check out girl about other thrift stores in the area. She suggested another place a short distance away. The Maywood Mall was your typical antique mall with little vendor’s booths. Their prices were very reasonable so we decided to look around even though we usually avoid any store that says antique. 

Maywood left me drooling for more! Glassware and vintage dinnerware were plentiful. I could have spent much more time browsing but I discovered one of my favorite patterns right away – Bob White. I love the little birds in blue and brown - ten pieces for $35. I couldn’t really decide if I wanted to spend the money because I have found it in thrift stores on occasion. As I continued to browse, Buster made my mind up for me. He took it up to the counter, paid for it, and had it wrapped and in the car before I finished looking around. My husband knows me well. He knew I would regret it if I didn’t get it and he didn’t want to hear about it for days.

Bob White

Back on the road again and it was getting late. The stores were closing and we were hungry. We decided we wanted “real” food. We stopped at an ATM in Linden. After retrieving our money from the machine, we noticed that there was a local restaurant next door. The place, Screamers Ice Cream and Cafe, had lots of customers and we took that as a good sign. One side of the café was ice cream and takeout food. The other side was a sit down restaurant. We began with fried mushrooms which arrived crispy and piping hot. Then, Buster ordered the Shrimp Alfredo and I decided on the pork loin with mushroom and apple gravy. The portions were very generous. Buster’s shrimp was good and came with a side salad. I couldn’t find any apples in my gravy and the mushrooms were oddly shriveled but the gravy and pork both tasted delicious. I chose green beans and a baked sweet potato for my sides. The green beans were tasty and the sweet potato tasted as if it had actually been baked and not nuked in a microwave. Wonderful!

Time to find a motel! We wanted to go to Eutaw the next day but Eutaw is very small. We decided to stay in Demopolis for the night. Another motel guest had a dog. The dog started barking the next morning at 5:45. I don’t know what was worse, the dog barking or the owner yelling “quiet”! Anyway, it made for an early start. 

The early start made for a problem with Eutaw. We got there long before any stores were open. We decided not to wait and headed on down the road. We went south through Demopolis and Faunsdale. We found one little yard sale with nothing of interest. We continued south.

Thomaston had two fun little shops. The first that we stopped at was Colleen’s Antiques. Most of the items in the store were small tables or pottery and china. Colleen was quite friendly and was very willing to bargain. I picked up a Russel Wright Iroquois vegetable bowl for $3, marked down from $4. Then I found three more pieces of Ballerina Ware, $1.50 each marked down from $2.

Russel Wright vegetable bowl

Ballerina Ware bowl - Any ideas on what this size bowl is called?

A couple of doors down were This and That Collectibles. This little shop had lots of pottery and but also had a good bit of furniture. This shop was one that I could return to over and over. It was like eye candy to me! I immediately spotted a dogwood platter for $3 and a small creamer for $1. Then my eyes landed on a whole set of Ben Seibel dinnerware – gray with wavy horizontal lines. Forty dollars for the set! Buster offered the proprietor $30 and he jumped at it. He really wanted to move some merchandise. We didn’t realize until we took it down off the shelf that the set had been originally priced at $75! The guy said, “My wife is going to kill me…” but he stuck with his $30 deal. 

Ben Seibel casserole

Ben Seibel plate

Cup, saucer, bread plate, dinner plate

Wavy line pattern

Franciscan creamer in Parchment Brown

Dogwood platter

We made one last stop in Axis. The owner of B.J.'s Cherishables was  the former postmistress of the Axis Post Office. She filled us in on some interesting bits of trivia about the original post office. She still had bits and pieces of post office memorabilia. After our little history lesson, my eye caught on some pieces of Autumn Harvest wheat pattern. I didn't need the cups and saucers but I did need the bread plates. They are a little harder to find. On a low shelf, I also found a Blue Heaven creamer. I probably didn't need it but I have a hard time passing up Blue Heaven.

TS&T Autumn Harvest bread plate

Blue Heaven creamer

As soon as the postmistress wrapped our pottery, Buster and I jumped back in the BMW and headed south again. He was itchy to get home. We passed several interesting shops but those will have to wait for another day of backroad adventures. Beautiful weather, wonderful bargains, enjoyable scenery – what a pleasant way to spend a couple of days on the Backroads With Buster.

The Weather is Warming Up and We Are Back On the Road!

Last weekend Buster and I headed out to the Flea Market for a few hours of roaming through isles of everything imaginable. Of course, I am looking for vintage dishes and Buster is looking for who knows what. After looking through the wares of dozens of vendors, we really were not having much success. We then began prowling through the booths at the back of the market where the really junky stuff resides. I immediately spot two dark green bowls. I didn't recognize the shape of the bowls but I decided to check them out anyway. They were Ballerina Ware! They are small cereal sized bowls but have tab style handles. So cute!

Ballerina Ware bowl - bit of a sticker left in the middle

Next I spotted an old milk crate full of filthy dirty dishes. The sign said  - any item 50 cents. Of course, I had to start digging. And of course, I found something - a small wheat bowl in perfect condition. Fifty cents, not bad right?

Buster made a last minute purchase - a bag of water beads. You drop the beads into a vase and fill it with water. The beads swell with the water and then release water as needed. He was very curious and skeptical but he bought the beads anyway. I will post some pictures when he tries them out.

Well , that was the adventure of our first warm weekend!