Food and Vintage Finds

This isn't a road trip but I thought I would show off how I use some of my finds.

The warm brown of Marcrest Daisy Dot Dinnerware is perfect for comfort food. On a cold winter's day, I decided to jazz up the tomato soup a bit. Instead of adding water to canned soup, I added a can of diced tomatoes and some fresh basil with a healthy pinch of cracked pepper. What a difference! Then I grilled a ham and cheese sandwich and added some apple wedges on the side. Perfect meal for a cold day made even better when served on vintage dinnerware!

On to the Great Grapefruit Adventure! We have a grapefruit tree in our backyard. Just one. We had already picked a number of grapefruit and enjoyed fresh grapefruit for breakfast and snacks. Then a hard freeze hit. Grapefruit can handle an hour or two of 32 degree weather but when it goes down into the 20's for two consecutive nights, you have to pick them all.

We started picking. And we picked and picked and picked! Eighty grapefruit off one tree and we had already picked 30-35! What can we do with 80 grapefruit at one time???

Well, you buy frozen juice in the store all the time so why not freeze the juice? I immediately thought of my mother's juicer attachment for her stand mixer. I had kept it even though I wasn't sure if I would ever use it. I wasn't even sure how to attach it to the mixer.

I figure the little metal pin with the slot in it had to attach to something that rotated. If you rotate the handle on top, the juicer sits right on top and the shoot allows the juice to pour into the mixing bowl below.

My little kitchen elf got busy and sliced all the grapefruit in half. Then he started in with the juicer. If not for the electric juicer, I don't think he could have completed the task all at one time. We ended up with four huge stock pots of juice and 18 quarts of juice for the freezer! That juicer is an oldie but a goodie!

Now on to the orange juice!

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New Job and Little Time for Backroads

I have a new job that I love. The upside is that I am learning new things everyday and wake up thinking how lucky I am to have a job I love. On the downside, I don't have a lot of time for weekend get-aways and the blog is suffering for it. Buster and I did manage to squeeze in a day trip.

Buster really wanted to leave the previous afternoon but I thought we had given up on that idea and didn't rush home from school. He patiently waited for me to drink my coffee the next morning. (This is a major feat for him to be patient.) He had the car pulled up to the gate and ready to pull out as I finally made it out the back door.

The day was great for a ride but not in the way you might think. The sky was overcast but not raining. The day was warm - which was great for February. When you are in a convertible, sometimes the sun can make it uncomfortable so the day was perfect.

We headed up Highway 45 and began to stop at some places that Buster had previously scouted out. Here's what we found...

A free collage by Smilebox

I was excited to find the square blossom plates. (Berkley, Trend, Syracuse) I had been looking for these for my daughter and I don't come across them very often. They were manufactured for railways to use in their dining cars.

The fifties green and blue patterns is one of my favorites. We found a stack of bread plates and a stack of bowls, plus a creamer! (Taylorstone, Cathay)

The funky double cone with fish was marked Japan and like nothing I had come across before. I had to have it.

And of course I had to snatch up two green planters - the rectangular one is one that I already had but for $1, I couldn't pass it up. (USA, 75) The round one is small and cute and I couldn't pass it up because I had not seen one like it before. (McCoy, USA) (I always can come up with a reason...)

The round trivet was Frankoma. Love the details.

The gray sugar lid was only twenty-five cents and you never know when you might need a sugar lid. Okay, that one was a stretch but I bought it anyway. (Homer Laughlin, Harlequin)

We ended up in Selma and crossed the famous civil rights bridge before heading over to the interstate and starting south again. The trip only lasted a few hours but was long enough to wash away all my troubles and have a fresh start to the week. Nothing like a weekend adventure On the Backroads With Buster!

Nice Day For a Ride

The weather was beautiful and we decided to go for a ride. We headed toward the bayou and soon hit the backroads. Unfortunately, the day was Sunday and there wasn't much open. We finally found one of Buster's favorite backroad haunts and it was open. The place has no name but has a "come on in" sign on the door. Buster and I looked around outside for a few minutes. A one-eyed, half-grown cat lounged on a table in the sun. As we prowled through the bargains, we startled the cat from his nap and he made a bee-line for the open door.

I followed the cat in and met the proprietor taking her dog out. She advised me to come on in and start looking around while she took her dog out for a bathroom break because he was "about to float".  The place had a faint odor of cat urine but the large selection of vintage dinnerware pulled me in. The owner soon returned and chased the cat out, telling him, "you know you aren't suppose to be in here". She chatted continuously as I browsed through the displays of dinnerware. Most of what I found was not too unusual but I did find one piece of Starburst. The Granada isn't too out of the ordinary  but I did find another piece of Star Glow for my holiday collection.

Notice the rich brown of the Autumn Harvest interior

I love the curves in this line of Taylor Smith and Taylor

This Granada bowl in Harvest Gold has a slight flair.

Granada creamer

Another view

A Star Glow dinner plate

Starburst  from Franciscan is so 1950's!

As I searched among the tables of merchandise, the owner chatted with Buster. She suggested that we head to two Mississippi towns with lots of thrift stores. We payed for our bargains and headed out again.

Once we had traveled for an hour or so we were really getting hungry. As we entered one of the small towns, we passed a restaurant with a packed parking lot, always a good sign.  We squeezed the little BMW into a parking spot that everyone else passed up. The place served Mexican food and was packed with the after-church crowd. The food was delicious but Buster was a bit put-out that they ran out of rice. After a nice meal, we started wandering around the town. The only thing that looked half-way promising was an antique store but it turned out that it was out of business.

We started out of town and looked for Laurel but we didn't have any better luck there. We turned south and toward home. We had no excitement in the way of fabulous finds but it was a great day for a ride.

And that is what it is all about...

Quick Trip

Buster took a quick mid-week trip by himself. I don't have any details so I will rely on photos to tell the tale. He came home with two pieces of a favorite. Marcrest Daisy Dot is stoneware in a deep rich brown. As the name implies, the decorations are daisies and dots with a little rickrack design encircling the pieces. The first piece is a dinner plate and is about 9 1/4 inches across. The second is a open carafe, about 10 1/4 inches high. The carafe has a creamy white interior. Very nice finds for a quick stop on a weekday!

Marcrest Daisy Dot Dinner Plate

Marcrest Daisy Dot Open Carafe - notice the creamy white interior at the top edge

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!

Christmas Surprise

Remember me mentioning that I would like a few pieces of Star Glow to use for the holidays? Well Buster remembered too! Imagine my surprise when I opened a heavy package Christmas morning finding five Star Glow platters. They are the perfect size to use for chargers or just to use as platters on the Christmas buffet. I now have 5 chargers, 4 dinner plates, 2 saucers, and 1 cereal bowl. That is a nice start for holiday dinnerware!

Star Glow charger or platter

My other holiday treat was a grey McCoy pitcher. My daughter would have liked to have hi-jacked that one back to New York in her suitcase.

Nothing says love like searching all the nooks and crannies of the county for 60 year old dinnerware. You can't run to the mall for Star Glow. What a wonderful day!

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.