Moving Of This Blog

This blog will now move to one of my other blogs. My travels will be posted there. I will leave this page up so you have a link to my other sites.

Returning To The Home Of My Childhood In Baytown Texas

They say you can not go home .. wonder why.. my sister and I did go back home a couple of weeks ago. Okay just to see the home we lived in with our parents in Baytown Texas in the early 1950's . This was a hard time for our family. I was almost 4 years old and my sister was just about 2 years old. Our sweet mama came down with the horrible polio disease. There are three types and she just happened to come down with all three of them. The doctors told my Dad that she would probably not make it. Guess God wasn't ready for her. She lived until February 1998.



That is me with my mouth open .. glad a bug didn't fly in and my sister Mary.

Well back to Baytown. Since we plan to move back to Minnesota after a year and a half living in the Houston area. My sister Mary with her hubby and my hubby and I decided to take a quick trip down to Baytown to see if we could find the house and then off to the library to copy the newspaper articles from that time that mentioned my mother.


This is the house we lived in . It was a duplex then. Sure must of been tiny.

The hospital my sister was born in, mama was taken to a hospital in Houston when she got polio.

And of course where we had lunch before heading back to home.

Can not remember the name of the cafe but had really good Cheeseburgers.
My darling of a hubby
and sister and brother in law. We had a great day, saw the old house and had a great cheeseburger. Life is great.

Thanks for stopping by.. come again Grace

Traveling The Roads of Texas on a Budget

Sure do miss traveling. We are now in Texas, Houston area and not out traveling at this time. Spooky is doing just fine and probably happy that she is not on the road in our van or our former motor home.

Money is tight , motor home is sold but I still have the urge to travel and see what I can even if it is in my own back yard.


I will be traveling the back roads of Texas on a budget. We do not have to travel far to have a fun time.

This picture is one of my favorite lunch places in Richmond Texas... Maggie McGee's. They have a fantastic Chicken Salad Sandwich ...





Inside is colorful and cheery


The building is suppose to be haunted by this gentleman. I have not seen him.... yet


Hope to continue my journey of Texas bit by bit.. grace

May We Never Forget

Today is a day we need to take some time and remember that horrible day in our history and pray for all those we lost and their familys.
May we never forget.... God Bless America

Boston Massachuetts Flash Back to 2001

I love to travel. There is so many beautiful places to visit here in the United States.
I love New York, Washington DC and Boston the most. Of course I have yet been able to travel to Europe or anywhere outside of the US except briefly to Canada and the border towns of Mexico so all could change.

There is so much history to be found in Boston. There is Paul Revere's Home, North Church, and Century Old Cemeteries. Some where one of my ancestors is buried among those graves. While in Boston there was so much to see and so much to do. We ran out of time and did not have a chance to research where this grandmother was buried. Some day in the future I hope I will walk the streets of Boston again.

We stayed at the Copley Square Hotel. It was nice and close to all the tourist sights.
We took the tour of the Ship "Constitution ". We at fish by the harbor and clam chowder at a small vendor stand outside by the harbor.

It was so fun to tour the Boston Tea Party Boat. The young people working are so friendly

Hope that you have enjoyed my remembrance of Boston Massachusetts

Fee Free Weekends at National Parks

We are in the middle of summer and you are probably looking for inexpensive things to do with the family.
I received this link in an email from a genealogy group I am involved with. Thought it would be a great to pass on to my readers looking for inexpensive things to do with the remainder of the summer and the family can share the history of our wonderful country.
Fee-Free Weekends in Your National ParksAmerica’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better this summer with three fee-free weekends at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees*.Mark your calendars for fee-free weekends this summer:June 20-21, 2009 (Father’s Day weekend)July 18-19, 2009August 15-16, 2009
History is everywhere In nearly 400 national parks and every hometown. It covers everything from the remnants of ancient civilizations to the boyhood homes of U.S. Presidents to the stirring sagas of hard-fought wars to the reverberations of one woman refusing to give up her seat on a bus. History is a part of who we were, who we are, and who we will be.As you explore these pages, we hope you find what you are looking for – but even more importantly, we hope you discover something that surprises you. We invite you to learn more about history and how the National Park Service works to preserve it.
Keep saving , stay safe and enjoy these links I have included thanks to http://www.nps.gov/history/

Touring New York City

We may not always be able to travel as much as we would like due to finances, but if we take the time to take photos, find some fun post cards to bring home we can always return to the memories of our fun adventures. My dh and I have had many wonderful adventures in our 20 years ago. We have traveled much of the US. What memories we have. As I sit and sort the photos I am back in New York City. We were there before that awful day in 2001. We had a small hotel room just off Broadway and 42nd street. We went to the top of the hotel and there was a small bar. There we sat and had a drink and almost next to us was the Empire State Building. We took the subway to Battery Park, took the ferry to the Ellis island to see the Statue of Liberty. http://www.nps.gov/stli/. We joined a bus group to tour New York city. On this tour a wonderful man was our tour guide. A life time New Yorker accent and all . He showed us Greenwich village, we ate chinese in China Town, took the ferry to Staten Island, and best of all visited the Twin towers just before midnight. We rode all the way to the top and drank champagne and ate chocolate strawberries at Windows on the World Restaurant as we looked out over the city. We could see the Statue of Liberty from there what a wonderful site that was. That memory will always be with me. A pleasant memory but also a sad memory. The staff was young, pleasant and helpful. I remember them often and say a little prayer. I love New York City. The people, the taxi's and the noise and of course the wonderful deli's.

Summer Fun on the Frugal

Summertime. It brings back all kinds of memories. Playing Grocery store in my garage or putting on a play, hopscotch and freeze tag with the neighborhood kids, sitting on the front porch reading. Riding my bike with my sister to the library to find another mystery to read . We had only one bike growing up and would share it. One of us on the seat and the other on the back pedal. Going to church summer camp for a week or 2 weeks. We would swim, ride in a canoe go to church of course , and best of all meet the new cute boys from the big city of Minneapolis. We would buy candy or chips and drink sodas that were so cold they were half frozen. We would playing for hours on end outside, coming in only for potty breaks and to eat lunch. I grew up in Duluth Minnesota and we lived 1 1/2 blocks from Lief Erickson park. Lake Superior was my front yard. My mother would pack us a picnic lunch and off we would go to sit on the rocks of Lake Superior. And of course going to the old downtown theater every Saturday morning to watch 3 Horror movies. Frankenstein, the Mummy, Dracula oh so scary.I hope that my 2 boys who are now grown men also have great summer memories from the past. And of course I hope that my grandchildren will some day look back to wonderful summer memories.But let’s face it, times have changed. I can’t fathom my small grandchildren going out to play all day long with what we now know about sun exposure. And in this post-Adam Walsh world we live in, I can’t imagine their parents sending them off on a bike to a day camp, park or library one or two miles away.I have come to the conculsion that you do not have to be a child to enjoy the summer. There are things we as adult's can do and still keep the cost reasonable. I will be searching for things that my husband and I can do this summer.We have a beautiful pool at our complex and already have been down there 3 times. But that is only 3 times in the month we have lived here. So one plan is to spend more time there. We love to search thrift stores for things to sell on eBay. I have compiled a list of thrift stores in the Houston area. From this list we have only visited about 10 of them. So we have many more thrift stores to visit. I love to wander old cemetaries. Just miles away I hear there is a wonderful cemetary in Richmond Texas with lots of history. That is on my list for this summer. Maybe I can find more interesting old cemetaries with history. We are not that far from Galveston, walks on the beach how great can that be.And of course there are the movies. We do not go to movies often, so this is on my "to do" list this summer. When we do go, we always go to the early movie that has reduced priced tickets. So I hope to see more than one movie this summer.As I was searching for movies I found that at theaters owned by Regal Entertainment, free movies are being offered every week from June 16th through Aug. 13th. In our area, the theater is offering its Free Family Film Festival on Tuesdays, Wednesdays. To top it off, the theater is offering a G-rated movie and a PG-rated movie so you and the kids could see as many as 18 free movies over the summer on the big screen. Some of the offerings at our local theater include Charlotte's Web, Kit Kittridge and Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.Now that’s a great deal. Click here to check for a participating theater near your home. The selection of movies varies by location.So while you and your children are enjoying a movie hopefully dh and I will be next door seeing the latest Tom Hanks movie or what ever is playing at the time. Watch for future posts on fun adventures we are having this summer on the frugal. My picture is part of my back yard as a child. Lake Superior at Duluth Minnesota. Of course the picture is from the present.It is so built up with shops and restaurants. Not the same that is for sure. Hope that you will share with us some of your summer plans on the frugal. This post was put on my other blog site but I feel it fits here also. Watch for future blogs on fun adventures while still be frugal this summer

Miss Spooky

Well spooky is doing well. She had to have surgery a couple of weeks ago. She came thru it just fine.
We are keeping it a secret from her that we will be moving to Texas end of April.
We have sold the motor home so all traveling will be by the van and staying in motels. Even without the motor home we will have lots of adventures. Our years together have taken us across the US many times and I look forward to that continuing in the future how ever that may be for the three of us.

http://www.restaurant.com/index.asp?pgn=home

Dining Out Coupons

After entering my Coke rewards I thought I would take a look at what I could get for my rewards. Scanning the list of choices, I found a reward for dining out. Well of course that is one of my favorite things to do, and I like coupons and gift certificates to reduce that cost.
Here is the web site I found.
http://www.restaurant.com/index.asp?pgn=home
You can enter your zip code or city you are interested in. You can then see the list of restaurants that are offering the opportunity for you to buy a reduced gift certificate. Be sure to read the fine print. Good certain days only, You need to spend at least a certain amount and some add the tip for you. But if you like to eat out once in awhile and like to reduce that cost take a look at the web site.

Check out my other blog savings shopping

Click on profile to see my other blog

Grocery Shopping Blog

I have started a blog on saving money grocery shopping. Take a look there

Life Goes On

Much has happened since my last post. It has been almost a year since I was here.We had a great adventure crossing the US from Minnesota back home to California. We saw many beautiful sites. I loved driving through Colorado and Utah. The scenery was breathtaking.Gas prices were higher than we expected on that trip. Our Internet business slowed down during the trip and even after we arrived home. This has made it hard to want to even travel anywhere after.My father suffered from dementia for over 10 years. I flew to Minnesota to be with him when he was in the hospital at least once. In September of 2008 he ended up in the hospital again and it did not look good for him. At that point we packed up the motor home and took off with Spooky the cat to head back to Minnesota. We were on our way driving across the US again; my sister was flying in from Houston and my brother and sons were waiting for me.We got to the border of Colorado and Nebraska when my sister called to report that Dad was doing much better and maybe we could turn around to return to California. We got as far as Sterling, Colorado and dear hubby started to feel ill. We checked him into the emergency room. After being seen by the doctor we spent that night parked in the Hospital parking lot. After a great breakfast at this local café (name unknown) we started driving. My sixtieth birthday was days away and hubby suggested stopping in Las Vegas to celebrate. We no sooner registered at the Circus Circus RV park, got set up and walked to the casino and my sister called again. Dad had turned for the worse. Now was the time to get an airplane ticket, leave hubby and Spooky to finish the trip home to California and fly to be with my Dad, my sister, brother, sons and other members of family.It was a sad time in Duluth; my dad passed away September 15th, just days after my birthday. His family surrounded him. We spent our time praying, reminiscing about our times with him, and telling him how much we love himWe had a small beautiful funeral in the Cemetery Chapel. My daughter in law Sue is in school to be a minister. She preformed the service and did a wonderful job. She knew daddy and that made it special. My hubby could not be with me, but his brother Ken came to the funeral. I never doubted he would come, he is that kind of guy. Behind daddy’s casket was this large window. As you looked out you saw the most beautiful trees that had turned the most wonderful fall colors. After the service we buried Dad next to Mama.2 days later I flew home to California.Since then we have sold the motor home and decided to move to Houston. We will be nearer my sister and her family, closer to Minnesota where our children and grandchildren are.By the end of April another adventure starts. I hope that you will join us in our travels. It may not be in a motor home but will still be an adventure for this family.As you join me here please feel free to comment. I have also started another blog on my adventure tighting the grocery budget. Here is the link. http://couponloversunite.blogspot.com/

Colorado Rockies Such Beauty

We have been traveling thru Colorado the last couple of days. We only go about 25o miles or so every day. Try to stop off and on and check out antique stores or local cafes.

Yesterday we found a big antique mall called The Brass Armadillo. It is so big that you would need more than one day to see everything. We had planned to stay and go to the flea market in Denver but decent affordable campsites could not be found so off we went and this is how we came across the Brass Armadillo.

Stayed at a wallmart parking lot last night. Even tho it is posted no RV parking there was a couple of RV's parked with one having a note that manager had okayed them parking.

Nothing ventured nothing gained so we went inside to see if we could stay and all was okay for one night. Nice and quiet except for the big flag flapping all night.

Today we drove thru the Colorado Rockies and such beauty. Every curve was breath taking. We have driven this route before but I am never tried of it. Stopped at a rest stop and got some great photos.

We stopped early and have a great internet connection for the first time in days, so decided to sit and listed items to sell on ebay. Spooky is getting crowded and wants us to clear out some of this stuff.

Night for now all .... Each day is a blessing , live it as it may be your last. Smile at a stranger, pet a dog, engage a child in a conversation.... ( met the cutest little girl yesterday at breakfast. She walks in with her mama and she is wearing a pink cowboy hat, pink shorts, oink shirt and carrying a pink Dora purse. She sits behind us so of course I have to compliment her on her hat and purse ... kids are so much fun... ) and last but not least tell your sweety you love him or her.

Traveling Iowa and Nebraska In Our RV

We are having a great time traveling across the midwest in our RV. Spooky is doing well spoiled as always. Here she pictured with the packages to go to the post office.

We have gone through Iowa and Nebraska so far. We try to get off the main highway and stop in the smaller towns for hunting adventures at thrift stores or antique stores.

We spent Sunday the 6th in Waukee Iowa at a RV campsite. Was crowded and sites to close together. So not as enjoyable as other campsites. Before camping for the night we stopped at a little cafe in Booneville, Iowa. Town is about 300 people, food was pretty good, waitress was friendly and enjoy meeting someone from California. Even found an antique store to wander around. Was dusty and disorganized. Owners seemed to be just biding time till closing. Not the kind of antique store we really enjoy but treasures can be found anywhere. Not here tho. Best part of Boonesville was the post office we stopped at. Had to do our mail before leaving on Monday. Postal clerk was friendly and helpful.

On monday we took off again towards home. Stopped for lunch in Casey, Iowa. Kathy owns the small cafe that has been open for 5 years. Air conditioner broke down and she was apologizing for that and having to raise her prices. Once again a very small little town, but a fun patriotic cafe. Owner had walls painted with memorials for 2001 and customers were friendly visiting with us, pointing out places to check out and posing for pictures. Lowell and I enjoy going to owner owned business rather than chains. We like to support the small business person as often as we can.

While traveling we try to stop at truck stops and spend the night every other night or so. Helps with the traveling budget. The farther west we go the higher the price of gas. We are now at $4.05 or so a gallon.

Tonight finds us at a small camp ground just 20 miles from Denver. We hope to spend some time seeing Denver tomorrow.

Good night for now and remember take an adventure or two. Life is to short.

Minnesota Saying Good Bye for Now

Well we left Minnesota on Sunday July 6th , home of 4 of 5 children and 10 of 13 grandchildren, my daddy , other family members and several friends.

We had planned to go to Minnesota for a couple of weeks and then travel some but seemed to want to spend a little more time with everyone. So the traveling will be from California and back to California. Will have to go east and south another time.

Spent several nights and days off and on with my best friend Alison and her husband Cecil. They were so generous to us. Not only letting us and wanting us to park outside of their home but going as far as feeding us 3 square meals a day. This is one of Alison's rules and I don't want to cross by buddy Alison. I would lose any how. She makes yeast rising waffles to die for. Cecil will be starting some medical treatment so give a thought and prayer for my buddy Cecil. What a sweetie he is.


We spent time with children and grandchildren, sharing meals and reading books, grandson jacob spent one night camping in his backyard with us in our motor home. He thought that was great. He is full of wonderful stories and amazes me as I listen to him.

We visited with our friends Barb and Mike and spend a few nights at their house in our motor home. They are in South St Paul where I had my bookstore for over 15 years so felt like I was back home. Visited with friends at T & T Cafe in South St. Paul, Minnesota. If you ever find your self there it is worth the visit. Jeff the owner and number uno cook is a good friend and a great cook. Say Hey from Lowell and Grace to Jeff and the staff.

Last stop was in Alden Minnesota with dear old friends David and Cheryl. Spent two nights there visiting with them and their two dogs. This is a very quiet small rural town where we sat on the porch and watched what went by. Lowell and I joined them at a trap shoot. Both Dave and Cheryl enjoy this sport and spending time with their friends. They had a huge pot luck and everyone made us feel very welcome. The hostess even went as far to invite us back next holiday if we are in the area.

So with that I bid you all good night and will continue our adventures with you soon.

Remember life is short so have an adventure every day

Flea Market at Elko Minnesota

We went to the Flea Market at Elko New Market in Minnesota on the 4th of July. I think this is a wonderful way to spend the holiday.

The weather was perfect. Sunny with blue skies. Not overly hot. We started at 10 in the morning and went till 5 in the afternoon. Hard to believe but we never did get to see everything. They have great places to sit under the trees if you need something to eat or just a break from the walking, which I needed to do several times.

You can find everything from live plants for your patio to antiques here. Lowell and I were on the quest to try to find a treasure at a great price. No such luck. I was hunting for items from Alden, Minnesota to give to our friends David and Cheryl from Alden. No such luck. Another thing on my list was a tacky pair of pink flamingo salt and pepper shakers to send to my girlfriend Alison and her hubby Cecil. Once again no luck.

Happy Independence Day to everybody! We may have our problems, but this is still the greatest country the world has ever seen. How many people do you know who try to slip into Greece or Sweden illegally to live? Remember, if you love your freedom, thank a vet. A lot of good men and women have died to give us the freedoms we enjoy today. So if you see someone in an uniform go up to them and say thank you. So many of them are young and are paid so little for what they are doing. If you see them out eating maybe surprise them by treating them if you can afford to do this. I had a favorite restaurant in Chula Vista that had coupons of buy one meal get one free. I always had extras so would hand them out to those in uniforms.

We had a great time at the horse races at canterbury in Minnesota. One a few lost a few but great weather. Was crowded and long lines to get a hot dog or soda for a $1.00 but most did not mind, just having a good time. You can sit down next to strangers and soon you are talking horses and sharing tips of who should win.

Fireworks at dark were wonderful. I have always enjoyed watching them and reminds me of great times at my parents every year watching the fireworks.

Parked in parking lot for the night. Free and safe with security around. They have a club card that is open all night so someone always around.

Well bye for now. Off to Elko and the flea market. Have a wonderful and save 4th of July

Life is an adventure enjoy each day.

Deep Thoughts ... .If you're ever shipwrecked on a tropical island and you don't know how to speak the natives' language, just say "Poppy-oomy." I bet it means something.

I wonder if angels believe in ghosts.

THE THRILL OF THE HUNT

Lowell and I have enjoyed hunting for treasures at garage sales, thrift stores, estate sales, flea markets and auctions over the years. We buy something of interest and turn around and resell on ebay. Have done this for about 10 years and is great extra income. http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZturnabout01
Nothing can get the heart a pounding then to spot a rare first edition book at a sale. We have sold books for over 15 years and I still get goose bumps when I spot something special. We are spreading out into different areas of hunting since good books are getting harder and harder to find.

One of the delights of having the RV is the ability to stop and check out thrift stores in different parts of the country. We have hunted in California, Oklahoma , Illinois , Wisconsin and Minnesota so far.

A great past time while in Minnesota is to spend Monday evenings at Luther's Auctions in North St. Paul , Minnesota. Friendly people, food on the site from a Catering company and a treasure or two hiding in the bottom of a box. Recently found 2 Vintage high top boots and 2 White cotton ladies outfits all from the 1920's era among vintage linens. We now will be leaving Minnesota for California and I will miss those monday night outings. http://www.lutherauctions.com/. Check out the site and if you find yourself in the area stop in and say Lowell and Grace from California sent you . With all the people they meet they will probably say " huh" but so what I and you know I sent you.

We will visit the flea market at Elco New Market in Minnesota on July 4th then will say good bye to Minnesota till next year. We were there for Memorial day with friends David and Cheryl. My find of the day was a red and white swimsuit from the early 1900's. I showed it to the granddaughters and they thought it was the ugliest thing they have ever seen. I looked at this vintage swimsuit ( yes it does look like a clown suit ) and I saw fashion history.

If you are interested in finding flea markets or thrift stores around the country check out these sites. http://www.thethriftshopper.com/, http://www.keysfleamarket.com/ along with these sites and our GPS we are in hunting heaven.

We thought of closing our apartment before we left California but decided we should try Rving for a couple of months and make sure that we could live in such close quarters. It is crowded with boxes of items we have found, but I find enjoyment sitting outside at a picnic table with my computer.

We have enjoyed out time traveling, spending time close to the grandchildren, hunting different areas so we have decided to head back to California, give up our apartment, sell off most of our belongings and take the big jump of full time RVing.

Spooky the cat is not sure she likes this idea but I am sure she will put up with it and us as long as Lowell continues to give her Tuna , she is with us and she has her place at the head of the bed .

Well good bye for now. We are off to Canterbury Race Track in Minnesota to bet a couple of ponies, see grandchild #9 Carter and grandchild #13 Kennedy for the last time this year.

I will let you know how we did tomorrow.

Keep on with your own adventure.

Joke of the day ..

I've sure gotten old. I've had two By-pass surgeries. A hip replacement, new knees. Fought prostate cancer, and diabetes. I'm half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation, hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92. Have lost all my friends.But.....Thank God, I still have my Florida driver's license!