Grant Auctions – Fun and free to get in
West of Naples on Route 302 in Bridgton lies a goldmine of entertainment.
Grant Auctions in the Rivard Auctions building offers several auctions a month for the savvy shopper or the casual browser. The second and fourth Tuesdays of every month are dedicated to so-called Tailgate Auctions. Items for auction are provided both by the auctioneer and by sellers coming in that morning with their stuff. Estate Auctions, predictably including rarer and higher end items, are scheduled as stuff is available.
There is no fee to get in, and what it will take to get out is entirely up to the bidder. The fun isn’t all in the bidding, either. The repartee between auctioneer and audience, an amazing caterer, and fellow attendees all make for a memorable auction experience.
To find auctions at Grant Auctions, visit Auction Zip. Grant Auction’s ID is 14572.
Maine Wildlife Park
There is no one who comes to visit Maine for a week, a weekend or a summer that doesn’t aspire to see, at least, a moose. The intrepid wildlife seeker can find an alternative to driving the highways and byways in the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray, Maine. Open from April to Veteran’s Day, the park is a self-sufficient facility under the auspices of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (IF&W).
Entrance fees are between $5-$7.00, but your money will be well spent as it goes back to the maintenance of the Park. Many of the animals at the Park were brought there because they were injured or orphaned or have become human dependent and cannot survive on their own in the wild.
A big ‘must see’ at the Park is the Dry Mills Fish Hatchery which raises thousands of Brook Trout annually.
Bring stuff to barbecue, pack a picnic lunch, or purchase lunch from the snack shack. Stop in at the Visitor’s Center or visit the Nature Store. Walk the tree trail or animal trail to learn more about the flora and fauna native to Maine. To locals, especially those with children, visits to this park are part and parcel of summer in Maine. Visitors to Maine should include it on their travel agenda, too.
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Sally’s: My Source for Backpack Sized Beauty Items
That’s right. I said it. Even when I go on adventure travel destinations, there are still a few basic items I need from the beauty supply store. Not only does the Sally’s chain come in handy for regular savings on overall health and beauty items, but it has a few goodies that fit my needs for reduced sized items while on the road. All of them are in the seventy-five cent to five dollar range. Curious to know what my top picks are? Read on.
Stainless steel, universal makeup pencil sharpener.
The diameter of these circular wonders is slightly less than a United States quarter. The depth is somewhere in the half-inch neighborhood. Not only do the plastic ones tend to crack and break after getting tossed around from one third world farm truck to another, the maximum number of eye and lip liner pencil sizes they can address is usually two. These little beauties (normally available near the cash register) have openings to fit all four sizes these types of cosmetics tend to come in.
Miniature travel tin of hair pins.
You’d be surprised what bobby pins can come in handy for on the road. Emergency zipper pull, impromptu paper clip, holding together curtain edges in an otherwise privacy barren hostel room, chip bag clip, page marker in a book, clothespin for thinner hand washed items, securing a head scarf when viewing certain religious sites, and of course creating hairstyles on the fly without a ton of bulk accessories. Think super model style poofy bang twists, French twist with a local flower tucked in for a night on the town or a partial braid down the top half of your head.
Miniature emery boards and four-way buffers.
These are the ones of the 3 ½ to 4 inch variety, and help keep ridges smoothed, bare nails buffed and ragged edges filed. They come with no packaging and are well under a buck each.
Neutral tone lip liner pencils.
If Walgreens isn’t having one of their three for a buck cosmetic pencil sales, you can pick these up affordably at Sallies as well. They can be used not just to line your lips, but to color them in and use with your finger to smooth on as cheek blusher.
High grade tweezers.
Eyebrows, chin hairs or the occasional splinter all need to be dealt with on the road. Get the strongest pair you can find and tuck them in your backpack.
Cuticle pusher.
I like the stainless steel variety with one flat edge and one pointed edge. They are great for getting debris from under your nails.
Miniature nail brushes.
These are great for getting your finger and toe nails clean in the shower, and also for doing some hand washing of socks and such while waiting for your hair to condition.
Baby sized nail clippers.
They still get the job done for grownups and take up minimal space in your toiletry kit. Hang nails happen. Be able to nip them in the bud when you are far away from a pharmacy.
For quicker trips, this list will get you a long way. If you are going longer, you’ll want to snag cuticle trimmers as well. This is my list of faves to pick up cheap for the road. What are your top picks for personal care necessities? Do you have a favorite place to get them affordably?
Photo Credit: Kate
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