A Day in Minden

Steve and I took one of our little day-trips today; we drove over to Minden for the afternoon. Every now and then we just have to get out of town, away from the computers, the news and real life.

We stopped at Dixie Inn and had lunch at Nicky's (yes, I know...we can do that at home, but we love it.)

When we got to Minden we parked at the courthouse and started walking downtown. We didn't get very far before we were drawn into Second Hand Rose Antiques. I guess everyone in Minden must know Milly Rose! She's got one of those larger than life personalities and has a million stories! She's got a website, too - here, which is where I stole these pictures because I didn't have the presence of mind to take one of my own while I was there.

As soon as we walked in we were greeted by her Boston Terrier, Rosalea, who could be a clone for my Checkers. There was another, smaller Boston named Heidi. Wonderful dogs! We spent two hours in that store petting dogs and exploring Milly's four floors of antiques and collectibles. What treasures!

Steve honed in on two Ronald Reagan campaign buttons and a Reagan/Bush bumper sticker. I found a stained glass cardinal to hang in the window - I'm a sucker for stained glass. Milly, knowing our common love for Boston Terriers, found a brass Boston Terrier and tossed that into our pile as well. We came home with a whole bag full of little treasures as well as a new friend.

It's a great stop if you're ever in Minden! Milly says she's sold items and props to lots of the film crews that have come through town and she had lots of stories to share with us. She's a real joy. When it was time to go she gave us both a Coke and walked outside with us, pointing us to another store she thought we ought to check out.

Along the way we passed this storefront which we thought was pretty cool. You might have to click on the picture to read those signs.

After poking around the rest of downtown we headed to another store Steve wanted to check out, then back home. Minden is really a charming little town with lots of potential downtown. Main Street is one of those old, brick streets like Front Street in Natchitoches, and the buildings are old and full of character. One thing Steve and I both noted, though, was how friendly everyone was that we met.

Sandy, I'd have dropped in on you if I knew where you were! Heh!

It was a nice, leisurely afternoon and was good to get away from the news and t.v. for the afternoon.

We went by my mom's on the way home and are now settling in for a quiet night and I'm back to the fight against the socialism takeover. Life goes on, but it slowed down for a little while in Minden!