Yesterday my husband an I took a drive to do some errands with the intent on stopping to have lunch on the way home. We were in the Down River area of South East Michigan. I told him to be on the lookout for a hometown bar because I was in the mood for a cheeseburger and fries….

We passed many bars along the way but we decided to stop at the Drift Inn in Rockwood. It was not much to look at and we had passed it many times over the years but had never stopped.

We were greeted by the Linda, the gal behind the bar with a smile and an attitude of “glad you stopped in”. We told her we would like to see menus and as she turned to go get them she told us of the “Special for the Day”. Stuffed cabbage rolls, mashed potatoes and peas… The thought of a cheeseburger and fries went right out of my head and we both ordered the “Special”

A few minutes later we were each presented with a huge plate of the most wonderful looking homemade stuffed cabbage. I couldn’t wait to take my first bite….and it was DELICIOUS, It was as good as it looked!

Did I mention the portion was HUGE????? I planned on taking half home with me but it was so good I ate the entire plate. Yes… I said it on the drive home, “I can’t believe I ate the WHOLE thing.

Chatting with the Linda we learned this particular special is always served the first Sunday of every month. We already have our calendar marked for the first Sunday of next month, we have a date for stuffed cabbage rolls and we are going to invite another couple because we know they too love this kind of food.

Linda proceeded to tell us that they have a different special every night of the week and they all cost only a buck. They offer a different super meal “Special” each Sunday of the month.

I can highly recommend the food at the Drift Inn and the service we had was excellent. The place is not much to look at on the outside but it was really very charming on the inside, as well as being very clean.

If you go please tell them Cindy sent you.

Drift Inn is located right off I75 at the South. Huron Rd. Exit 26

The actually address of Drift Inn is 12698 Dixie Hwy South Rockwood, MI 48179 (734) 379-3823

Several years ago my Dad introduced me to a new place to shop. Now my Dad is not a shopper so for him to want to show off what he found I could hardly wait. Best Bet Pawn, located right down town Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Now I just love junk stores but I must say this was a step or 2 above even my “Favorite Junk Store.”

We were all greeted by the owner Danny Garcia and of course his Grandfather. Since my Dad had been a prior customer I thought the greeting was given because of repeat business clientele… but to my surprise all that arrived were treated with the same attitude of, “glad you stopped in.”
Now I didn’t care about all of the stuff that was packed in that store right up to the ceiling. But I did care about the jewelry case. Be still my heart, those rumors that diamonds are a girls best friend are true.

Have you ever gone somewhere and your eyes just zeroed in on an object? Well that is what happened to me. Danny must have had 3 show cases full of beautiful rings but my eyes were drawn to a very unusual designed ring. It had 3 diamonds, 2 round and 1 oval, swirled off to the side. Now for someone not wearing a plain thick band this ring would have meant nothing… but to me it was icing on the cake.  And it was a perfect fit. Ever heard the expression, it was waiting for me? Well “it was waiting for me.”

My Dad also found a ring that he thought was just wonderful and my friend Billie Jean found one too. Billie always makes this Arizona trip with me. We leave the husbands home and are treated like little kids by my Mom and Dad, now that is a vacation!

But not wanting to seem anxious, we got a price and told Danny we had to think about it. ( I hate that expression, I’ll leave that for another post.) Then we LEFT.

Well I thought of nothing else except that perfect ring. What if someone bought it while I was…. THINKING ABOUT IT?????

We all went back 2 days later with me in the lead to do the bargaining. When I walked in the store, Danny took one look at me and said, “I am so sorry but I sold your ring yesterday.”

WHAT?????? HOW COULD YOU !!!!     “Just kidding”, he said with a smile. After I gained my composure not wanting him to think  I would have paid about anything he asked,  I asked him to get out all 3 of the rings we were interesting in out of the show case and give me your “BEST OFFER.”

SOLD… the 3 of us left with sparklers on our fingers and smiles on our faces.

I found it very odd, in the pawn shop there were only a couple of trays of men’s rings but there were several show cases “FULL” of  women’s rings, many of them wedding rings. I am still wondering what that means.

We go back to that pawn shop every year and this year was no exception… I found another ring exactly like I had been looking for, an anniversary ring ( channel set diamonds) it sets right along side of my beautiful ring and once again it was a perfect fit. It was waiting for me. I also found a right hand ring. It is very unusual. Yes it has beautiful diamonds, I believe the style is called Art Deco. It too fit perfectly. I think they were both waiting, just for me.

I even took a ring back that I had purchased a few years back from Danny. He gave me credit towards my new purchase, “what a guy.”

I always try to do my part to keep the economy going.
Next time your around the Lake Havasu City area, make the trip to  Best Bet Pawn. Danny and his Grandpa will take good care of you and please tell them,
Cindy sent you.