The Royce Files

The first order of business before I begin detailing my most recent camping adventure is to thank Remer. The depot wayside was ideal for making dinner and it had clean bathrooms and even a free box from which I scavenged a set of train postcards. It is a quaint stop on the way back from Grand Rapids. I'll probably write about the camping adventure later but will give you a little preview. I was back in the Chip- The Chippewa National Forest . It was a good trip which primarily featured  hiking. I needed to break in my new pair of boots so I left many footprints. In other news, I joined the Ipod world today. I got an authentic Ipod Nano. And it was broke! But I knew that. That's why I purchased it. It was only like $17 shipping included. It needed a new LCD and felt that repair was feasible. The LCD only cost me $6 or so. I had done repairs on PDAs so I felt this would be as simple as the many videos on YouTube made it out to be. Well, it wasn't. The hardest part that t...

Many say the end of the year is one of the best bargain hunting times.  I say anytime of the year is a good time, that is if you have mastered the art of the deal. The pre and post Yuletide, Christmastide, shopping season affords many a bargain hunter with a myriad of flotsam of the holiday kind. Holiday fluff comes in all shapes, colors, and sizes. Most of us have bins of the stuff stacked in some closet. I am pretty sure I don't want to have more that one small box labeled: Christmas Stuff. Thus far I have kept this promise to myself. However, this year I found myself yearning to be a bit more festive. I did not break out any decorations this year. None except a few old Christmas cards which I made to look like I received some. I only got one from my father this year. Well on my trek home for Christmas I encountered a this festive item which also was practical. This Eddie Bauer holiday motiff wool blend mock turtle neck sweater came into my posse...

I shop pawn shops from time to time. Ok, I usually stop in once a week if I have time. I've gotten a bike, some tools, a Xbox, and a few musical instruments by perusing the pawned goods. It's pretty rare you see an odd instrument in a pawn shop. Sure there's guitars, basses, even a random banjo from time to time but a ukulele? Maybe pawn shops in Hawaii. Well, I stopped by a local pawn shop and spied this guy- a baritone ukulele. I got it for $10. It needs strings and a minor repair but I won't let that detract from this bargain. Hopefully I can get it ready to go and do a few songs for the Net.

I was at the St. Cloud Saver's just perusing the stock on hand. In particular I was looking at golf clubs when I saw a blue tent bag. I picked it up and noticed it had embroidered on it - Sierra Designs Meteor Light CD. Hmmm. I checked the price. $4.99!!!! I took it immediately. It set it up back at home and the tent proved to be a championship purchase. Nothing missing and practically new. Moosejaw has the new redesigned one for $269. I think this is one of the best deals I've had this year. It also increases my the number of tents I own. So if there are any interested campers for this fall- I've got plenty of tents to share.

It has been about 2 weeks since I last updated you on what's happening in my part of the world. With such a full August, September should be reserved for resting. It could be a great national mandate to go to a 25 hour work week. But, alas, the government is more interested in paying for our health care which mean we need to work, and work possibly more. A State Fair post is in the future. And the long promised finale to the bike adventure should go up soon. For now enjoy what I have to say in this digest. In this digest- The Place Where Dylan Slept, BisonTurf Soccer, Melrose Place, Deal Update, Gardening. The Place Where Dylan Slept Bob probably slept many places in his journeys around the globe. Those of us in the northland know the place where he grew up was not Poughkeepsie but Hibbing, Minnesota. I last stopped in Hibbing over a decade ago and found it a decent place. Last month I had the opportunity to stop through the city on Minnesota's Iron Range a month ago. Although ...

Well what do we got here? Hmm. 2 finger puppets (free), a backpack (0.50), a book of Western stories by Brett Harte (not the wrestler, 0.75), a CD map collection of the BWCA, the Twin Cites and Lake Superior (0.99), a pair of Hind nylon pants (? I forgot but it was less than$2). I am most appreciative of the CD of the BWCA. I love those maps and at 99 cents it was a steal. The Hind pants I may take with me on this year's trip for rain gear.

This one is a bit out of order but I decided to leapfrog the others to get this fantastic deal out there. I shop thrift stores a lot. I think its a genetically acquired trait. There are quite a few in the Go. I found this deal (practically a steal) at a shop that was under my for years. St. Vincent de Paul's shop is off the beaten path in a light industrial section of town near my domicile. As I child growing up in the city of St. Paul, my mother would shop a St. Vincent's store on 7th, a block from a former family residence. I remember it being a bit creepy. I seem to recall a life size statue of Vincent in the store someplace. Another thrift shop just a few steps from the old house was Worn a Bit. It too was creepy. However, I remember mom getting better deals there. Worn a Bit is long gone but St. Vincent's is still there . But here's what I got for only a buck. A Descente cycling jersey normally worth about $65 . It was misplaced in the children's section. I kne...