Asheboro, N.C. - June 6-12,2007

We arrived in Asheboro and it is definitely hot and humid here. Kind of reminds us of that Texas weather! It is supposed to cool down a bit in a day or two though. We were able to buy diesel for $2.79.9 per gallon for those of you who have been wondering how the fuel prices are here in North Carolina.

We visited a place call Replacements, Ltd. in Greensboro which carries over 11 million patterns of china, silver and crystal. I had seen them on the internet several years ago and we had found them in one of our tour books, so we decided to take a trip over to see what they were. They had a tour of the plant and of course, you could buy anything that you wanted. We had wanted to try to replace a salad bowl that I had chipped, and they had them, but once they brought it out, it was definitely not as deep as the ones I have, so we decided to pass on it and I'll still continue to use the bowl we have. ( After all, a chip just adds a little character! ) The company is very pet friendly and were very disappointed when they learned that we had not brought McKenzie with us. Somehow dogs and very expensive breakable glass didn't quite equate in our mind but we are glad to see that they are another company who has become pet friendly. In fact, the workers are encouraged to bring their pets to work with them and there is a large picture of all the workers and their pets hanging in the plant. Coco was at work on Saturday, so we had to take a picture of her. The tour guide explained that many of the workers are involved in the rescue leagues in the area.

Replacements, Ltd. was started by Bob Page who began collecting china and crystal as a weekend hobby during the 1970's while he was an auditor for the state of North Carolina. As friends learned of his pasttime, they asked him to be on the lookout for particular pattern pieces. In 1981, he left his career as an auditor and founded Replacements, Ltd. Sales for 1981 reached $150,000 and by 1984 were close to $4 million. Sales exceeded $80 million for the 2006 year. (I knew I chose the wrong profession!!!) There are 550 employees and nearly 8 million customers from more than 171 countries. So if you are looking to replace something, this is the place to go. They not only carry china, but stoneware as well and even Correlle. Their website is www.replacements.com.

On our way back to Asheboro, we stopped in Randleman, NC, to visit the Richard Petty Museum. It was quite a set-up with displays of the Petty racing cars, pocket watches, Petty uniforms, belt buckles, guns and of course, trophies. Richard Petty, was the second generation of successful racers. He worked for his father, Lee, as a mechanic and began his own racing career in 1958 at the age of 21. In his first year, he won $1400.0o and competed in 11 races. Richard won his first Daytona 500 victory and Grand National Championship in 1964. During the mid 1960's to the end of 1970, he shattered many records. In 1967, he became "The King" after claiming an unprecedented 27 victories in one season. With his win at Darlington, "the King", became the winningest Nascar driver, surpassing his father's mark of 54 wins. Between 1960 and running his last race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he competed in 1,185 events. Richard's final season, the "1992 Fan Appreciation Tour" was full of emotion as fans bid farewell to a racing legend. In 1992, Richard received the "Medal of Freedom" which is the highest U.S. civilian award.

R. Petty's 1967 Plymouth

R. Petty's 1970 Plymouth Superbird

1992 Pontiac Grand Prix SE - driven in final lap at Atlanta before Petty's retirement

In 1979, Richard's son, Kyle, did what his father and grandfather before him had done - raced cars and won! Over the 1980's Kyle continued the Petty tradition with 2 wins, 24 top five finishes, and 81 top ten finishes and as the years passed, he became the first Petty to win $1 million or more in one season.

Kyle's son, Adam was the fourth generation of Petty's to race. He was the youngest driver to win a race in the ARCA series; however, his life was cut short in a tragic accident in May, 2000. In honor of his son, Kyle began racing the #45 car.

Also in the museum, is a fantastic doll collection that Richard's wife, Lynda has collected. There is a total of 940 dolls that she has collected over a period of 35 years. It includes dolls from all the major doll makers, both old and new. One of Lynda's favorite collections is in the "Bride Series". This is a collection of three dolls - "Betty: Bride of 1930" is the mother: her dress is remade for her daugher "Beth: Bride of 1960" then it is made again for her granddaughter, "Lisa - Bride of 1990".

Left Back is 1930 Bride, Right back is 1960 and front is 1990

There is something for everyone at this museum, so if you are in the area, don't forget to stop by and see it.

That's all for now, but keep checking back because we are headed out to the Richard Childress Racing Garage, Museum and Winery on Monday and I'm sure I'll have lots more valuable and interesting information to share. Til then, be happy! "Life is Good".