I've Been Camping!!

Hey everyone!  Guess where I've been for the last four days . . . camping in Townsend, TN.  My Camper Mom and I left home Thursday morning and had a great drive through the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains on our way to a Sisters on the Fly event called "My Grass Is Blue".

We drove for a little bit on the Foothills Parkway and look at this neat photo of me!  Momma Sharon put me right in the middle of the Parkway sign . . . pretty cool huh?

Every time I turn around, she's got that camera pointed towards me snapping picture after picture.  You would think that after six years of camping with me, that she would have enough . . . LOL!

I spent the weekend in a campground I've never been to and quite frankly, didn't even know was in Townsend.  It used to be called Tuckaleechee Campground after the nearby caverns, but when it was sold recently, the new owners changed the name.  I don't really care what they called it, I was happy to be there!

That is until I found out that the spot I wanted to park in was under huge walnut trees and they were falling like bombs out of the air.  I knew that my Camper Mom would never park me under a walnut tree and I was right!  She picked out another site, but it was the rockiest place I've ever stayed.  I have to admit that I was kinda scared while we were backing up and Momma Sharon had to put a huge rock under my jockey wheel to keep me from rolling down hill!!

I stayed put all weekend and didn't move an inch.  I got to meet a whole bunch of old gals I had never met before.  Right beside me was The Ant Bed Lodge that had little black ants crawling all over her.  But on the other side of her was a neat old Classic Coach that belonged to Momma Laura from Alabama.  I think she was my favorite because of her faded green color and all those windows!

Momma Sharon had fun spending time with her friend Tink from Knoxville and visiting with all the Sisters.  She even went junkin' one morning . . . surprise, surprise.

It was a little chilly every night, but I kept my Camper Mom toasty and warm inside.  She put out all my favorite decorations, but not my window awnings.  To tell you the truth, I never really know what kind of decorations she's bringing for me from trip to trip.  Have you ever seen what my little kitchen looks like?  Well here you go . . .

I went to sleep every night to the smell of a campfire and I woke up every morning to the laughter of Momma's Sisters around the coffee pot.  Pretty sweet, huh?

Next week, Momma Sharon is going to give me a bath, vacuum my carpet and couches, and spray me with some safe stuff that she says will kill the little tiny spiders that like to hide inside of me.  And the reason she's going to get me looking spiffy is that I'm hitting the road on October 8 for a trip down the Natchez Trace with Aunt Becky and 6 other T@Bs.  I can't wait!!

Thanks for dropping in on this last Sunday in September to hear the Story of my camping trip to Townsend, TN!  Have a good week everyone.

"Peace, Love & Camping"

Me...Up Close & Personal

Evenin' everyone!  Thanks for stopping by for a SplashT@B Short Story.  

Today I got another photo of my quilt square.  This time it was big enough to see the detail of the artwork up close and personal.  I couldn't believe how great it looks when you can see it enlarged!  

Plus I wanted to tell you who created this quilt.  Her name is Dottie Adams and boy is she talented!

Enjoy, and remember...

"Peace, Love & Camping!"

I'm On The Quilt!!

Evenin' everyone!  I have the most awesome news to share with you!!

Momma Sharon is a member of a group of camping women called Sisters on the Fly.  Over the weekend of October 26th, she will be joining a whole mess of Sisters down in Atlanta, GA.  What's the occasion?  It's the huge Country Living Fair at Stone Mountain.  The Sisters will have three trailers on display during the show too.

At the show, the Sisters will be raffling off a quilt to raise money for Casting For Recovery.  The quilt is really cool because it features trailers.  And guess what?  I am one of the trailers that was picked for a square!!  Look down on the bottom row in the middle...it's ME!!

You probably don't know any of the other gals on the quilt, but I'll tell you about them just in case you are curious.

Sharon Lambert' s Gypsy Road Queen

Heidi Byerly's Ridin Shotgun

Debra Facer's Delaia Jo

Rebecca Amerson's Bookmobile (from last year)

Maurrie's Pretty Shield

Becky's Twisted Sister

Beverly Riddenour's Lizzie Blanche (was going to be on display but is not ready to show)

Pat Hardin's Precious

Sharon Sigmon's SplashT@B

Terri Garten's Second Hand Can

Also a square depicting Stone Mountain, our charity, Corrall, and Country Living Fair!

Momma Sharon is kinda down in the dumps because she didn't get to go to Michigan on Monday to pick up The Coffee Cup.  There was another delay and I gotta tell you that she wasn't a happy camper when she found out.  I think that she's doing better today and when she heard that I'm a quilt square, she really perked up!  I'm so glad I could make her happy again.

I hope y'all are having a good week wherever you are and remember...

"Peace, Love & Camping"

Momma Sharon's Addiction

My Camper Mom has an addiction.  An addiction that she freely admits to.  She is addicted to buying awnings for me!!  Good for me...bad for her...LOL!

Yesterday, a package from California was delivered via UPS.  A package that read "Paha Que" on the shipping label.  OMG, my new Visor had arrived!

We were supposed to go camping together this weekend, but Momma Sharon changed her mind Tuesday evening after weighing in the cost of gas, the camping fee, and mostly the fact that we went to this same Sisters on the Fly gathering last year.  

Before you feel sorry for me, you have to know that she's heading to Michigan on Monday with Aunt Becky to pick up a new member of our family.  Yep, The Coffee Cup is finally ready to come home to North Carolina and my Mom is spending the weekend getting ready for the trip and for The Cup's arrival!

But back to my new awning.  It's called a "Visor" and it's brand new from Paha Que.  It weighs less than 4 pounds, is a waterproof blue and gray vinyl, comes in a nice little bag, and looks just like the bill of a baseball cap or visor.  The first thing you do is slide it into the keder rail.

The retractable pole slides into a sleeve and before you know it,  the whole awning just kinda pops up into place!  Next you attach the guy lines into the lower keder rails, pull them snuggly and BINGO . . . the new Visor is up!

I wish I could tell you that Momma Sharon and Aunt Becky put it up in only 5 minutes like the instructions said, but it took them a bit longer.  They wrestled with it a little while before it went up.  But I didn't hear one single bad word out of either of them! 

I think I look pretty darn cute with my Visor on!!  What do you think?

I get to go on a two week trip in October and I'm pretty sure that my Camper Mom will put my Visor on me every time we stop to camp. 

Thanks for stopping by today so I could tell you the Story of my new Visor.  Have fun out there and remember...

"Peace, Love & Camping!"  

A Photo Project Featuring...ME!

Welcome back y'all.  Thanks for dropping in this morning to see what new artsy-fartsy project my Camper Mom has cooked up.

Last year, Momma Sharon went to the humongous Hendersonville Apple Festival up in western NC.  When she goes to art festivals, she's always on the look-out for some funky art item.  Sometimes she'll make a quick sketch of it or she'll sneak a photo or two of it, knowing that she can recreate it at home......no comment.

But this time around, she found something that she actually bought!  An artist had cut out letters on mat board so that photos could be placed on the back to fill in the space.  There was no limit to the number of letters, their size, or the colors of the mat and its reveal.  So here's what Momma Sharon ordered just for me!

She went back through all my camping albums and pulled out some of our favorite photos to put behind the letters.  It didn't take her hardly an hour to finish my very own SPLASHTAB Photo Collage.  Here's the before and after..... 

Pretty cool huh?  The only problem I can see is that it's kinda long and I'm not sure it will fit inside of me on our camping trips together.  But she'll figure out something.....she always does.

Next week I get to go to Bristol, TN for a Sisters on the Fly gathering called "Fun In The Fall 2".  I went last year and had a ball being the baby in the crowd of old gals.  We'll pull out of the T@Bport on Thursday and you can travel along with us over on Postcards From The Road.  When I get back home, I'll be giving you some behind the scenes accounts of my adventure.

Until then.....

"Peace, Love & Camping!"

Jackson's Surprise

Hey campers!  I've got a pretty cool Short Story for you today.

My Camper Mom is going through a real artsy-fartsy phase these days.  She just finished a little surprise present for my buddy Jackson, the Camper Dog.  You might remember him because we camped together this summer on the Blue Ridge Parkway Cruise.

Momma Sharon made camping signs for everyone who came to the Blue Ridge Rally this year.  She really likes to do stuff like that and I have to admit, they were pretty cool.

Jackson and his folks went camping this past weekend up in Virginia and he thought it would be a great idea if he had his own camping sign.  Just because he didn't go to the rally didn't matter one single bit.  He just didn't want to be left out, especially since his cousin, Murphy the Camper Dog has one!

So my Camper Mom made him one!  I just know he's going to be super excited when he sees it.  Check it out.....

I think she should take special orders and sell them, but she told me that would take all the fun out of it. Go figure!

I hope y'all are having a great week.  I've got another art project that my Mom made for me and if you drop in tomorrow, I'll show it to you.  Until then, remember...

"Peace, Love & Camping"