Happy Thanksgiving Campers!!

I just wanted to take a moment on this cold Thanksgiving morning to send you greetings of Peace, Love & Camping!  I hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends!

All I Want For Christmas Is...

"All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, my two front teeth, my two front teeth!"  I've got that song in my head and nothing I do will make it leave!  I really don't want any front teeth though.

Yesterday on Facebook, this question was posed by Kevin . . . "When does one cross the line while camping?"  He featured a very fancy espresso machine and the conversation took off like wildfire.  Over the course of the last 24 hours, almost 50 comments have been made and most of them have been coffee-related!  My little sister, The Coffee Cup, would love this!

Well, I just had to jump in the conversation and share a photo of what's on my Christmas list!!

I have a little mini Keurig stored in the bottom cabinet under my sink, but it's red.  Momma Sharon put a couple Life Is Good stickers on it to detract from all that bold redness, but it doesn't help very much.  The only way to fix that problem is a groovy lime green Keurig . . .  just saying!!

It's a rainy, icy day surrounding my T@Bport, so y'all be careful out there and always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping"

Enter Toolbelt Sue

On the way home from the Rolling Home Rally in Ohio, the black knob on my overhead vent fell off.  It happened once before and Momma Sharon successfully put it back on.  But this time, it wouldn't stay put when she tried.  You'll notice that it's missing from the corner opposite the control knobs.

Enter Toolbelt Sue!  Momma's T@Bbin, junkin', and Sister friend is a very talented lady that everyone lovingly calls "Toolbelt Sue."  Actually, her name is Sue Luke and she can fix just about anything that's T@B-related!

On Saturday afternoon during the Tanglewood Toast Un-rally, Sue arrived with her big toolbox, ready to show my Camper Mom how to fix it.  Armed with just a screwdriver, they removed the plastic ring surrounding the unit.

Way up in the unit there's a mechanism that will raise and lower the "lid" on the fan.  Two screws hold it in place and one of the screws had worked its way out, causing the black knob to fall out.  It was a quick and simple fix to drop the fan down, replace that missing screw, tighten it up, re-attach the black turning knob, and put everything back in its proper place!  

The next time this happens, Momma Sharon will be able to do it herself. The next time it happens to one of my T@B friends, she will be able to step in and show someone else what to do . . . kinda like Toolbelt's Sue apprentice. 

I've been having another issue for the past year.  When Momma Sharon opened my window beside the door, it sounded like there was grit and sand in the "arms".  That window didn't want to operate smoothly and was notorious for falling down and closing all by itself! When we were at the Rolling Home Rally and the fellows from Little Guy were helping with all sorts of T@B issues, Momma Sharon purchased a new set of window arm mechanisms for me.

Enter Toolbelt Sue!  With a bit of assistance from Aunt Becky, Miss Sue quickly showed Mom how to replace those ornery parts.

Woohoo!  My fan works, my window opens and closes smoothly, and Momma Sharon now knows what to do the next time I need a some cosmetic work done, thanks to Toolbelt Sue.

We're all getting geared up for Thanksgiving around here and I'm thankful that I have family and friends that take such good care of me.  Until it's time for another SplashT@B Story, just remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping!"

My Final Camping Collage For 2013

Happy Hump Day everyone . . . well, what's left of it anyway!!  Here's an itty-bitty Bedtime Story for you tonight.  

You know how much Momma Sharon loves to make camping collages for me?  She finished up the last one for our 2013 camping season and I want to show it to you.  

It's really hard to believe that we have wrapped up our adventures for the year and it's time for my Long Winter's Nap.  Momma Sharon has to total up our miles traveled and get it entered in my Travel Log.  She'll also be moving all the stuff out of my 2013 Camping Notebook into the big 4" binder with past years.  Then there are cabinets to be cleaned out and gear stowed away.  It sounds like a lot of work, but it's our annual routine.

There are a few more Stories I'll share with you before the end of the year and then we get to start daydreaming about 2014.  Sleep tight y'all and remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping" 

Vote For Daisy

Good Tuesday morning everyone!  It was an exciting evening around these parts as my favorite football team, the Carolina Panthers, beat a tough Patriot team on Monday Night Football.  I've got a good friend, Daisy from Illinois, who is entered in a contest in Packerland and she needs our help.

Normally, Daisy is all decked out in, well, yellow daisies like this . . .

Her Momma Crystal has a whole 'nother decorating theme going on during football season and she is gussied up with Packer green and yellow.  Here's what I mean . . .

So when Daisy's Mom posted on Facebook yesterday that she was one of four finalists in a Green Bay Packer's Fan Contest and needed our votes, we sprang into action.  Momma Crystal can win some groovy Packer goodies if we go to the link and vote.  The neat thing is that we can vote every single day for Daisy!!

Here's a link to where you can place your vote.  Just click on the photo and I'll shoot you right over there.  

Scroll down to the category called Coolest Packers Wheels and you'll see Miss Daisy and can cast your vote!!  We are on a mission to drive Miss Daisy (tee hee, just couldn't help myself!!) across the finish line into first place!!

Good luck Daisy and always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping!"

Tanglewood Toast Un-rally

What a fun, fun weekend I had over at Tanglewood Park Campground with my friends!  I got to hang out with Pod, meet new LG T@Bs, and see other old Dutchmen friends.  Momma Sharon had a good time doing the same kinda thing.  She met a whole new group of T@Bbers that she had been chatting with online for quite a while.

I loved my site #2!  I had a grand view of a big field where I saw lots of deer.  I wasn't all crammed in with big campers, and my best buddy Pod was in site #3.  The weather was chilly at night, but just fine during the day and that suited me perfectly.  Here's a sweet shot that Mom snapped of me . . . 

Tiny little acorns kept bopping me on the head, but they didn't do any damage.  I could always tell when deer were nearby because they had an unmistakable musky odor to them.  I had lots of people peep inside for a SplashT@B Tour too.

It was the perfect weekend for me and my Camper Mom to finish our 2013 camping season and it was special to do it together!!

I've got a few more Short Stories to share with you this week, so drop back by when you have a minute or two.  Until then, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping!"

Chilly Camping Mornings

Good mornin' campers!  Our morning temperatures in these parts are starting to take a nosedive and that will be the case when Momma Sharon and I wake up together Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning at Tanglewood.  My camping cousins up in the northeast have even had a dusting of snow already, but that won't be the case here, thank goodness!

My favorite local TV weatherman, Eric Thomas, posted this forecast for our campground and I think we're going to be A-OK.  

We've got some newbies coming to Tanglewood for the weekend and I'm excited about meeting them! Good weather, old and new friends, camping in a new place . . . what's not to like about that?!

Have a great Tuesday y'all and remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping!"

Time For A Toast

Evenin' everyone!  It's me, SplashT@B, with a quick Bedtime Story for you tonight.  It's been so long since I've chatted with you that I forgot Momma Sharon's password and had to look it up!!

On Thursday, we are both heading out for one last camping trip for 2013.  I'm actually a little surprised that we're going because my Camper Mom has a low tolerance for cold weather.  With my small ceramic heater, flannel sheets, and fleece blanket, I told her she would be fine for the weekend!

Our destination is Tanglewood Park Campground that is less than an hour away in Clemmons, just outside of Winston-Salem.  The cool thing about this camping trip is we're going to be joined by a bunch of other folks.  Momma Sharon thought it would be fun to have an un-rally to put the wraps on another camping season, so we're going to have a Tanglewood Toast Un-rally.  We will toast our camping friends and all our escapades in 2013 . . . kinda like New Year's Eve.

My Cousin Pod is coming and he really loves to collect buttons, so I talked Mom into making one for everybody.  Check it out . . . 

Thanks for dropping in this evening to listen to another one of my Stories . . . sorry it was so long in coming.  Until we chat again, just remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & Camping!"