Kings Mountain Kick-Off

Color me surprised that I am back here again with a Short Story.  I know that I told you I would chat with you again next year.  It wasn't that I lied, it's just that Momma Sharon went and planned an un-rally for March.  I think it's in her DNA to daydream and plan and organize these get-togethers.  She honestly cannot help it!

So here's the deal.  South Carolina State Parks ran a Black Friday special . . . 50% off the camping fees at select parks.  That meant the sites would cost as little as $8.50 a night!  Good gracious, that's almost FREE!!  When she saw that nearby Kings Mountain State Park was on the list, those camping wheels started turning.  Here's the result . . . 

That special has expired, but the regular fee of $17 per night is still a bargain.  It's not too early to pull out your 2015 calendar and pencil this in.  I would love to have you join me!!

Until I'm back again, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping Trips!"

Happy Thanksgiving To My Peeps!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Camping Peeps!  I want to share something that Momma Sharon's NY boyfriend John sent her . . .

ONLY 153 MORE DAYS TILL THE 2015 BRR

I think that says it all, don't you? Have a wonderful day with family and friends sharing food and fellowship.  Until we meet again, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Thankfulness For Camping!"

Sharon's Lunchbox Surprise

Back in October, Momma Sharon was browsing her friends' Pinterest pages.  If you aren't familiar with that popular form of social media, think of an online scrapbook where you can cut and paste everything from recipes to photos of cute puppies, vintage trailer decor to DIY projects.

On that particular October day, a photo of a vintage lunchbox that had been repurposed as a hot chocolate bar caught her eye.  It was surrounded by lots of cool vintage holiday props.

Hmmmm . . . an idea was hatched!  Mom has a good friend, Suzy Spence, up in Hampton, VA that has a home-based company called GeorgiaPeachez.  She takes vintage Christmas items like Shiny Bright balls, fuzzy reindeer, elfs, bottle brush trees, and crafts them into the most amazing wreaths.

Momma Sharon zipped Suzy an email with the Pinterest photo and one question.  Would she consider creating a camping-themed lunchbox with a holiday vibe?  Suzy wrote back saying that might be something fun to do.  With the Coastal Caravan consuming our every waking moment, we kinda forgot about the lunchbox day dream.

This past Thursday, we got an email from Suzy that said:

Sharon,

I really enjoyed your recent caravan and all the pictures you posted.

In fact, your little Splash inspired me along with this picture of the cocoa station.

I've been working on this for a while and it is finally ready for the reveal.

In that email was a link to a YouTube video titled "Sharon's Lunchbox Surprise".   Well I tell you, we couldn't open that link fast enough!! Suzy's email went on to say that she would send a photo to show the detail.

When Momma Sharon and Aunt Becky travel up to Williamsburg in a couple of weeks, they will see Suzy in person at the Trinkle Hall Arts & Crafts Show.  Of course that means that the lunchbox will be revealed too! One more thing.  Suzy has a blog too and on Friday, she shared her Story about this awesome little lunchbox.  You can read it HERE.

Well friends, this wraps up my 2014 Stories.  I'll be back in February to tell you all about my upcoming trip down to LaBelle, FL for the Swamp Cabbage Festival.  Until then, have a great holiday season and always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping"

Coastal Collages

My oh my, I have had fun telling you Coastal Caravan Stories for the last two weeks!  It's almost time for me to hand the Mac back to Mom and settle down for my long winter's nap.  But before I do that, I have two more Tales for you. Today I will share my Camping Collages and tomorrow Sharon's Lunchbox Surprise.

After we get back from our camping adventures, Mom goes into a creative frenzy.  She works on Shutterfly books, edits hundreds of photos, and creates camping collages that go on Postcards From The Road.  In fact, she's made a collage of every single trip we have ever taken together!  If you are curious and have a few minutes, you can see them all HERE.

Anyhoo, here's the condensed version of the four stops on my Coastal Caravan shown in the artsy-fartsy form that Momma Sharon loves best . . . 

If a picture says a thousand words, then this is the Whole Story. Thanks for coming by on this Saturday and letting me reminisce a bit. Tomorrow I will wrap things up for 2014 and until then, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping"

Sunset Over The Salt Marsh

Well hey there!  Welcome back for another Story to wrap up another week!

The only thing that could possibly compete with a sunrise on the beach would be a sunset over the salt marsh.  Two weeks ago this evening, Momma Sharon and a few of her buddies drove over to the fishing pier on Jekyll Island in hopes of catching some color.  With the Sydney Lanier Bridge off to the right, the sun put on an awesome show! 

Looks like I will have two more Stories to share with you over the weekend and then I have to turn the reins back over to my Camper Mom first thing Monday morning.  She's itching to start sending out Postcards again!  Until tomorrow, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, Camping & Colorful Sunsets"

Up With The Sun

On a morning where many of you are experiencing frigid temperatures, I want to insert a bit of warmth and sunlight in your day.  Momma Sharon loves to wake up early when camping on the coast, throw on some clothes, put a camera around her neck, and head to the beach to watch the world wake up.

At Hunting Island we were a minute's walk to the shore and all that colorful glory.  Here are some of the photos she snapped on the beach at Hunting Island.

Sometimes you just have to tell a Story with pictures.  Until we gather another time, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, Camping & Sunrises"

Call Of The Fire

Out of the thirteen nights that me and my camping buddies spent on the recent Coastal Caravan, I think our Folks missed having an evening campfire just twice. Bundles of firewood would magically appear beside the fire ring every day and we could always count on Pete or Elaine or Becky or someone to get a fire started and tend it until everyone turned in for the night.

Momma Sharon doesn't take too many campfire photos because she says they are hard to get sharp and clear.  I kinda like the soft fuzzy effect though, so I think she needs to try more often to capture the coziness of friends warming their toes and sharing laughter.

Speaking of toes, here is a shot of Mom's tootsies one evening.  Did you notice that her socks don't match?  Ha, ha, ha!

One of the really neat things about our caravan was that all our Folks fit nicely around the circle.  There was no need for a second row and it was quite intimate.  I thought it was pretty groovy that the campfire location changed from campground to campground, campsite to campsite.  I even got to host a couple on Jekyll Island!

I'm not too sure about the origin of Elaine's Sacred Fire Poker, but I do know that it showed up at each fire and was treated with great respect!

Another cool thing that happened at our campfires was that stuff got passed around . . . M&Ms, pretzels, wine, homemade cookies, marshmallows, peanuts, and something called Happy Juice.

The call of the fire is pretty powerful and it's something that made my Camper Mom and all her Beach Peeps really happy!  It was a great way to end a great day.

I don't know how many more days Momma Sharon is going to give me free access to this laptop, so I really appreciate you dropping by.  Until I sign off at the end of the week, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, Camping & Campfires"