weekend of rest

No camping this long holiday weekend- we'd had reservations for a dog-friendly B&B before we were certain we'd buy the Covered Wagon. We will be going to Fort DeSoto for the dog beach for Tug's pleasure (and I think my sister's more than his- she's really in to seeing him wander around on the beach...).

I still can't believe I'm camping again. I really thought those days were gone for good. My poor knees have such bad arthritis I can't sleep on the ground even with an air mattress- I actually have trouble getting in and out of the camper due to the depth of the step. It's worth it, though. We're having fun sitting by the fire at night and cooking good food to eat. We spend more time planning the menus than we do eating.

I have to expound on the pleasures of grilled food. We do use charcoal vs. wood but it still provides a nice char and, since we're smart enough to light the coals well in advance, doesn't have that lighter fluid aftertaste. Corn in the husk and on a grate over the coals has a flavor boiling and oven roasting can't touch. Now we've also done it without the husk and wrapped in heavy duty tin foil- with the butter, salt and pepper in there! Then we put them into the coals. Wow, was it fabulous. We also peeled onions, put oil/salt/pepper on them and wrapped them in foil. Then they went into the coals. YUMMY!

I do love cast iron cooking, too. It gives a different texture to food and even taste. Heck, I grew up with a gas range and oven at home- I'd never had an omlette made in anything other than cast iron til I was grown. Now I live in a silly condo with an electric range and oven so no stove top cast iron cooking (glass top- no go). *sigh*

We'd lit lots of citronella candles last trip and it really helped keep the bugs off me. I have some sort of chemical attraction for them, I guess, since I come home with welts from mosquito bites which swell to two inches square. This trip I only had just over a dozen bites- the trip before I'd had over a dozen on each appendege (two arms and two legs, if you're not in to polysyllbatic words...). Gonna have to buy a LOT more of those candles...

Silly me, I hadn't posted a photo...

My bunk is on the left of the photo and my sister's is on the right. The big picture window in the middle encompasses Mama's bunk (aka the dinette) and the sink area. The door is on the other side. The entire top is a canvas tent held up by bimini bars. The bottom and sides are aluminum and there's no wood anywhere- unless the laminate stuff the sink/storage area count. LOL

My first tow job!

I got my hitch put on my pick'em up truck before Thanksgiving and got to use it this past weekend. I was supposed to make a "dry" run and hook up the Covered Wagon and tow it around the neighborhood two days before the trip. I didn't since I was too tired from some errands (with LOTS of walking) I'd had to do. So, naturally, when we went to hook up the C.W. there was a problem- my hitch is different from my sister's as we have different vehicles. One of the tow chains on the C.W. is shorter than the other and just reaches on my sister's SUV. It does not reach on my truck. So, we're packed with the dog in the SUV and only one tow chain is usable. Thank goodness we'd taken a 3 day weekend so it was Friday, 11 AM, when we discovered the issue. (Thanks to my sister for not being mad at me for ditching the dry run!)

We call the place which put the hitch on and they can help- plus, they're actually on the way to our campground (just an alternate route we wouldn't have taken otherwise). I got to answer a ton of questions when I pulled up with the C.W. attached (yes, nervous as only one tow chain was attached). Then they charged me a whopping $5.30 (with tax) for the fix. Do we love these guys, or what? (shout out to Automotive One in Longwood, FL)

Mama rode with my sister and I took the pickup and C.W. on my own. It was really easier for me since I'd been in the car the first time my sister towed it and followed right behind her the second time (our first "real" camping trip in it). I'd seen the issues, felt the difference in hitting the brakes and she'd found out how oblivious the general public is to what it takes to stop or manuever a trailer...

It went smoothly- except the backing into the camp site bit. We got it after about 15 minutes, though. The worst part was it was just Mama and I when we returned home. That was a full 30 minutes to back it into it's space in the "corral" at our complex (where all campers and boats are required to be parked). *sigh*

I think we did very well, though, but I'm looking forward to our next trip being to a B&B for Christmas. My sister has the C.W. at that state campground near her home for several nights at New Years and Mama, Tug and I will spend some time out there. Her friend will also be out there at some point. My aunt has a nearby site to tent camp in at least one of those nights.

catch up post

1. My sister's friend aparently liked the Covered Wagon! Mama, my sister and the friend went to the campground to set it up and then joined me at a restaurant for dinner. Tug had a date with his crate and a long snooze. Like us she was impressed with how big it is and how easy it is to put it up (now that my sister and Mama have worked out the bugs it takes just minutes). My sister even backed it into the spot on the first try! :) When researching the C.W. my sister came across people on the web who stated to be prepared for visitors. When people see it going up they come over to get the "low down" on the different design. Yup, it happened. Also, a park ranger saw them entering and told them he wanted to come by later and see it.

2. Last weekend (the first weekend of December) my sister went back to that campground near her house. She's apparently a semi-celebrity with the rangers since she was doing back-to-back visits for 1 night. Her friend brought her husband this last weekend and they had their tent in a nearby spot. Lots of visitors again and some were referred by the rangers! LOL

3. This weekend is camping on the Atlantic coast near old St. Augustine in Anastasia. We're doing a three day weekend (all 4 of us- don't forget Tug!). It's supposed to be in the low 50s at night so this will probably be the test run of our little space heater. Hope we don't get a toasted Terrier- there's very little floor room with the dinette made into Mama's bunk and his crate goes into that spot. We'll have to figure out how to do this...heck,we're 3 smart women!