Leaving in a few hours for 2 nights near my sister's house. Mama isn't feeling so hot so she's skipping tonight. My aunt has a site nearby for tomorrow so we'll do the grilling thing for dinner. Tonight, it's me and my sister plus a campfire. We're eating out. Tomorrow, Mama and Tug bring the food out when they come. I'll take Tug's stuff with me tonight so it's less for Mama to worry about- his camping crate isn't the one he sleeps in at home.
The weather's a little warm but it beats 36 degrees. As long as the memory of that weekend lingers I may be able to avoid bitching about the weather- LOL!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The Great Thanksgiving Freeze Out
BRRRRR
...and a great, big thanks (insert sarcasm here) to my sister for bringing a digital thermometer with a remote sensor which sat on the picnic table for the whole trip. That way we knew what temperature it was inside & outside at the same time. Apparently, "f 'ing freezing" wasn't good enough for her- she wanted statistics!
Thanksgiving, 8am= 37 degrees outside, 57 degrees inside (thank goodness for little space heaters!)
9am= 39 degrees outside, 49 degrees inside (why the *&#$% did we turn that damn thing off, anyway!)
9:30am= 40 degrees outside, 56 degrees inside (ahhhhhhhh!)
Noon= 73 degrees inside & out (now we know why the "layered" look is so popular!)
Friday was much the same. Saturday it was warmer by at least 5 degrees in the AM (hey, it helped!). Sunday was fairly warm as I used my A/C on the way home.
The weathermen got it right- freezing cold temperatures. Only they said for 2 days, not 3! Also, we were warned for days that Saturday and Sunday were going to be rainy. So, we changed our plans and my sister did a lot of packing up on Saturday. Mama did a lot of rearranging and I sort of pre-packed my truck bed. What happens? No rain! But, based on the rain when we got home we're glad we decided to "bug out" early on Sunday- or we'd have been unloading in a downpour! See, these things do work out well...
Mama's Thanksgiving dinner was superb as we'd expected. We pigged out for two days on it. We skipped pizza on Saturday and did barbeque instead (yummy!). My sister's vegetarian so she just got sides but enjoyed them fairly well. Saturday included a trip out for ice cream, too.
This was a very lazy trip (once we were on it- Mama was working like a demon for 3 days prior to it). We all learned to play Dominoes and taught Mama to play Uno. I read a whole magazine one afternoon. My sister took a few power naps and some walks plus, I think, two drives. Mama puttered around and zonked out in a chaise lounge with the boy a few times. Did I nap- silly question! You betcha!
I'm a little better backing up the Covered Wagon. My sister's trying to help me but the way she uses to figure out how to turn the wheel makes no sense to me. We think differently- she's much more analytical than I am. I just work at it until I get there. I've finally learned that it takes barely easing off the brake for my truck to go 6-8 inches. I think that was part of the problem as it idles so fast it just wants to move! As long as I make it creep vs. roll I can control the C.W. much better.
Our friend made it out to see us- last time we were here she'd come out, too. Tug was much better this time as he usually goes nuts since he adores her. We had a great chat all afternoon but my poor sister napped through part of it. She hadn't slept too well and we'd all gotten up early. She did make them all coffee and we'd saved our friend one of Mama's biscuits from the dutch oven. Those aren't easy for some people to get right but my sister's so good at figuring out the heat based on how many charcoal briquettes are used and Mama makes such good biscuits that theirs turn out fabulous every time!! (I hope I didn't just jinx us!)
Most of the camp sites were taken up by RVs on our circle of the campground so it was pretty quiet. They can hook up to the shore line so the only noisy ones are the ones with outside TVs watching football. The bath house was never even under siege, really, which was great for us. This was the second outing of the new Throne Room (with the full sized portable potty) and we were in a corner site and kind of exposed. This meant everyone saw the tent it was in and asked about it. We would explain it was a shower/changing room tent but we had a portable potty in it instead. EVERYONE loved the idea- even RVers! Of course, we were across the street from the bath house so it kind of seemed weird until I'd point out that in such cold weather even a dash there in the middle of the night was an iffy proposition. Everyone understood that, too!! LOL
Last time out at this campground Tug and I had lived in the screen room (boy, were we bored). This time it was so cold the 'squitos were survivable even for me and we never put it up. It was nice not to have to take that back down and stow it away to leave. We took five packages of wood and burned 'em all- we even burned charcoal briquettes in the fire pit as there was an "open flame" ban from 11am-6pm due to low humidity. Charcoal isn't as bad so we'd start that at 5pm when the sun set and we started to freeze. The temperature plummeted 20 degrees or more each evening...
Thursday am we kept hearing this really loud bird flitting all around us. It was part coo and part warble. We hadn't been able to see it until I looked straight overhead. It's geese flying in formation and they're so high up we only see them in silhouette!!! Those suckers must be LOUD.
I was laying on the ground, reading my magazine (actually I was lounging on a pad since it's part concrete/part gravel in the camp site) and Mama had Tug inside for his nap. She was just resting. So, I'm on my stomach and they come out and Tug naturally makes a beeline for me as I'm at his level. He comes over to rub himself against my face like a cat and his curly little "piggy" tail catches the chin strap of my sun hat and pulls it off my head as he passes. Then he sits on my magazine. Great! Now I have a dog butt hat AND a dog butt magazine...
Menu:
Wednesday evening- deviled eggs, potato salad.. gee, I've already forgotten what else was there...wait- baked beans from a can!
Thursday am- cereal, yogurt, fruit
Thursday evening- turkey from our favorite BBQ joint for me & Mama (with a jar of gravy), dressing, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole cooked in the dutch oven, canned asparagus with white sauce and cheese Goldfish on top (so amazingly yummy!) AND home made cranberry sauce!! Actually, everything was home made except the turkey and the jar of gravy & can of asparagus.
Friday am- biscuits fresh from the dutch oven
Friday late afternoon- left over dressing
Friday evening- weenie roast!! Mama and I had beef dogs and my sister had soy dogs (plus, buns and condiments and tortilla chips and dips)
Saturday am- grits and eggs
Saturday late afternoon- barbecue take out
Saturday pm- ice cream cones!
Sunday am- McD's for breakfast and then we headed home
(Sunday pm was Chinese take out from our favorite place- fast becoming a staple dinner for the nights we return home from camping)
Next up: this coming weekend we're going towards the Gulf Coast. We are not, however, cooking! Just trying something different this time. We're going to be within a short drive of Tarpon Springs and if Greek food interests you at all you must eat there. So, a simple sandwich dinner on Friday, lunch at Tarpon Springs Saturday and we'll bring something back for dinner, too. Then something simple for breakfast on Sunday to come home.
...and a great, big thanks (insert sarcasm here) to my sister for bringing a digital thermometer with a remote sensor which sat on the picnic table for the whole trip. That way we knew what temperature it was inside & outside at the same time. Apparently, "f 'ing freezing" wasn't good enough for her- she wanted statistics!
Thanksgiving, 8am= 37 degrees outside, 57 degrees inside (thank goodness for little space heaters!)
9am= 39 degrees outside, 49 degrees inside (why the *&#$% did we turn that damn thing off, anyway!)
9:30am= 40 degrees outside, 56 degrees inside (ahhhhhhhh!)
Noon= 73 degrees inside & out (now we know why the "layered" look is so popular!)
Friday was much the same. Saturday it was warmer by at least 5 degrees in the AM (hey, it helped!). Sunday was fairly warm as I used my A/C on the way home.
The weathermen got it right- freezing cold temperatures. Only they said for 2 days, not 3! Also, we were warned for days that Saturday and Sunday were going to be rainy. So, we changed our plans and my sister did a lot of packing up on Saturday. Mama did a lot of rearranging and I sort of pre-packed my truck bed. What happens? No rain! But, based on the rain when we got home we're glad we decided to "bug out" early on Sunday- or we'd have been unloading in a downpour! See, these things do work out well...
Mama's Thanksgiving dinner was superb as we'd expected. We pigged out for two days on it. We skipped pizza on Saturday and did barbeque instead (yummy!). My sister's vegetarian so she just got sides but enjoyed them fairly well. Saturday included a trip out for ice cream, too.
This was a very lazy trip (once we were on it- Mama was working like a demon for 3 days prior to it). We all learned to play Dominoes and taught Mama to play Uno. I read a whole magazine one afternoon. My sister took a few power naps and some walks plus, I think, two drives. Mama puttered around and zonked out in a chaise lounge with the boy a few times. Did I nap- silly question! You betcha!
I'm a little better backing up the Covered Wagon. My sister's trying to help me but the way she uses to figure out how to turn the wheel makes no sense to me. We think differently- she's much more analytical than I am. I just work at it until I get there. I've finally learned that it takes barely easing off the brake for my truck to go 6-8 inches. I think that was part of the problem as it idles so fast it just wants to move! As long as I make it creep vs. roll I can control the C.W. much better.
Our friend made it out to see us- last time we were here she'd come out, too. Tug was much better this time as he usually goes nuts since he adores her. We had a great chat all afternoon but my poor sister napped through part of it. She hadn't slept too well and we'd all gotten up early. She did make them all coffee and we'd saved our friend one of Mama's biscuits from the dutch oven. Those aren't easy for some people to get right but my sister's so good at figuring out the heat based on how many charcoal briquettes are used and Mama makes such good biscuits that theirs turn out fabulous every time!! (I hope I didn't just jinx us!)
Most of the camp sites were taken up by RVs on our circle of the campground so it was pretty quiet. They can hook up to the shore line so the only noisy ones are the ones with outside TVs watching football. The bath house was never even under siege, really, which was great for us. This was the second outing of the new Throne Room (with the full sized portable potty) and we were in a corner site and kind of exposed. This meant everyone saw the tent it was in and asked about it. We would explain it was a shower/changing room tent but we had a portable potty in it instead. EVERYONE loved the idea- even RVers! Of course, we were across the street from the bath house so it kind of seemed weird until I'd point out that in such cold weather even a dash there in the middle of the night was an iffy proposition. Everyone understood that, too!! LOL
Last time out at this campground Tug and I had lived in the screen room (boy, were we bored). This time it was so cold the 'squitos were survivable even for me and we never put it up. It was nice not to have to take that back down and stow it away to leave. We took five packages of wood and burned 'em all- we even burned charcoal briquettes in the fire pit as there was an "open flame" ban from 11am-6pm due to low humidity. Charcoal isn't as bad so we'd start that at 5pm when the sun set and we started to freeze. The temperature plummeted 20 degrees or more each evening...
Thursday am we kept hearing this really loud bird flitting all around us. It was part coo and part warble. We hadn't been able to see it until I looked straight overhead. It's geese flying in formation and they're so high up we only see them in silhouette!!! Those suckers must be LOUD.
I was laying on the ground, reading my magazine (actually I was lounging on a pad since it's part concrete/part gravel in the camp site) and Mama had Tug inside for his nap. She was just resting. So, I'm on my stomach and they come out and Tug naturally makes a beeline for me as I'm at his level. He comes over to rub himself against my face like a cat and his curly little "piggy" tail catches the chin strap of my sun hat and pulls it off my head as he passes. Then he sits on my magazine. Great! Now I have a dog butt hat AND a dog butt magazine...
Menu:
Wednesday evening- deviled eggs, potato salad.. gee, I've already forgotten what else was there...wait- baked beans from a can!
Thursday am- cereal, yogurt, fruit
Thursday evening- turkey from our favorite BBQ joint for me & Mama (with a jar of gravy), dressing, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole cooked in the dutch oven, canned asparagus with white sauce and cheese Goldfish on top (so amazingly yummy!) AND home made cranberry sauce!! Actually, everything was home made except the turkey and the jar of gravy & can of asparagus.
Friday am- biscuits fresh from the dutch oven
Friday late afternoon- left over dressing
Friday evening- weenie roast!! Mama and I had beef dogs and my sister had soy dogs (plus, buns and condiments and tortilla chips and dips)
Saturday am- grits and eggs
Saturday late afternoon- barbecue take out
Saturday pm- ice cream cones!
Sunday am- McD's for breakfast and then we headed home
(Sunday pm was Chinese take out from our favorite place- fast becoming a staple dinner for the nights we return home from camping)
Next up: this coming weekend we're going towards the Gulf Coast. We are not, however, cooking! Just trying something different this time. We're going to be within a short drive of Tarpon Springs and if Greek food interests you at all you must eat there. So, a simple sandwich dinner on Friday, lunch at Tarpon Springs Saturday and we'll bring something back for dinner, too. Then something simple for breakfast on Sunday to come home.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
On the road again!
I can't wait! Tomorrow starts our longest camping trip since I was probably 14 or 15 (back when Pluto was a planet). We have food, of course, and lots of extra blankets as it's a wee chilly right now. Possibly there will be 50 degree weather which, in an all alumnium Covered Wagon, feels like 48! (gasp) ;)
We leave on Wednesday in the morning and return Sunday afternoon. One can only imagine the stress poor Mama has been through prepping for this. Of course, it's the end of the month so I've been putting in hours at work to hit my numbers. That means that other than setting the menu I've done diddly squat. My sister organized the gear in her one car garage which has enough camping stuff to outshine a small outpost. Mama's been getting herself, the dog and the food ready- and she thought retirement was going to be easy!!
We leave on Wednesday in the morning and return Sunday afternoon. One can only imagine the stress poor Mama has been through prepping for this. Of course, it's the end of the month so I've been putting in hours at work to hit my numbers. That means that other than setting the menu I've done diddly squat. My sister organized the gear in her one car garage which has enough camping stuff to outshine a small outpost. Mama's been getting herself, the dog and the food ready- and she thought retirement was going to be easy!!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
the throne room
This is the two room throne room. The first section is a changing room and a divider drops between it and the shower section where the potty currently sits. It has venting in the bottom for water to drain out if using it as a shower (it's original intent). After just one trip with it I've decided I won't go camping without it!!
Part of the reason is the space- we can actually change in there instead of the Covered Wagon so the windows don't have to be temporarily zipped up for privacy. The one drawback- if you turn on a flashlight while in either of the two rooms you're basically a peep show in silhouette!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
big plans for this month
Mama and my sister spent today organizing our kitchen bins for Thanksgiving week. We'll be spending five days and four nights about 2 1/2 hours from home in a park we like. It's the longest I'll have been camping at one stretch since the early 1980's! I can only imagine the dog will be bored beyond tears as he hates being tied to a tree all day. He'll have to take some naps to fill time.
We're not giving up our Thanksgiving dinner, either. Mama was an expert at cooking entire Thanksgiving meals (including turkeys) and taking them camping when we were kids. We're skipping the turkey (my sister's vegetarian, anyway) and Mama and I will bring along some sliced turkey from our favorite barbeque joint! We did that one year when we rented a beach house for Thanksgiving a few years back- took the whole meal and turkey from Bubbalou's (yes, that's the name: Bubbalou's Bodacious Barbeque!).
Of course, the menu planning gets taken very seriously with us. If you've read anything else in this blog you know it's really about the food and the naps with us. The Covered Wagon excels at nap time. The windows unzip from the top so you can get fresh air with limited light, if needed. My bunk always faces the road so we don't open the end window all the way. My sister's bunk always faces the back end of the site so she can open it all the way. When every available window is open (including the one in the door) there's only about a 6 ft stretch which is a picture window but not screened. Otherwise- the whole thing opens up like a giant screen room. It's the best for snoozes! Even the dog sleeps well in there.
So, countdown to Thanksgiving has begun! (I'm so excited!!) !!!!!!!
We're not giving up our Thanksgiving dinner, either. Mama was an expert at cooking entire Thanksgiving meals (including turkeys) and taking them camping when we were kids. We're skipping the turkey (my sister's vegetarian, anyway) and Mama and I will bring along some sliced turkey from our favorite barbeque joint! We did that one year when we rented a beach house for Thanksgiving a few years back- took the whole meal and turkey from Bubbalou's (yes, that's the name: Bubbalou's Bodacious Barbeque!).
Of course, the menu planning gets taken very seriously with us. If you've read anything else in this blog you know it's really about the food and the naps with us. The Covered Wagon excels at nap time. The windows unzip from the top so you can get fresh air with limited light, if needed. My bunk always faces the road so we don't open the end window all the way. My sister's bunk always faces the back end of the site so she can open it all the way. When every available window is open (including the one in the door) there's only about a 6 ft stretch which is a picture window but not screened. Otherwise- the whole thing opens up like a giant screen room. It's the best for snoozes! Even the dog sleeps well in there.
So, countdown to Thanksgiving has begun! (I'm so excited!!) !!!!!!!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
We're Baaaack!
End of trip one- season two.
I'd refused to sleep out on Friday, Halloween, since last spring. As it came closer to time I was reconsidering but I had a few very rough weeks at work and home so I decided one extra night of sleep in my bed was called for instead. I towed the Covered Wagon out to the campground by my sister's house on Friday evening, we ate the dinner Mama had prepared at home and brought along and then Tug and I went home. Mama and my sister got to sleep all by themselves and had a peaceful evening...what that says about Tug and me isn't something I want to delve into too deeply...
Saturday morning, those two did a lot of "editing" in the camper (aka clutter removal). Anything we hadn't used last year was schlepped back to my sister's house late in the morning (it's maybe 5 miles). They kept emergency supplies, of course, but it opened up some good room for storage in the C.W. They showered and brought their lunch back to the campsite. Meanwhile, Tug and I got up early, baked muffins and made dinner. Then we arrived out at the campsite around 1pm. Mama and my sister arrived back shortly after that and ate their lunch. Then I took a nap- I'm happiest taking naps. My aunt stopped by to visit and I slept throughout the first part of it! When I came out to join the conversation my sister finally couldn't fight sleep and went in to nap. Tug remained in the screen room with me, Mama and my aunt. He adores her so this was a win-win day for him: outdoor smells, dirt to root in and good company.
We put up our new "throne room" after my aunt left. It's a two room shower tent, actually, and I'd gotten a portable commode online which is used for people who are mostly bedridden. It's got a "pot to pee in" and arms to hold onto when you get up. I have bad knee arthritis and cannot hover over a bucket anymore much less squat behind a tree. It makes nighttime potty runs much less stressful. My sister used to go behind a tree out back of our site but Mama and I would hoof it to the bath house. Like most experienced with campgrounds we never reserve a site near the bath house as those are full of families with children. Now, we just all parade out to the formerly named "poo pavilion" in an orderly fashion. My sister goes first and while Mama goes my sister takes Tug out, if needed. He can last overnight at home but somehow on camping trips he doesn't like to be left out of the hullabaloo. Then I go and get to police the potty. (Fair's fair- we have to have it for me, after all.) Last season we'd had a small one room poo pavilion with a small portable potty which was way too low for me. We put it on bed risers and I still had trouble with it! (sad, I know)
Saturday night Mama finished fixing the dinner I'd started at home and then we ate the muffins. We were all tired enough to go to bed early. We had a parade or two to the throne room in the night and one really early in the morning- the birds weren't even up. Then, Mama made breakfast. Thank goodness for the time change and our getting to set the clocks back one hour. Check out time was 1pm and we left at 12pm- or, really, 1pm without the change. So we were right on schedule with eating and packing up. We went back to my sister's house to unload (her garage looks like a camping store) and Mama, Tug and I headed home towing the C.W. It rained cats & dogs on the ride home (about 8 miles). Mama braved the heavy drizzle it became by the time we got home and guided me into backing the Covered Wagon into it's spot (between a bike rack and a boat normally but another trailer was in the boat's spot). I'm getting better. It takes about 10 minutes for me either at the campsite or at home and I'm good with that- I'll get better during the season, I'm sure.
It's a relief to have the first trip over- we always call it our "shakedown cruise" and we've made some plans for our next big one: 4 nights & 5 days over Thanksgiving! (Not all the plans were about food, either!)
The menu this trip:
Friday night (Mama's dinner)- onion and cheese casserole (OOOHHH YUM), coleslaw and twice baked potatoes. All home made, of course, as Mama's no slouch!
Saturday breakfast for Mama and my sister was little crunchy toast things and cream cheese. Lunch was on our own. Saturday dinner (started by me at home and finished by Mama at camp)- yellow rice with soy sausages, green peas, fresh carrots/onions/red pepper and dessert was pumpkin spice muffins.
Sunday breakfast- croissants, butter and cheese plus Mama made cinnamon apples in a cast iron skillet on a propane burner.
It wasn't ALL about the food this trip and we did limited cooking but it was restful and left us eager for Thanksgiving. Mama will be making a full dinner (minus turkey) and we'll transport it there and eat off it for two days. Then, there'll be other meals to enjoy!
Note: my sister's pronouncement this trip was that we've almost got being rednecks "down." We have my pick'em up truck, a tent trailer, a screen room with camp chairs and now a "throne room" with a bona fide potty in it. We even have a dog tied to the picnic table! (He was put into the bed of the pickup truck as we packed so he couldn't get in the way- talk about bored!)
I'd refused to sleep out on Friday, Halloween, since last spring. As it came closer to time I was reconsidering but I had a few very rough weeks at work and home so I decided one extra night of sleep in my bed was called for instead. I towed the Covered Wagon out to the campground by my sister's house on Friday evening, we ate the dinner Mama had prepared at home and brought along and then Tug and I went home. Mama and my sister got to sleep all by themselves and had a peaceful evening...what that says about Tug and me isn't something I want to delve into too deeply...
Saturday morning, those two did a lot of "editing" in the camper (aka clutter removal). Anything we hadn't used last year was schlepped back to my sister's house late in the morning (it's maybe 5 miles). They kept emergency supplies, of course, but it opened up some good room for storage in the C.W. They showered and brought their lunch back to the campsite. Meanwhile, Tug and I got up early, baked muffins and made dinner. Then we arrived out at the campsite around 1pm. Mama and my sister arrived back shortly after that and ate their lunch. Then I took a nap- I'm happiest taking naps. My aunt stopped by to visit and I slept throughout the first part of it! When I came out to join the conversation my sister finally couldn't fight sleep and went in to nap. Tug remained in the screen room with me, Mama and my aunt. He adores her so this was a win-win day for him: outdoor smells, dirt to root in and good company.
We put up our new "throne room" after my aunt left. It's a two room shower tent, actually, and I'd gotten a portable commode online which is used for people who are mostly bedridden. It's got a "pot to pee in" and arms to hold onto when you get up. I have bad knee arthritis and cannot hover over a bucket anymore much less squat behind a tree. It makes nighttime potty runs much less stressful. My sister used to go behind a tree out back of our site but Mama and I would hoof it to the bath house. Like most experienced with campgrounds we never reserve a site near the bath house as those are full of families with children. Now, we just all parade out to the formerly named "poo pavilion" in an orderly fashion. My sister goes first and while Mama goes my sister takes Tug out, if needed. He can last overnight at home but somehow on camping trips he doesn't like to be left out of the hullabaloo. Then I go and get to police the potty. (Fair's fair- we have to have it for me, after all.) Last season we'd had a small one room poo pavilion with a small portable potty which was way too low for me. We put it on bed risers and I still had trouble with it! (sad, I know)
Saturday night Mama finished fixing the dinner I'd started at home and then we ate the muffins. We were all tired enough to go to bed early. We had a parade or two to the throne room in the night and one really early in the morning- the birds weren't even up. Then, Mama made breakfast. Thank goodness for the time change and our getting to set the clocks back one hour. Check out time was 1pm and we left at 12pm- or, really, 1pm without the change. So we were right on schedule with eating and packing up. We went back to my sister's house to unload (her garage looks like a camping store) and Mama, Tug and I headed home towing the C.W. It rained cats & dogs on the ride home (about 8 miles). Mama braved the heavy drizzle it became by the time we got home and guided me into backing the Covered Wagon into it's spot (between a bike rack and a boat normally but another trailer was in the boat's spot). I'm getting better. It takes about 10 minutes for me either at the campsite or at home and I'm good with that- I'll get better during the season, I'm sure.
It's a relief to have the first trip over- we always call it our "shakedown cruise" and we've made some plans for our next big one: 4 nights & 5 days over Thanksgiving! (Not all the plans were about food, either!)
The menu this trip:
Friday night (Mama's dinner)- onion and cheese casserole (OOOHHH YUM), coleslaw and twice baked potatoes. All home made, of course, as Mama's no slouch!
Saturday breakfast for Mama and my sister was little crunchy toast things and cream cheese. Lunch was on our own. Saturday dinner (started by me at home and finished by Mama at camp)- yellow rice with soy sausages, green peas, fresh carrots/onions/red pepper and dessert was pumpkin spice muffins.
Sunday breakfast- croissants, butter and cheese plus Mama made cinnamon apples in a cast iron skillet on a propane burner.
It wasn't ALL about the food this trip and we did limited cooking but it was restful and left us eager for Thanksgiving. Mama will be making a full dinner (minus turkey) and we'll transport it there and eat off it for two days. Then, there'll be other meals to enjoy!
Note: my sister's pronouncement this trip was that we've almost got being rednecks "down." We have my pick'em up truck, a tent trailer, a screen room with camp chairs and now a "throne room" with a bona fide potty in it. We even have a dog tied to the picnic table! (He was put into the bed of the pickup truck as we packed so he couldn't get in the way- talk about bored!)
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Ladies and Terriers- start your engines!!
Camping season is almost here!!
There was a pre-season shakedown cruise for the first weekend of October but it was cancelled due to family concerns. This means the Halloween trip will be the first of the season- the one I refuse to join until the morning of Novemeber first...just seen too many slasher movies to be the chick in the campground on Hallowe'en!
Last month my sister took the Covered Wagon in for it's first ever annual maintenance. We've had that baby a year now.
When Hurricane/Tropical Storm Fay rained on us for a solid week it held fast in it's little parking spot in our complex. Mama put a tarp on it at my sister's request which probably didn't hurt at all. We find if you plan for something it's not likely to happen and if you actually prepare for it then it's a definite "no go." :)
There was a pre-season shakedown cruise for the first weekend of October but it was cancelled due to family concerns. This means the Halloween trip will be the first of the season- the one I refuse to join until the morning of Novemeber first...just seen too many slasher movies to be the chick in the campground on Hallowe'en!
Last month my sister took the Covered Wagon in for it's first ever annual maintenance. We've had that baby a year now.
When Hurricane/Tropical Storm Fay rained on us for a solid week it held fast in it's little parking spot in our complex. Mama put a tarp on it at my sister's request which probably didn't hurt at all. We find if you plan for something it's not likely to happen and if you actually prepare for it then it's a definite "no go." :)
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
We were ahead of the pack- just remember that!
http://www.roamingtimes.com/rvreports/roaming-times-green-rv-of-the-year-2008.aspx
To those who don't have a Quicksilver by Livin' Lite: nyah, nyah!!
To those of us who do: we rock!! Woooo hoooooooooo!!!
P.S. the interior photo on the site is of the 10.0 model whereas we have the 8.0 model. Our dinette is shifted to run the entire length of the bunk beside it- no little walkspace or extra bench (the teddy bear is sitting on the bed made of the dinette in the picture). To get to the main bunk you either crawl over the dinette bench or, if the dinette has been made into a bed, crawl over the extra bed. Still spacious but our beds are full size- the model shown has queen size bunks.
To those who don't have a Quicksilver by Livin' Lite: nyah, nyah!!
To those of us who do: we rock!! Woooo hoooooooooo!!!
P.S. the interior photo on the site is of the 10.0 model whereas we have the 8.0 model. Our dinette is shifted to run the entire length of the bunk beside it- no little walkspace or extra bench (the teddy bear is sitting on the bed made of the dinette in the picture). To get to the main bunk you either crawl over the dinette bench or, if the dinette has been made into a bed, crawl over the extra bed. Still spacious but our beds are full size- the model shown has queen size bunks.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Plan Ahead!
Campground sites in FL book early due to the popularity of the state (official state slogan: a trillion mosquitos and 4 million alligators can't be wrong). So, Sunday evening my sister stops by with her planner and advises of the schedule she's proposing beginning in late October! :) I'm already getting excited!!!!
One thing, she wants to camp on Halloween night. I don't care if a freakin' platoon of Marines is surrounding us- I'm NOT going! I've seen too many slasher movies and the chicks in the campgrounds always go first- not this girl! I will, however, come out the next night...
One thing, she wants to camp on Halloween night. I don't care if a freakin' platoon of Marines is surrounding us- I'm NOT going! I've seen too many slasher movies and the chicks in the campgrounds always go first- not this girl! I will, however, come out the next night...
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Hibernation time
There won't be much to say after this since I won't be camping again until Fall so the Covered Wagon is going into hibernation. I'll be back in October!
Friday, April 4, 2008
sigh
I wish we were camping this weekend....
Okay, not entirely- my sister had hand surgery this week and wouldn't be able to put up the bimini bars on the inside of the C.W. when we put it up. Mama and I haven't done that part, either...
Also, this is one year from our R.V. trip which convinced Mama and me we were willing to camp again under the proper conditions...
I still wish we were camping this weekend...
Okay, not entirely- my sister had hand surgery this week and wouldn't be able to put up the bimini bars on the inside of the C.W. when we put it up. Mama and I haven't done that part, either...
Also, this is one year from our R.V. trip which convinced Mama and me we were willing to camp again under the proper conditions...
I still wish we were camping this weekend...
Saturday, March 29, 2008
mosquitos and pizza to go
So, we were in a new campground last weekend about 2 1/2 hours away from home. We did our little caravan thing with my sister driving Mama and Tug and me pulling the Covered Wagon. We pulled into a very nice spot fairly close to the clean and spacious bathhouse. The spot was L-shaped so the C.W. got backed directly in and this left the other section for our "living" area so it was hidden in the trees. We could be seen from the road but it we were screened by the trees. Speaking of screens- bless the inventor of the screen room. I may have been bored to tears at times as I was stuck in it all weekend due to the quantity of 'squitos in the area but I only came home with a dozen and a half bites. :) Pretty good for me.
Tug spent a lot of the time in the screen room with me and was fairly bored, too. (It doesn't take a lot to bore a terrier, however.) He had a good trip, all things considered, but Saturday evening he scared me into practically passing out when he gave one sharp bark in the early morning hours. I lay there in my bunk trying to breathe quietly while we three tried to decide, via whispers, if we needed to investigate or if everything was okay...everything was okay but it took over an hour for me to be able to calm down- I'd already had a nightmare Friday night and sat up for quite some time until my pulse returned to normal.
Sunday morning it was a little chilly so Tug didn't want to get out of the C.W. My sister tried to get him off the bunks so she could put his collar and harness on him and Tug kept trying to herd her back onto the bunks. She put him down onto the floor and his four little paws spread out in mid-air to try and avoid hitting the floor! He just did not want to come out. Finally, we got him outside and he was so cold (as the sun wasn't shining on us yet) that his poor little teeth where chattering and he shivered uncontrollably. Yeah, I felt like a heel.
Saturday, a friend came to visit us. She moved out that way when she retired (she was Mama's co-worker years before) so we don't see her much. She got the grand tour of the C.W. and was suitably impressed. Tug knows her and thinks she's wonderful so he had to be restrained from jumping on her all the time. It was a nice long visit, too. We plan on being back in this campground at Thanksgiving and hope she gets to come back out.
So, where does the take out pizza of the title come in? Well, we always eat well and had a nice dinner planned with grilling veggies (and chicken for Mama and me). We'd known in advance that rain was predicted for Saturday and it did drizzle off and on. Come time to start dinner and we knew the possibility we'd get rained on so we were discussing putting an electric hot plate in the screen room with us and re-designing dinner. My sister said something about we could just scrap that dinner altogether and I chimed in that I'd seen a Pizza Hut on the way in to the campground. :) Never in my life have I had take out food on a camping trip!!!! It was yummy, though.
Tug spent a lot of the time in the screen room with me and was fairly bored, too. (It doesn't take a lot to bore a terrier, however.) He had a good trip, all things considered, but Saturday evening he scared me into practically passing out when he gave one sharp bark in the early morning hours. I lay there in my bunk trying to breathe quietly while we three tried to decide, via whispers, if we needed to investigate or if everything was okay...everything was okay but it took over an hour for me to be able to calm down- I'd already had a nightmare Friday night and sat up for quite some time until my pulse returned to normal.
Sunday morning it was a little chilly so Tug didn't want to get out of the C.W. My sister tried to get him off the bunks so she could put his collar and harness on him and Tug kept trying to herd her back onto the bunks. She put him down onto the floor and his four little paws spread out in mid-air to try and avoid hitting the floor! He just did not want to come out. Finally, we got him outside and he was so cold (as the sun wasn't shining on us yet) that his poor little teeth where chattering and he shivered uncontrollably. Yeah, I felt like a heel.
Saturday, a friend came to visit us. She moved out that way when she retired (she was Mama's co-worker years before) so we don't see her much. She got the grand tour of the C.W. and was suitably impressed. Tug knows her and thinks she's wonderful so he had to be restrained from jumping on her all the time. It was a nice long visit, too. We plan on being back in this campground at Thanksgiving and hope she gets to come back out.
So, where does the take out pizza of the title come in? Well, we always eat well and had a nice dinner planned with grilling veggies (and chicken for Mama and me). We'd known in advance that rain was predicted for Saturday and it did drizzle off and on. Come time to start dinner and we knew the possibility we'd get rained on so we were discussing putting an electric hot plate in the screen room with us and re-designing dinner. My sister said something about we could just scrap that dinner altogether and I chimed in that I'd seen a Pizza Hut on the way in to the campground. :) Never in my life have I had take out food on a camping trip!!!! It was yummy, though.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Wooo Hoooo: 3 day weekend ahead!
I can't believe it- I'm five months into taking a three day weekend to go camping every month (except February) and I'm already wondering how I ever managed without taking the time off. Normally, I don't like to fritter away my precious vacation hours in bits and pieces- I go for the whole week off!! Now, I'm like an addict...if it weren't for the fact summer is so abysmally hot I'd start badgering my sister to set up some dates. As it is we already run the A/C 24/7 this time of year in Central FL.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Weather
It was a rotten, rainy day on Friday and my sister and her friend still headed out to take a 3 day weekend. They hoped to miss the worst of it as they were heading slightly up the Atlantic coastline. I was at work until late that evening and Central FL had tornado watches and really nasty rain. I haven't heard from them but the Dopler radar indicated they gambled correctly. Of course, here it's been cold and windy (cold=65 degrees which is pretty chilly for March).
Mama, my sister, myself and Tug take off in 2 weekends for a 3 day weekend just north of Central FL in a campground we haven't been to but understand has recently been redone. I'm already looking forward to it!!
Mama, my sister, myself and Tug take off in 2 weekends for a 3 day weekend just north of Central FL in a campground we haven't been to but understand has recently been redone. I'm already looking forward to it!!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Weekend Trip
My sister and her friend took the Covered Wagon out this weekend for 2 nights at the state park by my sister's house. I was to go out Saturday and meet them for dinner then go sit by the campfire. The weather was erratic so we scrapped that but they had a pretty good weekend. My sister's already getting grumpy that summer (aka April through mid-October) is really too hot to camp in FL. The mosquitos are deadly and the humidity will liquefy your brains...and then it gets ugly! LOL
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Huh?
So, apparently not only does February fail to rate a 3 day weekend (even though it's a Leap Year) but apparently I don't rate a single night out this month? Yup, my sister's going out this weekend but my invitation must've gotten lost in the mail...
Note to self: spend some time this weekend thinking of evil and wicked things to post here about her!
Actually, it's kind of funny since I'd been pretty reluctant to start camping again and insisted I would only go out October-March (my birthday's in early April and it's just too hot!). I guess she deserves a weekend with a friend and not her dear, sweet Mama or charming sister or precious pup! Frankly, I need to catch up on laundry and cleaning my closet so it's probably a good thing- not to say I'll actually DO my laundry or clean my closet, you understand...
Note to self: spend some time this weekend thinking of evil and wicked things to post here about her!
Actually, it's kind of funny since I'd been pretty reluctant to start camping again and insisted I would only go out October-March (my birthday's in early April and it's just too hot!). I guess she deserves a weekend with a friend and not her dear, sweet Mama or charming sister or precious pup! Frankly, I need to catch up on laundry and cleaning my closet so it's probably a good thing- not to say I'll actually DO my laundry or clean my closet, you understand...
Friday, February 1, 2008
Sleeping the blues away...
I've been sick for a solid month with sinus infections and horrible coughs (I've just started my third round of antibiotics in 30 days). Last weekend, however, was our 3 day weekend in Ft DeSoto and I was determined to get there. I'd missed out at New Years and was kind of glum about it. My only concern was if I'd have the ability to make the drive as I'd been working through the sickness so I was bone weary (I was at work with my dr's permission- I wasn't contagious!).
I did make the drive but only because Mama was with me in the pick 'em up truck and my sister pulled the C.W. There was really no question that I was incapable of managing the tow through the traffic in Tampa. It's the only city whose traffic I hate as much as L.A. but it's only a few miles which get hairy in rush hour and we were going in mid-day. So, we arrive in Ft DeSoto, my sister backs in like the pro she is and I sit and breathe while they put up the C.W. It's under 10 minutes for set up and take down now which is a far cry from the first few trips. Within half an hour of arrival I was soundly snoozing in my bunk. A brisk, three hour nap does wonders for the soul.
They wake me up to feed me an early dinner and everything is already set up, of course. We're an efficient bunch and losing one of the trio to a power nap doesn't really put a hitch in things... I stayed awake a few more hours (losing at Scrabble to my sister- durn it!), shower, and it's back to bed! I wake up in the morning, they feed me breakfast, I sit around awhile and go in to take a nap. Obviously, this was the perfect weekend in my book! Catered to and major nap time- some women do shopping, some do spas, some xrcz ("excercize" is a 4-letter word in my world), some get pedicures but I eat and nap.
We'd known the forecast called for possible 20% showers on Saturday afternoon and into the evening. Boy, when they call it wrong don't they just mess up in a grand way? We'd sent my sister out for a lottery ticket and it starts to drizzle so Mama and I run around like lunatics and get things covered. It stops. She comes back as it begins again and tells us the bad weather was one county away and coming fast. We get a little break in the bad weather, she thinks, so when it wasn't raining those two fire up the cast iron dutch oven to make little quiches I'd discovered in a Weight Watchers cookbook. Then there was me sitting on a camp chair cooking hash browns in a cast iron skillet over a fuel burning stove- easy and non-tiring. We ate and even put the cherry dump cake into the dutch over during dinner- we were worried the rain was coming and we've been wanting to make it for 6 months! The dump cake comes out, we've just stuffed ourselves on the last crumbs of quiche & hash browns and the heavens let loose! We break our rule of no food in the C.W. (we camp in other places which are "active" with bears). The dump cake comes in with us. (Seriously nummy!!)
I've decided it was a full 7 hours of rain- I've not consulted with the other three (Tug doesn't keep time too well and I like my version so I don't want Mama or my sister correcting me if I'm wrong.) It did change from drizzles to downpour and back a few times. I'd forgotten how soothing a sound rain on canvas is if there are no leaks to be worried about! Naturally, I slept most of the night through. We got up the next morning to our dinner items still on the table- the racoons couldn't even be bothered to root around our site in that weather. My sister gets on a stepladder and dries off the top of the camper- throwning a towel on top and dragging it off! It's efficient, actually. By the time we left at 11:40am (4o minutes past check-out time) the canvas was so dry we didn't even bother to re-open it when we got home as it didn't need it. Mama and my sister had taken a quick run to Mickey D's for breakfast in the AM since we decided we didn't need to cook breakfast under those conditions. I declined to have a biscuit brought back- clearly a sign I'm sick as I love McDonald's biscuits. I'd done a little tidying up while they were gone and made a few executive decisions on how to pack up for the return trip. We always clean everything as we put it away to leave but this time we emptied my truck bed and totally repacked from step one. It was worth the extra time when we got home! Three obsessive, compulsive women working in harmony could probably rule a small country efficiently if they could be bothered. ;)
I did make the drive but only because Mama was with me in the pick 'em up truck and my sister pulled the C.W. There was really no question that I was incapable of managing the tow through the traffic in Tampa. It's the only city whose traffic I hate as much as L.A. but it's only a few miles which get hairy in rush hour and we were going in mid-day. So, we arrive in Ft DeSoto, my sister backs in like the pro she is and I sit and breathe while they put up the C.W. It's under 10 minutes for set up and take down now which is a far cry from the first few trips. Within half an hour of arrival I was soundly snoozing in my bunk. A brisk, three hour nap does wonders for the soul.
They wake me up to feed me an early dinner and everything is already set up, of course. We're an efficient bunch and losing one of the trio to a power nap doesn't really put a hitch in things... I stayed awake a few more hours (losing at Scrabble to my sister- durn it!), shower, and it's back to bed! I wake up in the morning, they feed me breakfast, I sit around awhile and go in to take a nap. Obviously, this was the perfect weekend in my book! Catered to and major nap time- some women do shopping, some do spas, some xrcz ("excercize" is a 4-letter word in my world), some get pedicures but I eat and nap.
We'd known the forecast called for possible 20% showers on Saturday afternoon and into the evening. Boy, when they call it wrong don't they just mess up in a grand way? We'd sent my sister out for a lottery ticket and it starts to drizzle so Mama and I run around like lunatics and get things covered. It stops. She comes back as it begins again and tells us the bad weather was one county away and coming fast. We get a little break in the bad weather, she thinks, so when it wasn't raining those two fire up the cast iron dutch oven to make little quiches I'd discovered in a Weight Watchers cookbook. Then there was me sitting on a camp chair cooking hash browns in a cast iron skillet over a fuel burning stove- easy and non-tiring. We ate and even put the cherry dump cake into the dutch over during dinner- we were worried the rain was coming and we've been wanting to make it for 6 months! The dump cake comes out, we've just stuffed ourselves on the last crumbs of quiche & hash browns and the heavens let loose! We break our rule of no food in the C.W. (we camp in other places which are "active" with bears). The dump cake comes in with us. (Seriously nummy!!)
I've decided it was a full 7 hours of rain- I've not consulted with the other three (Tug doesn't keep time too well and I like my version so I don't want Mama or my sister correcting me if I'm wrong.) It did change from drizzles to downpour and back a few times. I'd forgotten how soothing a sound rain on canvas is if there are no leaks to be worried about! Naturally, I slept most of the night through. We got up the next morning to our dinner items still on the table- the racoons couldn't even be bothered to root around our site in that weather. My sister gets on a stepladder and dries off the top of the camper- throwning a towel on top and dragging it off! It's efficient, actually. By the time we left at 11:40am (4o minutes past check-out time) the canvas was so dry we didn't even bother to re-open it when we got home as it didn't need it. Mama and my sister had taken a quick run to Mickey D's for breakfast in the AM since we decided we didn't need to cook breakfast under those conditions. I declined to have a biscuit brought back- clearly a sign I'm sick as I love McDonald's biscuits. I'd done a little tidying up while they were gone and made a few executive decisions on how to pack up for the return trip. We always clean everything as we put it away to leave but this time we emptied my truck bed and totally repacked from step one. It was worth the extra time when we got home! Three obsessive, compulsive women working in harmony could probably rule a small country efficiently if they could be bothered. ;)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Lazy weekend
We were such slugs this weekend we didn't even go to the campground at all- my sister had thought we'd scrap the overnight stay and just cook dinner & desert and hang out for awhile. The weather wasn't good but it wasn't terrible, either. Oh, well.
We have set the menu for our 3 day Ft De Soto weekend later this month- and have a head start on the menu for a 3 day weekend at Silver Springs in March. Apparently, February didn't warrant 3 days anywhere! LOL
We have set the menu for our 3 day Ft De Soto weekend later this month- and have a head start on the menu for a 3 day weekend at Silver Springs in March. Apparently, February didn't warrant 3 days anywhere! LOL
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Weather
This past weekend my sister had the Covered Wagon at the campground near her home again for several nights. I was supposed to go but got a sinus infection and felt poorly. Mama checked on me in the daytime, which is wonderful and sweet, but went back to the C.W. at night...leaving the dog in my care?? Geez.
This is FL and it was a hot weekend regardless of what the calendar indicates about the season. They used the heck out of that air conditioner, I can tell you. We haven't even tested the heater yet. When we went out in early December it was supposed to get into the '50's but it was only the '60's which isn't rough if you have a good sleeping bag. (We had several- my sister was very prepared.)
Sunday it rained a lot so they both gave up the ghost for the last night they were to stay- Monday, New Year's Eve. As the camper was wet they left it up and went to their respective homes to sleep (and our house for a kick-butt dinner!). My aunt was supposed to go to her own site out there and tent camped but scraped it and came to dinner. Mama and my sister went back out this AM and broke camp. It wasn't actively raining, at least. But it was kind of a "whimper" as far as an end to the camping trip and the year...
Next up, another one night stay at that campground but right now my sister thinks maybe leave the C.W. at home and just spend the afternoon and evening out there grilling dinner... we'll see. We do have some recipes to try and we want to make cherry dump cake in the dutch oven.
The next big trip is back to Ft. DeSoto in late January so I'm trying to get that Friday off from work. We've already talked about next Christmas and had thought Ft. Wilderness at Walt Disney World but then my sister read on a camping site that it's party central that time of the year. I kind of squashed it at that point- I'm not in to being kept up by other people's idea of a "party." Normally, I go to bed anywhere from 12a-1a. On a camping trip I don't make it past 1op. I'm just wiped out. I'm such a couchpotatoqueen that any physical activity does me in...
This is FL and it was a hot weekend regardless of what the calendar indicates about the season. They used the heck out of that air conditioner, I can tell you. We haven't even tested the heater yet. When we went out in early December it was supposed to get into the '50's but it was only the '60's which isn't rough if you have a good sleeping bag. (We had several- my sister was very prepared.)
Sunday it rained a lot so they both gave up the ghost for the last night they were to stay- Monday, New Year's Eve. As the camper was wet they left it up and went to their respective homes to sleep (and our house for a kick-butt dinner!). My aunt was supposed to go to her own site out there and tent camped but scraped it and came to dinner. Mama and my sister went back out this AM and broke camp. It wasn't actively raining, at least. But it was kind of a "whimper" as far as an end to the camping trip and the year...
Next up, another one night stay at that campground but right now my sister thinks maybe leave the C.W. at home and just spend the afternoon and evening out there grilling dinner... we'll see. We do have some recipes to try and we want to make cherry dump cake in the dutch oven.
The next big trip is back to Ft. DeSoto in late January so I'm trying to get that Friday off from work. We've already talked about next Christmas and had thought Ft. Wilderness at Walt Disney World but then my sister read on a camping site that it's party central that time of the year. I kind of squashed it at that point- I'm not in to being kept up by other people's idea of a "party." Normally, I go to bed anywhere from 12a-1a. On a camping trip I don't make it past 1op. I'm just wiped out. I'm such a couchpotatoqueen that any physical activity does me in...
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