Flea Market, Silhouette and Mary Lou

Last weekend I went to a flea market in Crosslake, and I found a enamel cast iron skillet that was perfect for Mary Lou (our vintage camper.) So today I went out to find the perfect place to hang it. Craig and I found the place, but decided that I needed to add a little decoration to it.
So I got out my computer and my Silhouette machine, and created a vinyl design, which I then attached to the skillet. I just love my Silhouette!

Camping with Mary Lou

Last weekend was our first camping trip with Mary Lou - our "new" 1959 Mallard Travel Trailer.

We had made reservations at Moose Lake State Park and we were so excited about the weekend. Craig had Mary Lou all packed and hitched up when I got home from work at noon on Friday. So we had some lunch, and took off on our adventure!

When we arrived at the park, we were very pleased with what we saw. The visitor center was beautiful and clean, and the young man working at the counter was pleasant and helpful.  We found our site, and we liked it at once. There was privacy. There was beauty. The driveway was level. So we set up our camp. Craig cooked our supper over the campfire. 

Why is it that food always tastes so good when it is cooked and eaten outdoors? 

It was chilly outside the first night, but we had brought an electric heater along, so we were cozy and warm in Mary Lou. 

Saturday morning we had some rolls and coffee, and then took off to go to an auction nearby. We didn't buy anything, but we enjoyed looking at the items for sale, watching the people and listening to the auctioneers.

That afternoon we went back to our campsite and explored the state park. There were wonderful trails for hiking. Percy loved all the new smells. He was convinced that there were animals hiding in the culverts under the driveway of our campsite - and we found out that night that he was right! There was a pocket gopher there. Craig let Percy go and he raced off to try to catch that gopher. When the gopher disappeared down a nearby hole, Percy stood there all evening, waiting for him to come back out. Saturday afternoon we also put up the awning on the trailer. We learned that we need to bring a ladder with us next time. Craig was standing on a 5 gallon pail on top of a Rubbermaid container on top of the spare tire! 

That night we used our little propane grill and our camp stove to cook our supper. Later we popped Jiffy Pop popcorn over the camp stove, and roasted marshmallows over the fire. 

On Sunday morning, after breakfast and devotions, we did some more hiking. We visited the agate exhibit at the Visitor Center. We just sat and soaked in the sunshine, listened to the birds singing, and enjoyed being together. 

After lunch we packed up and drove home. It was a great weekend. I didn't think about work, or what I should be doing at home. I just enjoyed being with Craig, enjoying the outdoors, living in the moment. It was refreshing.

Bring on summer!

We are so excited - because today we bought ourselves a camper!

We have been talking about camping for about a year now. Several friends have invited us to go with them, and we even have a reservation to go to a campground in Duluth this June. So we started looking for a camper on Craigslist and eBay. As soon as we saw some pictures of vintage travel trailers, we knew that we wanted one... that it would fit us. About two weeks ago I found this one on Craigslist. It was close to home so we didn't need to travel far to see it. And we fell in love with it. Our "new" camper is a 1959 Mallard. It is 15 feet long - just perfect for the two of us - and Percy, of course. So today we went and picked it up. It fits perfectly in the space next to the garage.

Our little beauty is in pretty good shape. There are a few things to be fixed, but if we wanted to, we could go camping in her this weekend. With windchill tonight forecast to be at least -30 I think we'll wait a while.
But we're as happy as can be to look out the window and see her parked in our driveway.

Here are a few pictures of the inside... I will be looking for fabric to make curtains and slipcovers for the banquette. We are going to put a full size mattress in back, and I'll be looking for a cute bedspread. Craig has to do a little work on a couple of the regulators for the front windows, and the inside of the door needs some work. But can you see the possibilities? I have been doing research on Pinterest, and have seen so many cute trailers... I can't wait to put our personal touch on this one.

The bonus is that this little trailer can serve as overflow sleeping when we have all the kids and grandkids ( or any other company) here for a weekend. 

Just call if you want to make a reservation to stay in our little trailer!