It's Near That Time Of Year Again

It's near summer and already I'm getting the heebie/jeebies. You who have read me for any length of time know what that means: camping season! I hate it!

Now, last year when we brought the camp trailer over from the storage place and it had gotten ruined by mildew from the rain somehow getting under the tarp or the weather had deteriorated the tarp, it was just about a total loss. Okay, okay, so I was jumping up and down with impish glee and, perhaps, wishing hubs would just trash it or sell it as-is just to be able to get rid of it. But nooooo, he decided to order a new canvas covering to the tune of $800.00 and fix the wood inside the metal shell, picking the rotted wood out small piece by small piece. Does this man never run out of energy?! Sigh. Then came the painting part. He still needs new decals but we'll forgo them for a while I suppose. He's a-hankering to get 'er out in th' wilds of Idaho. Pffffft!

Well, I may take a 2-night trip with him, but the older I get the harder it is to sleep on those 3" foam mattresses with my hips. I know some of you understand. And also, some of you think I'm nuts. Why would I want to leave the comfort of my air-conditioned home with my computer, thick foam queen-size bed, refrigerator, TOILET to go to a camp site with 90° weather, skunks, bears, no phone, have our food in soggy water because the ice only lasts two days and he usually drags me along on a 3 or 4 day trip, sit on a folding chair, not be able to read past 8 pm because it gets dark early in the mountains? If this appeals to you, you need serious psycho-counseling.

Last summer our daughter and her hubby bought an RV. They said we could use it if we wanted or come down to California and go with them to the coast or lake. I could have popped her for encouraging her father even more. Plus she's decorated it all in Hello Kitty! Need. I. Say. More? Hmmmm? I knew you'd understand.
 
With that being said, below are some cute caravans for your perusal. If I could have one in my back yard and never go anywhere in it, that would be fine with me. We could "play" camping and come into the house when I get tired of it.

Why did God invent camping trailers? Actually, I think this is one of satan's tricks to make wives miserable. Yeah, that's it.
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Another gorgeous porch in red and white stripes.

An efficiency apartment or loft done extremely well and beautiful.

A beautiful porch overlooking a beautiful ocean.

The next few photos are trailers or caravans depending on where you live. Actually, I prefer caravans because it sounds a bit more elegant than trailers.

Isn't this adorable in red?

This looks like something out of the 50s and so adorable.

The owner of this caravan is a gal after my own heart. She's bold with color and accessories. Who would have thought antlers in a froufrou setting? Love it! Perhaps her hubs needed something signifying a man lives there too. ;-) Hubs would understand this.

Another red one with aqua walls.

One of my favorite ones with all the different fabrics in it.

Can't you just see this in a shabby home? Darling.

Fields of hydrangeas.

This is a home in Russia with an indoor pool and waterfall.

The colors may blind you but it's certainly cute.

I'm not fond of the smell of lavender but it's still gorgeous growing in fields or around a home garden. We have huge lavender fields just down the road a bit from us. All the seniors want their photos taken in it for their senior year photo.

Is this glam and glitz to the extreme or what?!

Another gorgeous porch for you to see.

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Tidbit:
Studies show that your favorite foods are likely foods your mother ate when you were in her womb.
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A Book I Read

If you've read my blog for awhile you know that I am not a chick flick-type chick. I love action movies and books. After all, I'm married to a retired Marine and my son is a former Marine and relatives are Marines also. My brother-in-law is a professor at the War College in Pennsylvania.

I read a book several months ago and started laughing immediately. Now, this wouldn't be remarkable except this wasn't a book of humor; it was a murder mystery. Let me tell you about it.

These 2 guys—cops— are looking for a certain bad guy. The main character, one of the cops, in the book—let's call him Bill—goes into an old barn where some bikers have their Harleys and asks for a certain guy. Of course, none of the bikers will give their buddy away since this is obviously a cop looking for one of the bikers. They act tough, talk tough, threaten Bill, and then they hear a noise.

Somewhere outside the door someone is humming the Ghostbusters theme. The bikers seemed a bit confused at that. Then the door bursts open and in walks this guy looking like a ghostbuster with a flame thrower. (I'm laughing so hard just typing this I can hardly type.) He points the flamethrower at a wall of lockers inside the barn and incinerates the whole wall. The bikers try to look and sound tough and then the ghostbuster turns his flamethrower outside the door where their Harleys are and incinerates one of the Harleys. They give up their friend faster than slick on snot. (Forgive me, but I love when the bad guys whimper!) Then all but the one wanted biker get on their Harleys and get out of there faster than a 747 jet airliner. Bill and the flame throwing ghostbuster—a cop also— look at each other and Bill said: "Was it something we said?"

I laughed so hard I barely made it to the bathroom. I loved that book! :-)
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This dining set is adorable. Love the way she has enchanting pillows on the chairs.

Who could resist such a lovely florist?

A darling home with roses-covered picket fence.

This could be a place on a side street of Carmel.

My absolutely favorite food—donuts!

Sparkly covered boxes.

Another darling cottage with pond.

Simple eye candy.

Love these rose wreaths.

Not sure what it is but it's cute.

A place to dream and dream about.

Beautiful decorated bottles.

I know it's not usually snowing this time of year, but isn't this scene gorgeous?

A secret place.

I'd take this chair in a heartbeat!

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Tidbits:
Hot dogs take more than 20 years to break down in landfills.
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Linking with NMH. 

Just A Few Thoughts Today

Has anyone noticed that for the past several years that cakes are becoming a fashion statement? I see the most elaborate cakes all over the internet. Some look like they've taken days or even weeks to assemble. And the cost has got to be prohibitive for the average person. But they are gorgeous and works of art!
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I'll never be beautiful. I've accepted that and it's really okay. I have a beautiful spirit though. I've been told I am but I'm definitely a realist. At most I'm attractive, meaning I attract attention. Even at 70 I get looks from men. But truly, I'm not gorgeous or beautiful. BUT I feel beautiful and that's a start. If you're so down on yourself that you have to have surgery then you don't have the confidence that you are beautiful. I truly believe everyone has a beautiful spirit and if you think you're beautiful, pretty or striking, you will be. And I've got a smile that can dazzle them. I'm always smiling. Maybe they wonder why I've always got a smile on my face. I don't know, but the moment someone starts talking to me I smile bigger. Always have.
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The other night hubby came around the corner while I was in the kitchen and we hugged. I looked up at him, smooched him and asked him how he could love an old, fat, nagging, wrinkly woman. He said, "You're not wrinkly." I said, "Yes, I am." He repeated his statement. I felt better. :-)
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Our house is rather open, meaning the kitchen, dining area and living room are in close proximity that smells cover all three areas. Our cathedral ceiling allows the cooking smells to waft over the wall in the kitchen, which doesn't go all the way to the ceiling. It's one thing I don't like about our house but this is our last house and I deal with it. But if I know someone might be coming over, I don't cook fish, beans, hot dogs or sauerkraut. Nothing smells as bad as those foods to me. If someone drops in, I quickly spray the house with Scentsy if I catch them coming up the walk. I love those foods...well, the sauerkraut not so much but hubby does... but they sure smell the house up horribly. If someone drops by when I've had fried potatoes with onions or a roast, I don't worry because I'm always greeted with "Gee, it smells so good in here" when cooking those 2 foods. And they're right!
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This is another room I like, especially the curtains.

Another darling vignette with brightly colored tins, plates and cups.

Romantic flower vignette.

Wouldn't small matchboxes be cute covered in this paper?

Stepping through these doors could be a bit hazardous.

I love rain. I love hearing it, seeing it and feeling it.

Geraniums always remind me of California. We had many when we lived there.

This is a room I'd feel right at home in, but the walls would be pink.

Pretty linens are always nice to have.

Why not put netting around a table for a party?!

A little girl's room that a mummy decided to make froufrou and gorgeous.

Love this shade of lavender.

More pretty linens.

A pretty kitchen. I like the blue counter top, too.

A breakfast of croissants, fruit and juice in Paris.

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Tidbits:
George Washington was the only president to have been unanimously elected.
John F. Kennedy was the first president born in the 20th century.
Jimmy Carter was the first president born in a hospital.
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Our Very First Home In California

When we first moved to California in 1961 we lived in a motel until we could get military housing on Camp Pendleton. We had left our belongings with hubs' parents and didn't get them for a couple of years so we basically had to start from scratch. We went to a local hardware store and bought 2 plates, 1 mug because I didn't drink coffee and we only needed one, 2 forks, 2 knives and one spoon as I didn't need a spoon. We had to be frugal. We somehow had a radio and I listened to that all day long. It was very boring for several weeks before we got housing.

Then we received word we had a place to live in on base—a trailer that slept four people. That's one bedroom and a fold-down sofa with a tiny kitchen and a tiny bathroom that we couldn't get in together. The shower was the bathroom. We were thrilled to get it even if it was tiny. We even had a clothesline though. Geraniums lined our little path from the street and we loved it.

Then a couple of months later our plumbing backed up and since there weren't any 4 sleeper trailers, we were given a 6 sleeper trailer. We loved the extra bed. We didn't qualify but since I was pregnant and would have our daughter soon they let us "upgrade" to that trailer. We were stylin' then!

When we were still in the motel room we lived just a few blocks from the beach and I remember we walked along the beach on Christmas day. It was wonderful. And the very first thing we noticed when we arrived on the train was the orange trees and the smell. It truly did smell like orange blossoms. To this day when I smell the orange blossoms, I remember stepping off that train.

We looked at rentals on the beach but they were so far out of our budget it wasn't even funny. I think they were $125 a month. Today they're probably that for 1/2 a day! But we loved it. We were so young and stupid then. ;-) Much wiser now.
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A quilted-type sofa.

Notice th' rug...th' rug!!!

Darling wall sconce. See what you can do with a little imagination!

Another gorgeous decorated bottle.

Another quilted-type sofa.

Elegant living room staircase.

Another cute sofa.

Bavarian homes.

I really do like that pinkish counter top.

Requisite roses. ;-)

Beautiful living room.

I love this old mannequin with the handmade roses on it.

Christie Repasy is one of my favorite artists. I wish we lived near enough to her to attend her Flea Markets.

Sweet little shop in Europe

Love this darling chair and the homeowner was very brave in her colors.

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Tidbit:

In Chico, California, the city council enacted a ban on nuclear weapons, setting a $500 fine for anyone detonating one within city limits. (Your tax dollars at work.)

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