I love these words that I stumbled upon today! Yesterday I posted about sharing and learning on this platform through my blog ~ Blue Star Binocular. Today this quote is highlighting the beautiful Frida Kahlo, Mexican PAINTER.
Each year we when we travel to Mexico and I often see Frida’s face showing up in many avenues. Frida’s strong, exotic and determined look has always inspired me. Her face might show up in gift shops and be put on t-shirts, decor or signs and it always makes me turn to look.
So many times we want to give up, procrastinate, or just walk away. Don’t think I haven’t thought about this as I began this new Blog and building my new tribe. Frustration with the learning curve, loosing a Facebook account and feeling anxious of putting one self out there for assessment. One thing we all need to remember, tomorrow will offer us more chances, changes and the beauty of its rewards.
Frida Kahlo was a woman well ahead of her time and was known for her creativity that she expressed herself through her beautiful paintings. For those of you wanting to learn more about this beautiful painter, here is a link to explore.
Many times we all hit the “Precaution” button! I find myself hitting that precaution button and yet I yearn to want to learn and share more. Can you relate?
We have a “Tribe” that travels each winter to Bucerias, Mexico. This group of people I call “My Tribe” are from all parts of the country. When we travel to Bucerias and all come together, we just pick up where we left off. Unconditional acceptance and love is what keeps this tribe together.
.
Bucerias Tribes
This year just might be different and difficult with Covid. I do know, if this year we are absence from visiting Mexico ~ our tribe will still continue to grow and support each other.
In closing, I wish to share these words with you. As many you too are building your new tribe during this stay home Covid exercise, don’t forget YOU are AMAZING!
At the end of the day we can endure much more than we think we can ~ Frida Kahlo
Today I am continuing to grow and learn as I write this blog for Blue Star Binocular. Have you ever felt like a “Fish out of Water” or “Playing in the wrong sand pile”? It’s been just that, working my way around blogging and learning in a new way to communicate.
My Facebook account was violated early fall and I am building my new tribe once again and finding my way back to you! One might think that would be easy task, but not so. I’ve even reached out to couple of professional people to help since this is their forte. Meanwhile I await for a response in my call for help and I won’t be discouraged to find you once again. So you see, if you see a friend request from Beth Bright, yes that is me ~
A few words that I posted on Facebook earlier on “sharing my story”.
I received this video from Facebook today and thought it might be nice to share all the fun we had together. I so love all the smiles in this short video, seeing my tribe enjoy my creative side and excited about this next chapter where it might take me.
Stay warm if you are living in the Midwest where we have snow falling or enjoy the sun for those that might be on the beach or warm temps. There is a lake out there somewhere ~
Our clock is ticking away and we are quickly approaching Election Day tomorrow, November 3rd. Doesn’t it seem like we have been watching political ads forever? I think I’m safe in saying, we just need to get this behind us and get our lives back to some sort of normal.
I’ve been brainstorming a fun idea to share with you this week and it’s been difficult with all that is happening around us. Many times when we hear sad things take place, there is a happy thought right around the corner. In this post, that is exactly what I found – Jim Beam to the rescue!
Tick Tock the clock is running
Over the weekend we lost a great actor, Sean Connery. Hearing about his death certainly brought back many great movie memories that Sean Connery starred in. I wanted to learn more about him so I went on an internet search. One of the first things I ran across was an advertisement featuring Sean with Jim Beam Bourbon.
After studying the ad of Jim Beam and Sean Connery, I ran upstairs to my storage closet and remembered we had a set of Political Jim Beam bottles. I was excited, the two stories had something in common – Jim Beam Bourbon! These political, porcelain decanters were given to Brian from his parents. I remembered seeing these decanters often as they were displayed in my mother-in-law’s china cabinet. We were the lucky ones in the family to adopt the political set of the donkey and the elephant.
Jim Beam shared many tag lines over years of production and this ad with Sean reads “You can’t improve on the original”. One of my favorite slogans was “Generation Gap – Jim Beam never heard of it”. The list of slogans go on as they had a creative marketing group even 52 years ago.
I loved imagining what gatherings these decanters might have taken place at. One might guess it brought interesting topics of conversation. Back in 1968 it too was a political Presidential voting year as Richard Nixon, Republican ran against Hubert Humphrey, Democrat. Of course we all know how that turned out with Nixon taking home the Presidency.
Standing proud ~
If these Jim Beam Bourbon decanters could talk, what would they have said back in 1968? I wonder what their thought were by dressing them in red and blue polka dots? Why did the donkey have a hat and the other one was omitted? That is the magic of collecting today, researching and reminiscing the stories of collectible items. Today the pair of decanters can bring upwards of $150 depending on what shape they are in.
Loving the details of the barefoot toe nails and tucked inside was the Iowa sticker for proof of sale.
Nineteen hundred sixty eight date along with serial numbers and “Genuine Regal China” were molded on the bottom of each of these decanters.
When we wake up Wednesday, November 4th we can only hope all those political ads are gone. We might not know who our President will be, BUT we can hope and pray we start building this team of supporting each other as we move forward to heal.
By the way, our decanters are empty so that tells you someone had fun back in 1968! Cheers my friends ~ please continue to stay safe in your travels wherever they might be. ~ Salute ~
Growing up I was lucky enough to have my mother and two grandmothers who like to cook. These women made wonderful, homemade meals as well as inspiring me in the kitchen. Each one of them were very different cooks but one thing they all had in common ~ they liked cooking with cast iron skillets.
Cast Iron skillets come in all different sizes and shapes. They also have become a highly sought after collectible item on the market today.
Antique vendors research the history of the skillet by finding a number on the skillet. There is a case in which you may see a small raised number, letter, or group of letters on a pan. These were added to the mold at the time of the casting, and are known as “molder’s marks” as opposed to “maker’s marks” which were incised.
Many cast iron aficionados swear that older is definitely better. Better as in more durable, conducts heat more evenly, and withstands arduous conditions. While cast iron skillets continue to be made from the same material no matter what the era, production methods have changed as demand increased.
Myself I had never been a big fan of cooking with cast iron skillets until recently. Setting up my own home years ago, I went the route of choosing several options as stainless steel, teflon and aluminum. They each had their good and bad traits but I quickly learn which ones I preferred that were easy for clean up, light to handle and had eye appeal to me. Today I’ve added a few cast iron pieces to my collections and love them!
I’m really not sure why I never got into Cast Iron before this time, maybe because there were so many myths out there that held me back.
Myth #1: “Cast iron is difficult to maintain.” Myth #2: “You should NEVER wash your cast iron pan with soap.” Myth #3: “Don’t use metal utensils on your cast iron pan!” .” Myth #4: “Never cook acidic foods in cast iron.
Where do you begin with clean up?
Here are a few rules to help you have a successful lifelong relationship with your cast iron.
Season it when you get it. Even pre-seasoned cast iron can do with some extra protection. To season your pan, heat it up on the stovetop until its smoking hot, then rub a little oil into it and let it cool. Repeat this process a few times and you’re good to go. Clean it after each use. There are a few ways to clean your skillet. I like to clean my pan thoroughly after each use by washing it with soap and water and scrubbing out any gunk or debris from the bottom. The kosher salt method is also preferred by many. After using skillet while still warm, sprinkling a generous amount of kosher salt and rubbing it around to remove food and oils. Re-season it. Rinse out any excess soap with water, then place the skillet over a burner set to high heat. When most of the water inside the skillet has dried out, add a half teaspoon of a neutral oil like vegetable, canola, flaxseed, or shortening. Rub it around with a paper towel. Continue heating the pan until it just starts to smoke then give it one more good rub. Let it cool and you’re done. Fry and Sear in it. The best way to keep your seasoning maintained? Just use your pan a lot! The more you fry, sear, or bake in it, the better that seasoning will become. Don’t let it stay wet. Water is the natural enemy of iron and letting even a drop of water sit in your pan when you put it away can lead to a rust spot. Not the end of the world, but rust will require a little scrubbing and reseasoning. I always dry out my pan with a paper towel and coat it with a tiny amount of oil before storage.
Clean up really is easy, as well as I like to take advantage of the ambience and serve my the meal in the cast iron pan. I do have to say, we have a rule at our house – if you cook dinner you don’t have to do the clean up. So when I cook, my husband Brian is on clean up duty and vice a versa.
When its my husbands turn to clean up and we have used a cast iron skillet in preparation, he likes doing the kosher salt clean up process. Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel, add a heaping tablespoon of kosher salt in the center of the skillet, rub the salt around a few times and then dispose the salt in the trash. Follow with a wipe down of your pan using another paper towel spreading a light coating of oil to keep it preserved and seasoned. It’s ok whatever route you go, just get using it and you too will learn how easy it is.
So lets move on! There are several internet sites to learn more about cooking with cast iron. Take the time to research and become a savvy cast iron chef! Just think, our parents, grandparents never had the internet, they just dove in cooking with their kitchen wares. Our grandmothers became pros in the kitchen cooking with cast iron skillets. How wonderful for us they left behind beautiful memories, lovely recipes and a heirloom for us to keep and enjoy.
Any pizza lovers out there?
Are you a pizza lover? We LOVE PIZZA! Light up your grill and try this easy make your own pizza dough. This is delicious, fun and easy to make. You can also add your own touch with adding your own preferred ingredient toppings. We often use up leftovers for our pizza making. You will find this recipe rather fun and tasty. We find its better than making a call out for pizza delivery!
In a mixing bowl or pot, add the flour, yeast, and salt. Briefly mix with a fork to distribute the ingredients.
Add the warm water and 2 tablespoons oil to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until the ingredients begin to form a dough.
Knead the dough a few times (you can do this in the bowl or on a lightly floured surface) so that all the ingredients are well incorporated and the dough comes together.
Cover the dough and let it rise for 20 minutes.
After the dough has risen, turn it out onto a cutting board and divide the dough into two equal pieces.
To form the crust, add 1 tablespoon oil into a preheated 10″ (for a thicker crust) or 12″ (for a thinner crust) cast iron skillet and swirl to coat the surface. Place one of the dough halves in the skillet, and using your fingers, press and push the dough towards the edges of the skillet. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon oil along the edge of the skillet.
Place the skillet on a grate over your campfire, or on your camp stove at fairly high heat. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the bottom has firmed up and begins to turn golden brown (you’ll want to lift the side up around the 3 minute mark to see how it’s doing and determine how much longer it should remain on the heat).
Pull the skillet off the fire and place on a heat-safe surface. The skillet will be HOT, so take care with the next few steps.
Using a pair of tongs, lift the crust out of the skillet and flip it so the uncooked side is face down in the skillet. Add your toppings, cover the pizza with a cast iron lid if you have one or a sheet of foil, and return the skillet to your campfire or stove.
Cook the pizza for an additional 3-5 minutes until the bottom is golden brown. Remove the lid/foil after a few minutes, once the cheese has melted, to let the steam escape for the remainder of the cooking time.
Remove the skillet from the heat, carefully transfer the pizza to a plate, and repeat with the second half of the dough.
Looking for an easy dessert?
Love smore’s? You can really tap into your own creativity with this recipe and add your own twist! I used a chocolate bark with almonds and also substituted graham crackers with almond cookies. It made for a fun dessert that everyone dived into!
Your guests or family will be so impressed you took the time to make them a personal size brownie. Again, use your imagination to add your own toppings! Nuts, chocolate, Carmel’s, marshmallows or fruit ~ the sky is the limit to encourage your guests to build their own brownie topping.
The cast-iron skillet is a classic for a reason: you can make almost anything in it. This next website is from Epicurious, one of my “go to” sites when searching for new recipes. This site has many recipes to choose from. Just have fun and experiment!
How many of you are still looking for your special pumpkin this fall? We often make this trip taking Highway 169 north going through Mankato, Minnesota to the Twin Cities. This last weekend this caught our eye and we felt we hit the jackpot of pumpkin patches!
The mega display had several choices of color, size and varieties. Need squash or popcorn? Yep, they also had a wonderful selection to tease your fall palette. For those decorators out there, come get your bale of hay to stage your pumpkins as well!
Still looking for Cinderella? She might be in the pile for you to come fetch!
Wondering whats for dinner tonight? How about one of these great looking squash?
Looking at all these pumpkins, one always wonders what they do with the leftover ones? Would it be fun to roast all the seeds? I love the smell of roasting seeds ~ here again is a recipe I have tried you might also have fun with. Caution, you can’t just eat one seed! https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/toasted_pumpkin_seeds/
The venue was self serve so you could drop your cash at the drop box. Prices were listed so you could shop until your heart was content.
Drop your cash here!The gourds were having a “hay” day tangling around all the fun!
So if your still wondering where this pumpkin venue is located at: Take North Hwy 169 ~ located on the east side of the highway close by the Harley Davidson dealership in Mankato. Enjoy if you decide to stop ~
Its been almost seventeen years ago that we were driving through St. Peter, Minnesota when I spotted this crusty old trailer on the curb that had a FOR SALE sign in the window. I suggested to Brian, lets to turn around and go take a peek at it! I often look back on that day and wish I could have taken a picture of his face as he rolled his eyes and then proceeded to turn around. I’m sure he was holding his breathe thinking maybe she won’t like it.
My head was full of thoughts as we were making the U-turn and thinking this would make for a great prop for a few of my Blue Star Collections sales. Not only could I use it for my Blue Star business, we could also have fun camping in it. I just knew it would to be a curb eye catcher for Blue Star!
Once we were inside it was like we were a couple kids giggling and relating back to our childhoods. Oh what fun we had dreaming of rolling down the road in this old 1962 Avion trailer. After Brian finished checking things out underneath, I was inside pulling every drawer out, checking the kitchen – bath and living area, thats when it all began. We wrote a check out to the guys selling it and paid $1,200. Away we went down the road with the title and the trailer with big ole grins on our face!
The 1962 Avion camper ~ a true diamond inthe rough
A group of guys previously owned it and had planned to turn the trailer into a “ guys ice fishing house”. Unfortunately one of the guys came down sick and they decided to sell it. Lucky US! We were thankful they hadn’t started their remodeling. The first step they planned was to cut holes in the floor for ice fishing. Thank heavens we found this before holes were cut! WE knew this was going to be a long, hard project trying to put the pieces back together but we were excited to make it our own and adding our own touches.
Since we purchased an Avion and not an Airstream I went home and started my research on Avion trailers. I found they produced their first trailer in 1956 in Benton Harbor, Michigan and continued producing these trailers until 1990. There are many discussions of which is best, Avion or Airstream? Many of the reads went back and forth on this subject. They found they both have a lot of similarities in looks and operating. Both Brian and I were born in the 50’s so we knew this vintage trailer had fun in past journeys. We were ready to make more memories and have fun as well!
It was exciting to see these pictures on the internet from a sales brochure of what it looked like in its “hay day”. I loved the headline “Lifetime Guaranteed for time-of-your-life travel fun! That’s just what we were looking for!
As a child, my family camped each summer taking in several rodeos across the country. My brother Mark did completion bull riding in state rodeos, so camping was a means of getting to and from these events that offered fun along the way. Since I had two brothers, my parents always allowed me to invite a girlfriend to take along and hang out with during our trips. Oh what fun times we would have camping! Those memories today still bring a smile in my thoughts.
As we traveled through many states, part of the fun was to pick up a charm from each place we visited for my charm bracelet. Collecting charms was the thing to do back in the 60’s and that I did! The bracelet quickly filled up with charms and lots of memories. I know I’m showing my age, but note the “dime” charm. I received this as a gift, on the flip side it says “ this dime may save time-for emergency only”. If only a dime would do it today! This bracelet still inspires me and where my path has taken me.
The Princess stove was a keeper, now we just needed to get it in working order. Can you imagine baking a cake in this oven? With just a bit of cleaning and tweaking we were ready to bake our own cake!
We spent many hours cleaning, polishing, and repairing this “diamond in the rough”. Keeping it true to its original order was sometimes a challenge with electrical and plumbing. Polishing was a labor of love. Once finished with our aching arms from operating the polisher, we loved her new look!
We have this silly habit our naming our vehicles. Who knows why, but its just easier to call them by name and we feel it gives them personality. After chatting about names we picked “Jill” because our truck name was “Jack”. When we thought of Jack, it was a fit that he would take “Jill” up the hill and we all would be looking for an adventure.
Such a mess to clean but such big rewards in the end. Jill loves her new polished look as she struts down the road! Pretty in pink ~ we found most of the 1962 Avions had pink sinks and appliances direct from the factory. Our Avion has a light yellow stove, white porcelain double kitchen sink but the pink showed up in the bathroom with both sink and shower base sharing the pink color. We decided to leave it all as we loved the original look. They now work like a charm!
Jill came with a bit of history as we uncovered the layers of dirt and grime. Note the window sticker was collected in 1964 when it was taken to Mexico! I can only imagine when they crossed the Mexican boarder what the inspection officer might have been thinking of this new trailer. The vintage antenna placed outside the front window provided access for local TV stations or maybe just radio? We decided to keep it all ~
As we worked our way around refurbishing this Avion we searched several internet sites to help lead us the way. There was a great group of people that had the same interest as ours out there to assist with questions, ideas and shared lots of know how to help us in the refurbishment. For those of you that might be interested as well, here are the sites we found most helpful:
I recently found this YouTube of a guy bringing his Avion home to begin his refurbish. We were lucky we did not have as much work at this guy, but it is fun to take a look at his hopes and dreams. https://youtu.be/rM-dxGM3hNs
Since I have a bit of “junk” in my bones I was also inspired with Country singer Miranda Lamberts Airstream makeover. It’s fun, funky and fascinating. Check this YouTube for a peek: https://youtu.be/j-OKEqGGzK8
Do we add curtains or not? We knew we needed privacy but wasn’t sure what to do until I found this fabric of “Fireflies”. I hired a seamstress to help with the curtains. After seventeen years they still look great and add privacy. Loving the fabric it inspired me to carry the “firefly” throughout the trailer. A friend of mine found a firefly candle as a hostess gift. Today I still love to use it when we have a candle light dinner.After a few 😉 hours of polishing away on the Avion, she was shinny like a new quarter. It was shinny I could use it as a mirror to apply my lipstick and smile all the way down the road. An overhaul of the wheel bearings and new wheels were replaced for the new beginnings and we were ready to roll ~
Jill has certainly met all our expectations and its been a “fun run” these past 17 years. WE have used Jill several times as a prop during our Blue Star Collections sales and she also has offered camping a few times along the way. Once again we are dusting her off for our next “Camping and more” stories coming soon on The Blue Binocular! Thank you for sharing your time to read our adventures.
Just a few days ago we closed the chapter on Summer and now how many of you are decorating for fall? I love the change of colors in our trees, the smell of burning leafs, warm days – cool nights and of course putting out pumpkins.
This next post Blue Star Binocular is finding fun in “Pumpkins”. What tricks your trigger, what kind of pumpkins do you like to purchase? Maybe you grow your own, if so what kind? Its all about FALLING “head over heals” in love with fall and adding pumpkins here and there in your home, work or life.
The look of incorporating pumpkins in our table settings has always inspired me when entertaining. Grab and charcuterie board, tray or something that you might serve on and get going! It’s fun to tap into our creative side and roam through our cupboards in search of adding those special touches. After all, our table settings say who we are.
So what does your pumpkin look like this fall? Painted pumpkins are a big hit! We can paint our pumpkins to set the tone at our tables, living areas or doorsteps.
Build an interest with your colors and design. These are breathtaking and yet simple designs. One might even like to stencil on a design or spell out your name or initials. Just “jump in” and get your pumpkins a bump in’!
It’s fun to use pumpkins for serving pieces. Making a hearty bowl of soup serving it up in a hollowed out squash, or entertaining with a cut in half carved pumpkin full of beverages. It’s endless of what we can do with our imaginations and resources.
Adding those finishing touches in our salads, using as a side dish or just surprising your kids in their lunch bag with these with carrots cut outs to look like pumpkins ~ how fun is this!
Tonight maybe you can turn your meatloaf into a pumpkin for an eye appealing fun feast. Could mash potatoes possibly be ghosts hiding by our meatloaf?
Heading for the beach for the holiday? Here’s an idea to have a pumpkin painting session with friends and family. Before you know it your stair steps with be filled with pumpkin beauty.
Anyone for ‘Candy Corn” or adding an unique facial gesture at your steps?
Have a GRRRReat day!
Today Agriculturalists have added many varieties to choose from. Pumpkin color pallets just scream of exciting tones.
Even the names of the new heirloom pumpkins are fun. Like who wouldn’t want a “fairytale” at their front steps? Would you dare put a “sugar pie” by your sweeties night stand or maybe “baby bear” on the baby’s shelf? What about sitting “alladin” out trick or treat night and putting dry ice in it to enhance all the little goblins”.
These are only a few of what’s out there to tickle our fancy. Let your imagination roam and enjoy the fascination of Fall or Halloween.
~ Whatever pumpkin you choose, make it fun, keep excitement in it and most of all enjoy! Happy Fall ~
Happy Feet – Brian is always telling me I have “happy feet”. When I ask him what he means by that he just says “your always ready to go”. Hummm, I guess I will take that as a compliment and appreciate the fact that we all need go while we can. Today is a gift and tomorrow things can change in the blink of an eye.
Covid 19 has put a crunch in all our life’s today. We all continue to search for our new normal. I sometimes dream of going here or there and remember “oh, its Covid” and we quickly turn down another path for fun and adventures.
September is always a big month for us because we celebrate a birthday and anniversary. Staying in a hotel or dining out in a nice restaurant wasn’t on my want list this year with all this virus stuff that is taking place. So, when asked the question what I would like to do, I quickly shouted out “LETS GO CAMPING”! I knew we could stay out of the path of other people and stick to our own grounds.
It was a last minute decision and we weren’t sure where to go, then all of sudden the weather turned cold here in Iowa. As I thought about camping, where could we go that would be warm? HEAD SOUTH of course! Decision was made, now it was time to check out camp sites. We hadn’t been out camping in years other than a quick overnight while doing a sale here and there so I was concerned of being able to secure a spot. Heading south was on the agenda and now it was time to find a few spots.
We got the camping directory out and see what we could find. We recently sent out for this “Best Public Campgrounds” brochure and crossed our fingers we might find something last minute.
We quickly learned with this Covid thing, everyone was out camping! Camp spots were at a premium and we needed to be creative with eyes wide open. Yes we could always park overnight in a Walmart parking lot as we giggled, but that was not my idea of enjoying a birthday and certainly not celebrating an anniversary.
The internet is such a great tool for just about anything and everything and this is certainly the case with camping as well. We found Reserve America was most helpful. (https://www.reserveamerica.com/). You could go into the parks websites and actually see the campsites. As a reminder it always good to double check it fits all your needs before you hit the reserve button. Do you want electric, sewer or are you just requesting a tent site? It’s all a learning experience but a fun one at that.
Our very first stop was Weston, Missouri State Park. Yippee we found a spot! Darling little park that offered private camp sites surrounded by trees and a river out the back door. I loved being nested in without people out our front door. Weston is also a cute little town with lots of history. We opted out of doing the downtown thing but went for the hikes and trail exploring. A bit rainy but it was not going to rain on our parade by any means.
Camp was set up and it was time for dinner. We chose a simple menu with daylight quickly ending and grilling would be our ways and means for our first dinner out. I had been researching easy recipes for the road and here is what we came up with for the birthday dinner. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/sheet-pan-shrimp-puttanesca-5403543
After a couple of days in Weston, MO it was time to keep heading south and it was Hot Springs, Arkansas or bust! Temps were to be warm and it was an easy drive plus we scored a couple nights at St. Catherine State Park. We made our reservation during the week to ensure we could get a camp site. Booking midweek if you can, makes a difference with weekends being booked! BUT here is a hint, once we landed we called the front desk at St. Catherine to see if there was possibly any cancelations for a couple more days. Sure enough ~ WE GOT LUCKY! Someone canceled at the last minute with a two week reservation and we just happened to be there at the right time and place before it was put out for rent on Reserve America.
This was our private little spot with a dock and view of the river right out our back door. It’s been our best spot yet ~ we loved St. Catherines State Park!
We recently learn about another fun site to explore camp sites. It’s call Harvest Hosts (https://harvesthosts.com/.
Harvest Hosts are all around the United States and are located on Wineries and Breweries. They have a limited amount of camping spots and most of time they do not have electric or sewer hookups so you have to be self maintained in your camper. Reservations are required. Also if you stay at a Harvest Host, most of time its free but they do “suggest” to purchase some of their products. Maybe order a pizza or whatever their speciality is , try one of their bottles of wine (or beers) and it also makes for no cooking as well as its fun! We made certain to put a couple of these on our route just to check it out. Not bad, people were friendly, fun and the settings were great!
Many times we felt like we were on the TV show “Naked and Afraid” but we had clothes on. 😉 We both had roles as we sat up camp. Brian took care of leveling the trailer, secure hookups, and repair anything that might have came loose with bumps from the road. My job was to get the fire going, set out lanterns and line up dinner. WE made for a mean team and many times had our tasks done in less than 30 minutes. Yes!
Lots of fun trails to explore as well of finding surprises at the top ~
Hot Springs was beautiful as we climbed the top of the Ouachita Mountain. Downtown Hot Springs and viewing all the bath houses just glowed with exciting history.
The Springs were HOT! These springs were located downtown Hot Springs. The thermal spring waters flow out of the ground at an average of 143 F and produce almost one million gallons of water each day. Many people back in the day considered them healing waters in peace.
Hot Springs, Arkansas is Bill Clinton’s hometown house. Funny how we forget the details of our past presidents, so it was time for a quick google to get the scoop of his boyhood. Fun travel stories of Bill in his day was enjoyed along our road trip.
The old Bath Houses were beautiful with lots of architectural details to take in. It was great fun to imagine how it really was back in the day with several prestigious people visiting in its days. The Red Sox ball team had spring training each year in Hot Springs so several famous ball players including Babe Ruth took part in the baths.
So its a wrap on our first Avion Adventures! What a fun run learning the in’s and out’s of finding awesome camp sites, exploring back roads and enjoying a simple life We hope we are inspiring you to hit the road as well.
We would love to hear your camping experiences as well, please do share. Any special websites you might use of course would be appreciated.
PS Watch the video until the end, its bound to make you smile.
Just when we thought 2020 Spring was full of surprises dealing with Covid along came Summer that brought more sensitivity to the matter. We all became more creative with our distancing still trying to have fun. Covid taught us many lessons in our different lifestyles. Living life to the fullest, learning to be more appreciative and yet continue to have creative fun!
We quickly got in the swing of cookouts, charcuterie boards, corn on the cob, catching rays, car trips, canoes, cranking up the a/c, cracking a beer, cotton candy, drive in church, and change. Our “bubble of family and friends” became our go to within our comfort level.
Each week we continued to work on our culinary skills and making special meals celebrating our birthdays, weddings and special dates. In our own kitchens we all were preparing gastronomic meals of desire. Covid turned many of us into good, creative cooks!
So goodbye 2020 Summer, we leave you with our fond memories in our bubble groups. It’s been a good run even within our restrictions. I think I’m safe in saying we all look forward to enjoying Indian Summer, wearing bulky sweaters and blue jeans, hearty soups, homemade breads, and nesting in front of a cozy fire.
Oh and Covid, thank you for teaching us patience, creativity and appreciation.
Corn on the cob~
Drive in church ~
Canoe staging at its best ~
Cool summer splashes ~
Charcuterie boards
Charcuterie boards ~ corn on the cob ~ cookouts ~ drive in church ~ canoes ~ cool drinks
Have ever wondered what you should do with a few splashes of leftover bottles of wine? Hummm do you save or throw them out? No worries, turn those splashes into Sangria! Yep, add a few extra ingredients from your pantry and liquor cabinet and wha-la you have a new drink! Check this out and altar this basic recipe to fit your own palette ~ cheers!
