I love Oregon. One of
the downsides of living here, however, is that camping season is relatively
short. I have not updated this blog
because there has been not much to report.
Betsy has been resting comfortably in the driveway and I’ve been
hunkered down in the warmth of my house waiting for the days to get longer or
someone to convince me that I should venture out to join them on my first
outing with Betsy.
National Glamping Weekend did just that.
I met last year’s Glamping Hostess, Shirley, over email and
she confessed to being a bit overwhelmed with the fact that last year’s
Glamping event had 10 trailers and this year’s event participant count was
already shaping up to be many times more than that. So I volunteered to help
Shirley is bouncy, fun, funny, cute, short, and
amazing. I used to think that I talked a
lot, until I met Shirley. The first time
we met over coffee I kindly joked with her about her inability to breathe while
she talked. She thought I was funny
too. We were instant BFF’s.
As the weeks wore on and the emails came and went from the
over 50 ladies that were registered as participants, I have to admit that
Glamping Weekend became both an event to look forward to, and an event to look
forward to being over. It got to be a bit
overwhelming, even for me.
But I soldiered on…….
The day arrived and after checking our lists, making agenda
copies and generally fussing about details like fresh flowers and chamber pots,
we headed off. My Lil’ Betsy was a
trooper. She loaded and hauled like a
dream. She’s cute, quiet, and low
maintenance. I put ice in the icebox and
off we went.
My 17 year old daughter Alyssa also tagged along for what
was sure to be a Mother/Daughter Bonding Weekend. She wasn’t sure what she was getting into, a
bit nervous about being away from her cell phone for so long, but trusted that
it would be fun and a memory we would both cherish.
And it certainly was.
Friday was Bunco night in my pajamas that I never wear. Saturday morning started with a
Bring-What-You-Want-To-Eat brunch that turned out really well with all kinds of
beautiful food. (Despite the fact that I
didn’t micromanage the Who’s-Bringing-What List. Hmmm….I’m sure there’s a lesson here
somewhere…….) Saturday afternoon got a
bit crazy when the time came for Trash for Treasure. I was the hostess, and literally truckloads
of cute stuff appeared, out of nowhere, for me to sell. Luckily, the Wine-A-Bago appeared just in
time to take the edge off by providing an easy source to my favorite Pinot and
then……..we were off to participate in Death by Chocolate.
All in all it was a fun weekend and now I have a whole slew
of new facebook friends. Alyssa and I
were running, walking, biking, jogging, and driving from here to there all
weekend but still managed to bond and discuss her upcoming 18th
birthday and graduation party.
I got some really cute pictures, lots of décor ideas for my
own trailer, but a bad case of trailer envy.
Where did all these creative, fun, independent, women come from?
As we were packing to leave the next day we met a couple who
had just purchased a 2013 Airstream and pulled it from the dealer’s lot, to the
camp site. The dad was sitting on the
picnic table reading the 2” thick operating manual. We struck up a conversation and they invited
us into see their newest “baby”.
Their trailer was breathtaking. Perfect.
Clean. Sleek. Equipped. High
Tech. Super Comfy. Roomy.
Wow.
Would I like a 2013 Airstream? You betcha’!
Would I want to go into debt to purchase one? No way!
I’d rather refurbish an older one, feeling good about saving
money and putting a little of myself into her at the same time. I’d rather pull her down the road knowing
she’s the only one of her kind and all mine.
We did it. She didn’t
fall apart. Betsy made it. There and back. Without a scratch.
Our mascot, George, got his picture taken on his first
adventure and Alyssa and I have a memory to cherish. It truly was very fun but next year…….I’ll
do far less organizing and far more enjoying.
