CANNED HAMS AND LONG HORN RAMS!

Greetings dear reader!

As promised, I wanted to share with you pictures of our trip through Wild Safari...as well as show you the recent facelift the canned ham has undergone.

Before & After:

You can still see all the dings and dents...but at least now it's the vintage aqua of my dreams! Just ordered a red/white stripe awning to go with...

So the canned ham of my dreams is fast becoming a reality! YAY! I see larger campers on the road...vintage and otherwise, and just do not feel the warm sense of nostalgia and contenment found in our little, tiny camper!

Here are the Long Horn Rams...as promised...along with other creatures galore!

The safari is a drive through nature experience! Tickets were about $17 per person, and for $2.50 you can purchase a bag of food...and then off you go! Our first "food toll" had to be paid to this guy...who was NOT going to budge until he got his fare...

Such a wise guy...and SO CUTE! Massive creatures!And it seemed NOBODY was shy about coming up to the car to ask for a treat! 

The little deer, antelope, gazelles, impalas...were all adorable! Lots of babies with their spots yet!

And this little guy just stole my heart...

I've always had something of a love affair with buffalo since my travels out west with my mom. There's something very "American" about seeing wild herds of buffalo roaming the free range...

Hilariously, the most aggressive of ALL the animals were the Emu...what a riot! The little guys came up to the car and would pinch hubby's fingers if he didn't let go of the food quick enough! 

Not terribly attractive birds...

And of course the usual zebras and such...even a darling little one came running over...just look at the little stripes on his legs. SOoooooooooo sweet! 

And the ever popular wildebeest...strange looking creatures! Of course WEbbie was barking at them ALL the whole time...trying to protect us from the dread wild menagerie I suppose!

There were baby animals set up like a petting zoo at the beginning of the trail...and the wild cats (of which there were several) were all holed up under sheds and trying to stay cool in the shade. Adorable...and great fun! Highly recommended for those who have kids and want to do something other than the typical zoo experience.

ROUTE 66 GHOST TOWNS...

Greetings, dear reader!

I am back again to regale you with tales of our recent travels on Route 66...of course, our travels last summer were the focal point of my "Wish You Were Here" tags for Elizabeth's swap:

I sent online 184 photos ... many of which were used on these tags...most tags have at least 3 or 4 different images on them...The Route 66 in the foreground? An actual piece of the old highway in Oklahoma! And I couldn't just let you see the pictures of the places without an explanation...or a STORY I should say. There's ALWAYS a story! 

The back of each tag tells the story of the picture on the front...so many of the places out west have been restored...(the further west you go, the more you find restoration...hubby and I were sad to discover so many places in Missouri restored, but left abandoned) Behold:

Beautifully restored...but abandoned. For sale signs in the windows...

The Route 66 Cafe...an adorable little coffee shop and "greasy spoon" right on the square...why would THIS place not "make it?" 

Again and again we saw wonderful places that should have been full of tourists and camera snapping fools, and instead we found empty streets, "building for lease" signs, and a little town struggling to stay alive...

Cuba Missouri has a dozen beautifully painted murals on walls around the town...with local history attached to them:

(My personal favorite...the story of Amelia Earhart...(my maiden name and long lost relative...I figure I get my sense of direction (or LACK of direction) from this heritage!)

On a Saturday afternoon, no one snapping pictures, no one walking their dog or wandering the streets...just...us. Very sad.

More tales of our trip home (through a wild animal safari!) tomorrow! By the way, those of you who have yet to send me your vintage camper tags, remember that the deadline is July 4th. I'd like to have them sent back OUT to you by then, but if you can't get them in the mail any sooner, that's fine. No pressure! Summer's all about being laid back and laaaaaaaaazy...

Speaking of lazy, in July my sister and her family will be here from Sudan...along with my youngest son and his wife...as a "treat" we are taking them all to Holiday World in Indiana. I thought a family who spent the last two years in a desert might enjoy spending the day in a water park! Check out the new ride:

More soon!
Hugs,
Paula Clare

MAGIC COTTAGE CAMPGROUND FILLING FAST!

Greetings, dear reader!

Today's mail brought these adorable vintage teardrop campers from Samantha Miranda...behold their compact cuteness!

Look at these adorable colors and images! And the teatowel she sent me...just because! It's practically new! Beautiful!

 And here are some of the pictures from our travels on Route 66. We found this wonderful drive in...sadly, abandoned and destined to become one more of the forgotten relics of Route 66. It's a shame, because the place was the absolute definition of the 1950s era of the Mother Road...great attention paid to details...

This little diner was up and running...although there were only 2 cars in the parking lot. Cracker Barrel's lot was filled to overflowing...am I the ONLY ONE who would prefer a unique bit of Americana rather than a cookie cutter franchise restaurant?

The glory of Route 66 is the wonderful little treasures tucked in out of the way places...like this motel in Cuba, MO:

I SWEAR I could hear the theme song from Mayberry RFD playing in the background! THEN, we had lunch at this charming place:

Webster the Wonder Dog enjoyed the outside dining facilities...the prices were great, the service was fast and friendly, and the food was fantastic! OUR KIND OF PLACE!

Well, I must go play hostess to all the happy camper Camporee tag folks...they can be a rowdy bunch if left unattended?

I'll be back soon with pictures of the newly painted canned ham, more Route 66 travels, and craft projects galore!

Your Friendly Campground Host,
Paula Clare

CATCHING UP...AND CATCHING MY BREATH!

Greetings, dear reader!

As many of you may or may not know, I have just come back from spending several days with number one son, wifee and grandson. What a sweet family! I had the horror of my camera failing me while I was there with them, but daughter in lpve took some shots and hopefully will get them to me so I can post them here and/or on facebook.

I have been ina crafting frenzy, and have much to show you once I sit down long enough to catch my breath...we traveled portions of Route 66 while enroute to see the grandson...I'll have pics and posts about our travels! I'll also be getting my mail on Tuesday (had it held for I KNEW campers would be arriving and didn't want them to be left without a valet to park them on the campground!) so I'm sure I'll have some of those little treasures to show you as well. My tablecloth banner is coming along nicely, my campers are almost done, and my postcard tags are in the mail to our dear E as I type! My goodness...I've been "busy as a cranberry merchant" as my grandma used to say. I'm not sure just how busy said merchants ARE (if any of you happen to know one personally, clue me in!) otherwise, I'll assume they are VERY busy with the renewed love for cranberry EVERTHING in our culture! 

SOoooooooooo tired...

More after I rest and find all my goods for show n tell...see you again soon!

Huggles,
Paula Clare