Happily Ever After

 Blake and Grace got married on Saturday evening at Broadway Hall. It was a very beautiful setting, a meaningful ceremony, a wonderful reception, and a delicious dinner.  All of that wonderful aside the very best part was their happiness.  It was so great to see them so happy and excited about their marriage.  The other happiness is the guys being happy for Blake.  Sam and his friends have a deep friendship that goes back ten plus years.  There is so much love when the guys get together that everything is fun.  Blake and Sam both have wives that understand the importance of the friendship.  Really, it wouldn't work if the girls didn't get it.

 I may have pulled my hair out with these two yahoos a time or two but they have grown up into some really great guys.

 Blake and his mama, Leanne.

 The wives that love the guys and their friends.  I love Lily peeking out in the background.

 Jonny and Alex, part of the gang.  I wish I'd gotten a photo of all the guys.

They were lookin' fine.

 Grace with more of the guys, Dakota and Levi.

 Sam gave a toast. He is a good writer and a good speaker.  He made me proud.

 It rained on the hay so Max was able to come to the wedding.  Kassie was happy he could make it.

 And there was cake and y'all know how this mama feels about wedding cake... If there's no cake you are not really married.

Blake and Grace are really married and leaving for a honeymoon in Ireland today.

Wishing them the very best!

Curtis Wright Flagship Design Ideas

Moving along to the next trailer project,the Flagship Curtis Wright.  Huaka'i Annie is 98% finished.  Hubby is working out the CW plumbing and electrical floor plan, I am working out the floor plan from an ascetic viewpoint.

We have many decisions to make prior to the rebuild.

For the exterior we are leaning towards paint on the bottom as was the original.  We'd match the original teal color.  The top will get the paint removed and I'll polish it.  Where the paint meets the shiny aluminum a small pinstripe or two.  I am learning towards a rust red pinstripe.

The paint color is one of the middle teal colors on the paint cards pictured below.

I am working on a design board.  Though I don't actually make a board because I carry it in a ziploc bag wherever I go. 

In February I had seen this little bench at a local antique store.  We didn't have the CW in our possession yet but the fabric colors reminded me of the trailer.  The quail reminded me of Eastern Washington where the CW was waiting for us in a field.  The bark cloth look reminded me of the 1940's.  I snapped a photo.

Once the CW was home I started looking for the fabric.  It was a needle in a haystack but I found it.  I ordered a sample and then had a panic attack because it could disappear.  That happened with Annie so I know what I'm talking about here.  I ordered the fabric.

I picked up the paint cards at the hardware store to get a match on the exterior pain so that I'd have something to work off of when I'm designing the interior.

While I won't necessarily use the Formica or the vinyl or the fabric pictured it gives me some pattern and color to play with in the meantime.

I picked up the light fixture at a garage for a dollar and may use it after painting it.  I liked it's design and lines,

 Our Curtis Wright is not the aviation Curtiss Wright so I'm not necessarily going with a heavy aviation theme however; our Curtis Wright did design and create some aircraft.  I found the airplane bookends on clearance at Pier One.  I plan to reuse them as light sconces by adding lights under the bottom base and attaching the back base to the wall.

I found this small sleeper sofa at an estate sale and plan to recover it with either gray vinyl or gray fabric with the teal fabric as piping.  My upholstery guy is retiring and came over to tell me that he couldn't do it anymore.  Hubby and offered to take it apart and Gerrit agreed to one more Tami project.

Since then Gerrit and I have agreed that I am going to work with him on this one and learn how to upholster.  He even suggested selling his tools to me.  In the meantime, we both are taking vacations and honestly, upholstery may not be in my talent level.

I would really like to wallpaper the bedroom in the CW.  It is fun to look for just the right paper.

The only set in stone design decision we have made it that we plan to order the big awning and the window awnings. Really.

No More Cartwheels for This Girl

Several years ago a friend's daughter tried out for cheerleader.  The advisers told Malorie, "stay within your talent level."  When I first heard this story my reaction was, "gasp, how mean!"  This just confirmed the theory that cheerleaders were sometimes the mean girls.  

Then it was explained to me.

If you cannot consistently do a cartwheel then do not put a cartwheel in your tryout routine.

Stay within your talent level.

Do whatever you do best and forget the rest at tryouts.

Once I understood that advice I realized it was good.

The moral to this story is not that cheerleaders are not the mean girls but really very helpful gals (though that is true and many cheerleaders are very nice and I have many peeps that cheered and I love them so please don't get your cheer panties in a wad) rather the moral to this story is to do what you do best.

WOW is for those that can wow.  We all have other WOW we can do and do well.

Anywhoo, after years of chanting that nugget of advice and sometimes preaching it to others, I didn't take it to heart myself.

I decided to sew my own awning for Huaka'i Annie.  Even though I don't really sew.  I went on Pinterest and found the cutest awning ever, a circus top, small awning.  I researched. I ordered the springy poles. I avoided seams and finally came up with a solution that I connect every seam with grosgrain ribbon.  The ribbon would keep it tidy and just a tad larger for the poles.

I cut scallops using a dessert plate as a pattern.

I sewed the scallops so they'd be pretty on both sides.

I got it all sewn together and allowed some space for the end poles.

I had some angst with the ribbon as it was stretchy.  Eventually, I decided to embrace the puckers.

Let it go!

I am working  with five layer of fabric on a small 50+ year old sewing machine so there was that too.

I bought a grommet kit and practiced.

There were some crazy cheerleader moves as I tried to hold it together and up and attach it to the trailer.  There is good reasoning behind the fact that I wasn't a cheerleader.

My face gets really red when I sweat and it's not pretty.  It's a Dykstra thing and my sisters and cousins have it too.

On Saturday I accepted my fate.  Those circus pole awning were a WOW factor but they were not in my talent level.  I took every stitch out, made some cuts, and sewed it back together differently. 

Sans cartwheels.

Even though I got finished on Saturday I still laid awake that night trying to figure out a way to make it work.  I'm tenacious, like that, and it's not a good thing.

I needed to get those circus poles out of my house.

I mailed the poles back to Cabelas yesterday so that I would stop trying to make it work.

Hubby has held poles with me many times over the past week.

Today I plan to pour concrete in my buckets and get her done.

This awning will be a strictly fair weather awning.  That works for me because I plan to be a fair weather camper.

I also plan to be the girl that stays within her talent level.

For. The. Rest. Of. My. Life.

Dear patient, long time readers, I know I have shared the talent level story before but it bears repeating and some of you may need the reminder.  I know I did.

Anyway, cheerleaders are smart, I'm tired, Annie has an awning,

Live and Learn

I learned a lot on my trip to Winthrop.  On the way there the lessons began, Shelly and I learned that we do not need to stop at the flea market in Concrete ever again.  I don't recommend anyone stopping there.

I learned that I need a bicycle built for two to put on the back of our trailer.  Even if we never take it off and ride, it's cute.

 I saw hardware on a screen door that we need to add to our door. Hubby just built the door and we were wondering how to finish it.

 I love the tooled vinyl and what great idea to use it on the cabinets.

 I learned that I need to up my propane tank game.  Annie's tank is pretty boring.

I met Kim and she showed me the back of her dinette cushions.  I would never had guessed but she'd spray painted them with marine vinyl spray paint.  Brilliant!

 I loved Sarah's trailer's name, Whiskey in a Tea Cup.  I need something with Huaka'i Annie's name and my SOTF number.  Preferably something cute.

 Next up is something that I wish I could say was new knowledge but I've been told this little nugget of brilliant information before and honestly, sometimes I am a slow learner.  I asked Sarah if she had sewed her awning and she said, no because I did everything else I ordered the awning from Marti's Awnings.  

Rene told me, Kathy told me, Sarah told me.  I've been told many times and probably as far back as almost two years ago.  Unfortunately, I didn't listen and I thought I could sew my own.

I started last fall, winter came and I put it away, but I knew I had to get it out this week.

 I have been stewing and sewing and am so frustrated.  When I began I imagined great success, cute scallops, coordinating prints and straight seams.  I actually was photographing as I went so I could post a tutorial on the blog.  Hah!  That would be the blind leading the blind.

I sew a day and then stare at it and stew a day.  Tomorrow is another sewing day.

Next time I shall take the good advice I am given and order the awning. 

Remind me.

Jean and I tried to buy another trailer over the weekend.  The owner said no but I haven't learned what no means when it comes to vintage trailers so we'll see. 

If Road Trips and Vintage Trailers were subjects in school I think I'd give myself a decent grade.  An A for effort but some points off for not listening.  Probably a solid B+ overall.

A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people. 

-Will Rogers

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One more thing I learned about is the word learned. I did some checking this morning because the word learned seemed awkward.  It turns out that it's correct usage.

 Which is the correct past tense of learn –learned or learnt? Well, the answer is simple. Both are correct. Yes, both learned andlearnt may be used as the past of learn depending on which form of English you’re using. Learned is used in American English, and learnt in British English. But these days, due to the influence of American English, learned is also being written in Britain.  So, in short, both the forms are correct. The only thing to remember is – whichever form you use, be consistent. Don’t use both learned and learnt together.

There’s just one case where only learned is used – whether British or American English. This is when used as an adjective meaning “possessing or demonstrating profound knowledge”. For example, ‘a learned person’ or ‘a learned response’. In this case, learned is pronounced with two syllables – “learn” and “ed”, unlike learned as a verb where it’s just one syllable. -The Write Corner

Are We There Yet?

My friend Shelly and I took a road trip last week to Winthrop to see another friend, Jean.

Shelly and I made a lot of stops on the way, garage sales, a flea market, a new to me camping spot.

If we see a grange or a church for sale we hit the brakes, a fixer upper, screeching stop.  Ice cream at a cute farm, STOP.

Obviously, it takes us a long time to get anywhere.  I was asking, are we there yet? when we saw the sign Winthrop 96 miles.

 We eventually got to Shelly's cabin.

Brad and Roz stopped by and we had a fun visit with them.  The kids are going to be married 30 years soon, I begged them to have a party because their wedding was so much fun. 

Next stop was Pine Near RV Park to visit with Jean and meet some of the other SOTF.

 We planned to bring a strawberry pie and proseco to enjoy with Jean.  Shelly found the silver ice bucket at a garage sale on our road trip so we put it to good use.

The pie was too big for the three of us so we invited the neighbors.  If you want to make friends while camping, show up with a pie.

Jean towed her trailer, Joybug to Winthrop.

 Joybug got a complete re-do from Jean and her husband, Steve.  They did a fabulous job!  Joybug is little but has everything Jean needs on her solo trips.

It was a fun girls' trip, with shopping, laughing, good conversation, sunshine and a lot of creative energy.

 Later I'll share what I learned on the trip.

So Retirement is Fun

 My dear friends at the museum gave me a really nice going away party.

As I left I noticed that my docents were looking for places to write their names into the schedule.

I am so proud of them for easing Jenna into the job. Obviously, I trained them to be good docents and to be kind.

 Jerrie walked me out to my car with a plethora of cards and gifts.

 I went home to my patio and made a few lists of what is next.

 Hubby took me out for a wonderful evening at Anthony's where we had the perfect table, a yummy dinner and great conversation.

This morning Shelly is picking me up for a road trip to her cabin in Winthrop.

So yes, I have eased right into retirement with a lot fun.

I hope you didn't expect any less from me.

It's not all play though.  The living room is spring cleaned, the ivy is trimmed, the lawn is mowed and I got on the freeway with Huaka'i Annie yesterday.  It was a successful driving lesson, from hitching up to backing up.

Happy Trails!