When I Look at You

We went camping with the young uns last summer.

When I was dating my wasband we discovered, through a friend, a place deep in some acreage owned by a paper mill. You couldn't have stumbled on it if you were trying. We're talking deep, deep in the woods. On a little, charming river.

I was probably 20 or 21 the first time I went up there. We had a large group of friends and we all settled into yearly trips up to this magical place. Three to four times a year minimally.

Wasband and I started out in a small tent, then graduated to a camper that sits in a truck bed. Oh the luxury of a real bed! And a sink to do dishes in. And a stove. But I digress.

We would bring all of our toys up there because there are literally miles and miles of trails and seldom-used roads for dirt biking, dune buggies, and 4-wheelers. I was the only girl that had a dirt bike, but I was so horrible at it that I rarely went out with the boys. Instead, I would putt around the trails on my own and had such a blast I can't even tell you. I loved my version of dirt biking. Once in a rare while the boys would take pity on my and let me ride along. I'd struggle to keep up and I remember one of our friends, Jeff, would always make sure I was in sight.

Wasband also had a dune buggy he had made out of a Ford Lincoln chassis (I think it was a Ford Lincoln - it was from a huge car anyway) and we would pile on that and race around wreaking havoc and sprinkling fun-dust all over that place. For miles and miles.

We were very young and very much the partiers as some 20-somethings are. Lots of laughing, drinking, and just general shenanigans as you can imagine.

The group began aging. Wasband and I got married, then got pregnant. I remember hopping in and out of the truck camper with my 8-month belly. You just figure out a way to do the things you need to do somehow. I would sit in one of those tri-fold chairs with the foot part elevated a bit so I could rest my swollen ankles and somehow squeezed my large belly into that small over-the-cab bed.

The next year we had a nine-month old baby to bring with us. We have photos of Bella sitting in a playpen with a little visor on her head. Looking at us with her old-soul eyes. We would throw her into the overhead bed and board her in so she couldn't roll out of the bed in her sleep.

She would peek out of the small window and watch us at the campfire while we were talking, drinking, laughing. We would see her little face and say, "Sleepy-byes Bella! Go sleepy-byes!" Her little head would disappear, but I'd soon spot it again. She would eventually fall asleep listening to our silliness.

We kept camping. Lorenzo was born into the same deal. Eventually we bought a large, old, Winnebago and squeezed that thing down the winding, never-ending trail that led to our campsite.

We would take family trips there. I vividly remember once camping with all of our friends and then we stayed on for another week or so and camped just the four of us. Lorenzo was so little that she was still running around with a pacifier, lovingly called her "fire" by her adorable self, and a bonnet on her head.

I don't know why, but the chipmunks loved her pacifiers and if we left one out on the table when we went to bed they would scamper onto the table and STEAL them! Lorenzo would bellow in the morning, "Meemunks took my fire!! Momma! Meemunks took my fire!" I can see her little body running around the campsite shaking her finger. I still wonder why those damn chipmunks were so in love with Lorenzo's pacifiers!? So funny to think about. Tears are squirting out of my eyes just a little bit right now just having this memory.

Family camping. We never could quite afford Disney World or flying anywhere for that matter, but family camping was the highlight of every summer for us as a young family.

What could have been better?

Apologies - all photos were taken from prints that I shot with my camera. No scanner.  :(

What's on My Samsung?

Well hello there.

You've missed me.

Oh come on - I know it! I have a face just made for missing.

Let me have my dreamy thoughts. It could happen!

What a summer it has been yes? Gorgeous around these parts. Lovely, balmy, calm, and just a tad - umm - just a tad . . . you know what? I'm not going to finish that thought.

Here's a few shots of some of what I've been doing.

Camping.

George driving.

I thought my dad needed to know about this. Since he's from New Ulm Minnesota and all. 

This made me giggle because I'm a 12 year-old boy. Yup.

New addition to the Chez Emerson zoo. This is Oliver.

I managed to re-bloom an orchid! I was disproportionately excited. 

Got new patio furniture. Made Pup move it from one spot to the next. He's still speaking to me.

Another shot of the crazy-eyed Oliver. He's kinda cute. 

I have become one of those people that takes too many photos of her pets. Soon you will find kitty litter in my hair and I will tenderly pick fur off of my leggings. That I wear as pants. People will whisper, "She used to be so fun! She used to be so stylish!" Gah

What have you been doing this summer?

My Milkshake

Brainard International Raceway 2012

My sister, Naea and I had been talking about it for a few years. She and Rocker (her hubs) have been going up there with their beloved Beulah (motorhome) for eight years. She has said on numerous occasions, "You will not believe how much fun." I thought, How much fun can it really be?

How much fun can you stand?

She and Rocker know how to do it. I don't know how we got so lucky to be included in their fun, but we are lucky somabiches! I say it! I say it loud!

It also happened to be Rocker's birthday week so he left on Tuesday to get his boy-partying on and we picked up Naea in The Guest House on Friday. She navigated us in.

I'm really glad we had her with us.

When you arrive all you see is a sea. A sea of campers. Literally as far as the eye can see. We heard over 130,000 people were there.

130,000 people.

That is a city. A good sized city. And I have to say, that for the most part, it was a well-behaved city. We heard a few stories of idiocy, but mostly it was happy people.

"You have to see The Zoo!" Naea had been telling me for weeks. For some reason I thought The Zoo was an actual place. She just meant the EXPERIENCE. Meaning: riding around in the midst of the sea of campers. Roads and roads meandering amongst the campers. Miles of campers. I cannot say this enough times.

The thing that is most amazing to me is Rocker and Naea have a reserved spot right up against the fence at the finish line. And they got us in right next to them. We are right in there with our tiny nugget of a camper.

Sisters have a special type of power over boys. When I was dating a few years back whenever the subject of my having a sister came up, a certain look came over my date's face. You may have seen that look. Have you seen that look?

Naea had told some of her fellow campers in and around their spot that her sister was coming so when Pup, Naea, and I arrived they flocked to see the sisters. Sister power! Our milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. And all of them had great names. I didn't have to make not even one up.

There was Scrappy, Charlie, Bam Bam to name a few. Scrappy and Charlie looked exactly like the Gallagher brothers from Oasis. There was one guy that was a little drunken/smitten with me that followed me around all night calling for "Miss Debi." Naea could not stop laughing. She knew The Zoo was gearing up.

We grab cocktails and hop into the back of The Cushman, Pup and I seatbelted into the back. Rocker driving with skill and depth perception. We go to check out The Zoo. Blasting through another sea. A sea of 4-wheelers, golf carts, scooters, motorized couches, motorized tables and chairs. I couldn't get over the inventive means of transport all over the place.

The Cushman is nearly one of a kind around there and gets lots of attention. Waving and laughing on our end. And screaming from me. Rocker would stop, do a doughnut, and keep going. Pup and I grabbing our cocktails instead of the side-railing laughing and laughing.

We'd pull into wherever we could fit. Rocker drove right up to the stage where the band was playing. We all hopped out and danced around like crazy people. My brother-in-law can drop it like it's hot! His little arse can touch the ground and then he can bring it back up. Years of playing hockey as a goalie I'm told from my smiling sister. His arse must be hard as an apple from all of that!

I'm dancing with Rocker like a maniac, dropping it like it's luke-warm, because my arse isn't getting anywhere near the ground. It got halfway to the ground? Maybe? Truth be told? It is now Tuesday morning and my butt-cheeks are still hurting from trying to keep up with him.

Naea just kept laughing.

The races were good too! The best seat in the house was on Beulah's roof.

As for me? I'm going back next year, but I'm going into training before hand. I gotta keep up with The Zoo.

I'm Your Captain

Pup and I bought a camper.

A 1988 Born Free President. I have no idea what it is or what it was, but I do know we have a bit of a learning curve with this lovely girl.

We bought her from a great guy, Bubba. I call him that only because his real name is Darryl and he is a bit of a Bubba. The nicest Bubba ever, but a Bubba. He was selling her because he had broken up with his girlfriend and I could see the hurt in his eyes still. He had kind eyes. And he was handsome for a Bubba.

Pup thought me a little crazy, but I could tell Bubba's heart was a bit shattered.

Not so broken though that he didn't take our check for his camper and buy himself a lovely Corvette. Good for you Bubba! Get on that horse and ride!

We bought her just a couple of weeks ago and there she sat in our driveway waiting for us to love her. I was out of town quite a bit and let's just say that Pup wasn't entirely chomping on any bit to get to know her. She scared him I think! She is a bit intimidating with all of her valves, petcocks (wth??), buttons, indicator lights, tanks, chemicals, gas intakes, blah bibbity blah blah.

So she sat.

We needed to use her to go to an anniversary party about 100 miles away and since we were leaving Saturday morning, naturally, we began looking her over on Friday night.

I'm inside cleaning (Bubba actually left her pretty clean. I didn't find anything to make me gasp anyway.) and Pup is outside checking things out.

"Come see this." he says.

Oh oh.

Water is pouring out of the water tank he is trying to fill.

Cut to confused looks on our faces.

We fumble around for a few minutes trying to find reasons for the leak. I say, "Let's call Bubba."

I can tell Pup is not wild about this idea, but he calls.

Bubba is very nice and Pup takes the phone outside and follows instructions from Bubba to turn this and crank that and look at the other.

Saturday morning we go out to the camper to discover the water tank is totally empty.

Oh dear and poopy shitty.

"Let's call Bubba again," I say.

Pup has a "hell no" face on, but does mention that we will be practically driving by Bubba's house on our way out of town.

So I call Bubba.

"Hi Bubba! This is Deborah - you remember? Your new best friend?" Nervous laughter from me. Bubba says, "Of course!"

"Bubba, Pup and I are heading out of town this morning and we were wondering if we could stop at your house for a minute so you could take a look at this leak we can't seem to stop. Are you busy right now?"

This nice man says, "Sure! Come on over."

Pup says, "He is calling us dorks right now you know."

I say, "I don't care as long as he is willing to help. Frankly, I'd be calling us a few choice names myself."

We look at each other and bust out laughing, because truth be told? We are dorks. Who waits until they are leaving to check shit out?

Bubba was amazed at that as well. In fact he turned to me with his kind eyes and said, "I'm shocked you guys didn't go over all of this stuff." I just shrugged and said, "That would have made sense though! And didn't you really want to show us your hot Corvette anyway?"

Bubba had to laugh and yes, I oooohed and aaaaahed at his hot car.

I'm a little in love with Bubba right now and am writing the end of his story in my head. The story where he meets a lovely Bubbett and they drive off into the sunset in his hot Corvette.

Meanwhile, Pup and I drove off in our leak-free camper laughing and once again I am so happy to have met someone so nice, honest, and helpful in my life.

I am brainstorming names for our lovely little camper. Anyone have any ideas? I'm calling her The Guest House right now, but Pup isn't in love with that one.

Owl's Right with the World

Oh yeah. This is what you might think it is! I look like a total dork and I'm certain I scared Pup when he came to bed, but I tried this out last night and slept nearly eight hours.

I'm convinced eight hours to you sleep-gifted types is no big deal, but for me it was nirvana. I am not over-speaking!

And it's an owl! (thank you my Reechie).

Have a great weekend everyone. Pup and I are (kinda) going camping!

Smooches