Christmas Memories 2011

We've had a crazy Christmas Season. As the boys are growing older, the mystery isn't there so much, but they play along - I'm sure for my benefit. I believed in the jolly old elf until the year I got married - there's nothing wrong with that! 


December started with the Festival of Trees, decorating and cookies! Well... Mr. Vintage decorated the house,I mostly stood by and offered moral support and criticism. Didn't he do a marvelous job? Nice work Mr. V! Aunt Kelli brought the cookies,the frosting and the sprinkles! hmm... maybe I need to be a better Christmas supporter as all I've done so far is show up and instruct. Well, you know what they say - "If you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter."

Anyway, moving on...Then it was the Miller Family Party - also at our house - also with everyone bringing in the food! Anytime you would like me to host a party where you bring everything,I am happy to oblige!

The Nativity is my favorite part of Christmas and it's always made better when we have a sweet new baby to play the role. This is my beautiful sister Lindsey,her husband Marc and baby Luke. So sweet, we all had tears. 

It's my mom's tradition to always makes the girls a beautiful handmade gift.  This year it was aprons. You are awesome mom!

Finally it was Christmas Eve! And a great party at GG's House. GG is the ultimate hostess - she wont let anyone bring anything and she made the best dinner we've ever had - Prime Rib and super delicious mushrooms, brussel sprouts and potatoes. Awesome! We hope she'll invite us every year. 

At last it was here - Christmas Day! We opened presents, visited family, listened to the choir sing, ate lots of cheese in many forms and fell into a deep, deep christmas sleep. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good nap!

Oh What Do You Do in the Winter Time?

A few days ago, my boss asked me if I was going camping over the Christmas Break.  Spoken like a true Floridian. He just cannot fathom the level of cold we Utahns experience. Unfortunately this seemingly mind-numbing and hypothermia inducing cold is not conducive to camping. So the hooligans, Mr. V and I have been forced indoors for the long winter ahead. So what are we doing to maintain sanity?  


Well... The hooligans have made all manner of forts out of blankets, watched 13 seasons of "Top Gear UK" and learned how to do the "Superman" onto the spare bed in the basement- something to do with running, bouncing on the big exercise ball and landing on the bed - all with a red hoodie tied around their neck to simulate a cape. Very entertaining.


Mr.V has been refinishing furniture and finding goodies for his Milk Barn Project. He does such beautiful work. I love this and I am seriously thinking of keeping it at home - I don't think I'll get that wish, but that hasn't stopped me from trying!  

As for me, I've been doing two of my favorite things...cooking and quilting. Here's my latest quilting creation.

  

This is an Irish Chain Quilt. It took two years for me to get around to finishing it and I'm quite pleased with the result. It's not that it's a hard quilt, it's actually quite easy, however, my attention span is only about two days long. If a project takes longer than 48 hours, I usually put it away for another day...hence the reason this one took two years. It's got nice warm black minkie on the back and a thick bat in the middle.  It has taken up residency on the Eldest Hooligan's bed - apparently living in the coldest room in the house warrants it. Sweet Dreams Superman. 


As for the cooking... well,  that's proving to be more of a challenge, but a super yummy one!  Yesterday I made "Chicken in a Pot" from "around my french table" by Dorie Greenspan.  Take a look at what it was supposed to look like.

hmmm...So mine didn't look exactly like that...apparently I need to work on my dough skills.

And on my ability to determine which end is UP on a whole chicken - I roasted it upside down.  This is a challenge that runs in my family - I am not the first.  I also need to work on mixing in the herbs and spices rather than just dumping them on the top - it might help with the presentation.  And last, but not least, I need to clean my stove!  Yikes - sorry about that, I didn't realize what a mess I made.  Oh well!  I'm not sorry enough to make another one so I can photograph it with  a clean stove - please forgive. 

All those challenges aside, the finished produce was Tres Magnifique! 

The chicken was tender and juicy, the potatoes were fab and had just a hint of lemon flavor - something I wouldn't have thought of as  tasty- but actually quite nice.  The carrots were the best!  Needless  to say, there wasn't much left in the pot when we got done.  

So here's to more cooking and quilting adventures - I've got a 10 more days off - I'll share what it brings. Winter activities are pretty fun...why not enjoy the indoors while waiting for spring camping to come again? Happy Winter All!  

Airstream Auction

Check this out! Orvis is auctioning off a completely rebuilt 1954 Airstream Flying Cloud.  You've only got until December 11th - so go break open the piggy bank!  


Enter your bid at the Orvis Airstream Auction site.

I would also be happy to accept this as a Christmas Gift is anyone is feeling extremely generous and you don't have anywhere to park it - I will make room!  

Oh Witchy Poo!

This post is to be read in your best Sanderson Sisters voice... can you hear it?  Ok, now go...


Halloween is here!  This is my favorite holiday of the whole year. I love it even more than my birthday and Christmas.  I take every opportunity to dress up in my witch-poo moo moo and prance around town with my gaggle of witchy poo sisters. 

 Today was Breakfast with a  Witch! The kids all join us for a most enjoyable frolic.  What a great group of cousins - the hooligans, T,W,R and this year G joined the gang. He is so sweet. Yodelayheehoo! The eldest hooligan has a new girlfriend - Brazillia the Witch.  She loves him lots- she even sang him a love song on stage.  He swore me to secrecy, so naturally you are the first to read all about it! 

Last weekend was Witch's Night Out and Witch-A-Palooza!  This is a long tradition we enjoy with thousands of other cacklers at Gardner Village. I wait all year long for this one night out on the town with the girls. Some of the witches would like to skip it next year - they need a good kick from my broom ... oh Ye Witchy Poopers.   

  Happy Halloween to you...and your little dog too!

Chicken Picatta

I've been on a bit of a cooking spree. I decided that the old standbys are just that - old. You see, like many other girls I know, I am an avid collector of cookbooks, which look lovely and appetizing on the shelf but seem rather daunting from an actual implementation perspective. Sometimes I don't have a single ingredient called for or the contents require a trip to a foreign land to obtain (hmmm... maybe that's not so bad). Anyway - I decided it's high time I started actually using my cookbooks for their intended purpose - delicious non-standbys that make husband and hooligans happy campers.

Here's tonight's adventure - Chicken Picatta by the lovely and talented Ms. Ina Garten.


This is a marvelous lemony, buttery and crispy chicken dish which allows you to get out all your aggression by beating the chicken breasts to a lovely, tender and juicy piece of heaven.

Caution: It's very lemony - VERY LEMONY. My dear sister, J. Alfreda Hill will NOT love this dish - she has a strong aversion to lemons (she's a sweety, not a tart). For those who prefer the tart, this is the dish. We snarfed it up in 10 minutes or less and loved every bite. So get cooking girls! Here's the recipe: Chicken Picatta

Enjoy!

The Winners!

It's been several weeks since I posted the Hobo Bundle / Tin Foil Dinner Challenge.  I'm so sad to report that the entries were very few.  In fact there were only three, so that means that everyone wins!  Wahoo!  Let's all get together and I'll make you some delicious french comfort food since the winter months are already upon us.


Lindsey South's Submission:
Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
Chicken Breast (cut into bite size pieces)
Bacon- NOT thick cut (cut into thirds)
Pineapple chunks
Teriyaki sauce

1. Cut Bacon into thirds. Count how many pieces you have and then keep that in mind when cutting up the chicken breasts.

2. Drain the pineapple. Set up a workstation with kabob skewers, chicken, bacon and pineapple.

3. Wrap a piece of bacon around a piece of chicken and thread onto the skewer and top with a piece of pineapple. Repeat twice (or until you fill up the skewer.)

4. Place skewers in a heavy duty ziplock bag and marinate in 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce for 4-8 hours. (obviously keep them in a cooler)

5. Place skewers in foil and baste with teriyaki sauce. Close up foil and place on coals.

6. Check after about 10 minutes, turn over the skewer and baste again with teriyaki sauce. And cook for another 10 minutes. They should cook rather quickly because they are bite size!

ENJOY! 

We tried this and everyone LOVED it!  Good recipe sis.  Thank you for participating.

Kris Belcher's Submission:

Mexican Oatmeal Cake

Combine:

1 cup oatmeal

11/2 boiling water

Add:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs 1/2 cup oil

Let stand until cool.

Sift in:

11/2 cups flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Pour batter into foil-lined 12" Dutch oven. Cook 10-20 mins with minimal heat on bottom and majority on top.

Frosting:

6 Tbsp butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup canned milk

Boil together for 5 mins. Add 1/2 cup pecans. spread over cake while warm.

Ooh Yum - we all agreed this takes the cake! Thank you Kris.

So there you have it!  Two new yummy recipes to try next time you're out trailering. Eat Up! 

Tin Foil Dinners vs. Hobo Bundles

Here we go with my favorite no fuss recipe which really isn't a recipe at all - more a collection of whatever you've got in your fridge thrown together in a tin foil pouch and cooked in the coals until its steamy and delicious!

On our most recent excursion, an investigation of the fridge revealed:

1. Chicken

2. Potatoes

3. Onion

4. Carrots

5. Cream O' Chicken Soup

Wrap it all up in evenly portioned tin foil pouches (double foil just so you don't lose the goods during rotation), then add your favorite seasoning. Heat the coals to a nice grey and place the pouches on top! Rotate them every 7 to 10 minutes and soon you'll be biting into a delicious hobo dinner that is the epitome of camping fare.

Note to Self:  Bring along some leather gloves and tongs so you aren't fishing these little gifts out of the coals with your bare hands.

Now I've been told you should pre-cook the meat so all you're really doing is re-heating.  However, I have a strong aversion to re-heated chicken.  Soooo.... I just ignore that rule and put everything in raw.  It takes a bit longer to cook, but the result is divine. Moist and delicious chicken, tender and perfect veggies - ooh I'm getting hungry. 

Now I know this is not a revelation in cooking.  Many folks do tin foil dinners many ways.  My friend Andrea made a custom dinner for each member of her family using hashbrowns, hamburger, cheese, corn or even sliced hot dogs - whatever each person likes!  I've also made them with summer squash, tomatoes, cheese, rice and veggies. The hooligans cooked their freshly caught rainbow trout in a foil packet with butter, salt and pepper, and I thought I died and went to heaven! Really anything you can imagine can be cooked in a tin foil pouch.   

I was delighted to see that Sunset Magazine had an article this month on "modern" hobo dinners!  They call them Hobo Bundles...not the kind that are wrapped in a red bandana and tied to the end of a stick. Very Chic, vegetarian friendly, Hobo Bundles.  Check them out here Sunset Magazine Hobo Bundles.  

So here's my question to you - What do you include in your favorite Tin Foil Dinner / Hobo Bundle?  Leave a comment with your recipe. I'll try them out and award a prize for the best one. You don't have to be a hobo to cook like one...so get cooking!

Boss Lady Campout 2011

We finally escaped!  Last Wednesday we loaded up the hooligans, Mr."F" and the Boss Lady and joined a caravan of our best friends to enjoy a few days of freedom in the great outdoors.  

We traveled just 10 miles away from the every day into the extraordinary. It was our first campout this summer, and sadly, the weekend before school started- so we made the most of it! 


The boys spent most of their time fishing. Our friend McKinley taught the eldest hooligan how to clean the fish and prepare it for dinner - delicious! At last count, I think the total catch from all the children was nine and somewhat like the loaves and the fishes, it miraculously fed 26 people.  It's a camping miracle!   

We spent the rest of the time taking walks through the campground, wading in the river, taking a few naps, and "eating delicious hot shmoes!" Grandma and Papa Mick even came for a tin foil dinner. 

Oh if we could only make it last all summer.  I love spending time in the mountains with the hooligans and our friends.  These are an awesome bunch of camping buddies, inspired chefs and fine entertainment! 10 Adults, 16 Kids, 2 Dogs and hundreds of memories. Camping at it's finest.

L-R:  Mr. Vintage, The Calls, The Freemans, The Labrams

And the best part of all?  When we got home, Mr. Vintage parked the trailer (with no help from me) on the first try! Now that's a camping miracle - way to go Mr. Vintage - You ROCK!

Until next year...keep camping, my friends.

Meet Mr. Fredrickson

We've got a new baby at our house! Our sweet 6-week old Jack Russell, Mr. Fredrickson.




Isn't he the sweetest little thing you've ever seen? The eldest hooligan and I went out to buy school shoes and came home with a new baby! He has a wrinkly little face and lots of extra skin. His namesake is the grumpy and sweet man on the movie "Up." See the resemblance?






Ollie is thrilled. He is so happy to have a friend he can sniff and sit on. Mr. Fredrickson likes to bark and pounce on Ollie's head. It's true friendship right from the start!





See them laughing? It was an internal joke.






Welcome to the family, Mr. Fredrickson!

Pulling Forward? Yes! Backing up? Not so much...

A few days before my birthday, I told Mr. Vintage "For my birthday, I would like to learn how to pull the trailer by myself."  Mr. Vintage replied " Ooh...I don't know if we can afford that." Ha Ha.  Isn't he clever? 

You see, pulling the trailer has always been scary for me because...well, for a number of reasons which include, but are not limited to the many quirks associated with our elderly truck, the boss lady's girth, the scary construction on every single Utah highway, side street and on/off ramp and the ill-conceived notion that trailer pulling is best left up to the male species.

I finally came to the realization that Mr. Vintage doesn't like lengthy road trips and as such, if I don't take matters into my own hands and "cowgirl up," my dreams of taking my boys to every national park in the US will never come true.  I decided to gird up my loins and fresh courage take... lots of girls pull trailers, I can too!

The Boss Lady in the Country

So last weekend we headed down to retrieve the Boss Lady from her summer vacation spot in the country. Due to the current state of the highways referenced above, we took the old road through the towns of Santaquin, Goshen and around Utah Lake.  Mr. Vintage pulled over in front of the cutest vintage Sinclair station you've ever seen on a remote corner in the little outpost of Elberta, Utah.  Look how cute she looks in front of it!  I love vintage things together.

Elberta, Utah

Oh and check out Mr. Vintage's new wheels! Not vintage, but much more reliable and comfortable to ride in.  The first day we were out for a joy ride, the eldest Hooligan commented on how nice it is to be able to run the air conditioner without it spewing dirt in your face. Isn't he clever?  and also correct...

After we stopped for the photo op at the Sinclair, I took the driver's seat.  I was quite nervous, but soon found that pulling is not very hard at all!  Thanks to our 400 lb. sway bar, The Boss Lady pulls quite smoothly and doesn't wiggle a bit!  I felt so accomplished as we drove over the rolling hills of the lake road and all the way home through our little town of Lehi.  I slowed down around corners, stopped well in advance and even went through the european round about!   All while holding on to the steering wheel while still permitting blood to flow through my fingers. 

When we got home, we decided to go to the church parking lot to practice backing up.  Hmmm... that got a little intense and I got a little nervous and ...well,  Mr. Vintage took back over the driver's seat.  Party Over.

Before moving on, let us take a moment to reflect on the beauty of the Boss Lady in the Country.

Ah...Breathing Deeply

Let the insanity begin!  You see, backing the Boss Lady into her slot at the side of the house involves "the right angle", some super good backing skills, some excellent direction from one who can "see both sides" and an obstacle course around the flower bed, utility boxes, the side of the house, the fence and our best tree.   Needless to say, it's turned out pretty ugly on more than one occasion that we are careful not to speak of. 

This was to be the crowning jewel of bad backing nights.  First, the angle was way off..several times.  My direction was way off...several times.  The fence and the house were way too close together... well,  you get the picture.   After several attempts, some yelling, some naughty words (by Mr. Vintage) and lots of tears (by Vintage Trailer Lady),  we accomplished getting the Qwest phone box, our best tree, the flower bed, the new truck and the Boss Lady mixed up into one big nasty bowl of stew.   "We're in a pickle, Dick."

A couple of hours later...after some more tears, threats of "For Sale" signs and taking up separate corners, Mr. Vintage disconnected the truck from the trailer, hooked it back up at a different angle, and pulled the Boss Lady away from said phone box, tree and flower bed.  Now we were all exhausted and in need of therapy,  the Boss Lady was moved to the OTHER side of the house, along the road, where she's now been for a week.  (Be warned- she is quite good camouflage for Boss Hogg and Roscoe Pico Trane to conduct stake outs.) 

And as we prepared to gather up the broken remains of our vintage trailer experience and buy the aforementioned sign,  we discovered that in all the commotion, we failed to notice that the Boss Lady has lost a very important appendage - perhaps even more important than the ability to be backed into her storage slot - she no longer has a door knob!  

This is the night the lights went out in Georgia.  This is "he who must not be named."  This is "keep rowing... I hear banjos!" 

VTL Goes to Girl's Camp

The hills are alive with the sounds of music...and laughter...and bacon...and bears. 


I have returned from the mountain with tales of nature in all her rugged beauty!   Yes,  I've been away camping, and sadly, not in The Boss Lady.  This time in a Tent...with 4 other wonderful ladies...and 25 young vibrant girls.  It was a grand adventure, to say the least.


On Tuesday morning, we loaded a trailer to the brim with tents, suitcases, pillows, sleeping bags, coolers, dutch ovens and several hundred pounds of food.  Four brave leaders (in custom made aprons)taking 25 girls between the ages of 12 and 18 on a four day campout in the Wasatch Mountains above Heber, Utah. 

(R-L) Tara Call, Amy Allen, Emily Freeman and me. You Go Girls!! 

Dont worry - we had lots of help. We were also accompanied by four Young Women's Leaders and two wonderful Priesthood Elders who would prove to be such a blessing for our camping adventure.  Who knew Dave North was Grizzly Adams? 


Our goal?  Lots of fun at the lake, making crafts, learning how to make fire and use a compass, eating great food and feeling the power and peace of God's magnificent creations. What did we get?  Lots of rain, some scary lightning, and one unexpected breakfast guest. 

Our Breakfast Guest

Meet the Utah Brown Bear.  This one is just a yearling - small enough to look cute - scary enough that you really don't want him to come to breakfast, or any other meal for that matter.  But he smelled the yummy bacon and came a runnin right into our camp. For a brief moment, there was absolute silence as we were stunned to see this magnificent creature in the wild.  Then reality kicked in and our camp host who had appeared as if out of nowhere, quietly said "make some noise girls." And noise we made - a choir of shouts and shrieks and cheers and whistles along with a fierce Brother North and his broom. Not exactly the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  The bear glanced longingly at the eggs and bacon on the grill, but opted not to dine with the shrieking females.  As quickly as he came, he was gone. 


So with sadness in our hearts, we took down our little camp and headed for the safety of the cabin for the rest of our camp.  We setup all the tents on the lawn facing a beautiful mountain stream and went on with all the fun activities we had planned.  We even ventured back to camp for swimming in the lake, canoeing and jumping off the zip line. The rain came every afternoon, but our bear friend did not and that was OK. 


In these four glorious days, I learned so much! I learned how to cook real live camping food and that sleeping in a tent is OK when you have four friends to share it with and that growing girls are always hungry - maybe more so than growing bears.  And most importantly, that God did a beautiful job- he made lovely girls, beautiful mountains and wild brown bears - all a testimony that He is truly great.  


I came home exhausted and slept for 15 hours. Now that the mess is cleaned up, we've all showered and are no longer tired, we all agreed that we got so much more than just rain, lightning and bears. We had a ton of fun and we are better for the experience- after all, even the boy scouts haven't had a bear in camp - we are awesome!!!

The Vintage Trailer Lady Loves: Dyer Highway

I'd like to introduce you to my favorite band - Dyer Highway.  Tel Dyer and sisters Mady and Tiann are on their way to fame in the land of country music.  They have grown up singing since they were babies and their talent only continues to grow. Now fresh from a trip to Nashville, they've come home with a brand new album. Check out the video: 

Those who attended the Boss Lady's First Campout have heard their first album.  I'm pleased to announce that they will be playing at the next Boss Lady Campout(dates and details to follow)!

Something else to look forward to?  Tiann is also known as "Fire Fingers" and you will be blown away to hear The Devil Went Down to Georgia - Eat your heart out Charlie Daniels - this girl is some competition!  You won't want to miss this.  


So run on over to I-Tunes and download this EP now  - six songs you'll play over and over again...and there's lots more to come. This is what you'll hear in the Boss Lady these days!  

The Boss Lady's Little Brother

Behold - a Silver Streak Camper! While venturing through the West Valley "hood" yesterday, we spotted my vintage trailer's brother - a truck bed camper. I knew these existed, but I'd never actually seen one with my own eyes! I almost hyperventilated - I was speechless- good thing Mr. Vintage is proficient in Vintage Trailer charades and knew I wasn't in need of the Heimlich. Yes, he looks rather strange and would probably turn heads on the back of a truck, but that's the beauty! Someone loves this one - not a dent or scratch to be seen on the top.








The hoodlums and the Mr. were too embarrassed to let me go knock on the door to get an inside view. So here's a look at the outside - pretty cool eh? Sweet!

Camping Tunes

Camping is not camping unless you have your camping tunes along. In the Boss Lady's case, these are mostly provided by a warbly-underwater sounding tape of Frank's Greatest Hits.  One thing the Boss Lady is not big on is good speakers.  But who needs good speakers?  Frank Sinatra went swimming, I'm sure...this is just a testament of his ability to sing under any condition! Whether warbly or clear, this camping music is fun for all and all for somethin'...


Cher
Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves (Mr. Vintage's Favorite)


Frank's Collection
Strangers in the Night
Call Me Irresponsible
Three Coins in the Fountain
Come Fly With Me
Fly Me to the Moon

Other Lovelies

It's DeLovely - Dina Shore

I Got the Sun in the Morning - Doris Day

I Only Have Eyes for You - Billie Holiday

Gentle on My Mind - Dean Martin

Blue Skies - Ella Fitzgerald

It's Only a Paper Moon - Benny Goodman

Moonlight Serenade - Glen Miller

I suggest the following plan:
1. Make yourself a playlist
2. Get a tall glass o' lemonade
3. Head out to the front porch
4. Enjoy a little crooning

Summertime is here at last.

Inside the Boss Lady: Your Private Tour

As the saying goes - It's what's on the inside that counts. So here she is... the heart of my home away from home, my escape pod, my island of calm, my deep breath. My little piece of vintage. 

collage by Lindsey South

Sadly, in my enthusiasm to rid my lady of her moldy carpet, kipper snacks and cheap cigars (mementos left behind), I didn't take any "Before" photos! So just trust me on this - the "After" is much better.


It took a few minor "cosmetic enhancements" - you know the standard brow lift, chin tuck, some collagen and yards and yards of cowgirl fabric, to make this transformation complete. 


My bedroom is super cozy with Mr.& Mrs. Vintage Trailer together in an almost-full size bed. I added a fully enclosed mattress cover and a thick feather bed to make this the most comfy napping spot on earth. 

Throw in a few fun quilts and pillows and we can camp in comfort no matter what the weather. Sometimes I don't even want to leave the trailer!  I'll just stay right here and read my book or sew something fun. Don't bother me - I'm camping. 

My little dresser holds photos of Jick and Gene and the littlest hooligan in his cowboy getup along with my favorite cowboy lamp. This summer I've added a vintage cover straight from Jicky (photos to come later). Now it's extra special!  

In the living room, the hooligans get plenty of space to spread out as the table coverts to a humongous queen size bed that they love. During the day there's plenty of room for a rousing game of Uno or legos or sword fighting...you know, in case Darth Vader drops by.

Mr. Vintage Trailer is THE man - he painted the ceilings, recovered the floor and kept at it until every single appliance(including the water heater and shower)were in working order. Hallelujah - camping with a full bathroom, clean skin and freshly washed hair! I know...it's rough.

So this is my girl - The Boss Lady.  She's one of a kind and my favorite place to be - with the people I love all in 27 ft. of kitschy cowgirl beauty, worn out from a day of adventures and ready for whatever we find tomorrow.  Let's go campin!

Say "Hello!" to The Boss Lady

Six Years - 6 Years - six annees -seis anos - sest godina (thats croatian for my friend Emily).  Thats how long my quest lasted.  The quest that brought me to The Boss Lady. My very own gleaming silver, 27 ft. of stunning vintage.

She may not appear to be gleaming, and yes, she has a few little bumps and dents, but give her a break - she was built in 1970!  She's older than me and in trailer years she's a senior citizen.

My quest included a bit of trailer stalking - mostly on the internet at first, but most of them were in far away lands - like Iowa and North Carolina. Getting a vintage from one of these remote locales would require lots of cash and prayers, not to mention nothing but hope that it was actually in the condition it appeared on Ebay. Hmmm...a scary proposition. Mr. Vintage Trailer was afraid one day I was going to crack and buy one of the beauties on Ebay, so he joined in my quest on the local level. It was actually Mr. Vintage that found her tucked away on an obscure side street in our little home town. Trouble was, she wasn't actually for sale... not a problem for the Vintage Trailer Lady as I am a seasoned Trailer Stalker. So with embarrassed hooligans in tow, I marched right up to the door of the little house and asked who the owner was.  

Turns out The Boss Lady was just visiting for a few minor plumbing improvements, but I was able to get the name and phone number of the current owner. That's when the true stalking began. I called that number at least 100 times with no luck. I learned later that these nice gentlemen were big fans of fishing and golfing and not so interested in answering their cell phones...and for that matter no clue how to get their messages. Finally one day a nice lady answered the phone!  She probably wondered who the loony was that kept calling. I left a good old fashioned paper message and within a couple of hours, I had the man on the phone. He was a bit surprised and had to check with his brother...so after a few phone calls and some high pressure cost negotiations at last we reached an agreement. Soon she would be mine. 

A few days later, Mr.& Mrs. Vintage Trailer and the Hooligans met the kind fishermen at the trailer locale and brought the bag of cash. Sounds rather clandestine doesn't it? With one look inside this beautiful tin can, I was taken - and Mr. Vintage agreed.  Mine at last!  A bonafide 1970 Silver Streak Atlas. No, she's not an Airstream, she is a much more rare and less known cousin and...she's perfect in every way.  

Next time I'll show you the inside - for now just bask in her lovely exterior.  Mon Chere! 

Postscript: For more info on Silver Streaks, check out the Vintage Trailer Resources page.

My First Encounter with the REAL THING!

In spring of 2008, Mr. Vintage and I took a trip to the littlest town we love the most - Blanding, Utah. During our visit to Jick - Ms. Original Vintage,  I took the hooligans out for their first glimpse at Natural Bridges National Park.  It was on the road - at a rest stop west of civilization that I spied this gleaming, sparkly vision of vintage.

This is when the hooligans dubbed me "the trailer stalker" because I had to see it!  I had to know it's story. It called to me like a magnet - that sticks to aluminum (huh?...I don't know, just go with it).  Turns out, Vintage Trailer people LOVE to tell you their story, take you inside and show you around.  This was my first encounter with the REAL vintage. 


What I beheld,and now share with you,is a circa 1930s Airstream Clipper (as near as I can tell based on the archive at VintageAirstream). 


Rescued from certain death in a field in Arizona, this loving couple put her on a trailer for a restful ride to their home in Oregon, where my new friend spent six months, 10 hours a day, restoring life into this little belle. She is truly remarkable - all shined up, you can see your reflection in the surface. On the inside, she's all done up in fine Hawaiian style - complete with bobble head hula girl.


She is still the eldest of the trailers I've seen on the roads and by far, the most memorable. Pure Airstream Love...that's what it is. Gotta gitcha some!