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!