Our Very First Outing Together

I am so tickled to tell you that The Coffee Cup and I went on our first camping trip together this past weekend.  I know you probably thought that might never happen with the Long, Long Wait and the ordeal I went through with NC's DMV.  When I ended up having to take SplashT@B on my March and April camping trips, it was looking like the maiden trip in the Scotty would never come to pass!

I freely admit to being very nervous last Wednesday when it was time to hitch up and leave.  Would I scrape going out of the driveway?  Would I remember the proper setting for the electric brakes?  Would I get the sway bar adjusted properly?  I was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs!

Becky, Roger, and even Wendy lent me a hand and even though I did scrape getting out of the driveway, I was on my way by 10:00 a.m. with an hour and a half drive ahead of me.  We made a stop north of Taylorsville just to calm my nerves a bit and take care of a raging case of dry mouth.  That Diet Mtn. Dew did the trick and I settled into the trip with The Cup doing a stellar job of following behind.

We chugged up Highway 16 and climbed the mountain to arrive at Raccoon Holler Campground in Glendale Springs about 11:30.  My cousin Rob was hosting his very first R-Pod & Friends Rally and I wouldn't miss it for the world.  He has been faithful about coming to my rallies for the past seven years, so it was the perfect trip for me and The Coffee Cup!

I had chosen site 45, a pull-thru, so it was effortless getting in and situated.  Rob came over and helped me with the jack stands and the awning, so I was set up in no time flat.  Thanks Cuz!!

All the items that I've gathered for the last two years were finally put to use . . . the Sunbrella awning, the Camping World mat, and all the inside goodies.

I put out my Guest Book that was a camping happy from my Sister friend Rebecca, and was ready to welcome any and all visitors!  I'll have to look in the book to see how many actually dropped by, but I know it was over a dozen.  I felt like a celebrity showing her off!!

Before joining Rob and Trisha for supper, I spent the afternoon sitting under the awning with a big grin on my face knowing that my Java Journey was actually coming true.  It was an amazing feeling . . . one that I've looked forward to for almost two years!  I was back at one of my favorite campgrounds and got to spend the weekend with some of my favorite friends.

I'll be featuring photos and stories all this week here on The Coffee Cup and you are cordially invited to hear all the details of our first five days camping together when you drop back by.  Have a good week and always remember . . . 

"Camping and Coffee . . . Life Is Good!"

A Most Amazing Antenna

If you enjoy having a TV in your trailer while camping, then you really should consider a paper-thin digital antenna called "The Leaf". Made by Mohu and developed by engineers who have been designing antennas for the US military for years, it provides high performance at a minimal cost.

Weighing a mere 15 ounces and measuring just 12 x 12 inches, it's an amazing design!

White on one side and black on the other, it can even be painted to match your decor . . . genius!  Not until you actually hold it in your hand do you realize how well this would work in a trailer.

I freely admit to enjoying having a TV while camping.  It's nice to get local weather reports and keep up with the news.  Since The Leaf can pull in local channels up to 35 miles away, it's perfect for that task.  After hooking it to the back of my TV and scanning for channels, I easily picked up 16 stations with crystal clear reception.

It comes with four small Velcro pads for mounting and you could put it behind a picture, a bookshelf, or even the TV itself, like I did.

I'm not crazy about that 6' white cable, so I'll have to figure out a way to hide that behind the TV too . . . a Velcro strap should do the trick.

Thanks for stopping by today so I could tell you about this amazing antenna that's perfect for The Coffee Cup, and maybe would be for you too!  Have a great weekend and remember . . . 

"Camping, Coffee, & A Sweet Little Antenna . . . Life Is Good"

Travel Right! Travel Light! The Scotty Way!

In the mail yesterday was a thin package that I've been waiting on for days now!  It's a copy of a brand new book by Paul Hecht that deals solely with Serro Scotty travel trailers.

It tells the story of John Serro, from Irwin, PA, who built the very first Scotty trailer from scratch in his barn in 1956 and then hit the road trying to sell his idea to Pennsylvania dealers. Unfortunately, no one bought it, but luckily he didn't give up on his dream.  He went back to the drawing board, re-designed his little trailer, and once again visited dealerships.  By 1959 demand for Scotty trailers was off the charts!

The book is chock full of advertisements, articles, souvenirs from Scotty rallies, company letters, brochures, and photographs of these wonderful trailers.  I have always been on the hunt for information about my 1973 Gaucho and right there on page 57, I saw it for the first time!

Every interior detail in the drawing is spot on and with the exception of the back, curb-side window, the photograph is identical too.

There are five chapters in the book . . . 

1) Serro Scotty History; What's In A Name

2) Scottyland, USA

3) Serro Scotty Timeline

4) If These Trailers Could Talk; Scottys And The People Who Love Them

5) And The Brand Lives On

For all you fellow Scotty owners like Rebecca, Judy, Paula, Liz, Janet, and Lucy, you can find your copy on Amazon.  I'll keep mine in The Coffee Cup just in case you drop by for a visit.

Have a great weekend everyone and always remember . . .

"Camping and Coffee . . . Life Is Good"

Coffee Cozies For The Cup

Back in the winter I found a pattern online for a coffee cozy.  It looked really simple to make and I knew I had plenty of scraps from all my java-themed fabrics to make some.  Then I had an even better idea . . . use coffee cozies as curtain tiebacks!

Once I decided on which fabric I would use as the backing for my curtains, I knew that would work well for the cozy tiebacks.  Here's what I did . . . 

10 COZY PATTERNS ARE CUT OUT

RIGHT SIDE TO RIGHT SIDE

FUSIBLE BACKING IS IRONED ON

RIGHT SIDES PINNED TOGETHER READY FOR SEWING

QUARTER INCH SEAM ALLOWANCE ON THREE SIDES

RIGHT SIDES TURNED OUT & PRESSED

COORDINATED BUTTONS ARE SELECTED & TOP STITCHING IS COMPLETE

VELCRO STRIPS SEWN ON EACH END FRONT AND BACK

BUTTONS GLUED ON WITH E-6000

WAITING FOR THE GLUE TO DRY ON ALL TEN COZIES

FINISHED COFFEE COZIES

I have seven window curtains in The Coffee Cup, so that means I have three leftover cozies to use for their original purpose.  Here's what the re-purposed cozies look like as curtain tiebacks . . . 

JUST THE RIGHT SIZE, SHAPE, & COLOR!

I THINK THEY LOOK HELLA-COOL!

Thanks for taking a few minutes from your busy day to swing by and see what's happening with The Coffee Cup and remember . . . 

"Camping and Coffee . . . Life Is Good!'

Time To Finally Make Curtains

Time sure does fly and once again it's been weeks since I've shared any Coffee Cup news.  Now that the Blue Ridge Rally and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Caravan are over, I can finally turn some serious attention to The Cup!

This week has been all about making curtains.  I've known for a long, long time what kind of curtains I wanted and the material I would use.  In fact, the inspiration came from my very first Sisters on the Fly trip to Tybee Island, GA two years ago.  I bought a coffee-themed pillowcase there and later got the exact materials in the pillowcase through several fabric and quilt shops online.

I cut all the pieces out months ago in preparation for this week of sewing.  Sometime along the way, I decided to use a fourth coordinating fabric for the back lining.  I don't have a photo of that fabric to show you, but you'll see it when I tell you about the tie-backs that I'm also making.

Before leaving Michigan, I had Tony attach my curtain rods because I knew I'd be so reluctant to do it myself.  The thought of putting screws into that new birch made me a bit light-headed . . . LOL.  I found the perfect rings for the rods at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.

I won't keep you waiting any longer to see those new curtains! Here they are . . . 

As soon as I snap a few photos of the back windows around the bed, I'll share those with you too.

Thanks for stopping by to get a bit of Coffee Cup news . . . sorry you had to wait so long for an update.  If you are camping this long holiday weekend, have fun, and remember . . . 

"Camping and Coffee . . . Life Is Good!"

Four Neat-o Java Purchases

A few weeks ago, I joined my T@Bbin' buddies in the Lowcountry at James Island County Park outside of Charleston, SC for a week of camping.  On Easter Monday, three carloads of us headed to Mt. Pleasant for a day of junkin'.   

I'm at the point with my Coffee Cup decor where I'm pretty particular about what I purchase.  I'm still seeing a lot of coffee and/or Scottie-themed items, but they need to be the right size and price to be considered.  At our first stop, I found four really neat things.  In fact, they were the only things I bought the whole day!

Sitting in a glass case along the back wall of the antique mall, I spied a blue celluloid pin with two  Scotties.

By the time we left, I had the pin in hand, along with a vintage Boy Scout first aid tin, a Smokey Bear children's book, and a pillow made from a scrap of faded, brown quilt with stars.

I'm in my final days of preparation for the 6th Annual Blue Ridge Rally and am hoping to spend Friday of the rally doing some junkin' around Townsend, Walland, and Maryville.  Rest assured that I'll be snapping photos and making reports from all three blog locations . . . Postcards, SplashT@B Stories, and here, of course . . . LOL!  

Have a great weekend everyone and remember . . .

"Camping and Coffee . . . 

Life Is Good!"

Melamine Motherlode

I was looking at The Coffee Cup's blog today and was kinda shocked to see that my last post was way back on March 18th.  I guess getting ready for two different camping trips in South Carolina had me a bit preoccupied!  Since The Cup didn't get to go on the first one as planned, her little blog got forgotten.

While down on James Island camping with my T@Bbin' buddies last week, Sandi O'Connor dropped by for a visit and handed me a box.  I hurriedly opened it and once I saw what was inside, I knew I had hit the melamine motherlode!  She gave me 8 cups, 8 saucers, 8 dessert plates, and a creamer and sugar set!  I did a little jig right on the spot . . . LOL.

Today there was a small package on the front porch.  When I saw the return address, I suddenly remembered that fellow Scotty owner and Facebook friend, Jane Thibeault from New Hampshire, had offered me some odd pieces that she had.  And she was sending them to me for FREE!  How crazy cool is that?

So, many many thanks to my sweet camping girlfriends for giving me all these melamine happies!

For those of you out there camping this weekend, have a great one and always remember . . . 

"Camping, Coffee, and Brown Melamine . . . 

Life Is Good!"