Vintage Trailer Tour

A few weeks ago I shared Daffodil’s maiden voyage. I told you about some of the fun we had at our camp-out in September and I promised to give you a tour of some of my girlfriends’ trailers so you can enjoy them the way I did.  There are various styles of trailers and some truly show their age.  Some of the gals want to leave their trailers as they are and others of us restore our trailers.  All of us tend to decorate and ‘stage’ our trailers – inside and out.  Many of the trailers were not staged outdoors as much as usual because we were all parked very close together in two common areas.  When we have our own space – look out, the sky is the limit!  So, come with me and we will look at some of the trailers.  I missed getting photos of all of them.  I was the hostess, so I was a bit busy!  Let’s start over here with my friend’s little Shasta.  This is one trailer that is usually decorated from top to bottom but simplicity was necessary.  My sweet friend hadn’t been feeling well so we were happy she could join us.
As you probably can tell, we name our trailers.  We usually have some kind of sign to identify the name, make and year of our trailers.  This one is OohLaLa.  Her sign is a chalkboard that is permanently secured to the side of her trailer.
This is another ‘canned ham’ trailer.  Do you know why these trailers are called ‘canned hams’?  Does it look like a can of ham?In the next row is my sweet friend’s trailer.  This one was completely restored and she’s a beauty.  This is a nineteen-sixty-two Shasta named Mary Lou.
Let’s go around to the back.  Not every trailer has the spare tire on the back but this one does – and you can’t miss it!  Now, doesn’t that just make you smile?  Can you imagine following Mary Lou down the road and having this face smiling at your all along the way?
Let’s go inside and see how cozy my dear friend has made her vintage trailer.  Come in and have a seat.  The sofa goes across the front of the trailer.  My friend made the curtains.  The gray curtains are closed at night for privacy.  The ‘S’ cut-out above the window on the right is a magazine rack that were a signature piece in Shasta trailers for a few years.
And this kitchen is to die for!  She had a double sink and new appliances installed so she would have all the comforts of home when she’s on the road.
This bed looks so inviting!  I was about ready to crawl in and take a nap.  There's a tiny bathroom in the back right corner!
Right behind Mary Lou is another darling trailer.  Her name is Palomino Pony.  I bet you won’t be surprised if she’s decorated with cowgirls and horses.  The outdoor kitchen set up and ready to use. 
Let’s go inside and look.  You can’t miss the theme the moment you step in.  She has used her finds and treasures in amazing ways. 
I think this must be the coziest bed in all the trailers I’ve seen - she has a brass headboard!  The wood inside this trailer is all original.  It’s a real beauty!
Many of the gals have televisions and DVD players in their trailers.  It makes for good movie-watching late at night.  This sweet friend decided she didn’t want just any ordinary flat-screen televisions.  No-sir-ee, she wanted it to look it was vintage.  Her hubby worked to make it just right, complete with vintage knobs.  It almost looks like it’s been there since the trailer was built.
Now we’ll go to the other side of our campsite and see how one of the new gals has decorated her trailer.  Her trailer is fairly new.  It has all the amenities most of us wish we had.  She chose a southwestern theme.  Her ‘red-hot-pepper’ lights were such fun at night.
This little silver beauty is so sweet.  She always has hanging baskets of fresh flowers and a few sitting near her door and at the front of her campsite.  Even her welcome sign (which she couldn’t put out because of space limitations) has a flower basket attached.  I love the little furnace vent ‘chimney’ on the top of this tiny trailer.  It's so cute!
The next trailer in this row belongs to a dear friend of mine.  My friend is Hawaiian - I think you can see it in her theme. 
She didn’t miss a thing – everything is just right!  The inside of her door is painted with chalkboard paint so she can change it whenever she wants to.  We had hot weather the weekend we camped together and these chairs were used a lot.  The little pool was filled with cold water to rest weary feet and help cool us just a bit.
Another dear friend has a motor home that is so nice.  She has it decorated in a denim western theme.

I didn’t get pictures inside this time but I’ll do that another time when we're together.  She decorated the inside of her door with the name of her sweet rig.
I hope you enjoyed this tour of trailers.  Wherever we girlfriends go – wherever we stop along the way or camp together – we always draw attention.  People often stop by and ask to see our trailers.  It’s such fun to share them with others. We’re pretty happy to share our fun when someone stops by.  I think you can see that we have a lot of fun.  More than we could ever imagine! Stop by sometime - we'll show you around.  And don't be surprised if we invite you to join us around the campfire, for dinner or for some of our activities - we love to spread the fun around!

Adventures Of The Maiden Voyage

The day finally arrived for Daffodil to head out on her maiden voyage.  The skies were blue, the sun was shining and she was ready to go.  She was securely connected to the car, everything was packed and all systems were working.  The time came to say goodbye to my sweetheart and take off on my own for my first long trip alone with Daffodil.  To say I was totally at ease about the trip would be misleading.  I knew I could do it but I had concerns about three specific places along the way.  These were  places I knew could present challenges I might have to deal with by myself.  My sweetheart and I had discussed each of them and he assured me many times that I was ready to deal with anything that might happen.  As I drove away by myself with Daffodil following close behind, I’m sure I must have been smiling.  I was excited and anxious to get on the road and head toward our final destination for the weekend. My first concern was close to home and there was no problem – it all went as it should!.  The second place presented absolutely no issues and the third one was the same.  I ‘sailed’ through them as if Daffodil and I were the only ones on the road.  I stopped at a rest stop about halfway between home and the campground.  I had to park in the area marked for big trucks, RV’s and vehicles towing trailers.  I pulled in between two very big rigs and I’m sure they were amused, and perhaps a bit amazed, when I got out of my car to stretch and report in to my sweetheart. Most of the RV’s and trailers on the road are towed by men.  I seemed to be the only lady towing a trailer along the way that day. Something happened to me when I got back in the car to head south after that stop – I felt more empowered and very brave.  I no longer felt like a novice.  I had conquered what I had feared and I was on my way!  I even got up the courage to change lanes and pass slower moving vehicles along the way!  But I was not prepared for what happened when I turned off the freeway to go a few more miles to the campground.  As I drove up the freeway off-ramp to the road where I would turn, tears began to fill my eyes and fall down my face.  As I continued to drive through the little town near where Daffodil and I would spend the weekend my tears came faster and harder.  My heart was so deeply touched – it was full!  And I knew why.  The dream I had dreamed for almost three years was really happening - it was about to come true.  Finally, I was going to camp with my girlfriends in my very own vintage trailer. I had waited for this day – it was here.  I thought my heart would burst!  My dream had come true - and I could hardly contain it!  Daffodil and I arrived at the campground to the cheers and applause of a few of my friends who had already arrived.  They were so thrilled that we had arrived and that our maiden voyage had been a success.  Soon Daffodil was safely in her spot, ready for our weekend to begin.More girlfriends arrived through the afternoon and early evening and it wasn’t long before our group site was full. There were two parts to our site – the side where Daffodil was parked. . . And another part just beyond an open area between the two.
We had such a good time together that weekend.  My very dear friend helped me hostess the camp-out and she was amazing!  She set up a ‘kitchen’ behind her trailer to make our group meals easier to prepare (and clean up after).  It was a busy place, at times. I can’t imagine what we would have done without it. She made this sign to welcome us.
Don’t get worried – there was no 'skinny dip’n' or 'chunky dunk’n' - that I know of!  I added a bit of ‘pretty’ to the rustic setting where we were.  I put lace tablecloths on the picnic tables and centerpieces made with my vintage mason jars, filled with hydrangeas and seed pods from my yard.Nametags are a tradition at these camp-outs.  There’s almost always someone new, but we like nametags even when we all know each other.  Most of the gals keep all of their nametags – some have them displayed in their trailers or in their homes in unique ways.  My nametag is hanging on the corner of a shelf above my desk.  It’s a great reminder of this special weekend. There was time for a lot of visiting and time to share ideas and dreams.  Early mornings and late evenings found us around the campfire.  We planned a special craft time.  We had such fun decorating solar-powered mason jar lights that my dear friend and her husband had prepared for us.  They started with simple mason jars and added part of solar yard lights to the top.  (You can directions and all kinds of ideas on Pinterest.)Everyone decorated their jars and they were all different.  No two were alike.  We had such fun enjoying them at night.
 Our first evening meal together was a potluck.  One of the girls brought a cake to share.  She said she had the stripe on the trailer and the piping around the cake don in yellow in honor of Daffodil and her maiden voyage!  You can bet I gave her a bunch of hugs for her kind welcome for Daffodil.  If you wonder about the words on the cake, they have meaning because most of us are part of a casually organized girlfriend camping group that we have affectionately named ‘Vintage Women With Trailers’.As the afternoons began to fade into evening we were treated to brilliant, gorgeous sunsets shining through the trees.
And as nightfall approached it was easy to see the lights that were on some of the trailers .And then, almost by magic, night fell all around us.  The sun faded, the stars began to shine in the dark sky and, we were blessed to have a full moon shining overhead. And under that moon and those stars you could see more lights that somehow seemed to capture our imaginations. (If you look closely you will see our solar mason jar lights shining in the dark.)
The days flew by.  We spent one day at an Antique Fair in the streets of the little town nearby.  We laughed and giggled, we hugged and talked, we planned and dreamed.  And we decided we will be back to do it all again next year.And then, all too soon, it was over.  They were all gone.  The trailers were gone.  The campsites were empty and it was time for Daffodil and me to head home again. As Daffodil and I drove home I knew I had learned a lot and I knew there are things I still need to learn.  There are things that need to be changed before she and I go again - and we will go again. You can count on that!  Calendars have been marked and reservations have been made for more camp outs next year.

The Secret

I told you yesterday that I had a secret to share with you.  This is what I haven’t told you – Daffodil and I are gone!  We left early this morning for a girlfriends’ camp-out a couple of hours from home.  Even though she’s not finished, she is ready enough to travel.  She and I will join other gals with vintage trailers for the weekend.  There will be ooh’s and aah’s and much talk about plans for what is to come.  Here’s her new look from the front – there were still some things to be finished when I took the photo.
And here’s the way she looked from the back as she went down the freeway.
If you’ve been watching her progress you will notice that there is no big back window anymore.  That’s a story for another day.  She will have her big window again but my sweetheart will need to work for many long hours to get it ready to install.  Now, I would like to invite you to step inside and see where I will snuggle down and dream pleasant dreams tonight.  I love the way the sun shines through the window and makes shadows on my bed.
She is far from finished inside and the fun of decorating has only just begun.  The quilt on the wheel cover in this photo has special meaning to me.  It was a wedding gift from a dear lady who used to babysit me when I was a little girl.  Many of the fabrics used in this ‘Trip Around The World’ quilt came from dresses and tops I made before I met my husband.  These were the colors of that time and I loved them back then.  She would be amazed that I still have the quilt and that it’s going to help keep me warm on chilly nights when Daffodil and I go away.  I didn't put it on my bed because it's supposed to be hot this weekend.
Remember the window I told you is not there?  The big back window?  The window opening was cut out of the paneling and all you can see is the metal skin on the back wall.  No problem, I said.  I have curtains – and I just won’t open them until the window is in place once again!
Do you remember this ‘brand’ sign that was on the front of Daffodil?  It looked pretty worn.
Well, look at it now! My sweetheart and I teamed up to restore it to it’s original beauty.  There is another one on the back, too.
So, my friends – my secret is out.  Daffodil and I have gone a-traveling.  It's our first trip out together.  When she comes home again there will be tales to tell and much work to continue the restoration.  I’ll tell you about our weekend when we return and I’ll make sure you share every step of the journey until her restoration is complete.

Out In The Open

With all of the progress being made in Daffodil's restoration, it was time for her to come out of her winter home for awhile so her roof could be put back on.  Her winter quarters weren’t tall enough for this job, so she needed to come out of hiding and enjoy a little sunshine. 
She didn’t have her ‘face’ on yet but her roof had to go on before she could have her front finished.  Here she comes.  Forward. . .
And then in reverse – into the driveway where the work will begin soon.
A good friend offered to help my sweetheart.  That made my sweetheart very happy because doing this job alone would have been quite difficult.  First they had to check the roof piece very carefully.  There were a few things that needed adjustment. . . And then they very carefully picked it up. . .
And put it up on top of Daffodil.  That hole in the middle is where the roof vent goes.
Once the roof piece was up on top of the trailer, it took a lot of work to secure it in place.  Everything  had to be just right and it had to be nailed down before the front ‘skin’ could go on. 
It seemed like Daffodil was really starting to' bloom'.  You may think I'm  silly, but I love the round corners on the front.  I began to have the feeling that it really wouldn’t be long and my dreams would become reality.
After the roof was secure and everything was adjusted just right, it was time to put her new front skin in place.  I stood and watched with joy as we finally began to see her exterior personality immerge again.
You can see that there is no window opening in the new front skin.  After it’s in place and tightly attached to the framework, my sweetheart will cut the window opening through the metal.  You have probably noticed that the bottom of the front skin doesn’t match the top.  The bottom piece is a tooled, stippled piece of aluminum that is placed there to handle rocks that fly up from road surfaces as she travels.  It’s called a rock guard.  The old one took a lot of hits over the years and it looked nothing like this beautiful new piece.  Next Spring when the weather is dry and warm enough, all of Daffodil’s parts that are gold now will be painted yellow.  That’s why I’m not worried about the old roof in contrast to the new front skin for now.  While the men were working on the front of the trailer I just had to go to the back and take another look inside.  I hadn’t seen her interior with sunshine peeking through her windows.  At the top right of the photo you can see the inside opening for the roof vent that will be matched up with the opening in the metal roof.
And I had to take another look at the little bit of floor my sweetheart had uncovered to show our friends when they came to visit.
So much more has happened since I took these photos just a few days ago.  Please come back soon and see what she looks like now.  And I’ll let you in on a little secret!  I think you will be pleased – and amazed.