When I created this blog, I should have added another C. Campfires, Casting & Crochet. Crochet is my "thing". It's what I do to express my creativity, to unwind and relax, and to make pretty, useful things. A few days ago, I created a towel holder for our camper kitchen. No more fallen towels when we're driving down the road!
QUICK TOWEL HOLDER
Super Saver Worsted Weight Yarn. 3.5mm Hook. Button. Needle.
* Use Scrap Yarn and Any Hook.
Begin: SL ST into a covered hair elastic. CH 1. SC around to cover elastic. SL ST into top of first SC. CH 1.
Top Tab: SC in next 10 sts. CH 1. Turn.*Repeat until desired length or 8-12 rows.
Button Hole: SC into next 4 sts. CH 2. Skip 2 st. SC into next 4 sts. CH 1. Turn.
Finish Row: SC into 10 sts. Fasten off and weave in ends or continue with border.
Border: (optional) CH 1. SC around, including elastic. SL ST into top of first SC. Weave in ends.
Button: Position button near elastic section. Sew to attach. Weave in ends.
To Use: Fold tab over kitchen bar. Push button through button hole. Place towel through elastic circle.
I'm probably going to make a couple more of these towel holders since they're super quick and simple to whip up. We've already "road tested" this holder, and not once did the towel slip through and fall to the floor during travels.
With no real destination in mind, Tom and I headed out in the camper last Saturday, cooler packed with food and drink, fishing gear in the storage box, with thoughts of bass and boondocking on our minds.
We stopped at The Heath, one of our favorite bass fishing spots. The bass weren't cooperative though, or maybe they didn't like what we were casting with, as we didn't get a single nibble. I did catch something though...
Yes, that's a spinner bait! I snagged a lure off the bottom of the lake. What are the chances? My first catch of the year was a hook! (Last year it was a freshwater clam...)
It was a beautiful mid-afternoon though.
Then we headed north into Bethel and Newry, deciding along the way to drive into Grafton Notch State Park and see Screw Auger and Mother Walker Falls. We walked along the falls, enjoying the sights and sounds of the water.
With night coming on, we still had no idea where we were going to actually boondock. We drove back into Bethel before I remembered a spot we had tried to see weeks before. The road had been closed for the winter then, but we hoped it was open now. It was!
Down a long lane-and-a-half dirt road, we found several cleared areas in the woods with firepits, and chose one near a bubbling brook. A perfect spot for a quiet overnight!
In the morning, I made coffee and cocoa and took a walk to the brook while Tom made a fire. The sun was shining, but we were hovering around freezing. Easing into the day with warm drinks, a walk and a crackling fire is DEFINITELY a pleasure.
We decided to head down the road a bit to the parking area for brunch. Tom made omelets and English muffins which we had with OJ, skim milk and bananas. How thankful we were to share such a special time with each other! Not many people get to have a wonderful breakfast sitting by a rocky river.
We meandered through New Hampshire on the return trip home, stopping for candy at Zeb's in North Conway and the grocery store in Bridgton for dinner fixings. Once home, we hooked the boat up to the mini van and headed out to another lake to see how our new-to-us outboard motor worked. And that hook I caught at The Heath? Tom hooked a fish with it on his first cast using it...only to have the line break and the fish took the hook with him. What are the chances?
Tom and I went on our FIRST EVER boondocking adventure April 2nd. Our destination was Jasper Beach in Machiasport, a boondocking spot Tom had found at Free Campsites, and about 230 miles, give or take, from home.
We arrived later then we planned. We ended up taking a route that we hadn't mapped out on Google, but it didn't matter as we found our destination without too much frustration. It was almost dark by the time we parked, and the air was rapidly cooling. Flurries were in the forecast (although we only had overcast skies that weekend). We stretched our legs a bit, walking down the path to the rocky beach, then it was dinnertime.
Not surprisingly Jasper Beach was deserted. Who goes to the beach in early April, in Maine, with snow in the forecast?WE DO! The only sounds we could hear were the crashing waves of the Atlantic onto the beach that Tom described as "Pop Rocks". (You know - the candies.) It was a perfect spot for secluded overnight!
While Tom pulled the camper curtains closed for the night and then relaxed from hours of driving, I made steak, cheese and pepper subs on the stove that I served with potato chips. We read our bibles. We chatted. We walked up the dirt road to have enough phone signal to text our kids good night. And then settled down for our first sleep in Rhoda.
Yes! We gave our Roadtrek a name. It seems like THE THING every owner does with their campers, so why not? We decided on Rhoda Roadtrek. Rather unusual name, right? (Hopefully you read that with silly sarcasm...)
We slept quite well considering that I thought I had turned the propane furnace on, and, well, I hadn't. Our forecasted low was 30 degrees. Around 4:00am, I awoke, peeked out from underneath our pile of cozy blankets and knew it had gotten a little too nippy. A flip of a switch and Rhoda was comfortably toasty a few minutes later.
Around 7:00am we decided to start our day. Our plans were to head to a small town called Cutler and purchase a used outboard motor from a private seller for our fishing skiff. We couldn't leave Jasper Beach without another walk down the path to explore in the growing daylight. There wasn't any sand, but instead a dune of smooth rocks of different colors and sizes. Amazing, really, the vastness of all those stones! There's just something special about the Atlantic.
Then it was Tom's turn to cook. He makes the best omelets! We shared a 4 egg (from our own free ranging hens) omelet filled with peppers, onions, bacon and cheese, and buttered English muffins for breakfast. I made a pot of coffee for Tom while I sipped on skim milk. A quick clean-up, and we were on our way into town to stop at McDonald's for their bathrooms and a drink for the road.
With several hours to go before we were able to pick up the outboard motor, we decided to meander to Lubec and see West Quoddy Head lighthouse and the eastern most point in the United States. The lighthouse and ocean views are stunning! (But the wind was bone-chilling!)
After picking up the motor, we headed back west towards home along a different and more mountainous route. We passed field after field of wild Maine blueberries. There's even a place called Wild Blueberry Landin Columbia Falls. Who would have thought? It was closed, but I jumped out to take some photos. It's not often you see a building shaped and painted like a blueberry. We ate an early dinner in Ellsworth at Governor's and then fought the wind gusts most of the way home.
I'm anxious to boondock again! Let's start planning, honey!
