Happy shiny 2015 to you! Hubby, B, Oliver and I are wishing you only the best for 2015 and we hope that your hopes and dreams come true in this brand new year :)
We felt very fortunate to have been able to ring in the new year at the picturesque Thousand Trails campground in LaConner, Washington. Our site was #164 and has been proudly added to our “must return” list.
There was much to be thankful for over this past Thanksgiving holiday road trip of ours. I am no doubt so very thankful for my boys, our health, our silver girl and so much more.
I was also incredibly thankful for mother nature bestowing her generosity upon us with good weather during our holiday road trip. One morning though, she did decide to pour buckets of rain down upon us but luckily our plans were to wrap up camp and head to our next destination. As we drove, the gray skies turned blue and the sun shined so brightly, turning our surroundings into the most beautiful golden color. The sky was also the most beautiful shade of blue I had ever seen. Maybe it was just my imagination, but the color was different to me. I took so many photos. I just couldn’t help it.
We just got back home-home this Sunday from our trip. On our trip we visited the quaint town of Port Townsend and glamped at the Point Hudson Marina and RV Park. We then motored up along the windy, and sometimes white knuckle — coastal roads towards Hobuck Beach RV Resort where we secured a beautiful ocean view spot.
We did so much, together. It was a special time and B couldn’t stop talking about what fun he had on our trip, during our drive home.
“It was the best trip mommy! Thank you.”
That’s what makes my heart squeeze with happiness — this child of ours and these memories hubby and I are making for him. As I looked out the truck window, I couldn’t help but get teary eyed thinking that one day, maybe, he will bring his family to these spots we visited and possibly, just possibly share his stories — his memories with us — with his family for his children to remember.
It’s now Tuesday, December 2nd as I type this. I have so many photographs to sort through, but I love it all. I’m looking forward to sharing a detailed story of our trip with you so that perhaps, if you are considering planning a trip out this way, you may consider visiting the places we have.
In the meantime, every night after work — after all the home chores are taken care of, I sit down at my work bench and craft silver inspired travel accessories. I am hoping very much to update my Etsy shop this Sunday with silver goodies. I’ve been working on two sets of earrings so far and they are just about the most beautiful little earrings ever. Another leaf design (which has been very popular. THANK YOU !!) and a new silversmithing technique I have learned — a tiny concave silver bowl with teeny-tiny little silver drops inside. They are small, delicate and very sweet. I love them and I think you will too.
Please stay tuned — they would make the loveliest gift for the Glamper in your life.
With all of my heart,
Monica xoxox
As sure as the summer sun sets and the big moon rises, my heart is drawn to this river that runs just beyond our property. I call him Mr. River (and I love him). Hubby doesn’t seem to mind.
It is here where I feel most at peace. It is here where most of my summer is spent fly fishing, writing, crafting and frolicking about with Oliver. Mr. River flows not only through the windy channel he has carved out, but also through my heart. Our hearts. I feel my brother is here too.
To get to Mr. River, we must travel through gravely back roads. Only a few people know of this and I feel proud I can navigate when I do come here alone.
To begin our days spent with Mr. River, we enjoy early mornings on our property with simple breakfasts . . .
Mr. River’s friends, the tall trees that live along his banks, give B a gift of a bark puzzle. He is mesmerized by it.
Some days I fish and other days I sit alongside Mr. River and create. Sometimes I come with hubby and B and sometimes I come alone. I dip my toes into the water and make sage bundles. I listen to Mr. River gently talk to me as I craft. He tells me that when I am here, with him, everything in the world is right. I love him.
The days spent with Mr. River are warm and when we come back to camp, the wind picks up with a slight chill to it. We make ourselves at home and I prepare a pot of comforting chicken stew. I love cooking in my silver kitchen.
I make Mr. River Earrings. They serve as a reminder of him and my summer spent here. The blue stone is for his rushing waters, the chain symbolizes his swiftly flowing movement, the red is for the wild berries that grow alongside his banks and also the strawberries that live alongside my coalminers cabin. The brown agate stone reminds me of the spotty skin of his trout, or the slippery stones I carefully and gently walk upon — and the pink gem reminds me of the sparkles that radiate off his waters.
It was a whirlwind love affair I will never forget ♥
Sitting on the edge of the Airstream bed while petting Oliver, B watches me with a curious eye as I pack his dry bag. A nice {big} dry bag that Kurt and Heidi from Hells Canyon Raft dropped off with us at our campsite at the McCall RV Resort. Tomorrow morning we begin a multi-day whitewater rafting trip with them. Where the Snake River heads north and carves the border between Idaho and Oregon, it forms the infamous Hells Canyon which happens to be the deepest gorge in North America (and deeper than the Grand Canyon!) and just happens to be where our rafting trip will take us . . . Continue reading »
It’s getting close to one week when we returned from a beautiful summer road trip through Idaho and Oregon. In between working in corporate America, taking care of hubby and B, walking Oliver and the rest of the usual day to day activities I am doing my best to sort through all of the photographs I took during our Peak to Valley adventure. I call it Peak to Valley because our trip took us from the peaks of alpine life in McCall, Idaho to the valleys down below where Hells Canyon in Idaho and the Deschutes river in Oregon call home. Continue reading »
“Honey, it looks like when we’ll be in Sandpoint, ID for our trip, the annual Winter Carnival will be in full swing,” hubby tells me one night over dinner months before our trip was to be.
“Wow, really? Do you know what kind of activities will be happening?” I asked.
“Well for one, they’ll have Skijoring . . .”
(He knew by the look on my face I was totally clueless)
An early morning start for a day of snowcat skiing at Schweitzer Mountain Resort . . .
While B, Oliver and I went back to the town of Sandpoint to explore more, on this day, hubby had an experience of a lifetime snowcat skiing with Selkirk Powder Company. Continue reading »
Snowshoeing was big for me at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. Did you know? Schweitzer is the largest resort in Idaho and Washington with 2900 acres of amazing terrain and renowned tree skiing located in the rugged Selkirk Mountains. It was in these these mountains where I enjoyed many days of snowshoeing enjoying the peacefulness of nature while getting a great workout. If you love to ski but are looking to switch up your days with another winter sport, snowshoeing here at Schweitzer Mountain Resort is truly a once in a lifetime experience. On guided tours you meet at the Information Center which is next to the Selkirk Lodge, get your gear and head out with your group up the chairlift and begin your hike. Want to go at it alone or with a group? No problem — enjoy the great trail system where you can hike to your hearts content. Just make sure to fuel up with a hearty breakfast that will keep you going all morning long before you head out ♥
Early Saturday morning we packed up the truck, hitched up the Airstream and hit the road. Six hours later we arrived in Sandpoint, ID (from Seattle). Our campsite for the next ten days would be at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. I can see how in summer this place would be super busy! The amenities here included water and electrical for all sites. Two sites had full hookups (read: dump out) and those were #30 and #31. If you plan to come in summer, make sure to reserve either of those two spots. The bathroom and showers were immaculate and the grounds were well maintained. All in all we were quite happy with our spot here! Continue reading »
{Pic Above: 2013 Airstream Ski Trip To McCall, Idaho glamped at the McCall RV Resort and Northfork Lodge)
As I sit here writing this post, our Airstream is in our driveway hitched up waiting for us to take her away.
We’re heading to Idaho tomorrow morning for a ski trip and hubby just came over to me and announced that “It’s DUMPING in Schweitzer!”
Which is where we are going — and I can hardly wait for skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice skating, tubing and so much more.
Finally a place with SNOW.
We LOVE Idaho!
If you want to follow us along on our adventure you can on Instagram and on Facebook too. BIG blog posts will follow here on J5MM and on the Huffington Post too!
Stay tuned and follow us along !!
