Camping ⛺️

 Hello and happy Monday. Here we are on to the second week of February. Remember I am still sharing the good times of 2025 and other years as well. It’s nice to share and I am enjoying the process. It’s like journaling without paper. I still journal as well. It just feels right. It’s another way for creativity. 

This video is funny it’s about us coming to Cody and Amelia’s wedding. We camped using a HipCamp and let me tell you it was a great experience. We arrived in Ohio (kinda like a half way mark) or in my mind it was. We picked a campsite and it was on a slope. I was exhausted as I wasn’t even a few months passed the first back surgery. Which one of my pins were broke and no one was listening to me at how much pain I was in. Finally when we came back home they did a CT scan and found all that out. I was scheduled for the second surgery on September 30. Only 26 days after Cody’s wedding. So while we were camping the next morning on the slopes. It had rained and when I woke up I was way down the slope. All of us moved in the tent. I still laugh about it. 

In 2024 we took the boys camping in our vintage camper that someone had gave us. We call her Betsy. She needs work inside. The boys loved it. They wanted to go again in the camper. This past year 2025. I will tell you more of that story below. 

So we tent camped this past year as Bruce hadn’t got to work on Betsy the RV. It was August and it was hot. Plus being in the tent you could hear everything and everyone close by. We did meet one of the nicest RV owners that pulled in beside us that day. It all started with a frozen Margarita. A young lady had come with her parents and they had brought a margarita machine. Well when they said the margaritas are ready you would know it…. Bruce said “Margaritas” they invited us over and that was it. We really enjoyed talking with them and the boys were both chatting as well. The guy was very impressed with the boys. How smart they were and so well behaved. 

We had brought along our hammocks that we have in our backpacks. Over the years we have used these and in fact one of the very oldest hammocks we have is a blue one that Jr used on his walkabouts. When he was in his late teens he would grab his Kelly pack and we would be riding down the road and see him with his backpack. He would stay gone for awhile and enjoy his time going places. 

The little boys enjoyed the hammock mostly without grandma. I just wanted to test it out since it had been a long time. It was really nice. 

We collected rocks and I used my identifying app for the rocks. They loved it. 

Riggs always wanted to get the big ones. 

I enjoyed my class with herbal preparations that night it was Goldenrod and if there is an herb I know a lot about is goldenrod. I had brought some from home. 

Smoke must of got in his eyes. Bruce had packed all the camp goodies. The boys roasted marshmallows with sticks the old fashioned way. They got a kick out of that. 

Ledger has grown up so fast. I tell you it was like yesterday he was just born and now look. Slow down bud grandma has to catch up. 

The BigFoot by the house. You can even see the yellow goldenrod blooming. 

At the time we went Riggs had burned his foot. Well grandma had all the supplies for a pretty bad burn. To avoid infection I changed the wrap etc. when it was time for him to go home I told him what he would need. He told mom and he was very specific about it. Even telling her how to do the wrap. His attention was very focused and concerning. He watches this doctor on YouTube and is knowledgeable about doctor educational shows. I keep saying he’s going to be a doctor. 

This was a picture I found of the boys making a tent in the yard. Everyone was going to sleep in it until nighttime came. 

This was camping the year of 2024 when we had the RV on the road. 

A very beautiful and relaxing campground. Now for the story….. Ledger and Riggs told me that they didn’t want to tent camp again that they wanted to go in the RV again. So no more tent camping. Haha. Gotta love it. Luxury boys!!!! They know the best way to camp!!! 

Years ago we would go Girl Scout camping and would stay in the cabins and/or the platform tents. Bruce was canoe certified so all our girls used to be able to canoe. Bruce would help other troops as well. That can be another post. All the years of camping and canoeing. Most of my pictures of that life are on actual film. I have been one of those people that always had/has a camera. I used to spend many years taking pictures of my dogs and trees. My mother said you’re wasting film and time!!!! I never felt like that. However when I would get my film developed I had to listen to the fussing but I was to busy looking at the pictures analyzing them and seeing if I caught the sun just right or if my dogs were looking at me. I even took pictures of my clothes….. I was thinking of the future perhaps as now no one thinks that type of picture is out of the norm. Mostly for gifts I would always get cameras. Always the novelty ones as well. Then when I was 18 working at a large department store they had a camera department and I put my first expensive camera on layaway. Jr. was a baby and I wanted the best pictures I could get. The camera was over $300 with my employer discount. A Canon. I didn’t become the Nikon girl to much later. The first digital camera I had was a Kodak. I got that around 2002. Which brings me to the new book I am reading Art Work: On the Creative Life https://www.amazon.com/dp/1419780719?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share by Sally Mann a must read it’s so good. I’m already in the fifth chapter. 

Well I better head on out as the dogs want attention…

Much love and good vibes, 

Dawn Gallop 

P. S. Today I was very tired and had no energy…. Bruce said he was feeling some kinda way as well. 

 

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Closer to Nature Closer to You

Hello Everyone and Happy Thursday, I did this lo for a challenge over at the My Mind's Eye Blog. The challenge is to pick a advertisement out of a magazine and then make a lo out of the ad. Well I called in my 5 yo son Colby on this one. I gave him several magazines and told him to pick an ad that you want mommy to create a lo on. (I knew if I picked it, it would be what a wanted to do) so this way I had to do what he picked. The ad came from a Woman's Day Magazine Halloween one, the ad is for the National Arbor Day foundation. I think I know why he picked this he was asked at school to adopt a tree, back in Sept. We took a walk and he picked one over by his club house, which is a very different tree, it grows real long then up. We have been going to visit the tree at least once a week, he has noted changes and each time he sees something different. The whole family has been involved in the project. So I hope that gives you an idea of why he picked the ad. So it was a little different but I thought it turned out okay. He was happy with it!!! Everything is 100% My Mind's Eye except the brown Bazzill cardstock and the stamps from Hampton Arts, and the brick stamp from Prima. I used the Cricut to cut the leaves from A Walk in My Garden cut at 1/2, and 1. The title was cut from Street Signs cut at 1 1/2, and 1. The branches are from Camp Out cut at 3, 2, and 1 1/2. The window is from Christmas Cheer cut at 2 3/4. and the girl in window cut from Child Year at 2 3/4. TFL!! Have a WONDERFUL Day!! Dawn

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The Great Outdoors ~Rusty Pickle~

Hello everyone, I made this lo last night using the Rusty Pickle Under the Stars Collection. It is a pic of Cody from 2003. Colten was 18 mons. and Jr. and I took the boys down to the Winton Bridge to go fishing. He really didn't catch anything..Jr. just changed his bait like every 20 seconds it seamed like..as soon as Jr. got ready to cast out..Cody needed more bait!! LOL!! It was so funny!! I know you about it!! lol!! I also made the lo for the August Round We Go Challenge! This challenge is all about circles!!!
This months challenge: The has to be at least 2 circles: one circle must be solid and one must have the center cut out. The size is up to you.
I used the large cut out circle, and the small solid circle at the top.
Products Used:

• Rusty Pickle RP792 Gone Fishin
• Rusty Pickle RP789 Wish you were here
• Rusty Pickle RP793 Don't feed the bears
• Rusty Pickle CC13 Cardstock coupons (the title)
• Cricut Camp Out cart. the fishing pole, line, and bass fish all cut at 2 1/4 on the flip.
  
• Black bazzill cardstock
• Janome sewing machine zigzag stitch

Oh Yeah I wanted to add the qoute on the post card
" Fisherman are born honest, but they get over it."
I love it!!!!
TFL!!!

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Dusty Jump Jump Jump

Okay now clap your hands and say Dusty Jump, Jump, Jump!!! He really jumps too, LOL!!! Here is another pp sent to me by Betty.....just wonderful..I love it!! The pp is by Yellow Bicycle, the flower with button also from Betty and by Yellow Bicycle. The frog is Quickutz, and the title Dusty is quickutz Daisy skinny mini. The words jump are stamped from Impression Obsession which I have had more than five years. The plaid pp is also from Betty and by Yellow Bicycle. The flowers are prima, and the brads MM. The frog was embossed with a cuttlebug folder. The circle I cut with the circle maker, and finally the dragonfly was cut from campout from the cricut cut at 2 and then dipped into the melting pot with UTEE and vellum wings, wire and beads. Dusty is 6 1/2 mons. old in pic. Thanks Betty for the new pp....I just love it!!! :)

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