Reuse; Recycle. Repurpose. (and recamp)

Foot massage, vintage bus, and wireless. What more do you need?

My evening walks in Thailand have a lot in common with an Easter egg hunt. I’ve been on the lookout for brightly colored repurposed VW buses on the crowded Bangkok street corners, and I get really excited when I spot one. Some sell bubble tea; one sells peanut butter toast (that I will eat at some point). There’s even one in a mall that sells smoothies.

But my favorites (of course) have been pimped into tiny tiki trucks that sell fancy drinks–ones with colorful umbrellas and exotic fruit garnishes. Stick a paper parasol in a swanky glass, put the needle on a Burt Bacharach record, and I feel like Shirley MacLaine in Billy Wilder’s, The Apartment–cocktail-wise.

Belly up to the bus.

The Pearl

One of my favorite recamp projects is Lisa Hassler’s Shasta Compact, The Pearl. You can read about The Pearl’s transformation and adventures on Lisa’s blog.

Happy Spring!

Little Free Library

Jerry Pax selects a book from the Little Free Library in Algiers (image from nola.com)

Anyone catch All Things Considered‘s sweet story of the Little Free Library (LFL) on the commute home? If you missed it, go listen!  Two super cool Wisconsinites started a reading revolution with their little boxes of books in communities and neighborhoods (across 34 states so far and at least one international site) where readers take a book then leave a book for others to enjoy.

I have enough paperbacks to start a few dozen of these mini book swaps today. Great Gatsby, wouldn’t a “Little Airstream Free Library” be terrific!?!

I couldn’t wait to get home and see photos. Some LFL are planted outside coffee shops:

Photo from the Little Free Library

Some are shaped like barns (so I’m thinking vintage campers are acceptable):

Photo by Vera Roy-Stoeberl

These liebe libraries are open day or night, in any kind of weather.

I like mysteries or thrillers on a snowy day.

Check out this pretty garden of reading by artist and blogger Helen Klebesadel:

Helen Klebesadel's "It's Always the Season to Read"

There’s a dog-lovers’ version:

From the Little Free Library

One for a schoolyard’s Peace Garden–you know, for the kids:

From a Little Free Library fan on Facebook.

(And of course there’s a Wisconsin-sports-themed reading hut:)

Photo by Deborah Niles, Madison Examiner

Kitschy Summer Camp for Grownups

This gallery contains 14 photos.

There’s a secret little spot in Joshua Tree, California. It runs on solar power, has a professional recording/film editing studio, and features a saltwater pool. It has a vending machine that would make Dale Watson and Frank Booth proud, serving … Continue reading →

Nostalgia

Weebles wobble when they camp (but they don't fall down).

Lately I’ve been thinking about things from my youth that made me feel warm, cozy, and happy. That includes some old board games and toys that I wish I still had to share with my niece and nephew. Also, I’m surprised by how many old school toys had a camping theme (like this awesome Weebles RV). It doesn’t seem like there are a lot of camping-inspired toys these days–maybe road trips in campers, caravans, or RVs are less of a family thing now.

I was a little old for Weebles when they were at the height of their popularity, but that didn’t stop me from playing with my sister’s roly-poly toys (the Haunted House was my favorite–it had a glow-in-the-dark ghost).

 

Co-Co the Caravan

Co-Co and friends

In 1956, Ladybird Books published Tootles the Taxi and Other Rhymes, a sweet little collection of verse about vehicles–including Co-Co the Caravan (seen here turning in for the night).

Co-Co was joined by characters such as Larry the Lorry, Stumbles the Steam-Roller, Monty the Motor Coach, Oompus the Omnibus, Cuthbert the Coal Cart, and others (who doesn’t love the British and their fancy names for everything?). Thanks to Pinterest, I know about this book and these delightful characters.

African ReCamp

I could make this bus a home.

Just returned from two weeks in Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, where the preferred mode of transportation is cramming 15 people in these mini-buses. Talk about getting close with your fellow travelers. You just hop on, hit the side of the bus or yell at the driver when you want to hop off, and it will only set you back about 17 cents. I was thinking if you took out the seats, these buses would make a swell camper.