Cute metal bears

I recently had a surge protector installed. The installer put holes in the front of my kitchen cabinets to put a display that could not possibly be seen unless you bend over double. So I took it out and ran the wire to the top kitchen drawer where the display can now be seen when you open the drawer. Here are my new, unnecessary holes.

First I filled them with wood putty.
Then I got on the internet to find something to put over them. I found a great metal shop that has really great wildlife. I e-mailed them with the dimensions of my cabinet insert, told them that I wanted their momma bear and three baby bears. They e-mailed back with a drawing to scale. I asked to include another piece. They gave me two choices. I picked the standing bear that you see below. The price for all 5 pieces was only $20! I will definitely order from them again.

http://www.artisanmetalshop.com/animals/wildlife


A close up.


The view when you come in the RV.

Meeker Park Overflow

We attempted to find a National Forest boon-dock location but failed. We ended up at the Roosevelt National Forest Meeker Overflow Campground. We got space #1 because it was hidden right at the front next to the park hosts and likely no one else saw it. The only reason we got it was another campground called over and checked if it was still available and then they held it for us. Phew!

It was only $9!

The spot was nice but next to the road way. Late arrivals can't be choosers.

The big plus was lots of good hiking trails.











Beautiful views all around!

Columbine Campground

The first couple of times I worried when we ventured forth on the weekend with no reservations and no destination except a camping spot in the mountains. Surprisingly this time I didn't. We've had such good luck that now I feel confident there will be a spot somewhere for us.

We would love to find a National Forest boon-dock location but are also happy to settle into a campground. This weekend we again were extremely lucky. The very first campground we tried had 2 unreserved, unoccupied spots to choose from. They were both lovely, with lots of space around them even though the campground was full. Definitely a bargain for $16. All we could see of the other campers was strips of color between the trees.

Both dogs waited patiently for lunch to be prepared.

Sunshine was eager to explore the forest.

We hiked along a nice path.

To a nice reservoir.

Sometime Sunshine got tired.

Mr. Sunshine is part Dachshund so has short legs. He is also part Chow so he has thick fur. As a result he can get tired and/or over heat so we make sure to take breaks whenever he needs them. In our experience with rescue dogs it takes about a year of good food, proper supplements and a good environment to get them to recover from past poor nutrition. Sunshine has only been with us since last Dec. so maybe next year his endurance will be better.

When he is tired he sits or lays down and refuses to move. Below I tried to get the camera out as he was parked in the grass but he thought I was going to start walking again so decided to roll about.

Eventually we headed back.


On another hike we discovered some more forest but not much of a path. Which way to go the doggies wonder?

But the somewhat hidden path lead to a nice stream.

Miss Blossom takes a drink and cools her paws.

It was rushing right along.

Miss Blossom says "I will follow it down the hill".

The doggies were worn out from their outing.

Max cooked some marshmallows in addition to a wonderful dinner. An adjoining campsite had a guitar so in the evening as they were around their campfire we were treated to the soft strumming of the guitar occasionally. We even got a few lovely snatches of song as the group had wonderful voices. They were the closest one to us but were being fairly quiet so it was hard to hear. However I wouldn't have minded if they had treated us to a full concert.

The new quilt looks good even with everyone on it.

Blossom enjoyed watching the many squirrels run around the campground. They had no fear of the dogs.

When in the camper she watched them out the window.

I really enjoyed this campground. We will likely return. The trees were so thick in every direction that I didn't get alot of scenic pictures but it is sometimes nice to be in thick forest for a change.

Surprisingly out of 47 sites we were the only motor home (with the exception of the campground host). This campground had tons of sites for motor homes and was very easy to access. We went through Central City to get there so there was even gambling and many restaurants within a couple of miles. The dirt road was not very long and in fairly good condition with only a few areas with pot holes. However when we were out on the main road I saw another entrance which was 6 miles on a dirt road. This is probably why so few motor homes went there, they didn't know there is an easier access route.

Colorado WIT - Lakeside KOA in Fort Collins

I discovered the Colorado Winnebago Itasca Travelers club last week. They had the state rally this weekend so with just one day's notice I found a spot and joined them. They are a really neat group with planned activities all through the summer.

This was our second KOA. It was nicer than the first but still no comparison for a national forest campground.

A big plus was a large pond to walk the dogs around. Unfortunately the water was stagnant so it smelled bad.

I was glad we went since I got to meet the group members.

New color scheme

The original bedroom curtains and valances (above) looked nice when we bought the RV but fell apart in the wash due to sun rot. As a result the bedroom look was wide open. I would have loved to have bought commercial valences/curtains and just cut them down but I also wanted to expose as much of the window area (particularly in the back window) to preserve the view so I naively got some stitch witchery and some fabric...

Because there was blue in the original color scheme and I owned a blue comforter I decided to do blue (base color) replacement curtains. Unfortunately I did not find a fabric I thought was cute. I did try one out (see below) but it didn't make the cut.

Sorry for the blurry photo but I only took the one before taking it down. It looked good, was in keeping with the RV color scheme and the wallpaper but seemed too generic to me.

I then bought a second which didn't even make it into curtain form. Clearly I needed to do something different so I brought the RV to JoAnn fabrics and got the manager to agree to let me take fabric out to test the colors before purchasing.

In this batch I found some really cute fabric with bears, squirrels, deer, ducks, butterflies, dragon flies, acorns and oak leaves. The colors were strong fall colors. They clashed with the light pastel blue, peach and sea foam green in the wall paper. I was so smitten with it that I ignored the wall paper clash and the pinkish color to the mini blinds. Instead I decided I needed to send the wall paper to the back ground.

In addition I needed to dress the rather thin, not drapery quality, fabric up some for it to look a little more like nice curtains. So with a little more stitch witchery some trim went on. (The whole thing is stitch witchery, no sewing. I hope it doesn't melt!)


At JCPenney.com I found a quilt with what appeared to be the same colors so I ordered it. It was a perfect match and I love the pattern.

The end result is we now have a cabin theme RV with a fall color scheme. It looks pretty good! I just happened to have some holiday throw pillows in the basement that have complimentary colors and a woodsy theme. They look wonderful on the dinette and carry the bedroom colors through the RV! Thankfully the carpet, linoleum, furniture and living area valances are all a neutral beige so you can pretty much do any color as long as you can overcome the wallpaper.

The colors compliment the dog's fur. Which, of course, is important.