Adam and I have been tent camping on and off for the past 15 years. When my sons were young I had a brand new 1991 Coleman pop up camper. Adam would always hear my wonderful memories of camping in the pop up with my boys and we talked about getting one at some point. Then we decided to rent one and try it out (I had serious neck issues and couldn't sleep on the ground anymore.) We loved it, and our dogs loved it too! A couple of years passed, I had neck surgery, recovered, and we started thinking about camping again. Then out of the blue a friend of a friend had a pop up for sale, cheap! So we went to look at it. The canvas was in good shape, but the rest of it clearly needed a lot love. It was a 1994 Coleman, very similar to the one I had in the early 90's. I wasn't sure, but Adam convinced me we could redo it, so we bought it. Not long after, while researching online, we found the Pop Up Princess site, and it was "YES, we can do this!" First I went on a fabric hunt. We live at the beach in South Carolina, and I knew I wanted a fun seaside theme of some sort. I found the fabrics and went to work. This was huge for me because It had been a long time since my arms and neck would let me sew. I was loving the fact that I could sew again and the new look that was coming together. I wasn't sure how to hang the curtains because the C-clips were no longer there. I liked the clean look and the way they slid in my old 1991 Coleman and I couldn't believe they didn't make them anymore. Then Adam found the mention of the clips on your blog, instead using the type E curtain carrier clips and the type A snap- in curtain carrier tape, so we ordered them from Amazon to see if they fit. The clips fit the tracks great! The tape was a little tricky to sew on but they look and work great! I lined all the curtains for privacy as well. When we bought the PUP, there was a lot of water damage to the interior wood due to the storage bin in the front of the camper leaking. It's the model that you could slide open the door inside to access the storage, so the water rolled right in through there. We decided to do away with the slide opening and Adam gutted the whole inside of the storage box, replaced all the wood, and painted it with truck bed liner. No more leaking! Then it was on to the inside living area. We scrubbed, tore out the cabinets, the floor, and the table benches. We reused the doors and drawers because they were in good shape. Adam rebuilt and I painted. We sealed the floor with several coats of mold and fungicide primer, and we installed a stick down vinyl strip floor we purchased at Lowe's. We added new hardware and the cabinets were looking great! Adam put a new wood top on the storage bench but the kitchen counter and dining table were still that old Welcome Friends blue from the early 90's. We decided to recoat them using the Rustoleum stone spray paint method we read about on the Pop Up Princess site. After sanding, Adam started with a spray adhesive for a primer, then it was several thin coats of paint and poly. So far so good. He also added a new faucet to the kitchen sink. We knew we would never cook inside the camper so we removed the old stove. To cover the opening I went to the local granite company that did the kitchen counters in our home to look for a scrap. They cut and polished me up a piece to fit and delivered it for $20.00 all-in. I love it! When removing the fabric from the old foam beds I discovered a bit of mold, so they went to the dump! We decided to splurge a bit and ordered 4-inch memory foam mattresses. After all who doesn't like to be comfortable? Again, Mr. Research found the best rated memory foam at the best price and we ordered them from Amazon. We had to trim them a bit to fit perfectly, which Adam did with our electric carving knife. It was super simple and worked great! Then I added pillow top mattress pads. The majority of the time it will be just the two of us so I decided to use the full bed end as my a curl up and read lounge area. Both beds are very comfortable! For our maiden voyage, we were all set to camp at an oceanfront campground nearby our home for our first trip, then Hurricane Matthew hit our coast! We had to reschedule for a few weeks as the park was closed due to tree damage, but this past weekend the park reopened and we enjoyed our first trip in our new old PUP! The weather was perfect and we had a great time with great friends. We will camp a few times over the winter and next summer we plan to take our PUP to New York to take our three Granddaughters to my favorite campground in the Adirondack Mountains where I took my sons when they were young. Thank you all for all the great tips, we couldn't have done it without you, and we love our makeover! Watch for our exterior makeover next spring. I know my husband and he is itching to get that spray paint out!
If you’ve never tried the paddleboards that are all the rage these days it’s something you must pursue at least once. On a recent visit to Hilton Head Island is when I had the opportunity to give it a go and I loved it! Talk about feeling as though you’re walking on water! Wow! We discovered an event coming up that we want to return for. The LoCo Motion, a 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer, begins on Thursday, September 26, 2013. LoCo Motion is 30 miles of smiles. It is a fitness challenge like no other, but one that is doable for anyone willing to put in a little training time and preparation. LoCo Motion is a scenic tour of the South Carolina coast, a chance to explore the Lowcountry's natural beauty up close and personal -- with, of course, a handful (or 1,500!) of your best friends. The event starts on Thursday night at the packet pickup party at Skull Creek Boathouse! This year's courses include the Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort and Palmetto Dunes Plantation. For more info call (843) 815-5255.
Hope to see you there! If you are like many pet owners, you consider your pet to be part of the family and can’t bear the thought of boarding them while you go away on vacation. It makes it especially painful to leave your pet at a boarding facility when you know you’re going off to relax and have fun. Your pet likes having fun and sharing experiences with you and your family. There’s no way for them to understand why they can’t come too. Most people don’t realize there are plenty of vacation rentals where your pet is welcome to stay with you. More and more of these pet-friendly rentals are popping up all the time, allowing pets to stay in rentals with their owners. But call ahead and ask when making reservations. Some properties charge an additional fee for pets. This is understandable considering the time involved in cleaning pet hair from the furniture after your departure. If your pet has their own bed or blanket be sure to bring it along. This makes your pet feel more comfortable in the new surroundings. Pets know where they are supposed to lie down because they have their familiar item to designate the space that is theirs. If your pets are crate trained you may decide to bring the crate along. For the most part, pets are happy to be with you, wherever that is. With days full of exploring new places and hours spent walking the beach front it won’t be just you sleeping well at night! Come enjoy a late summer Ocean Isle Beach vacation an be sure to bring your pet with you! When you want to spend your vacation in one of the area’s upscale vacation homes, just take a look at what Debordieu Colony has to offer. They are professionals in providing luxury accommodations for anyone seeking a better class of rental. The homes they have include homes that sit oceanfront, with fairway frontage, homes providing ocean views, second row homes, waterfront and deep creek homes with docks. They have many exquisite properties that are sure to delight you. Remember to bring your golf clubs because you’ll have some championship greens to golf on while you’re here. If you’re hoping for a vacation home right on a course, there are plenty of those available. If tennis is your game you’ll have 10 courses to play on, some of which are lit for night time playing. When you’re staying in one of their beautiful vacation homes you’ll have plenty of top-of-the-line amenities to enjoy. Most homes and villas in DeBordieu Colony offer onsite private DeBordieu Club amenities like golf, tennis, and multiple dining options. Natural amenities include miles of beach and tidal creeks, an on-site nature preserve with walking trails and bike paths, that will delight you year round. Don’t miss the Beach Luau held on the beach at Surfside Beach on Monday, August 12 from 6 to 10 p.m. The public is invited to attend this free event. Come out and enjoy free Movies After Dark in Surfside Beach on Thursdays at 9 p.m. through August 29. Admission is free. Bring a chair or blanket to Martin Field at the corner of Dogwood Drive South and 6th Avenue South. Every Sunday during August from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday Serenades will be held at the gazebo in Fuller Park, Surfside Beach. The public is invited to attend. One of our greatest vacations was the time we went to Hilton Head Island and spent a month there. Since I was working from home at that time it was easy enough for me to go. We found many rentals for us to stay in. The rental homes that we looked at all had outstanding amenities and all were completely furnished with beautiful décor, too. I found myself wishing my own home was as accommodating as the home we rented. In any case, if you’re planning a vacation and maybe aren’t sure where you want to go, I recommend Hilton Head Island. Hilton Head offers plenty of shopping, dining and entertainment venues to keep you busy. It’s an ideal location to enjoy a vast number of water sports as well. The biking trails will provide you with a spot to walk, run or bike for hours. But if it’s golf that you enjoy, you won’t be disappointed by their championship courses designed by leading golf pros. If you’re going soon, be sure to check out A Lowcountry Festival – Wednesday’s on the Water being held from 6-9 p.m. on Wed., Aug. 7 and Wed., Aug. 14. There will be Chef’s Award Winning Cuisine, Music and Dancing with island favorite, Alan Palchak. There are also lawn games and kids activities or come sit on the famous lawn and enjoy cocktails along with a stunning sunset you'll not soon forget. You'll find this event at Windows on the Waterway, 5 Waterway Lane, Hilton Head Plantation. Call 843-689-7526 for reservations. If you’re hoping to have a better vacation this summer than ever before (And don’t we all hope for that every summer?) then you need to kick it up a notch and do things a little differently than in the past. That’s how I try to approach every summer vacation. I try to do something new and different each time. Last year we rented a pontoon boat from a business that rented them as well as jet skis. It was a blast! We had it for the full day and went out with friends on it. We were able to relax in lounge chairs, do some fishing, and have our dinner, too, all while on the pontoon boat. It’s flat so it’s conducive to doing so much more than you could on the average boat. After that summer I got the idea to purchase one of our own. I went looking around everywhere and these things just aren’t on every corner, let me tell you! Then I caught wind, through some friends, of a business nearby that sold pontoon boats! Indeed they had a large number of them on their lot. I was quite impressed with the selection of not just these but all of the boats, motors, trailers and ATVs that they stock. Plus they have a service and parts department right there so if I needed anything I’d know where to go. Have you ever participated in or witnessed a dragon boat festival? It’s a sight to behold for sure. There will be teams of 20 paddlers and one drummer racing in the upcoming 5th Annual Ground Zero Dragon Boat Festival being held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 at The Market Common in Myrtle Beach. Ground Zero focuses on providing teenagers with quality events, speakers and clubs in a safe environment. The festival will offer live entertainment, a family-fun zone plus plenty of food and drinks. An anticipated 55 plus boats will compete this year so it’s an event you should plan on attending. For those that enjoy baseball games the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Minor League Baseball team will be playing home games in Myrtle Beach this summer from April 22-28 with fireworks following, weather permitting. All games are held at BB&T Coastal Field in the heart of Myrtle Beach and will start at 7:05 p.m. When you’re in need of accommodations, consider staying at these North Myrtle Beach resorts. You’ll find these vacation rentals to be well furnished and nicely decorated with everything you’d expect for that special vacation. If you enjoy playing golf, you’ll have easy access to golf packages, too. Just one of the many great golf packages includes 3+ rounds of golf plus accommodations in one of these North Myrtle Beach resorts plus meals all at a very affordable price! Thousands of people come to Myrtle Beach every year to play golf. If you are seeking spectacular greens on which to challenge yourself, comfortable accommodations and awesome amenities, then check out the available golf packages. With more than 110 championship courses to play, you’ll not only have well-priced golf packages but comfortable lodging as well when you stay in these resorts. If you’re thinking of the next place you can go for your great vacations we recommend you take a visit to Sanibel and Captiva Islands. We have our favorite Sanibel Island rentals where we always stay. We prefer the townhouses when we go because of the bedrooms being on the different floor. The first level is designed for day to day living and entertaining, while the second level is dedicated to the sleeping areas so this makes it much quieter and easier to sleep. There are beautiful views of tropical landscaping no matter where you are in these Sanibel Island rentals. We love having our breakfast on the private screened porches and then checking in at the end of the day out there. It’s just so peaceful and relaxing there. There are 15 miles of beachfront to enjoy that is located right on the Gulf of Mexico where the water is warm and the beaches are very clean. With 250 different types of seashells, 230 different kinds of birds, 22 miles of bike paths and no traffic lights this place is paradise as far as I’m concerned. I know anyone that loves the beach will love Sanibel Island. The island has been listed on Frommer’s “Top Ten World Destinations” and that doesn’t surprise me a bit. It is so beautiful there. Captiva Island is right beside Sanibel and also worth spending time exploring. We spend a lot of time on each! When you’re planning a trip to Myrtle Beach, be sure to give a call to Condo-World to find the most affordable Myrtle Beach SC vacation rentals. They have a large selection of condo rentals that are both spacious and affordable. If you’ll be in town later in the month here’s a tasty event you shouldn’t miss! The 6th Annual Taste of the Coast will be held Saturday, March 23, at Barefoot Landing from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local restaurants will be setting up booths and offering samples of their very tasty specialties. This promises to be the family fun event of the year, offering a family friendly atmosphere with something for everyone. Be sure to bring the kids because there will be a huge kids’ zone with exciting games and activities, and live entertainment will be provided throughout the day. This event benefits the Risen Christ Lutheran School. On Sunday, March 24, starting at 8 a.m. the annual 2013 Bicycle Ride for the Inlet will take place in Murrells Inlet, SC. If you’ve never joined in on this it’s a whole lot of fun and we encourage you to go! At the Ride for the Inlet you get to choose one of three out-and-back routes through the back roads of rural Horry County. The 8-mile ride leads you down oak-shaded back roads to Wacca Wache Marina. The 26- mile ride heads out to Enterprise Boat Landing, and the Metric Century (63-mile) continues on from the Landing to Carolina Forest and back. This is not a race. Roads will be open to traffic during the ride. Riders must obey all traffic laws. Metric century riders must be experienced in road riding, pack riding and riding in traffic. Helmets are required for all riders. Metric century and 26-mile riders must be 18 years or older. The 8-mile Ride is open to all ages (families welcome). Sag stops set up every 15 miles. After-ride lunch and refreshments will be served at Grand Strand Bicycles. Course maps will be released closer to ride date. If you want to enter the Ride for the Inlet but you don’t have a bike and the the place you chose to stay from among all the various Myrtle Beach SC vacation rentals didn’t provide one for your use, not to worry! There are a few places where you can rent bicycles close to where the ride starts: Myrtle Beach Bicycle, 10799 S Carolina 707, Murrells Inlet; (843) 215-7433 Woodys Rentals, 208 State Highway S 26-51, Murrells Inlet; (843) 357-2453 Cyclopedia, 115 Willbrook Blvd # J, Pawleys Island; (843) 235-6500 Hope to see you there! If you’re planning a trip to Santee, South Carolina, and you’re looking for comfortable accommodations and a place where you can get all of your meals, then check out Clarks Inn & Restaurant. It’s where our family always stays when we’re anywhere around Santee or Lake Marion and we’re very happy with them. They are truly the number one hotel in Santee by a long shot. Different things we consider when choosing where to stay is availability of course. They have to have a room available that will hold our clan. Price is important too and the prices at Clarks Inn were delightfully affordable. We like being treated with respect and friendliness by staff and we’ve never been disappointed by how we’ve been treated at Clark’s. From the check in process to the restaurant servers and pool attendants, we’re always treated by friendly, smiling people exhibiting very good manners. Something we didn’t think was all that important turned out to be! The fact that Clark’s has a restaurant right there where we can get all three meals plus snacks, makes all the difference in the world to us. There’s just not another hotel in Santee that can offer all this to us. And that, in a nutshell, is why we keep going back there. Oh yeah, and because whoever is cooking the meals in their kitchen is doing a phenomenal job! |
AuthorI love vacationing all over this beautiful country of ours but my heart is especially tied to the East Coast. Archives
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