CAMPING at Little Bear and Hawley Lake

I LOVE to camp. I don't know why. Well, yes I do, many reasons why, actually. I love the smell of the air away from people and cities. I love how blue the sky looks and how you can actually see the dome of the earth. I love a campfire, collecting the wood, chopping the wood. Food tastes better when you are camping. I love the quiet and alternately the sounds of the trees, wind and although at times scary, the critters doing whatever creepy things they're doing in the woods. I have been so lucky this summer to go on a few very wonderful little camping excursions. Recently we went to a place called Little Bear Lake also called Shush Be Zahze. It was a nice site, well spread out and campfire pits straight out of the Flinstones. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

The drive out towards Sho Lo was BEAUTIFUL! We got to see the Arizona desert in all of its beauty and strangeness plus a bonus sunset. By the time we got to the camp site it was dark but I have lovely parents who had gone out earlier and assembled our tent for us.

Our campfire that night

Driving into the woods in pitch black was a little scary but it was well worth the surprise in the morning when we emerged from our tents, rubbing the campfire smoke from our eyes, to a beautiful pine forest, lakes, creeks and cows! 

Beautiful Lichen

Our dogs Ryla and Tater.

Hawley Lake

The icing on the cake for the weekend was a glimpse of a herd of wild Mustangs and their foal on the Apache reservation near Hawley Lake.  

Go to 

www.camparizona.com

for campsite information! Go camp!

San Fran and The Alameda Point Antiques Faire

This has been a pretty great summer. We've been camping, creating, working, eating and just enjoying life. I have also had the opportunity to do some traveling, including a trip to San Francisco, thanks to my incredible employer, Carol owner and operator extraordinaire of  The Cottage Garden.

San Fran is a beautiful city, every building seems to be a different color and full of lovely details, from filigree fire escapes, to dragon draped light posts in China town.

Being a business trip, (of course!) Carol had taken myself and coworker Monica to experience the Gift Show and we spent the first couple days doing reorders and finding new and exciting product. But really and more importantly our trip was about The Alameda Point Antiques Faire. GOOD GRIEF. It was like an antique market on steroids. Over 35 rows, 3 blocks deep, of 800 plus vendors all touting incredible finds 20 years old or older! Held on the 1st Sunday of every month, the Alameda Point Antiques Faire is THE largest antiques show in Northern California. It is completely overwhelming. Lines to get in, lines to get out, but oh! Once you are in! Heaven. 

These lovely ceiling tiles now have a happy home at The Cottage Garden I

 

http://alamedapointantiquesfaire.com/

If you have the time, money and a big ol' truck and someone to drive it, this is the ULTIMATE antiques show! Even without those things I was able to pick up a few goodies for myself. What a great time and what an excellent experience. Thanks Carol. 

One last picture for good measure.