gardenjunkpickergirls: The Maiden Voyage of the Alma

Inspired by the recent reality TV show Picker Sisters, we are fans of REAL picker shows. We relate to the thrill of finding something cheep. We love road trips and filling the truck with our unique finds. We love the reaction of your husband’s as we pull in the drive w/ junk. Unfortunately, Picker Sisters is like watching a train wreck. You know you should turn away, but something draws you to it. You try to yell at the TV hoping it will STOP, but they just keep heading straight into a disaster.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Maiden Voyage of the Alma

The trip began at this drive through in Indiana- don't really need to post the name, although friendly, not really a must visit type of place- but it had a place to park the trailer was cheap, and fit with the theme of the adventure.

Laura supplied the "Sparkling Wine" to christen the Alma the cork popped and we celebrated.

The weather was perfect and we all relaxed!

This is the fancy camp site about 4 coolers- beer, wine, bourbon, salmon and chicken on the grill. Scott thought he would sit back and be served . . . it did not really work out that way- but he had fun anyway.

From the minute we opened the door of the trailer we were learning about trailer camping, first thing the clock fell off the wall and the glass broke- my mistake, next we forgot the outside extension cord - my mistake again, that is when we started to make a list for next time- the purpose for this trip was to learn and we were learning.

After camp was set up it was time to play . . . and we taught Laura Kubb - Swedish Chess. If you want to learn more about this game check the link- since we were on the way to the bathroom we got a lot of comments.

Laura started to master the game.

Laura surprised us with a portable shower, yes we were 50 feet from the bathrooms, but hey we have it so why not shower at your own camp site.

Since we did not have water hook up, the shower came in handy, not only did Laura shower in it- we used it to rinse off dishes and our hands- solar heated - a great find.

So did I mention we were at Tippecanoe State River Park? We were the oldest camper at the campground so we got some looks. I can not wait to get the outside painted- then we will really get the looks!

On the way home Laura and I did the driving, Laura on the back roads and I did the highway driving. The trailer is now in Laura's driveway and it only took her 30 minutes to back it in - pretty good since when I tried to back it in our driveway it took 45 minutes and I never did succeed! It looks like Laura and I need to keep Scott around for a while- he is pretty handy!

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MO

I come from a long line of pickers. I learned from my mom, driving the station wagon around on garbage day looking for stuff others didn't want. She taught me how to search through old barns, and find the items everyone else missed. I was refinishing furniture and polishing silver at a young age, always looking for the diamond in the rough. Her passion grew into a fabulous business, but for me, I am still just a picker who makes a living more traditionally. Many of our trips stem from my business trips that Laura tags along on, or weekend adventures. Laura is more thrifty then I am, we are very different . . . I will always have time for picking, gardening and blogging. I have three blogs, none for money, just to share my interests and opinions. Click on my picture to get to my garden blog. There is a reason I do the driving, do not let Laura fool you- you do not want her to drive! Picking is hard work, not a glamorous Hollywood production. You can call us “the picker girls”, “garden junk picker girls” or “the REAL picker sisters”!

Laura

Picker, gardener, not that good of a driver. . . Is one of the "greenest" people you will ever meet. She uses a clothesline, saves everything, is still cooking with some of the pans we had in our college house in the 80's. It’s not about being trendy, it’s how she lives. . . . OK I need to speak for myself here . . . Mo is definitely the blogger, driver and boss. However, I need to clarify a few things in my bio. First and foremost, I am an excellent driver and have an almost clean record to prove it. Also, my job as co-pilot is equally as important. I am, after all, the navigator through unknown country roads; no GPS in the old pick-up for these gals! I also have to rummage in the cooler and prepare sophisticated hors d'oeuvres. Last, but not least, I'm in charge of tunes. If left up to Mo, all we would be listening to is satellite radio's all Grateful Dead station. Not trendy? Without a doubt. I actually started thrifting and picking to save money. I still do for that reason, but more importantly, I want my surroundings to be funky and meaningful, and am always up for an adventure with my "true picker" sister!

Fender Art - has a long connection to "junk"

No it is not a fender made into a chair, just a fender made into ART! DEFINITION: The Middle English word jonk, ancestor of junk, originally had a very specific meaning restricted to nautical terminology. First recorded in 1353, the word meant "an old cable or rope." On a sailing ship it made little sense to throw away useful material since considerable time might pass before one could get new supplies. Old cable was used in a variety of ways, for example, to make fenders, that is, material hung over the side of the ship to protect it from scraping other ships or wharves. Junk came to refer to this old cable as well. The big leap in meaning taken by the word seems to have occurred when junk was applied to discarded but useful material in general.