I'm sure some of you will be shocked when I admit that I, a highfalutin successful bi-coastal Interior Designer and former host of design shows on TV, admits that I
love camping (said in jest, of course)! Well, yes, I do!! I think I've loved camping from the day I laid eyes on Barbie and her 3' long yellow vintage motorhome in the aisles of Grand Central in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1979 (actually the motorhome wasn't vintage
then, only now!). Something about a self-contained home on wheels that could go wherever adventure led you, just fascinated me. Sadly, that sense of adventure on wheels with a sink, bathroom and sofa didn't fascinate anyone in my family, so I had to wait until adulthood to explore the great outdoors in an rv. Today I received tempaper (temporary wallpaper you can remove when you want..great for staging projects and something I've blogged about a thousand times) so will be "glamping" up my vintage trailer this weekend (glamping, for those of you knew to the camping world, is glamorous camping!). Well, let me rephrase that, actually. As the first storm of the season blows its way towards the northeast this weekend, I'm hoping I get to glamp up my camper and the weather stays at bay. We'll see. Speaking of bad weather and preparing for it, allow me to wrap my camping story above into a design piece. Whilst stumbling around various sites for cool, vintage camping gear I came across an old coffee press. I love my morning coffee no matter where I am, so if I'm camping off the grid without electricity, I thought this would be a great way to get a good cup of Joe. Well, it tasted like dirt, spit up chewing tobacco and mildew. So, I let function trump form and purchased this Coleman propane ten cup coffee maker with stainless steel carafe. Because we lose power in our neck of the woods during just about every storm, every season, we are prepared with propane lanterns (purchased at places like the Home Depot, walmart, Target, etc.). They're powered by propane canisters and those same canisters (about $12 for 6 that last for awhile) power this great little coffee maker. While I love getting away from it, I don't like when my coffee tastes like sh*t, so this was a great find and makes coffee that I just don't mind!
BE CAMPY!
I've mentioned many times how often we lose power in the northeast from hurricanes, snow storms, powerful rainstorms or just mother nature dropping a tree limb on power lines. If you're in California most likely you've lost power during an earthquake. The midwest, tornadoes. Basically, no matter where you live you should prepare for the unexpected. Looking to friends who camp could give you great ideas...propane powers just about everything to small grills, portable toilets, lanterns and coffee makers. While it sucks to be out of power, being prepared makes you feel powerful!
