I'M BACK AT LAST!!!

Becky, to answer your question (posted many moons ago), "Yes." I've been AWOL because I was neck-deep in the never-ending garage sale. I say "never ending" because the darn thing was postponed due to inclement weather at least five times since I began attempting to have it. (Come to think of it, it was ALSO postponed due to an unforeseen pregnancy back in November!!) But it's finally over and done with. The weather jinx was unfortunately NOT lifted from us in time, however, so we had a rather soppy sale in the early hours---and a lower turn-out than we likely would have had otherwise. The areas I had focused the lion-share of my pre-sale efforts on (i.e. toys and my Classic Pooh nursery collection) received little more than passing glances all day (despite the fact that fully 95% of the items are hot sellers on ebay, even used!)!! But the toys, at least, will find a good home at the local charitable organization Lekotek, which provides play therapy sessions (complete with adapted toys) and other services to special needs kids. I haven't decided what to do with the Pooh (sorry, couldn't resist that one) since some of the items are quite valuable these days, and I spent so many years cherishing them all!
Anyway, I've been eager to post some pictures here for people (if anyone still checks the site, since we've all sort of taken an extended holiday!). At another time I'll show you some of the pics from our J'ville/Amelia trip, but today it's all about our NEW CAMPER! That's right, for those of you who haven't heard through the grapevine, months of (secret) research and debating culminated in the purchase of a large pop-up camper over the holidays. Danny's was a die-hard camping family, and "the itch" proved contagious this summer when we spent a week at Fort Yargo, GA with his Dad and Barb. THEY were in a 30ft Travel Trailer (w/ AIR COND.!) while WE struggled to survive the August heat and humidity in a lousy tent!!! We had long agreed that between my love of nature, Will's love of everything outside, and Danny's love of campfires and grills, camping would theoretically be the perfect vacation for us! And witnessing the glory of his Dad's camper revealed an even more crucial fact: Embarking on the perfect family vacation doesn't have to mean succumbing to heat stroke----the A/C (and shower, toilet, mattress, fridge, sink, and stove, etc) can come right on into the woods WITH us! (And a heater in the winter, for that matter!) So, Danny finally found his hook, and he tugged at it ever so often to make sure I hadn't forgotten! In the end, I climbed on board not because of what a camper can do for us---but because of what DAN does for us! His whole life is about work----work for insurance, work for income. And then he comes home to working with me around the house on the weekends! His is a largely thankless life, and he deserved to be recognized---rewarded---for a change!!! By purchasing a camper, he not only got to realize a life-long dream, but he also now has a built-in weekend get-away anytime the urge strikes! (There's also the added plus that camping seems to be the one activity he and his Dad can still really connect and spend quality time together.) So, that's the story on the camper. Now for the pictures! Ordinarily I'd try to limit the number I post so I wouldn't take up too much space, but these days that's not looking like much of an issue!!