It's nice to be home after my camping trip, but I must admit it was a perfect way to end the summer. I never go away without my husband or family, but I have a group of friends that go camping every year at a wonderful beach called Carpinteria near Santa Barbara. So this year I decided to go. It was so relaxing ... I am just revitalized! There is something about just being around a group of women ... everyone seems to just know what to do and you never have to ask. I was the first person up so I got the coffee going, when we were done with dinner, four of us went and washed the dishes, when we needed firewood, someone volunteered to buy it, and someone else walked over to get it. It is just terrific ... you never have to ask and you never have to yell! So I had a great time just walking, sunning, shopping and enjoying doing nothing. I got a lot of reading done ... I had brought three books to read, but only read one. Have you read "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson? It is hilarious, and was quite appropriate being that I was camping.
This is a book about his decision to hike the entire 2,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail ... it is full of funny things that happen, interspersed with information and it is just a delight to read. We had read it in my book group a few years ago and I decided it was so good to read it again.
One of the funnest parts of camping was exploring the shopping. Sadly because of the economy, a lot of the stores have closed, but we found several antique stores open. Two were too pricey, but our friends happened on one on their way out of town and they had to call us to tell us how great it was and that everything was 50% off. Well instead of walking, my friend Mary and I drove over there ... of course we needed a car to bring back our finds! At first I wasn't very impressed, but after looking for a while, I discovered what looked to be a sewing machine! My friend Deby had met us over there and she helped me unearth it. It was in a case in the section where there was a lot of video and camera equipment stuff, so I think it had just been overlooked. The lady in the store said it had been there for two years. I was super excited when I saw it because I have been looking for a featherweight ... this looked like a featherweight, but was not light.
It's in great shape, except the part where you wind the bobbin is made out of ceramic and it is cracked and someone tried to glue it. So when you wind a bobbin, it doesn't wind easily. That's okay, because there are ways to get around that. I can wind the bobbin on another machine or buy prewound bobbins. I looked online when I got home and the machine was made in 1958. It has a little instruction booklet, and when I took the tension assembly apart, it looks like there is a tiny spring missing. It sews, but the tension on the top is way too tight. So I dropped it off at the sewing machine repair shop yesterday. Hopefully that's the only thing wrong with it. It was hard to buy and not know whether I could use it ... whether it would work. It is really cute, isn't it? But I didn't just want it to be a piece of art! I want it to take to classes so I don't have to take my Bernina. It probably weighs as much as my Bernina, but the last time I book my B to class, I managed to break the lightbar on it when I was loading it in my car to go home. That light bar I'm sure will cost more than I paid for this little machine! The lady in the store when she found out we were interested in sewing directed us to a chest that had about 3 or 4 drawers full of buttons, sewing notions, an antique pin cushion, etc. I bought a few more things, and my other great find was an adorable silver plated box that looks like a bible, with an antique rosary in there. The box is about 3" x 2", and the crucifix on the rosary is about 1" long. I bought it for my daughter ... it is just lovely, and she loves it!
On my way home I stopped in Santa Barbara (a mere 5 miles or so away) to visit my cousin. They had just moved into new digs and their new home is lovely! It was fun to see my cousin ... it's been about a year. She is the closest to me in age and we grew up a lot together, so I am closer to her than my other cousins. She's almost like a sister.
That's me on the right. Looking a little tired from camping but had a great time visiting with my cousin!
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