Travel – Page 12 – Karla's Cottage

Good friends, good lodgings, and goofiness

By Karla Nathan / September 9, 2018

Foofy, gorgeous, girly, Karen, is also an avid hunter and outdoors woman. She turkey hunts at Rawhide Camp Outfitters

It is in a beautiful setting, on a bluff overlooking a bend in the Missouri River.

And it just so happens to be a hop, skip, and a mini jump, down the road from my favorite flea, at Sparks, KS.

Since flea market season and hunting season do not coincide, she stays at the camp in August to go shopping, and is kind to invite some friends along for the trip. This is my second year there with her and I hope, not the last.

Some Birdsong friends, local and from far away, gathered to enjoy the hospitality of the home. We were all spoiled by Tracy's cooking, did some crafting, some shopping, lots of laughing, and maybe drank a bit of wine…

Angie gifted us with a vintage craft pack, and Beth made up a Flea Market Survival Kit, with wet wipes, mints, and tissues.

The home is owned by a super nice family, some of whom came by to visit.

The rooms are filled with trophies, and has a distinct hunting theme.

There are "sheds" everywhere. I was going to say hundreds, but I'll bet it is more like thousands.

This guy was our crating, buddy and watched over the table we worked at.

You can tell by the surroundings that the place is probably more used to Turkey and Deer Hunters than Vintage Junk Hunters.

I thought it was pretty clever, to use one of their empties for a soap dispenser. And to top off the popcorn with a light bulb when there was no lid for the jar.

And yes, there were plenty of empties…. NO, these were NOT ours. Like I said, we were daintily sipping wine.

And honestly, not that much wine…. goofiness sometimes just occurs when the opportunity arises.

And then it escalates a little bit.

Well, maybe more than a little.

See?

This is the room that Guncle Randy and I shared. I am lucky enough to have been a guest in the Crown Royal Suite two years in a row. I felt like a princess.

The views were dreamy.

I had a feeling that I wasn't in Kansas anymore.

It was the best!! Thank you Karen, and thank you to the Whetstines for hosting this fun filled getaway!!

Part two of my business trip to Florida and a Cocoa Beach Sea Shell Fairy

fairies, sea shell fairies, Travel

By Karla Nathan / August 8, 2018

I know, not my best fairy so far, but I had every bit as much fun making it as any of the others!

(Although I am a little sad about the dark, heavy wing that the poor thing has. I don't know how high a guy can fly with a wing like that)

My trip to Cocoa Beach was more of a pit stop than a visit. After leaving our luggage in Ft Lauderdale and having to drive from Orlando to fetch it, and right back again, I thought I needed to treat myself to a view of the ocean, no matter how quick the stop was.

These are shells that I gathered up in a few minutes while taking a break from the drive. It was only a slight detour, and worth the added time in the car. Anytime I can wriggle my toes in the salt water, I'm pretty dang happy.

I parked at Beach Place resort, to check it out. My sisters and I are going to stay there in October and I wanted to see it in person to make sure it was where we wanted to be.

Great choice!! It is lovely. The manager was kind enough to let me hang out for a while and walk around to explore, then traipse along their beach. I wasn't there long, we had dinner reservations in Orlando and now that I had the lost luggage, I was determined to put on some clean clothes and some makeup before going out.

We were dining at the Citrus Club, downtown Orlando and there was no way I was going to be late for a fancy night on the town!

The next morning, my husband had to be in Tampa, so we headed out nice and early. I was trying to plan what to do with my day while he worked, when it occurred to me that Weeki Wachee Springs was not that far away from where he would be.

And I'd been in the car so much already that I was in road trip mode anyway, what's another two hours?

So, I dropped him off and drove myself up north and went to watch the sirens of the seas.

When I was about six years old, we visited here and I've tried to get back to see it again since then, but it has never worked out.

I had time to watch one performance, and it just so happened to be "The Little Mermaid" which is a favorite story of mine, and of Sugarwings. I really missed her that day. I was having a great time being a tourist on my own, but she sure would have been a wonderful traveling companion that day.

This is a state park, it is $13 to get in, and once you are in, the boat rides, water park, and show are free. The water park is spring fed, crystal clear water and I was wishing I had time to dive in and play mermaid myself.

Before the performance started, they showed old movies of early shows from the 40s and 50s. The place has not changed much at all. The mermaids might dress a little different, but it is basically what I remember. Not that I was there in the 40s or 50s! My trip was probably about 1964.

I have to admit, I got a little teary watching it. Thinking about going there with my mom and dad, and how magical I thought it was as a child. I didn't realize just how much this show had influenced my life, until being there brought it all back. I'm a big believer in magic and mermaids, because as kiddo, I was shown that they are REAL. I spent a life time pretending to be a mermaid under water, every time I'd go for a swim, I'd try a few fancy moves.

And that hasn't changed. I still love swimming like a mermaid in swimming pools with my grand kids.

A stroll along the Ft Lauderdale Riverwalk and a River Bank Fairy

sea shell fairies, Travel

By Karla Nathan / August 5, 2018

Recently, my husband had some business to do in Florida and I invited myself to tag along. In my mind, I would be knee deep in waves and walking along the beach the whole visit. But, that isn't quite how a work trip goes. I needed to fit my schedule to his and he was downtown most of the time. I had the morning to myself while he slaved away, and since I've never been much for cities, and I decided to hop over to the ocean for a short visit.

But as I talked to the hotel valet, I noticed a sign that said Riverwalk and was intrigued.

So I thought I'd treat myself to a bit of culture instead of my typical beach bum style tourism, and I explored the area. Surprisingly, it was shady and there was a nice breeze. Not at all what I expected from downtown in a large, Floridian city.

And even though I was dressed for a walk on the sand, I was glad that I'd changed my mind at the last minute.

It was a pleasant change of pace for me, and I was feeling quite urban as I appreciated the views.

I fit nicely into upscale settings.

But I was starting to feel a missed opportunity to make a beach sprite.

Then, I saw a twisted bit of bark that reminded me of a fairy jumping for joy on the sidewalk, and right next to it, a bundle of pink blossoms. I thought those flowers would make a fine, little dress, and sat my 60 year old butt right down in the middle of that schmancy, urban walkway and made myself happy by turing that bit of bark into a fey creature.

All she needed was some leaves as wings and a head, which were pretty quick to find. My only problem was wind, this girl wanted to float off on the breeze, a problem that I've never had with shells.

I love making little sprites out of nature and when I do, I feel like I am showing appreciation for the beauty around me. It has almost become a compulsion to make these, I don't feel like I am on vacation without leaving one as a thank you.

Afterwards, did more city strolling and stopped at some shops. The area was more high dollar than I am used to, but these sandals were 90% off and just waiting for me to slip them on. Aren't they gorgeously gaudy? Yum.

Our hotel was on the Riverwalk, and was such a pretty place to stay. It was an old, Spanish style place and we had a big corner suite with a balcony overlooking the shopping district. I could get used to such nice accommodations, even without the beach view that I usually go for on trips!

We made it to the beach for a fresh seafood lunch before driving to the next stop on his schedule, Orlando. I hated to leave Ft. Lauderdale so soon, but was glad to have some time to explore some things I might not have gone looking for normally.

Little did I know that I would be right back in Ft Lauderdale again the very next day!

I'm afraid that when the valet at the hotel loaded our car, we missed a bag.

After a whirlwind trip to Macy's to find my husband more work clothes for the next day, we went out for dinner with some of his business colleagues even though I was still dressed for my interrupted trip to the beach that morning. No makeup, shorts, and hat hair.

And in the morning, I drove back south, gathered up the bag, and then headed north again, taking the scenic route back (7 hours of car time). It was a long, but interesting day. Not the day I thought I'd have, but a good one never the less.

Going for a stroll

Travel

By Karla Nathan / July 9, 2018

The other day I had some waiting to do. My husband was having an MRI on both sore shoulders, two separate procedures. I sat in the waiting room a while, read a bit, flipped through magazines, and of course, visited the candy machine.

But I got cold. And bored. Although, I’m not really allowed to use that word. I tell the grand fairies that only boring people get bored.

So I took the advice I offer to them, and found something to do. Even though temps were hovering near 100, I went for a walk. To avoid the worst of the heat, I traipsed through a neighborhood where there was some shade.

I passed a buiseness with a pretty, AQUA, stone wall. I’d driven by it for years, but had never walked up to see just how magical that color of stone looked up close.

This isn’t something you see very often. Not only does this home have a spiderweb fence made out of twine, the fence posts are skulls. ALL THE WAY AROUND THE YARD. That is either commitment to their design aesthetic, or over exuberant Halloween decorators who ran out of juice after all of the festivities were over and decided just to leave it up for next year.

Either way, I admired the look. Especially since this fence seems to be holding in a lion. See it roaring in the bushes?

This iron fence is more mainstream.

Along the block, I saw an gateway to nowhere. Not only does a pile of rock block the entrance, a fence stops you from walking through.

At that point, the heat was starting to get to me, so I staggered back to the boring waiting room to cool off. It was a nice, much needed break. But I was ready for an air conditioned space and letting myself be bored. Please do not tell Sugarwings or Dewdrop that I said that.

Swimming with sharks? More pictures from the Disney Cruise

celebrations, Travel

By Karla Nathan / May 31, 2018

One of the highlights of our trip on my 60th birthday was a day trip to Atlantis. We splurged (big time! Geez) for the water park package during our Bahamas day in port.

There was an underground aquarium, beaches, and endless pools to explore.

All surrounded by beautiful architecture.

But the coolest part? The waterslides ended in the shark tank.

Actually, the flue that the inner tubes leisurely floated through at the end of the slide went through the sharks.

It looks like this is my last birthday post. I am afraid that I am all out of parties. I might have had more than my fair share, and I loved every minute of them and of the time I spent with the people I care about, celebrating together!

An early morning Cocoa Beach Sea Shell Fairy

celebrations, fairies, sea shell fairies, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / May 23, 2018

We arrived in Cocoa Beach the night before our cruise with big plans for an afternoon on the beach, which got changed by a late flight and lost luggage…. But that is a whole other story.

Our flight was late, yet still in time for a sunset dinner on the pier, and a quick trip to the touristy, swimsuit store nearby. Then my husband took the girls swimming while I ran to Target before it closed, to nab some underwear and toiletries.

Sugarwings woke up Friday morning to see the sunrise, and the two of us snuck out for an early walk along the water while the others slept in.

She was just too excited to waste a moment of beach time. And I was antsy about the lost luggage, and wanted to check on it.

Yep, it was there! It was delivered to the front desk of the hotel at 5am. Whew, what a relief, I'd only got enough at Target to get us through the morning, not enough for a 3 day cruise.

Plus, it contained our Pirate costumes! How could we go on the ship without those???

There is something very special about being out on the shore early before the crowds. And the shells were plentiful. Often, it takes me a full week's vacation to find the right pieces to leave a sprite on the beach, but we were lucky in finding all we needed in mere minutes at Coco.

Fairies are even more meaningful to me, when I have Sugarwings as a helper.

It was a beautiful start to a beautiful weekend!

A Caribbean Sea Shell Grammy Fairy

celebrations, sea shell fairies, Travel

By Karla Nathan / May 20, 2018

As I said, we LOVED our Disney Cruise. It was a short one, three nights. We stopped at the Bahamas and Disney's private island.

There was a breathtaking amount of sea glass on the beach at Nassau! Trouble was, it wasn't the old, really cool stuff, it was more of the beer bottle variety. I still managed to find a few bits that were nice, and while they are not my favorite kind of beach glass, they were still a thrill to hunt for. I also found lots that I considered dangerous and sharp, so picked those up too, and threw them away to save bare feet.

And what a funny shell I found to make this Grammy Fairy's face. Goofy, huh? Or creepy?

This looks like a postcard, doesn't it? Our whole weekend looked like we lived inside a vacation postcard. It was beautiful.

Disney is all about the layout and design. Every corner is a photo op.

The island had an ideal beach for little ones, with a barrier to keep it safe and calm. I dressed them in swim shirts to keep off the sun, and that worked well to prevent sunburns and also helped me find them in the water. Those shirts stood out nicely and I was able to keep an eye on them. But, the beach itself wasn't all that crowded, so it wasn't hard to find them at a glance.

We were comfy, relaxed, and had perfect weather as well as a perfect day.

On the Disney Dream

celebrations, family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / May 18, 2018

This bread sums up what I loved about the Disney cruise we went on to mark my 60th birthday and Avahni's high school graduation. The loaf shows the imagination and attention to detail that we saw everywhere we looked.

Our dinner that night was in Cinderella's ballroom, and the bread is shaped like a pumpkin, in a bowl encircled with a dancing royal couple, and was served by a waiter all decked out in a fancy costume.

Every night, we changed to a different dining room, but had the same waiters each time. Those guys were the best, full of magic tricks, puns, puzzles and jokes. We were always the last to leave the room, our waiters were just too entertaining til the very end.

There was so much to do for the grandfairies, from flying the Millennium Falcon, to swimming, dance parties, movies, and plays.

While we stayed busy, nonstop, I still feel like we didn't take advantage of half the activities offered.

We sure didn't miss Pirate Night!

By the way, Dewdrop wasn't sad, she was just being a model. Most photos I got of her were super serious, pouty poses, instead of her normal, goofy smile.

She was about as happy as a kid could be, but when I asked to take her picture, she often turned Super Model on me.

We were all as happy as could be, Sugarwings' joy was about to explode during most of the trip. She was thrilled to be up on stage at the dance party. That is her on the big screen to the right.

The ship was beautiful, and the shows were the best. I thought I loved the Beauty and the Beast movie, til I saw the play on the ship- it was even better! We saw two plays and a magic show, the teens saw first run movies too.

The only thing that maybe wasn't the best, were the kids' pools, both were quite small. But our girls didn't mind a bit, I doubt if they even noticed. There was free ice cream by the pool and never ending Disney movies playing on a giant screen above them.

While the adult pools looked more tempting to me, I didn't have time to check them out. And we never got to ride the waterslide/roller coaster, because we were simply too busy having way too much fun elsewhere.

I guess that means, we need to go back someday to fit more adventures in?

We were extremely lucky with the weather that weekend, it was perfect every where we went. Warm with a slight breeze, so we didn't get hot.

The seas were calm, which was lucky too. I might not have enjoyed it all as much if it had been rough.

I took non-drowsy ginger tablets and wore my motion sickness wrist bands just in case. And the first night I took one Dramamine so I'd sleep better, not realizing that they last 24 hours, and I was still loopy when I woke up.

Oops.

Should've trusted my ginger pills! The Dramamine put a damper on my birthday, I napped by the pool at the Atlantis resort instead of paddling in the water.

Mickey was very kind to me on my birthday, and left a birthday card on the cabin door in the morning, then a gift certificate to the spa in the afternoon. At dinner that night, I was brought a special cake, and was serenaded.

The spa was really something. My pal, Mickey had gifted me $50 to use there, and I thought I'd apply it toward a facial (since I just turned 60 and could use all the help I could get), but instead, I bought a $27 day pass to the Rainforest that included heated lounge chairs, Jacuzzis, multiple steam rooms, and specially showers along with my choice of scented scrubs.

I picked lavender, my fave.

Oh my goodness, those showers! All were lit up, and had different settings. I went for more of the tropical ones than the Siberian ones. Actually, I very much avoided the cold ones. But I tried all of the others, over and over.

I went straight to the spa from my shore trip, still in my swimsuit. After a day at the beach, this treat of an hour at the spa was perfectly delightful. The cabins were comfy and more spacious than I expected, the bathrooms in them were nice.

But getting cleaned up and pampered in the spa was still a thousand times nicer than the small shower/tub in the cabin.

Thanks, Mickey!

If you love to be surrounded by tiny princesses and pirates, I couldn't recommend a Disney cruise highly enough. It was kid heaven.

As an adult, I was completely entertained and happy the whole time, but I do have to admit that it was oriented toward the itsy bitsy types.

Then again, I didn't go to the bars, adult restaurants, or shops, so maybe there is plenty of completely grown up stuff there too.

There are clubs and organized activities just for the little ones if you want some time to yourself for a movie or a drink in one of the bars.

Having two teens and two adults, we were able to take little breaks from kid-dom. My husband saw a movie with the big girls, I had time in the spa.

But honestly, I didn't need breaks from any of them, they were the best. I was so lucky to have this trip with them all!

Thank you to my Handsome Husband for taking me on a special trip.

Did I mention that I feel blessed?

celebrations, friends, Travel

By Karla Nathan / May 3, 2018

While in Florida, I didn't expect to see my pal, Karen Hillman.

She was planning a trip to Kansas the next week and we had plans then.

But Guncle Randy took me out to a shopping center one morning while I was in Jax, and as I strolled into a pretty shop- there she was! What a surprise. She'd driven almost TWO HOURS, brought me a decadent cake, and a gift card, leaving me speechless when I saw her waiting for me.

She couldn't stay for the day, she had to turn around, drive that long trek right back and get to work for the afternoon (two photo shoots). During her quick trip, she helped me choose a pile of things to try on and we had an hour together while Randy waited patiently, and was asked to comment here and there on our Pretty Woman style spree.

He was much more patient than you'd expect. What a nice guy to hang out while we tried on mountains of clothes.

It seems like I rarely have time to shop, and when I do, it is for the grand fairies. Or I'm at TJ Maxx, finding a quick tee shirt or two. Shopping with buddies was a nice change, and both convinced me to buy things I probably wouldn't have on my own.

When a person with as much style as Karen does, tells you that you should wear more red, you buy something red. She also thought this dress wasn't too young for me… I'm going to wear it on my Big Birthday Boat Trip.

This was waiting in front of the dressing room door, how cute.

The cake was amazing too. And how sweet of her to take the time to do this for me. I feel so blessed.

MORE from the florida trip??? Yep, I was blessed!

celebrations, family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / May 1, 2018

After seeing my life long, best buds to celebrate the three of us turning 60, the party went on! Sister Terry drove from Orlando to St. Augustine to fetch me, and headed back again to Orlando, so we could go straight to the Flower and Garden event at Epcot.

Afterwards, we checked into a luxurious suite at the Animal Kingdom Lodge where we were greeted by some of the creatures that roam the grounds.

The next day, Terry had quite an adventure planned. I started off lazying about on the balcony, sipping my coffee and watching for zebras to visit, then we headed to Animal KIngdom park. She had set up fast passes for the afternoon, then an evening filled with the best Disney magic you could ever hope for…

WE WENT ON THE VIP TOUR!

And yes, it was amazing. And even better than you'd think it would be.

I was blown away.

We were taken on a tour of the top 5 rides and then front row and center at the Rivers of Light, by two guides, one who looked like he stepped right out of a Disney movie.

He kept us entertained with puns and trivia. I told him that my grand fairies would have been very impressed with him. (because that is what grammies do, they blather on with cute, young guys about how darling they are, without shame or embarrassment)

We were told there would be a snack, and were to pick a dessert and drink. I chose wine, because I was feeling very pampered, not thinking about my problems with motion sickness…

But you know what? I pounded non-drowsy, organic ginger tablets for nausea, and wore motion sickness bands. Along with the power of my will, and making myself find a focal point to not think about getting dizzy-

I RODE A ROLLER COASTER!!!!!

And the Banshee 3D virtual reality thing at Pandora!

Right afterwards, it was time for the "snack" they'd promised.

Which was a feast, much more than expected.

My stomach was ready to argue with me, but I would NOT let it.

Dang it, this was my special treat, and that wine was not going to drink itself.

I powered thru by sheer determination.

Having a ton of fun sure helped me prevent a lifetime of motion sickness from letting me from back out on some of the more twisty rides.

Am I going to be a regular on the merry go round with the kiddos?

Or hop on more roller coasters?

I seriously doubt that.

But I have decided that age 60, is a good time to not let myself be ruled by what might happen. If I'm offered a special treat, like a night of adventure at Disney, I am not going to turn it down because I'm afraid of a little motion sickness. (well, typically a lot, but it can be overcome if you try hard enough).

At 60, I know life ahead of me is shorter than what is behind me. I'm going to make the most of the rest of it.

I'm going to grab onto the fun I find out there and hang on tightly!

And look for hidden magic, or unexpected joy in every corner. (I'm always excited to find "Hidden Mickeys" at the parks)

I might be a Grammy, all cozy in her cottage, but I'm not ready to be old.

Thank you, Terry, for not only, a magnificent, and generous trip, but a chance to get out of my comfort zone, and fly through Pandora on a winged beast!!