Travel – Page 3 – Karla's Cottage

Stopping along the way- the journey is an important part of getting there

antiques/junking, family, Food and Drink, Travel

By Karla Nathan / August 4, 2023

Asheville is about 13 hours from our house and Paducah, KY is halfway. We often stop there when traveling with our camper, but don’t get out to explore since the trailer is hooked up and it’s a hassle for a temporary stop to undo the hitch.

This time, we didn’t have the trailer so with two drivers wouldn’t need the break. But since we were taking two vehicles, we thought an overnight stay at the half point was a good idea.

This was a place I’d been wanting to spend time in, not just because it’s such a pretty place but because on of my favorite Top Chef contestants has a restaurant there!

Sara Bradley took second in World Allstars this summer and I was perplexed as to how or why such an acclaimed chef would be in a small, rural area. Once we settled into our hotel and took a walk through this Kentucky village, it dawned on me that this was a tourist town. That explained a lot. Her eatery wasn’t just dependent upon the locals, she had people from all over wanting a break from cabins and campers on the lake, who’d come into the little city for some night life.

Even with the traffic from the tourists and locals, we had no issue getting a reservation. The place was full, but with the week’s notice we had, we were golden.

The food was spectacular! I pretended to be at the judges table and had a blast, not just with the meal, but with my imaginary status.

I felt like I was dressed the part too. I’d just bought this from Angie at the last Good Juju sale for $8, and loved the dress. I love most clothes from Sundance catalog, but rarely can afford them even in the 40% off clearance area, so was thrilled to get this one for less than a Goodwill priced dress.

Here is a version in the current catalog.

Yep, I was feeling The Gail Simmons, Top Chef vibe in this outfit. There was no need to tell anyone to pack their knives and go, the meal was great, the price about what we’d pay on any normal dinner out, and the ambience was inviting. The staff was friendly and down home, no pretensions there at all.

My other stops were Midway Antique Mall and Artichoke Annie’s on I70 for some shopping in Missouri. I didn’t have much luck with any other antiquing across Kentucky or Tennessee, though. Durn it.

I made a pit stop at a legendary Buckee’s in TN, my first time at one of these out of this world gas stations.

Impressive.

But way too much for me. Crossing the parking lot was like the Thunderdome. I felt as if I was running the gauntlet while walking across it, and the line to even turn into the lot was crazy, as was the one for the pumps. Not to mention trying to leave and get back on the road.

But I have to admit, the bathrooms were some of the best I’ve ever seen. Not good enough to tempt me to go again, it took a big chunk of time away from the road. When I stop at junk shops, I can zoom through, in and out, seeing if there is anything I want. There is no zooming at Buckees.

While stops are needed to breakup my drive, I’m in a hurry to get to this.

I had loved ones waiting for me to explore the mountains with!

(Please ignore the sour face, my son is a sweetie, he just hates photos)

We had such a good time, and I got so many lessons in mushroom hunting. And how often does a mama get to wear matching shirts with a grown up son? ( My friend, Sam, is the artist who sells these at Juju).

The best found heart, ever

family, Hearts, Travel

By Karla Nathan / August 1, 2023

This could be the best heart I have ever come across.

I’d walked on this road across from the Hawk and Hawthorn a few times and never noticed this pothole.

On my last evening, after a rainstorm, I took another stroll, and found this perfectly formed heart reflecting the clearing clouds above it. It is large, too, at least a foot across

Perfect timing, perfect heart shape! At that moment in time, I was just where I needed to be. A little less rain, or a single car driving over it, and the best found heart would never have been found.

There were a few more finds during the week. My boy took us up to Mineral Springs to look for garnets. See the polka dots in this heart?

Garnets!

These two are mica and garnet in granite.

And this one has some shiny quartz.

We parked ourselves at a little waterfall in the stream, then sorted and sifted through the water and stones to find treasures. I could spend hours looking at pretty rocks, and we did.

The first few times, I gathered lovelies to take home. I wanted some for my garden and also larger ones to add my mushrooms to as well as smaller ones to put in the moss at the base of my schroomies.

But then, there was the accident.

We had driven two cars across country to get one to my son. He had been driving Ryan’s Jeep and it needed a transmission. So, we were to haul the Jeep back to KS for repairs.

But, oops. We were also in NC to help Rich’s mom after a fall. He had just left her side and pretty wrecked himself, so when the truck also got wrecked mere blocks from the hospital, it was very understandable. It left us with no vehicle at all, so my 2-3 tons of rock souvenirs needed to be left behind.

We bought a suitcase, booked a flight, and rented a car in KC. Now, I’m in the process of car shopping while hoping the truck isn’t totaled and that I won’t be shopping for a replacement for that too.

So our truck and my rocks are out east. We are home safely, Rich is fine. Rich’s mom is in her rehabilitation center and he will be heading back to see her when he is no longer truck-less. Then he’ll haul the Jeep and my mountain of shiny stones back to Kansas.

The reasons for being there, as well as the accident did not make for what you’d call an ideal vacation.

But we managed to have lots of family time and a peaceful visit to the retreat at Hawk and Hawthorn. Throw in a few hikes and spectacular dinners with the fam and we decided that it was going to work out fine.

Setting up for Good Juju’s August Event

antiques/junking, Good JuJu, Travel

By Karla Nathan / July 28, 2023

We had less than a week after July’s sale before we left to go on our North Carolina adventure.

I knew I would be fretting about the state of my space if I left it in its post sale shambles.

In my opinion, the spot needs a total flip-a-roo for a new look each new month. And that takes about two eight hour days for me plus touch ups.

I knew I needed to at least pack up stuff, bring in some new and rearrange the set up before I went out of town. As well as having to demolish the auxiliary booth that I’d been using to sell vintage clothing.

All of that got done, plus more. I was pleased to get it to a spot that would be just about fine as is for sale day.

Except the jewelry cabinet. Since there is silver on display, I need to keep it covered to prevent tarnish. But that’s a quick turnaround, mostly just hanging a few necklaces. Every other month, I take home the silver for a spiffing up to keep it shiny, too.

My nervous Nellie soul was pacified by getting so much done ahead of time. With the travails of our trip, I was sure glad that I’d been prepared too.

Since I returned, I have spent my days and evenings car shopping and haven’t had much time to finish my Juju set up.

After about 8 dealership visits, 10 other dealership phone calls, and countless online searches, I finally found exactly what I needed to replace the car we gave to my son. (If you think you’ll be needing a car in the next year, I suggest you start looking now! It’s nearly impossible to get a new one, and used cars cost just about as much as the new ones)

See how pretty the paint is when the sun hits it!?! Now- to keep it that clean, so I can enjoy my sparkles……hmm. Garage door openers are among the many things we had to store in NC since we were flying home, not driving a truck. Including a boxful of funky finds from antique stores across the country that I stopped at on the way there.

My quest to replace my 2017 RAV4 wasn’t supposed to be that imperative. But Rich’s truck got smooshed up on a curvy mountain road (he is fine). We don’t have rental car coverage on our insurance policy, so after flying home and picking up a car at the airport, we are trying to keep that rental down to just one week.

We had also planned on pulling our son’s car home for some repairs for me to use it until I found a car in a couple months. Without a truck, that wasn’t happening.

With that time frame changing from months to a few days, I was extra relieved that I wasn’t required to do a booth flip.

Now that car shopping is settled, and we have looked around to get replacement ideas and possible budgets for a new truck (still waiting to hear if it is gone forever) I have had time to add to and tweak the booth, then get the silver polished.

I even had time to make FALL banners, crowns, and a few more mushrooms. These photos are from the first go-round and don’t show the additions. It might not look like there is room, but I squeezed more in. I might even make more little mushroom paintings, there are only a couple left.

It is nice to be back in Kansas, especially after an emotional rollercoaster of a trip. I am not a fan of any rollercoaster. At all. The visit was a juxtaposition of pure bliss and worries. Yep, good to be home! As Dorothy likes to say, there is no place like it.

Magic at the Hawk and Hawthorn

family, flowers, Food and Drink, Garden, guncles, Travel

By Karla Nathan / July 24, 2023

Hawk and Hawthorn (about 20 min north of Asheville on top of a scenic mountain) is my new favorite vacation spot.

The Airbnb is set upstairs of a newly renovated, charming old house and the patio over looks the farm.

Bonus- the view includes the barn/event center.

Double bonus for me- my son lives there.

He is their onsite trim carpenter.

He and his buddy just built this outdoor kitchen for tent campers. Spaces are available through Hipcamp, and campers have access to the barn for yoga, bathrooms, cooking, and more.

I think how much you can hang out in the barn depends on scheduled events. They had just held one, and this mushroom display from it was still set up. I spy a couple of my schroomies in there too!

They host workshops, festivals, retreats, music, etc. Our visit was Sunday thru Friday, so it was pretty low key.

We had full use of the facilities and after harvesting our food to fix in the apartment kitchen, we walked it across the field and up the hill to dine in the beautiful barn.

It had just started to rain and was getting dark. We ate while listening to the drops on the metal roof and the curtains swayed in the breeze.

I am not sure how many times I used the word “magical”, probably way too many, but it was justified.

Our meal was trout that the kids caught with their grandfather that day and deliciousness we gathered from the vast gardens.

I would say that the term, “magical”, had to be correct. There had to be some magic in the head grower’s touch. Look at the size of this corn! All the veggies were lush and vibrant, over the top with health and vitality.

It made me think that my Kansas garden back home was a sad comparison.

We picked fresh produce daily. And had flowers in our salads, and even cooked into chewy brownies.

And I got to forage for chanterelles! It was my first successful mushroom hunt.

We walked through what felt like an enchanted land of moss and streams to find them. While on the hunt, my boy taught me tricks about different types and what to look for.

He is always on the lookout and you never know when he will abruptly pull over the car to spring out and return with a handful of berries to share. He spots tasty treats everywhere he goes.

At the farm, there are baby bunnies to hold and goats to visit. There is a fresh mountain spring set up with pipes to fill your containers.

Pretty and rustic areas to enjoy, trails to explore, and vistas so lovely, all you want to do is sit back, sip a glass of wine and take it all in.

Plus-NO CHIGGERS! It felt oddly uncomfortable to walk through tall grass without bug spray. In the back of my mind, I kept worrying that I’d be up all night itchy and miserable.

But I got used to not needing a thorough spritz before going outside. And I was not homesick for any midwestern bugs that typically torture me all summer long.

There is cool art everywhere, including on these shirts.

The dragon was by our front door.

I don’t know why I didn’t get any photos inside our cozy studio apartment, maybe because there was so much to see and do outside.

The tranquility was just what we needed, the rest of the trip was so stressful. Serious family illnesses, an auto wreck, all were overwhelming.

Thank goodness for the peace and welcome we found at the Hawk and Hawthorn.

It was MAGICAL.

Celebrating a friend’s accomplishment

Books, friends, Travel

By Karla Nathan / June 28, 2023

One of my book club buds, Dr. Margie Carr, has spent the last ten years researching a couple block stretch of a neighborhood in Kansas City that housed many successful and influential people over a 100 year period. And now, the book is complete. A bunch of us from the group went to the KC library to hear her first (of many, I hope) talk about her story.

Local residents mentioned inside the covers attended, including this woman who is one of the girls featured on the outside of the cover.

I had not preordered my copy, but was able to pick one up that night. Just in time for a signature from the author!

Not only was it impressive to hear a friend speak about the Kansas City history she’d written about in her book, it was lovely to experience a part of the city I’d never been to. Funny, I travel to other parts of the country to explore them, but rarely get out and look into what my own area has to offer.

This is a parking garage?! Yep.

Where I live in Lawrence isn’t far from KC. And heck, I’m in town all the time to shop, eat, see shows, or work at Good Juju. What I need to is act like a tourist and see some of what I’ve missed.

There is a lot to be seen.

A quick an unexpected getaway

family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / June 8, 2023

I really should’ve gotten more pictures, I was just so relaxed and carefree, I rarely had my camera out.

Plus, it was a very short trip. And a very last minute trip. My sissies had been planning for months, but I didn’t even think about joining in, I knew it wasn’t good timing for me.

Instead, I filled my yard with a flock of flamingos (from a friend) and wished Bobbie and Sissy well on their vacation.

I was fine with not going on this trip, because I’ll be meeting up with them and their daughters in Sarasota next October. I enjoyed listening to all of the planning and was excited for them to be headed to Indian Shores now, but I was fine about not being a part of this jaunt.

Then, I started to feel like I was just missing out too much. Between six months of struggling with getting the Grandfairy’s grades up, with so much of my free time being Homework Police instead of getting to do the fun stuff the kiddo and I typically did together and with drawn out recovery time from my concussion, I was feeling like a shut in.

My husband and I had planned to take a quick trip in the camper with the dogs to see family in North Carolina, but my headaches, Grandfairy requirements, and work needed to get ready for Good Juju made me cancel. (I still need to hang out in a dark room sometimes for Post Concussion Syndrome and a camper full of dogs doesn’t offer that kind of space)

Plus it’s prime garage sale season, the time of year I pick up a majority of my inventory for the year.

So Rich left most of the dogs with me and went without the camper, and took some extra time to see even more people we’d been missing. The day before he was due back I was feeling pretty down, from so many headaches and even worse over the 3 year mark of Ryan’s death. That period between Mother’s Day and May 24th is brutal.

That’s when I decided that I needed a change. Sophomore finals were over. Rich would be back to watch dogs. There aren’t good garage sales over Memorial Day. My booth was set up. The Florida condo had dark, quiet spaces if I needed one. I had points on Southwest and my sisters had an empty room at the beach.

I was gone at 6am the next day.

And I was so glad that I went! I think that a few days of zero stress, lots of sleep, and no work or responsibilities was just the ticket I needed to help break that cycle of headaches.

Not to mention the relaxation of laughing with my sissies, splashing, watching dolphins, and eating seafood.

I didn’t even need the dark room while there.

We survived The City Museum and can’t wait to risk our lives there again

family, Travel

By Karla Nathan / February 16, 2023

My poor Rich has spent the last 3 1/2 months working in Ohio at a consulting job, with minimal visits home. He only has a couple weeks left and will finally be back with us soon.

We have always celebrated Valentine’s Day as a family holiday, with special memories for us and our boys. This year with Ryan gone and Adam so far away, and Rich working in Ohio, we sadly thought it might just go by without our typical festivities.

Rich had the weekend off, but not long enough to get home so Sugarwings and I met him in St Louis and we had an outing at the City Museum as a slightly early Valentine date, then went to The Hill (the historic Italian district) for a fancy night out.

We were not all together as a big group, and it wasn’t exactly on the 14th, but it helped, and was quite special.

The City Museum is crazy.

Completely, totally, beyond crazy.

See that iron slinky? It’s made for humans to climb through. For floor after floor.

And speaking of floors, there are pits every where. Most aren’t lit up, they are just black holes meant for kids to disappear into. Some come out around the corner, others lead to the basement. And there are dozens of them. The gift shop sells miner’s helmets for kids to wear to explore the tunnels.

Other crevices lead to slides, stairs, or to bubbles inside of an aquarium. You just don’t know where you will end up if you slip into one of these black holes.

It has to be one of the most imaginative, creative places a kid could have to play in, it is well done and just beautiful too. But I can’t believe it is safe.
I was so glad I had never been there when the grand fairies were tiny. My mind would've exploded trying to keep my eyes on them.

It was one of those rare times in life when you thank god you have a teenager.

It was funny to me that this area was gated off. What, kids are not allowed to play in the giant box fan? Why not, it seems safer than some of the other areas.

We didn’t even see a fraction of it, there are billions of nooks and crannies, a rusty, ten story slide with a rickety spiral staircase, and a whole sharp, pointy, rusty, sky high climbing grid outside as tall as the big building.

Everywhere you looked, there was something clever, funny, intriguing, or deadly.

It goes on for floor after floor with interactive spaces, play areas, and death traps. (Sooooo many tiny holes for kids to skitter away into) AND SO DANG COOL!

And an aquarium. And it’s a museum. Not just a twisted playground aimed to tease all phobias.

There were actual museum cases with artifacts surrounding one playground.

And genuine architectural elements everywhere. Not to mention murals and mosaics galore. And a bug/animal skeleton room with specimens behind glass. We spent a long time in the craft room making art too.

And in the art museum looking at displays.

There were tons of details about the old building it is in.

And odd details like walls made out of baking tins.

If I lived any closer, I’d have a season pass. There is no way to see it all in one day.

Daniel Island explorations during Jenn Hayslip’s Bridgerton Event

Travel

By Karla Nathan / October 31, 2022

While in SC at Daniel Island, my pal, Lori, and I got away for a little walk around the neighborhood.

The streets around Jenn’s home were charming while still being upscale and exclusive.

Everything was beautiful, yet felt like homes you could raise a family in.

The whimsical fall decor caught me eye.

Fun bats!

I am sure that any time of year is a great time to stroll around the island.

But to me, autumn seems just perfect.

Beachy Blessings

fairies, family, sea shell fairies, Travel

By Karla Nathan / October 28, 2022

My time in Siesta Key was way too short. It always is. But it seemed even more so since I had four days while my sissies stayed on for a full two weeks! After I got home, I could see all of their fun without me in photos on FB.

I could’ve used a couple more days there. Between arriving in the afternoon, getting food and supplies, then settling in, and then needing more supplies that we missed the next day, first days are typically hectic when staying at a condo.

Plus, with being gone ten days I was feeling the pressure of not getting any work done, so I brought supplies. In the first few days, I made four dozen Sugarplum Fairies.

I was a bit resentful that I had to work so hard on vacation, but I reminded myself that creating at a table over looking the Gulf, and taking breaks to go on the beach, while talking to my sissies as I worked did not suck.

Overall, I am blessed that my job consists of making pretty things. And making pretty things while at the beach makes me feel even more blessed.

Adding a sunset over the water to my day? It is hard to count that many blessings. They just keep racking up.

For a moment, I complained that I finished my work just in time to go home. Then I reminded myself that as a slightly, over reaching, workaholic, I probably would’ve just started another project.

I mean, hey, I still had supplies with me, didn’t I?

Some Precious North Carolina Time

family, sea shell fairies, Travel

By Karla Nathan / October 22, 2022

My recent trip was a buffet of travel. Visiting family in Charlotte/Asheville mountains/ scenic downtown Charleston and a dress up art event in Jenn’s spectacular home/ then sister beach time in Florida.

All I was missing was some snowy venues or desert time.

My boy treated me to breakfast at his favorite spot in Asheville to start off our visit and after dripping sweet potato gravy down my shirt, we had a full day of exploring thrift shops, riverbanks, and downtown.

He and I can both spend hours just looking at rocks by the water and that is just what we did.

I had hoped to visit one of the construction sites where he has been creatively doing his woodwork art installations, but time was short.

But then, any time I get one on one with my son is too short. It has possibly been years since we have had this kind of time together.

While in NC, I got to visit the latest family members to become Ashevillians. Our oldest grandfairy and her mama now live in the area. And I was there for Dewdrop’s first day at a new school after she and her mom moved across town.

She already met a new friend on the bus. That kid is such a social butterfly, I fully expected as much. But was still relieved to hear it.

While there, I decided that I definitely need more time in NC. Not only is the sand full of semi precious stones like garnets, mica, and quartz- the state is full of very precious family members.

And I found a boulder shaped like a throne.
I belong there!