Tip From Pam Sinclair Sister On The Fly and owner of Lil Pink

Beautiful Flower Pot Awning Anchors

Pam Sinclair wrote:

A great way to tie down your awning and adorable too! Use empty paint cans filled with cement, some gals have used big popcorn containers. You stick flowers in them while the cement is wet. They are heavy enough to anchor the awnings, you may have to use 2 or 3 of them to do it. While the cement is wet you stick i...n a great big eye bolt, one big enough to reach the bottom of the pot, if it has a big nut on the end, even better, It keeps the bolt down if movement loosens it. The cement does not come out the openings. Once the cement, anchor and flowers are set - put the can inside of a flower pot - you can't see the cement and all you see are the pretty flowers.

Hurry Back!

Think You've heard it all?

I'm working on

Tinkle Tinkle Little Star
Wish the Potties weren't so far.

There are a few delicate secrets that as soon as I can muster up enough courage I will be posting a response to the question I get asked most about Camping Like a Girl, "What do you do for a potty?"

How is that stuck on there?

It's no secret that part of Camping Like A Girl is decorating your trailer!

You'll see below 3 ways I hang things inside my trailer.

If you know other secrets to hang things please leave me a comment.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I found a set of 8 vintage hand embroidered cocktail napkins that matched my trailer "Vamonos" theme. Cost $5 Wow what a treasure.



You can see I hung them across cabinets using plain twine and small craft size clothespins




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


This skirt that went around the booth and the bed in my trailer was really a bunch of individual pieces of fabric. I took each piece and gathered it at one side and instead of sewing it I used a piece of blue painters tape to hold the gather and then tucked each piece in slight overlapping each other. This way I can change it or use the fabric for something else if want to... or I could break down and still sew a real dust ruffle with it




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


In this picture I wanted you to see my bandanna squares that I hung on my cabinets 3 months ago and they are still there. I used small rolled up piece of painter's blue tape so it would come off very easy and not damage the cabinet. I never dreamed it would hold this long. The bandanna squares are art paper found in the craft department at Walmart. Very inexpensive.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I learned so much from my friend Anne about decorating a trailer. Her trailer is Maxine and it is adorable. (I added her picture with her trailer MAXINE on the side panel of this page) One thing she told me about hanging things up is to use Velcro. Not just the wimpy stuff either. Some things need the commercial grade that is available at Walmart or any home improvement store.





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Its important to remember if your trailer has carpeted walls only use the stiff side of Velcro on the back of what you want to hang. The carpeted wall will act as the fuzzy side and it really hangs on tight!

Camping & Critters-What's a girl to do?

I took this picture last week - it's a lovely Texas size fly that inhabits the county park at Arroyo City, Texas. Nice, right!?!?



Here's how I deal with mosquitoes and flies inside the trailer:

Insects will always try to follow you into your trailer and some will succeed no matter how many times you yell "shut the door before the flies come in!" Usually folks grab a flyswatter and smack the insect then grab a tissue to carry the little carcase off to the trash.


TIP 1: I don't even own a flyswatter. I use windex - I especially like the antibacterial type. It usually takes 2 squirts. One to stop'em and the 2nd spray to ensure its demise. Then I take a tissue and clean up the bug and it cleans the surface at the same time.

TIP 2: You don't want to waste time and spray chasing a fly all around your trailer. Here is my foolproof way to have the it land where YOU want it to. Open the curtains on only one window and eventually the fly will land on that window and you can spray him twice and its over! They like landing on windows with light.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's how I deal with mosquitoes and flies outside the trailer/tent:

For the first time in years I don't mind using insect repellent. I use Off's non-oily spray or I use the OFF brand repellent moist towelettes. I love these products. I don't feel sticky or greasy when I use them and they don't smell bad either.

Most of the time mosquitoes aren't bad except early in the morning or in the evening unless you are like us hiking in overgrown habitat chasing a bird!

Keeping a fire going is what some campers say keeps insects at bay.

There are yard sprays but I would never use them at campground. Its not your property so I wouldn't recommend spraying around your campsite without asking the park rangers for permission. Even if they said yes please remember what you are spraying is going to kill all bugs - good and bad. You can forget your kids chasing lightening bugs!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MY FAVORITE ANTI-ITCH LOTIONS ARE MADE WITH BENZOCAINE NOT AMMONIA. I ESPECIALLY LOVE SKEETER STICK. http://homepage.interaccess.com/~triton/skeeter.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Snakes Alive!

This is a nearly 6ft rattlesnake that was killed at our hunting lease near Rio Grande City, Texas

1. Best Advice
OK the best advice about snakes is to ask at the park when you arrive what, if any, snakes are common to the area and if there is anywhere you should to avoid.

2. Stay Alert
I have never seen a snake while camping other than from a long distance and both times the snake was in water - but I have seen them at the hunting lease, the jogging park, at work, while birding, while gardening, and just on the side of the road. I don't ever expect to meet one while camping but I will always be on the look out regardless.

3. Stay in the cleared areas.
My cousin Joy who lived on a ranch near Raymondville, Texas once told me that they kept the grass cut back 6ft on either side of the roads to discourage snakes. They supposedly don't like crossing such a wide open space.

4. Snake Repellent
Recently I was camping in a park known for snakes. The park ranger told the lady camping next to me that sprinkling crushed moth balls around the perimeter of her site would deter snakes. It smelled awful the first day but it was fine by the next morning. I had never heard of doing this so I looked it up online and found plenty of folks who say it works but plenty more who say it doesn't. hmmmm.

5. Not that I think I should have to say this but the truth is I have been caught walking through the campgrounds at night without a flashlight. Sis was with me and she forgot hers too. Scary walk back to trailer in the dark. We were sure we heard snakes, oh and of course lions, tigers, and bears... oh my.

Found this informative article online at Safe Travel:
(I edited it somewhat)

Avoid Snake Bites? Avoid Snakes!

The easiest way to avoid snake bites is to avoid snakes in the first place – and this is not as difficult as it might seem. Snakes are most commonly seen when they are “basking”, usually early in the morning or evening. Being cold-blooded animals, they need to warm themselves up in the sunshine before they can go about their life – but this, of course, means that they are fairly sluggish and inactive until they have. Normally a snake has felt the vibrations of your footsteps – all snakes are deaf and will have got out of your way long before you would ever suspect that it had been there.

When they are not basking, snakes tend to spend their time in shade, often hiding under rocks or beneath vegetation – they are prisoners of their cold-blooded biology, having to alternate between sitting in the sun to warm up and staying out of it to avoid overheating. Keeping your hands out of likely-looking places such as hollow logs or rock crevices is a good way to make sure you don’t rouse a resting snake.


Whenever you walk in “snake-country”, watch where you put your feet and if you need to cross fallen trees or boulders, take a good look on the other side first; even the most placid of snakes will scarcely welcome being unceremoniously trodden on! Although snakes would rather save their venom for their prey than waste it on you, they will bite in self-defence and snakebites often take place when the animal is taken by surprise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MORE SNAKE PICS WE"VE TAKEN
We took most these pictures from a nice safe distance. Thank goodness for long lenses!



You'll have to look hard to see the snake in this photo. This is a picture of a Water Moccasin and was taken by my husband while photographing Anne Corzine and I out wading around in the same river. We almost walked on water to avoid it. We also yelled alot but didn't know at the time that snakes can't hear.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I took this picture of a Diamondback Water Snake while birding at the Inn at Chachalaca Bend in Bayview, Texas.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took two of us to take this photo. I held the palm frond while husband snapped the picture of what we believe is a Gulf Coast Ribbon Snake trying to enjoy his lunch.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is an unusually long Coral Snake we came across while birding. Please note this picture was taken from inside my truck. These snakes are very poisonous but rarely bite. I was told by a Parks and Wildlife ranger that only one person in Texas died last year from a coral snake. The man came home drunk and passed out in the yard and evidently laid on one!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This small Rattlesnake was found right by our office entrance. He was relocated to the undeveloped part of the golf course.

Aren't Raccoons Cute?

They photograph well but there is nothing cute about having them visit your campsite.

They are nicknamed the Forrest Bandits for a reason. They are very clever thieves.

They are always on the look-out for food and typically at night, so...

1. Don't leave food or food containers out at night. Put ice chest inside the trailer or back in your car. Yes, they can open an ice chest.

2. Don't leave your trash can or trash bag outside at night when camping. Empty it before going to bed.

3. If you feed birds like we do when we camp just be prepared to share the birds seed with the raccoons. Just be sure that feeders are all you leave out.

We were camping at Guadalupe River State Park and each night we would hear raccoons. One night we thought someone was outside the trailer trying to steal our bikes but when we looked outside it was raccoons climbing around. Another night they pulled our huge heavy ice chest out from underneath our trailer.

They are strong but easily scared off with a shout and some light being shown on them.

Never approach one - like any girl I know would- ha!