Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Jennifer Knox!!!
Jennifer Knox (#4359) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an Intermediate Level Buttoned Up Merit Badge!
“I love buttons! I have two jars of buttons that I have been collecting for a few years. I like to embellish greeting cards with buttons or create dolls and use buttons as eyes.
Buttons are wonderful to have on hand. A jar of buttons is also a simple, beautiful decoration. I plan on continuing to collect buttons.
Now that you’ve read my book, Glamping with MaryJane, you need to find a fabulous place to get your campin’ glam on.
We’re back for a 13th day of where to glamp in 2013, or well, 2014.
Enjoy the parts about camping you love—sitting under the stars, a campfire, hiking—but eliminate the hassle of hauling gear, tent poles, or even a trailer!
Now I know what you are thinking … why, those tents look like The Resort at Paws Up! Indeed they do, but you’ll stay for a fraction of the cost. Read on for s’more glamping fun in the heart of Jackson Hole.
Fireside Resort at Jackson Hole Campground
Wyoming
The Fireside Resort at Jackson Hole Campground has a wonderful look and feel and is located in Wilson, Wyoming.
Gorgeous, soft beds and a private setting await you or your family for a weekend of “back to nature” … with style.
Refresh yourself in the Glamping Bathhouse with private washrooms. Enjoy a luxurious rain shower and heated floors, and indulge in the organic spa products.
Need anything at camp? Out of marshmallows or chocolate? A Glamping Butler will attend to your every whim and whimsy.
Located only eight minutes from Grand Teton National Park, one hour and 10 minutes from Yellowstone, seven minutes from the town of Jackson, and five from Wilson, there is plenty to see and do around the area.
You’re also a cool five minutes from the ski slopes at Teton Village. Summer activities include riding the tram or chairlift, leisure biking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and paragliding. (There are also a variety of kids’ programs.) Here is a larger list of activities.
Now that you’ve read my book, Glamping with MaryJane, you need to find a fabulous place to get your campin’ glam on.
We’re back for a 12th day of where to glamp in 2013, or well, 2014.
New York, that fast-paced city, one of the four fashion capitols of the world, known for its hustlin’ and bustlin’, is a prime candidate for glamping! What other city would bring their A-game, this year’s Fashion Week favorites, for a tromp through the woods?
They recently gave glamping on city rooftops a try, but I think these fashion-forward city dwellers will really hitch up their knickers for a stay at Stony Creek Farm.
It’s just enough glam and farm to hook even the most pavement-addicted into a pair of Wellies for a look at the clear night sky.
Stony Creek Farm
New York
Located in Walton, New York, Stony Creek Farm has been owned and operated by the Marsiglio family since 1985. The farm, just off of the Northwest corner of the Catskill Mountains, started selling produce, meat, and eggs in 2005; has a cute-as-a-button Farm Store on-site; and that’s right—you guessed it—offers glamping!
Photo courtesy of Stony Creek Farm.
Each tent, set up along the relaxing Stony Creek, for which the farm gets its name, features a double bed, a bunk bed, AND a canopy bed. You’ll also find a toilet, ice chest, cooking stove, and dining area.
Lots of fun things to do on the farm, including watching wildlife, fishing, and birdwatching. Or pet the cows, goats, and sheep, and marvel at the gardens. All produce grown and animals raised on the farm are sold at the Franklin Farmers’ Market in the state of New York in the summer.
Photo courtesy of Stone Creek Farm.
And I hope you book for a Thursday or Saturday night, cause it’s Make Your Own Pizza Night! On those evenings, the hosts will give workshops at their outdoor wood-burning bread oven. There, you will learn how to make your own za. (Short for Pizza!)
Photo courtesy of Stone Creek Farm and Glamping Hub.
Photo courtesy of Stone Creek Farm and Glamping Hub.
Make sure you also stick around for Sunday Harvest Mornings, when guests can choose to participate in harvesting the organic garden for buyers at the farmers’ markets.
While harvesting, chat with the team and learn about growing techniques, seed saving, and more! You’ll find lots of fun activities in nearby Cooperstown (home to the Baseball Hall of Fame), including the Farmers Museum, antique shops, theaters, a large arts and crafts community, and of course, a plethora of exciting and jam-packed farmers’ markets.
Usually, it’s an “X” that marks the spot …
So what would you think if you ran across one of these big ol’ arrows?
Courtesy of Craig; AAIR, Aviation Archaeological Investigation and Research;
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com
Perhaps a large-scale geocaching symbol?
Wacky art piece?
Landing beacon for aliens?
Or a treasure hunt for the giants of Jack and the Beanstalk …
Actually, the last one isn’t far off.
These arrows were, in fact, a treasure map of sorts.
Though ixnay on the giants-ay … think aeronautics instead.
The treasure?
U.S. mail.
Prior to 1924, mail could take upwards of a month to arrive at its destination. The Pony Express, which solely delivered mail, was disbanded in 1861 as the Transcontinental Railroad took up the yoke and continued to improve the speed of mail delivery.
The railroad was completed from sea to shining sea in 1869, and until 1903, was the main means of mail delivery. That is, until the Wright Brothers completed their first successful flight and initiated the age of air travel.
U.S. Post Office Department map of the First Transcontinental Air Mail Route involving both day and night flying over the entire route opened July 1, 1924. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; PD-USGOV.
The Transcontinental Air Mail Route was 2,629-miles long, stretching between San Francisco, California, to New York, New York.
Needing no roads, train tracks, or animals, the advancement of air travel had just one hurdle to overcome: night.
Without high-tech navigation systems, a pilot could only fly during the day.
The solution?
Like breadcrumbs for a pilot, a series of beacons was built and lit—one every 10 miles.
Here is one of those “breadcrumbs,” a 51-foot steel tower.
Revolving light beacon towner being built, Omaha, 1920s. Courtesy of Postal Museum.http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/museum/1d_Airmail_Beacon.html
Below is a drawing of the structure. Each was lit by a million-candlepower rotating beacon. As long as pilots could see the concrete “yellow brick road,” they could fly by night.
Airway beacon. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; U.S. DOT FAA
This allowed mail to cross the country in 30 hours or so, depending on conditions.
As fast as technology grows, the beacons were rendered obsolete by the ’40s. Most of the towers were torn down and the steel was used for the war effort, but hundreds of the yellow arrows remain.
The Western New Mexico Aviation Heritage Museum is in the process of restoring an airway beacon tower and its electric generator for visitors. More on that here.
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
