Tag Archives: MaryJane’s gift for gab

Glamping Sites to visit in 2013: 1 of 15

Posted on February 17, 2013 by maryjane

Now that you’ve read my book, Glamping with MaryJane, you need to find a fabulous place to get your glamp on.

Here’s the first installment of 15 places in the U.S.A. (There are more, but I figure 15 will get you dreamin’ out loud.)

Cherry Wood Breakfast & Barn
Washington

Because who doesn’t want to stay in a tepee? These glowing bungalows in Yakima, Washington, are filled with cozy beds and are available April thru early October. Along with barbeque grills, compact refrigerators, separate super-clean and private water closets, open-air showers round out the amenities.

Have you ever been on a winery tour via horseback? Giddyup and sip up! Ride on an all-day tour, with your horse or theirs, to the local wineries, including a stop for lunch at Cultura Winery.

Mannerly dogs are welcome for $20 a night, but leave the kids at home, this is a working ranch. Your pup will get their own special bed beside yours, and a safe secure kennel to stay in while you’re on the wine trail.

And, while you’re at it (you’re on vacation after all), restore yourself in a twilight tub. Warm soothing waters, delicately scented bath salts, a gentle breeze through the willows, and nothing but the wide open skies above.
Take in the sunset, watch the moon rise or gaze at the stars – there’s no better way to end a day in the wine country of Washington. Outdoor bathing is an extra $35 / person per hour.

photo-of-the-day

Posted on February 16, 2013 by maryjane

V-day Gifts

Posted on February 15, 2013 by maryjane

I’m curious. How did your significant other show-you-the-love on V-day? Me? I got not one (apparently he didn’t give me gooder grammar), but three, THREE baby dripping-with-sweetness, organic watermelons. (An out-of-season delicacy that had me swooning and spoonin’ in no time.)

And, AND … organic kale for my chickens. I kid you not. I’ve picked my greenhouse kale down to its very nubbins and was saying how sorry I felt for my chickens this time of year. “Poor things, I’m out of greens.” So what did hubby really give me in its most finest final form? Dark yellow yolks again, that’s what. (You know that’s what gives your homegrown eggs their vibrant color, right? Chlorophyll.)

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photo-of-the-day

Posted on February 14, 2013 by maryjane

Happy Love Day!

Paperman

Posted on February 14, 2013 by maryjane

Happy Valentine’s Day!

“Introducing a groundbreaking technique that seamlessly merges computer-generated and hand-drawn animation techniques, first-time director John Kahrs takes the art of animation in a bold new direction with the Oscar-nominated short, “Paperman.” Using a minimalist black-and-white style, the short follows the story of a lonely young man in mid-century New York City, whose destiny takes an unexpected turn after a chance meeting with a woman on his morning commute. Convinced the girl of his dreams is gone forever, he gets a second chance when he spots her in a skyscraper window across the avenue from his office. With only his heart, imagination, and a stack of papers to get her attention, his efforts are no match for what the fates have in store for him. Created by a small, innovative team working at Walt Disney Animation Studios.”

Airstream Love Shack

Posted on February 14, 2013 by maryjane

Let your mind drift back to the ’80s…

Remember the “The Love Shack” song by the beehives ‘n bling band, the B-52s?

I know—how could you forget?

(And now you’ll have it stuck in your head the rest of the day.)

The love shack is a little ol’ place where

we can get together …

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Now that I have you humming, come along with me to the decidedly deco desert getaway dreamed up by the B-52s’ red-headed bombshell, Kate Pierson.

LivePict.com (CC-BY-SA-3.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Kate has created her own oasis in Landers, California, that beckons visitors to bask in the exuberant glow of retro.

It’s called Kate’s Lazy Desert, a vintage-inspired resort destination housed entirely in re-fabbed Airstream trailers.

It all began a few years ago when Kate was tooling down a New York state back road in her orange VW bug …

“That’s when I first saw a gleaming silver Airstream with a ‘for sale’ sign on it, and I screeched to a halt … I called the number posted on the window, met the owner, and sealed the deal.”

That was Airstream number one, which became known as “Tinkerbell,” the first official Lazy Kate love shack.

Photo courtesy of Kate’s Lazy Desert

“The other Airstreams seemed to steer their way toward us by some magical force,” Kate says.

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Glacier Calving??

Posted on February 11, 2013 by maryjane

When I first heard of glacier calving, I thought, “what on earth?” I mean, what a strange term. Come to find out, it has nothing to do with livestock giving birth on a cold winter’s night. Check out this AMAZING bit of footage (4:42 minutes) but make sure you stick with it to the end so you get the “drift” of its magnitude.