Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Simpler Times

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As both of you know you read my post Barn Love, I have a great love of barns, especially round barns like this one, The Round Barn Potting Company in Andover, MN. Round barns were designed for making life easier for the farmers and ranchers who used them, facilitating feeding chores from the center of the structure. This one has obviously been repurposed into a gift shop. Which facilitates shopping in a circle while the owners watch you from the center. Or something like that.
Round Barn Potting Company I also love vintage "canned-ham" style travel trailers. This little cutie was parked at an RV place in Rogers, MN, across from the Cabela's this weekend. The salesman said it had been parked at another RV place since 1960 - when it was brand new. It was their very first purchase and it stayed on the lot, never driven, never used, it has never even been titled (how utterly wastefully sad I say!). 1960 ShastaThese campers speak to me of a time when "camping" wasn't equated with 35' quad-slide motorcoaches complete with fireplaces and satellite dishes, units that cost in the upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars, parked in an RV 'Park' complete with bingo halls, swimming pools, motorized golf carts and full-sized wrap-around screen decks. RV Parks equipped with everything to suit your needs except trees and solitude. Camping was a much simpler event back when the Shasta entered the scene, with hardly enough room inside to cook and eat a meal. Which meant, when you were camping, you were mainly living outside. And isn't that supposed to be where you spend your time when you're in the woods? Pappa Bear loves a good Airstream camper. I admit, they're shiny, they're flashy, they're probably roomier than this Shasta, and they hold their value well. But there's just something utterly adorable about a little canned-ham. It's like having your own playhouse when you were a kid. They are so small, there isn't room to take along your extra baggage and gear. When you escape with a Shasta in tow behind you, life gets pretty simple. And isn't that what many of us long for, experiences that simplify our lives, reduce our decisions, and help us leave our baggage behind? Happy Trails -

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