This Montana Life

Blame it on Sandra

When asked to explain how it is I got into trailers I immediately blame it on my lovely friend, Sandra. She is one of the most free-spirited people I have ever met and a delightful person to boot. I met Sandra at the same time I met her Scamp and fell instantly in love with both.

My friend, Sandra, in front of her Scamp as she left me bereft this morning

Sandra lives in Oregon and is as quick with a joke as she is with a smile. She is also the perfect Scamp owner. It is filled with treasures she has picked up at junk stores and estate sales from all along her journey. When she travels to Montana from Oregon she takes the lesser-traveled roads and hits every second-hand store she can find. Then she disperses these treasures in every nook and cranny her little Scamp presents. (What’s left over she generously shares with me!) Vintage Native American blankets cover her couch, antique glassware is her dinnerware, and vintage bed coverings and table linens delight your eye wherever you look. Spider plants are shoved into the small space between her front window and lounge. Her little closet is even full of the most fabulous vintage clothing she has tucked away.

After meeting Sandra I couldn’t help but see myself towing a little trailer around the country seeking my own adventure on the back roads. My quest for the perfect trailer started that week.

I drove from Spokane, Washington to Boise, Idaho to look at a 1967 Bell Trailer. It was too big. The next day I backtracked and drove back north to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to look at a 1959 unknown manufacturer Canned Ham. It was too derelict. I came home broken-hearted but remained diligent in my search. One week later I drove to Idaho Falls, Idaho and found my 1964 Jet which was eventually named Rocky.

Decorating these little gems is almost as much fun as driving around discovering new places. Sandra sure has that down. I can only hope that someday my decorating expertise will reach the same level as hers. Just a coupl’a (hundred)  more junks stores and I’ll be there.