RE-weaving a favorite lawn chair

About 12 years ago, (or best guess on the date when I look back in photos for reference) --- I wove up these matching lawn chairs for our anniversary present to each other.  

We bought NEW frames, and we cut off the new webbing.  We chose these frames as they are taller, wider and have nice wooden armrests that would hold up more than a few years.  These chairs have traveled all over the country with us, and we always fold them up and put them away each night.  We don't let them get wet if we can help it, but they do dry out fast because of the polypropylene cord used in making them.

I designed the pattern myself on graph paper, and wove them to match the shutters on our log home.

Sadly... last year... my chair broke at the hinge.  12 years is a long time for a chair to last, but I wanted to reweave it onto a new frame, so I saved it in the garage.  Unfortunately, we can no longer find that particular chair for sale anymore.  I know my friend Cella has one, but she won't part with it.  Short of breaking into her house late at night and stealing it, I had to come up with something else.

So last year we bought these Coleman chairs.  They are nice.  They have a folding table on one side.  They are okay.  But they are not the same in comfort as the woven lawn chairs.   Sigh.

Yesterday, after seeing Steve's chair also waiting in the garage for it's partner to be fixed, I took my chair into the house and decided it COULD be fixed with a bit of effort between me and Steveio.

Sooooo ......

I didn't know if Steveio would have to remove the entire three sides of seat frame, 

or if he could just replace the one side.  Just in case, I preserved the entire woven seat portion.

The blue yarn is just temporary to hold the woven pattern into place 

while the frame is being worked on

Once I had the pattern preserved, 

then Steveio took the chair out to the garage and worked some magic! 

Next, it's my turn-----

Doing these chairs takes a lot of *OOMPH* and needs a lot of strength in the hands 

to pull each of the cord loops through each of the previous loops.  

I think I have *retired* from my chair-weaving days, 

so please don't email me to ask me to do one for you, okay?

I think we will still keep the Coleman chairs with the side tables in the motorhome for "company" ... 

Also we have our two Ultimate Relaxing Recliners for resting and relaxing in.   These type of lounge chairs are not good for around the campfire as the sparks could hit around the ankles and burn holes in the chairs.  But they sure are nice for resting in!   Or sipping wine?

Back to the woven chairs...

Between my sister and I, we have woven many many of these lawn chairs... 

here are pics of just a few of them over the years and some of Steve's folks' chairs too

These chairs are made by a technique that uses macrame cord (the braided is better to use than the twisted)  and two big heavy metal size K crochet hooks.  By using graph paper to plan out a pattern, one can make almost any design.  They are very comfortable and warmer to sit on around the campfire at night, compared to the plastic strap or webbing types of chairs.   We use the heaviest frames we can find.  Usually the round metal pipe type frames last longer than the lighter weight square tube aluminum type frames. 

If you would like to learn about how to make these type of lawn chairs, 

here is a website link with more information:

http://www.kingskountry.com/how-to-make-a-macrame-lawn-chair.html

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CAMPING - Pentoga Park at Chicaugon Lake, Michigan - with Jameson

Yup.... we grabbed the little guy and loaded the rig up for a weekend jaunt.  Taking along a grandkid is just the frosting on the cake! ==

Granfaddah took half a day vacation on Friday so we could hit the road earlier than usual!  We were headed up to Michigan's lovely Upper Peninsula to see family and go camping for the weekend.  If we leave early enough, we are reasonably assured of getting a good campsite and not have to set up in the dark.

The Little Navigator took my seat and told his Granfaddah where to go.... and then he promptly zonked out for the rest of the trip up 120 miles.  I sat back in the livingroom area and caught up on emails and business while driving along, thanks to our Galaxy Tablet which has recently replaced our aircard from AT&T...  since we switched over to Verizon now, the Tablet works as an aircard and seems to get better signals and connection speeds.

We weren't sure if we were going to camp at Pentoga Park near Iron River, MI with my brother who planned on camping there, or to go over to Runkle Lake in Crystal Falls where there was a horseshoe tournament for the guys play in each year.  We figured we would wait till we got up there and drive through the campgrounds to see if there were two sites together.   We were lucky to get two of the last few remaining sites together and got set up. 

http://www.pentogapark.net/   

County residents $19, non-residents $21 with 30 amp and water at sites.

We pulled into our site nose first, so our doors would face each other.  The sites in the newest loop are spaced apart nicely and lots of room in between.  We were surrounded by lush vegitation and ripe raspberry bushes.   We are on the far left and my brother Butch is on the far right at the next site.  

When we were kids, we lived in this campground all summer long.  Our dad was disabled, and our mom would drive back and forth to work in town 7 miles away.  What a way to spend our summers === camping!  Cooking over the fire, water skiing, swimming, and fishing the entire summer.  Making new friends every weekend when new people pulled in, and saying goodbye on Sundays when they pulled out again.  A few families stayed all summer too, and even into the start of the school year if the weather was nice in September! 

It's no wonder that I love camping now, hey?

Once we got set up, Jameson quickly got us out and about, walking the dogs, playing with horseshoes, and fiddling with my Galaxy Tablet while Granfaddah read the paper.  He has all his own gear when camping with us, and he is never bored or at a loss for things to do.  

Jameson got in some serious rock-throwing into the lake too...  

We started out just standing on the shore in our shoes... 

which progressed to shoes off and standing in ankle deep water...

which then progressed to fully clothed but totally wet kid who was very happy! 

Soon our family came out to join us-   my sister Schmoo and broinlaw Fuzz  -  then my brother Umpee -  then Bob Senior joined us.  We all sat around the campfire and enjoyed chatting.   When we camp close to my hometown, various family members and friends stop by, even if they aren't camping themselves that particular weekend. 

Auntie Schmoo (a librarian) brought out a hilarious child's book called "Press Here" by Herve Tullet.  Jameson had a blast with it and we had to read it over and over and over with him.  I highly recommend it.  To see why it is different, creative and imaginative, check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj81KC-Gm64

review:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9677870-press-here

We loved it so much, that we were sad to see Auntie Schmoo take it back to the library.  I am going to order three copies of this book for each of the grandkiddo's families, and get yet another copy to keep here at my house!  It is THAT GOOD!  Very interactive and the kids participate in the story telling.  What fun!!!

My brother Butch just got this new toyhauler trailer... it was his 2nd time out camping in it.  Steve and Butch set up the extra screened in back portion to try it out.  The whole back panel drops down and becomes a ramp to drive in on.  It's got a heavier frame than most campers, and tie down's inside to secure vehicles while in transit. 

Now he can haul his motorcycle or fourwheeler, or even his smaller aluminum fishing boat if he chooses.  It even has a built-in gas tank and pump to refuel the toys, an outside shower, and the couches fold away and an extra bed raises up in the ceiling when hauling toys.

On Saturday we packed up some gear and headed over in Butch's truck 10 miles to Crystal Falls to another campground at Runkle Lake City Park.  We weren't camping there, but there was big city-wide festival going on.  

We have camped here a few times other years, during the festival, and it gets pretty noisy and crowded. I was glad we were staying at Pentoga instead.   Also, this park in Crystal Falls is known for excessively high water pressure and poor electrical connections.  So risking blown water lines, brown outs and power failure damages, and noise all day and night... I think staying at Pentoga was a better choice.  Also, there is a strange phenomenon in this park:  horrible shards of glass work their way to the surface.  It was built on a city dump! It can rain and more and more glass is exposed each time.  Nobody can risk walking around in bare feet.  

But we do come here because it was the location of a horseshoe tournament that our guys love to play in...   and it becomes an all-afternoon affair.  The festival for the weekend is called The Humongous Fungus Fest...  I kid you not!  Here is a link to answer any questions about the fungus:

http://www.humungusfungusfest.com

While the guys went to the horseshoe courts, my sister and I took Jameson to the beach!   We bought him this red race car floaty toy for his birthday.   Oh my, what fun it was, once he decided he wasn't scared of it.  Auntie Schmoo really worked with him to get him confidant to move more than 3 feet from the shore.  Soon he was zooming around with both of us pushing him back and forth between us.  Our own little on the water demo derby!

 Look at this!  He was picking up chicks in bikinis!  

Who says a red race car won't attract women???

 

The guys gathered at 1:30 pm, drew numbers for partners and threw shoes till around 6p.m.!  I think Steve won a second and third?   Never mind, they had a good time!!!!  It's a day of fun and beers and some skill.  (I drove them all back to the campground)

We had par-boiled some country ribs earlier... and put them on the tripod grill over the fire along with a dozen fresh picked sweet corn.  What a feast!    We cooked them over burning cherry wood and the flavor was better than you could ever imagine! My sister made up some salads with fresh garden produce and we ate like kings!   (Jameson only wanted hot dogs, but that was okay too) 

He fell asleep in my arms out in the lawnchair as we sat around the fire till late in the night.  Soon I was able to haul him in and get him into his Blues Clues sleeping bag.  Ahhhhhh  dreaming of good stuff, I am sure. 

In the morning, I woke up early at 6 am to wee one giggling and playing with the doggies.  It sure was fun to hear his little voice in the camper with us.  While the coffee perked, he hopped in our bed for a snuggle and romp with the dogs.  

We decided to bake up some chocolate chip cookies before it got too hot.  He added extra chips to the of each cookie before baking.  Wonder how many he ate while doing that task?  He did the careful taste testing of a warm cookie, making sure they tasted GOOD!   Yummmmmmm

We took the dogs for a walk around the loop and chatted with a few other campers.  I had taken note of all the raspberries in the park, and let Granfaddah watch the little guy for a bit while I got some berry picking in.  Erin once declared berries as *FREE FOOD* when she was little.   Lo and behold, Granfaddah and Jameson came to my berry patch to help me!   Soooo he learned the art of berry picking and scratchy branches and burrs and bugs.  But we got enough for a nice dessert.  

For lunch on Sunday, my brother Butch had been lusting after chicken on the fire.  So they put on the raw chicken pieces, and cover them over the top with tin foil.  You don't take the tinfoil off or turn them over.  It *bakes* them right on the fire.  Slowly rotate the grill so they don't burn in any one spot.  After about an hour, just take the tinfoil off and they are fully cooked perfectly through and through! 

Why is my blog always about food?


Dang... it was about 2pm on Sunday, time to start packing up and heading out.  I HATE Sundays!   Back to the work-a-day world.  Poor Steveio back to the stress at work, and I have a bunch of orders to fill and shipments to get out, plus a whole slew of new hats to get listed in my Etsy store for fall.

Before we left the park, we took advantage of the dump station near the entrance.  Jameson supervised the task from the window, and thought his Granfaddah was having a LOT of fun with the big *fire hose* as he called it.   Toooo cute!

After a two and half hour trip back to our house, 

then little Jameson's mommy came to get him. 

He had another 35 miles to go back to home yet. 

He was fast asleep before she got more than a few miles down the road.  I wonder why?  

Do you think we wore him out???

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CAMPING- Bayshore County Park, Mike's Tree, and Jameson's Grand Prix Party

Whew what a busy weekend!

Actually it started on Thursday when I packed up the motorhome and drove it down to Green Bay, around the bend, and up towards Door County.  I drove the motorhome down to Bayshore County Park and got all settled in site 27.  A kind camper nearby helped spot the sign post as it was too low to see in my backup camera or side mirrors.  Thanks!  Why do they put the sign post with the lot marker number soooo close to the opening of the campsite?  A few feet over would suffice, and make it a bit easier to back in with a rig that don't *bend* in the middle like a trailer and truck does!

I called Steve at work to tell him to come on over to site 27, and he was surprised, as he thought I was just going to meet him at work at 2:30 like usual in the parking lot at work.   He would then drive the rig to the campground with the Tracker in tow.  But I knew it was gonna get HOT HOT HOT so I went in the morning instead and got all set up before the heat started.

We have camped here before... here are the links:

Cecil DePeau Bayshore County Park

Blog post from Bayshore 2010

Blog post from Bayshore 2009

The site was very nice, and I had to back wayyy back to get the awning to clear the tree when rolled out.  We liked the site but the only down side was the power pole was in in the front of the site!  Go figger?   It took both of our 50 amp extension cords and our 30 am extension cord  (25 feet each) to reach the post.  

This park is near Steve's place of work, UWGB, so he went to work on Friday right from the campground.  I hung out in the oppressive heat and turned on the air about noon.  It was just too hot to do much outside, but I got some spinning and knitting done  

In the evening we were able to walk around the campground with the dogs and enjoy the cooling evening air.  We were pleased to run into some campers we met last year, Jon and Maryanne from Sturgeon Bay.  They remembered us and we visited for quite a while.   We also met some other RVers across from us, Lori and Jeff Rose from Ashwaubenon (Green Bay)   We sure enjoyed visiting with them and even shared their campfire one of the evenings. 

On Saturday morning, we loaded up the Tracker with 2 folding tables, 3 lawn chairs, 2 chaise lounges, a cooler, and a pile of presents.  We were heading to our grandson Jameson's 3rd birthday party.  It was only about 20 miles beyond the park we were camping at, saving us an extra 70 miles roundtrip if we had stayed at home this weekend.

We leave the dogs inside with the AC on, the tv going to drown out any noise from the outside, and the blinds all drawn.  We hate having to listen to any one else's dogs bark all day long when they leave, so we want to be extra sure ours won't be a bother to anyone else.  And due to the oppressive heat, we chose a campground with electrical hookups to be sure they were kept cool while we were gone.    And we add a supplementary 12 volt fan in case the power were to go out at the post in the campsite.  Otherwise we usually camp in rustic campgrounds without hookups.

I made up a tuna noodle salad and an oriental coleslaw salad to take along, so they were loaded in last in the cooler and off we went for the day.

But first, on the way, we stopped at Mike's Tree.   After our son, Mike, passed away five years ago, Steve's folks wanted to do something special in his memory. So they got permission and had a tree planted near the first base of the ball diamond at his high school.  Steve's brothers added a lovely plaque in his honor, and we try to stop and see the tree each time we go by that area.   Sometimes the gates are locked at the ball diamond (shhhhhhh-   we can scoot and shimmy under the fence)   but this Saturday they were having a soccer game nearby so the gate was unlocked.  We snapped a few pics for the Grands to see how well it's grown over the last five years...

It was a good visit and a time to reflect and smile and shed a tear or two.  

From there, we drove on to Rio Creek...  our grandson Jameson is very lucky to have some wonderful grandparents on his daddy's side of the family.  They have a nice home out in the country and let their children hold parties there!   Showers, birthdays and any of their family gatherings are welcome at the Wade's home in the country.

We unloaded and helped set up.  It was a beautiful day of all sun and puffy clouds and hot weather.  The kiddos had set up some wading pools, slippery slide and a RACE TRACK!  Yes... little Jameson was going to have a Grand Prix Birthday!    Of course, with the release of the movie, Cars2, the little tyke is all agog with racing cars.

Creative daughter Heather and her hubby Jesse made up a whole slew of cardboard race cars! (I think 15 or 16?)    Each one had a personalized license plate for it's intended guest to *drive* around the race track!

Jesse made up lazer cut medallions for each child, hanging on ribbons around their necks, 

so everyone was a WINNER! 

After the wee ones were done racing, then big Daddy Jesse and Uncle Tyler had to have a grudge match... brothers, ya know.   LOL  Some boys never grow up, do they?

Soon it was time for cake and ice cream, presents and all the fun that goes with a birthday. 

Both of our granddaughters were there too.... 

Allegra showing off in her Pop-Pop's chair and Chelsea screaming about  "ANTS"!   

Link to all the photos of the party on a public facebook album

Our little three year old guy was wearing down, but he made it through the whole party.  The two granddaughters were well on their way to sleep as their parents drove away afterwards... asleep before they even turned the corner!

As we drove home with our loaded Tracker, the skies opened up and torrential rains and winds blasted us on the way back to the campground.  We held our breath till we saw the awning was intact as we drove up to our campsite.  We had left it open, with weather reports of clear skies and no wind.  Ya just never know, we were lucky this time!   And next time it gets rolled up!

Later that evening, Heather and Jesse dropped the birthday boy off at our camper.  He was getting an extra special day by coming to spend the night with us at the campground!   They were going out and we were soooo close by to Green Bay for babysitting.  He walked around the park with us holding a leash for Duke, and then fell asleep in my arms in front of the campfire.  What a joy to have a sleeping birthday boy in my arms.   In the morning he was bouncing around with happiness because his parents had left some of his new toys to play with.

We had a good breakfast of french toast (made with vanilla and cinnamon in the batter)  and some sausages.   After a walk around the loop, the little guy konked out again for two more hours!  I think his birthday the day before wore him out.

In the afternoon, Erin stopped by with granddaughter Chelsea as they had some shopping to do in Green Bay.  We sat in the cool AC of the rig for lunch, and then went to the playground for a bit.  The park has a HUGE wooden ship structure for the kids to play on.    We grownups sweltered in the heat while the kiddos ran and climbed and steered the big ship.    I took pics but they are in a file in the camera yet I think.  So here is a shot from the website.

Granfaddah took care of dumping the holding tanks on the motorhome and drove it over to the playground area parking lot.  Now we had a nice place to come and cool down and relax and refresh with cold drinks right by the playground.

It sure had been a turmoil of emotions this weekend... between the happiness of camping, the reminder of 5 year loss of our son, the joy of a little boy's birthday, and the hugs and kisses of grandchildren.  Life sure can be a myriad of things, both good and bad, all tossed up and fall where they may.....   It's up to us to make sense of it.