Blueberry Fields Forever Commission Painting

Blueberry Fields Forever #3

commission, sold

I hope this post finds you all well after a wonderful Christmas celebration and/or some relaxing days! 

Before Christmas I have been contacted by a person who fell in love with my paintings, Blueberry Fields Forever. After some email conversations, he ordered a similar painting to the ones he saw online- as a commission Christmas surprise for his wife. I hope she liked it, he really wanted to get her something personal and from the heart. They live close to the area portrayed in the paintings.

The local wild blueberry fields really do turn a bright red once the fall frosts hit them. This creates a stunning contrast with the dark blue ever-green trees in the distance.

Blueberry Fields Forever #5

orig. watercolour, 6x8in approx.

more info and purchase: click here

As part of the commission, I have painted a total of three paintings! I wanted to make sure he found just the right one for his space. The two others are available now via my webshop.

Blueberry Fields Forever #4

orig. watercolour 6x8in approx., matted to 11x14in

more info and purchase: click here

This one above I painted on hot press paper which yields a more fluid look and the colours are a touch brighter. Different materials yield different results as you can see!

On a private note, we had a great celebration with the kids. On the 25th we had the restaurant open again and our darling daughter helped even serve and be the host for the evening. I myself helped Markus in the kitchen a bit. It has become a tradition and our Europa team is so gracious to come and serve on Christmas Day! Thank you all for making this possible!

Stay in touch with more recent paintings I have created but had no time to post!

If you like, please friend me on FB or Instagram: SimoneRitterArt

Feature on Girl Camper Podcast

This week your truly has been featured on the Girl Camper Podcast with my camper calendar!

Wow, what a great honour and surprise when Blogger and Podcaster and Girl Camper Advocate Janine Pettit dropped me a line, if she could feature me on her show! I was floored!

I have been following Janine on social for a while and enjoy her sharing of vintage camper photos, camping ideas, her travels in her camper- and every Sunday a beautiful photo of a country church.

Here is some info from Janine's website, www.girlcamper.com :

'Janine Pettit is a lifelong lover of camping who took a 25 year sabbatical when she married a non-camper!

She discovered that camping was still in the cards for her when she stumbled onto an article about a women’s outdoor adventure group that travels around the country in RVs, meeting new friends, checking off bucket list adventures and doing things she had only dreamed of.

Janine has become an Ambassador for the Girl Camping movement. She encourages women to go places and do things on her Girl Camper podcast, on her blog for Go RVing, and through her frequent public speaking engagements.'

On her podcasts, she shares news, trends and personal stories of her camping life. She meets people, goes to trade shows, and interviews specialists and camping enthusiasts. All, to provide important information to the girl campers out there. I learn a lot, and this week's episode is where she shares her insight from the great RV shows and her top 5 new trailer releases for 2017. I have to look up some toy-hauler trailers now, haha!

My Calendar makes a great gift for your glamping lover or a fun Secret Santa Surprise! Direct Shipping available, too- just leave a note at checkout!

On my end here, I have been busy packing and shipping Camper Christmas Gifts. I also was 'helper' to a 'Secret Santa' (see pic below). Also, I can only tell you this much, that there are some very thoughtful husbands out there- cannot say more...

We had a nice first snowstorm of the season here in the Maritimes. Kids were off school, too. So, I grabbed my oil painting stuff, got them in snow gear and we headed out. They had a snowball fight and I painted a picture of my neighbour's gift shop, the Crocker Hill Store (a treat for garden and dog lovers). Happy Advent to you all, thank you for stopping by!

Artist-Direct Gift Ideas

Artist-Direct Gift Ideas on Sale now!

The busiest time of year is here, everyone is getting ready for Christmas and the malls are filled with busy shoppers.  

I, too, have filled my online gift shop with artist-direct gift ideas at special pricing starting at only $15 and all under $100! Of course there is free shipping over $50 spent, too;-)

Also, I will have a spot at our upcoming annual Europa Inn Art Open House. Many new and established local artists will transform the Restaurant Part into a warm and creative space, sure to add sparkle to your St. Andrews visit. Click here for the flyer with all the listings.

Today I want to introduce some of my favorites gifts:

 1. Original Mini Camper Painting 'Red Shasta' in Golden Frame: $85 (incl. shipping)

1. 
   

What I love about this painting is that it is just the perfect size even for inside a vintage camper! The overall Size is just 5.25x6.25in including the frame! But the frame is 1.25in high, making a solid statement. And because it is a custom made floater frame, non of the edges of the painting are covered!

The painting has golden metal leaf accents on the z-stripe and the iconic Shasta wing. I have a matching piece to the red Shasta-  it is an aqua Shasta with the same frame. This would make a wonderful pair to display one below the other or side-by-side!

You can see more about this painting on my shop page by clicking here.

2. Original Mini Camper Painting 'Aqua Shasta' in Golden Frame: $85 (incl. shipping)

Have I mentioned I just love those cute, small campie paintings? For the size they were actually a lot of work to create. To apply the metal leaf with a tiny brush took a long time, as did the painting itself.

But it was worth it, I just love how they look! Here is the aqua-coloured sister-piece to the above mentioned red Shasta.

3. Greeting Cards 'Christmas Airstream': on sale for $15 for 5

This year's new greeting card designs include a feature of one of my favourite camper paintings: this beauty of an Airstream. If you are looking to give-away some greeting cards as a hostess gift or send some out yourself to good friends, these would be the perfect match for any vintage camper lover!

And if you are looking for a selection, I am offering this set featuring the Airstream plus this cute pink vintage Campie in a card set. For purchase and more info, please click here. 

Each card is printed on quality, glossy card stock, blank inside and comes with blank envelopes.

If you are looking for something specific or a gift certificate, please drop me a line, I might be able to help;-) Thank you for all your encouragement and patronage, I am very thankful for all of you! Thank you! 

Until next time, stay in touch and Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends near and far!

2017 Art Calendars- Get Yours Soon!

2017 Art Calendars

The year is inching itself towards a close and with the holidays and year's end upon us, many of us are looking for fun 2017 Art Calendars.

I have created two kinds of calendars again this year, featuring my watercolor paintings. Both are available through my webshop.

One is of East Coast Lighthouses

that I painted for my spring solo show at Sunbury Shores. All the lighthouses I have seen in person, either by land and walking up to it or by water from a boat. Living on the Atlantic Coast, it is a special treat to see those graceful beacons frequently, however, little-to-no funding and eroding seashores make for declining numbers. Great effort is being put forth by local interest groups to rescue their beloved lighthouses.

It was a great honour to work together with the group to rescue Cape Bear Lighthouse on PEI. Joan, is my contact with them. She gave me glimpses of just how many hours and ideas are needed to make restoration and relocation possible. If you'd like to support the Cape Bear Lighthouse restoration, please check out their website here or visit it on your next PEI trip. (And maybe you will even pick up a souvenir featuring my lighthouse image!). The original painting is available through the Cape Bear Museum and a portion of the proceeds will benefit its restoration!

Cape Bear Lighthouse

original watercolor painting, framed to 27x35in approx

$1500, available through Cape Bear Museum

Vintage Camper Calendar

My other calendar has been very popular last year as well and so I am offering my Vintage Camper Calendar again this year. It features the 12 favorite camper portraits created as part of my September 'Camper-a-Day' project. I have been busy shipping orders out already as soon as I listed them in my online shop.

The 2017 Art Calendars are printed on quality card stock and with its size of 8.5x11in, they fit even nicely in most vintage campers! Space is always at a premium in those little campies, so it was important for me that the calendar would not be too large, but has enough space to write in daily notes.

More News

I am finalizing a special sale of small, original artworks at special prices. The paintings will be available via my website. And if you are a newsletter subscriber, you'll get 'first dips' with a 24 hour head-start before the sale is officially live online. If you haven't yet, but would like to sign up,  on my website www.simoneritterart.com .

I am working on a series of miniature acrylic camper paintings, 3x4in. Those paintings are so small- and so cute! They will be part of the 'original works sale' coming up... just waiting for the frames- and the metal leaf to dry;-)

working on metal leaving mini paintings vintage campers

Anyhow,

that's just a bit of an update from my studio. I wish you a relaxing weekend and I will share new items with you in the coming days. Many gift ideas for glamping enthusiasts and seaside lovers coming your way.

Annual Gift Sale begins

My annual gift sale has begun!

This October, I thought, I would catch up with all the things that fell by the wayside during my September 'painting a camper a day' project. It has not quite worked out that way. Even though, I was lucky enough to tackle a couple of projects from my to-do list.

I have been busy designing and ordering gift items to fill my web-store for the upcoming Christmas and holiday season.

I packaged more greeting cards, nice quality- thick and glossy with vibrant colours. The sought-after calendars have also arrived and orders are coming in already. New this year are mouse pads, a cute hostess gift or stocking stuffer or 'thank you' for a vintage camper fan.

I am still waiting for a couple more items and look forward by mid November to have my shop all filled to the brim.

To have a web-store is more work than what it seems. (I am learning)- first, design and order your items, then after shipments arrive, inspect and package and photograph items. Then photo edit items to smaller scale for web, then upload them and write your store description.

I just had an unexpected 'surprise':

While my dear hubby takes my bunch out to trick-or-treat, I was hoping to post my greeting cards online in my gift shop. It has taken me over an hour to take the photos a couple of days ago and I wanted now to edit them for web... Oh, well, they are nowhere to be found! I must have deleted them- both from my camera AND from my computer (probably while downloading). Oh, my, my artist mind has gotten the better of me today... So, tomorrow, I will go at it again and take more photos- and hopefully it won't rain, haha!

Update: I JUST found the 'lost' photos while searching for this family photo below- so, guess what: I'll be editing and posting as soon as I am putting my period on this sentence, haha! Have a good week everyone and Happy Halloween!

Here's a family pic we took recently... wishing you a wonderful week!

Calendar Voting Winners

The voting to select the feature glamper paintings for my monthly 2017 calendar is over!

Today I can share the calendar voting winners with you!

So many people have participated, asked friends to vote for their camper and invited others to cast their vote. It was so much fun!

There were a few minor hiccups, too. But I learn as I go and hope next time around I can have those straightened out. Actually, the first day my website seemed very slow and unresponsive and I called tech support. They checked and all was set-up correctly. Well, I then checked and saw a spike in visitors- and with everyone trying to vote, this might have caused my little website to wave the 'white flag' of surrender, haha! Thanks though for all of you who stuck it out with my newbie-troubles here and letting me know what paintings you liked best.

You can see all the 12 favorites that will be feature models in the calendar on my website blog by clicking here.

Thank you everyone again for participating- by sharing your campies, by voting, by sharing and by your encouragement along the way! You are so dear and I am so blessed you have taken time to journey along! Thank you, thank you!                                                Simone

1956 Kencraft Christmas Camper

1956 Kencraft Christmas Camper

orig. watercolor 11x14in (mounted to 16x20 archival matting and backing)

more info and purchase: click here

The month of October just seems to fly by in lightning speed- already half the month is over!!! Where has the time gone? Here I am, getting ready for the Christmas Season!

Well, I know, this might seem a bit early, doesn't it? But I have started to order so many things in and they are specialty print items which take time. I want to have my gift-giving shop ready to go by November as many people order online and have their gifts shipped. 

So, in the spirit I just finished my first Christmas Camper Painting! I hope a few more will come!

The owner of this 1956 Kencraft submitted the photo as part of my September Camper-a-Day Project. Somehow I couldn't make out it's Christmas Decor in the small thumbnail pic that opened in the email, so I dismissed it! Lucky for me, she sent me a note about her campie after reading my call-out for Holiday Glampers. And I'm so glad she did!

I was still looking for a feature holiday camper to include in my 2017 Calendar to fill the December slot- and was so glad to have received this photo! 

As I am talking about it again, I want to give a great, big 'thank you' to all of you who so generously shared your campie photos with me! I enjoy each and every one so much and would love paint them all if I would have the time! Thank you again!

If you are interested in gifts for the glamper in your life, I invite you to check out my shop again beginning of November. I will be adding many more gift ideas starting at $15 and up.

Red VW Camper

Red VW Camper

orig. watercolor, 11x14in approx. (matted to 16x20 archival mat and backing board)

more info and purchase: please click here

Today's post is about this darling red VW Camper. It was parked at our campground this summer and the owners are local people! This old VW is not road worthy anymore. The owners have her towed each year to the campground for an annual VW meet! How cool is this?! The rest of the year, she resides in their backyard as a special guest. The owners have lived in her for months at a time  and travelled the continent living full-time in this tiny camper! Yeah, the good ol' times!

I couldn't resist painting it, but didn't have time this summer. But now with the camper-a-day just over, I had to get going and include her in the voting for my 2017 Vintage Camper Calendar.

Oh, yes,the voting: Please stop on over to the Voting Page and 'like' your favorite paintings from the September Camper Painting project! Voting is open to all and I'd like to know from you which paintings you'd like to see in the calendar! There will be a give-away as well:

Each camper-owner who wins, will receive a free calendar! Plus 3 of my newsletter subscribers will win a calendar as well! So, please spread the word to make this a fun voting- selecting your favorites!

Now, more exciting news: 

As a special 'Thank You' I will be offering 20 Greeting cards FREE with each painting sold $400 or more! My print-house has made it possible for me to order smaller quantities and direct-ship, so I am finally able to offer this great special to you!

Why not treat yourself to an early Christmas gift, a truly one-of-a-kind piece of art, artist direct and made with love?! And enjoy 20 FREE Greeting cards to keep or give-away?

See many paintings in my Shop.

Special Commissions welcome- please drop me a line (allow 4-8 weeks for completion before Christmas).

Camper Painting Project September 2016

September has come to a close, and my Camper Painting Project September 2016 has successfully finished, too. Here in a collage featuring all campers and paintings that I have painted for this project. There might be one or two more added later, but here you have them all from September 2016.

I promised to host a voting where you all can choose your favorite campies to be selected the feature campers for my 2017 calendar.

Right now, I am still working behind the scenes to get that voting platform installed and working *yikes*. So let's hope by Monday or Tuesday I'll be up and running. I will announce that on this blog and via my social platforms (FB and Instagram @SimoneRitterArt). It will be so much fun and I hope you can participate!

Please keep an eye out for it!

Thank you to all of you who submitted your wonderful photos- I was overwhelmed with your many, many photos that you sent in! If I had another month to paint, I couldn't even feature them all! It was a great honour to paint each and every one of them, and to share a story with each painting. I hope it brought a smile to your daily life- it sure brought a lot of joy to mine!

Thank you again for journeying with me and stay tuned for the voting after the weekend!

Happy Trails!                    Simone

Airstream Camper and 1963 Red Shasta Compact

Airstream Front View at Dusk

orig. watercolor 11x14in (matted to 16x20in, ready for a frame)

more info and purchase: click here

Today marks the last day for my 'Camper-a-Day' Project.

Wow, it has been intense. It was a lot of painting, photographing, editing, blogging, writing, posting, sharing. I am tired now, haha!

But it was so much fun! I met so many new, wonderful people that share the same enthusiasm for their hobby and dreams as I do! Thank you for journeying with me!

As I didn't get to really have a good representation of Airstreams, here is one as my feature camper today. It was a cropped photo taken at dusk, so there was not so much light to play with or color reflecting on the panels but warm glow from the string-lights. I enjoyed painting this one, but I have to say it was a challenge, too!

1963 Red Shasta Compact

orig. watercolor 11x14 in (matted to 16x20 matboard)

more info and purchase: please click here

The second camper today, a 1963 Red Shasta Compact, is of a dear Canadian Lady Camper who also has a vintage shop biz out of her darling campers and home. You can check her FB page out by clicking here: Cellar Relics. She is also a treasure trove for any questions vintage camper related for sourcing or what to look for... I almost had forgotten to paint her campie!!! I really wanted to!

Even though this month is over and we will have to vote now for our favorite camper paintings, I am still looking for a Christmas Camper photo for my 'December' Slot in the calendar! I got so many submissions, but no Christmas Season campie! If you an help me out, or know of someone, please send them to my website to send in a pic! Thank you!

I am still finalizing how to best do the voting, so it might take me til Monday for the voting to be set up, but it will start soon! Keep your eyes on my fb feeds or here on my blog/website!!!

Thank you again for your interest and stopping by to walk with me! I feel so blessed! THank YOU!

Simone

ps: great, big thank you to Leslie Saeta for hosting again this month's painting challenge! It was a lot of fun, thank you!

1964 SCS Shasta in a Field of Roses

1964 SCS Shasta in a Field of Roses

orig. watercolor 11x14in (matted onto a 16x20 archival matboard)

for more info and purchase: please click here

Yes, we've had a whole bunch of Aqua Shasta's this month! It must be a very popular color!

This one here I call 1964 SCS Shasta in a Field of Roses.

I chose this one as I liked that vintage truck with it, so cute. And as the fall is here now in the Maritimes with colder nights and crisp air in the mornings, I liked the warm sunshine drenching this scene. Summer- where art though??? I miss you already!

This is s special Shasta as the owner explains:

'1964 SCS Shasta, the SCS stands for "Self-Contained with a Shower", I call her "Super Cute Shasta"'

A couple of days ago, we had another aqua colored Shasta, featuring a pinup girl. You can read about it by clicking here.

I'm off to bed now, as tomorrow we have a busy day ahead of us: my youngest fledgling is starting hockey and will be in hockey gear the first time! You should see the huge mount of gear I just packed! Unbelievable! Those hockey players are dressed like tanks! I quietly had hoped that this cup would pass by us, but once he heard about hockey sign up, he really wanted to give it a try. So, here we go, you might see me post hockey sketches soon!

I hope you enjoyed this month filled with campies and I thank you very much for journeying with me! Thank you, thank you! If you like a camper, please feel free to share the post or photo to your social feeds! But we'll see you tomorrow with another camper- end stretch for me!

I'm wishing you a great day and thanks for stopping by!               Simone

Teardrop Camper 'Mary Beth'

Teardrop Camper 'Mary Beth'

orig. watercolor 11x14in approx. (matted to 16x20 archival matboard)

more info and purchase: please click here

As this month's Camper-a-Day project comes to a close, I thought I'd spice it up with one of those cute, beloved teardrop campers. Here we have 'Mary Beth'. I do not know a whole lot about her, but that her proud owner built her by herself!!! Now, that is awesome! Girl power!

My to-do-camper rebuild:

Reminds me, that I might have to dig in myself if I ever want my darling disassembled Glenette Camper re-built. At the moment it resides in our back-storage of our inn- lovingly are all individual parts stored inside waiting patiently for now about two years! Yikes! If I don't get to it someday soon, I might forget how it got together! I took photos, but who knows how many questions will surface once the re-build starts. I assume my darling husband still has the hope that I will let him off the hook by acclaiming one day that we should just scrap the camper project.

And the story that goes with it:

What he doesn't know is that I still dream of this little trailer where I camped my very first time in Canada. I was invited to go hunting Moose in the wilderness without electricity and a dug-out toilet-hole in the bush! And a group of old men- all retired- that wanted to show me how rough the huntin' is in this country! Haha! One day I saw a bear running down the lane where the camper was parked- that freaked me right out as I had just used the outdoor 'toilet'! Makes for fun stories for sure! I got this camper, my Glenette now, as a gift once the old gentlemen retired it!

As you can see, I come from the highly tamed Germany where nature's inhabitants consists of small foxes and the odd dear and maybe a hedgehog. We never got that moose by the way...

Now, what does this have to do with this teardrop camper? I don't know, just somehow felt like sharing this little anecdote.

In any case, this month soon will come to a close. I will be wrapping up my camper project soon and hope you will help me cast your vote which paintings to choose for the 2017 Camper Calendar!

Hope to see you again tomorrow, with another Camper of the Day!                       Simone

1961 Shasta Camper Aqua Pinup

1961 Shasta Camper Aqua Pinup

orig. watercolor, 11x14in approx. (set in a16x20in archival matboard)

more info and purchase: please click here

Today's feature camper is another Shasta! This 1961 Shasta Camper in Aqua features a darling pinup, too... It is called 'Vintage Love'! Today, I actually wanted to paint a different camper, but the owner went the extra mile and submitted her darling twice to make sure I get it, right early after my asking for submissions- so, how could I not?

Here is what she writes: 'I wanted to enter my sweet refinished 61 Shasta , Vintage Love in your contest !! I created The Glampers of Virginia page and belong to a lot of the other great sites for our fabulous campers.'

There are quite a few more submissions in my email account which I won't be able to squeeze into this month. I am so sorry but hope to being able to paint as I have time. My theme this time was, first come, first painted, just to be fair. Still, I think there was a good selection of shapes and sizes and themes, and it was fun to open my email every day and open the next email to my my day's camper!

This coming month there will be the voting where you can participate to select your fav 13 for next year's calendar! I hope you all will be on board and  help me out! October project, here we come!

Also, there will be a special surprise announcement for all the campers that got painted this September. Something I had not originally thought possible, but stoked to share with you October 1st;-) Stay tuned!

I invite you to share this post with your friends and on your feeds! Thank you- and we'll see you tomorrow again with another Camper of the Day!                             Simone

1964 Shasta 'Fit to be Tied'

1964 Shasta 'Fit to be Tied'

orig. watercolor 11x14in (matted to 16x20 matboard, ready for framing)

more info and purchase: please click here

Today we have this fun country themed 1964 Shasta 'Fit to be Tied'.

Well, it looks like working farm girl to me, so Monday seems a good day to make it my feature camper!

As this is not my mother tongue, I had to look up if this name means something that needs censorship on this blog (haha). So, here are my findings- of course you probably know and are laughing out loud now!- 'the idiom fit to be tied according to thefreedictionary.com means angry and agitated. (As if needing to be restrained.)'

See, every day I learn something with painting your campies! Just love it! I don't know what is angry about today's camper. Maybe the owner hitches up her Shasta and goes for a weekend camp trip to cool down and chill out when she feels angry and agitated which would make PERFECT sense to me! I have my 'Little Wings' which I just love to visit once in a while. Just to 'hang out' and chill if I need my quiet, kind of a she-shed on wheels. Yeehaw!

So now, with this campie I am wishing you a good start into this week and don't get too upset about small stuff (except you have a camper where you can run to for relaxation, haha).

We shall see you again tomorrow with another camper! If you like what you see, please feel free to share my blog or photos with friends, pinterest boards or on your social feeds!                 Simone

1958 Oasis 'Life Saver'

1958 Oasis 'Life Saver'

orig. watercolor 11x14 in (matted to 16x20 archival matboard)

more info and purchase: please click here

Today's 1958 Oasis 'Life Saver' is a very special camper. Its decor is elaborate with lots of pattern and I have to confess, that I had to wait for a day with extra time when I selected to paint it. Its owner was very sweet and went the extra mile to send the photo to me- thank you!

I don't know the name of the camper, really, but called it 'Life Saver'. It is not because of the rainbow colors, but because it really proved to be a life saver for the owner.  There are times in our lives when we feel in over our head and walk by faith and not by sight. The story below will explain.

Please read what was shared with me...

'I worked on this (camper) about once a week as a break. My in laws lived with us for three (years). He was 95 and in a wheel chair. And she was 93 and had Alzheimer's. They were married 72 years and we didn't want them separated. He died 1 1/2 ago and she died last month. It was a long journey . But my trailer is what kept me going.'

Wow, what a story! What an incredible sacrifice! I am just painting little campers, but what people share with me about their every-day-heroic-lives blows me away. It is so comforting to know there are still so many caring, loving people out there that put their own needs and wants on the back burner to help others. May my little camper painting today be a small tribute to all you fearlessly loving people out there that make the world a better place! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Simone

1961 Metzendorf 'Downton Abbey'

1961 Metzendorf 'Downton Abbey'

orig. watercolor 11x14in approx. (matted to 16x20in archival matting)

for more info and purchase: click here

Today's camper is very British and sports the Union Jack and other Brit-themed decor and colours. The reason, of course is the beloved PBS series 'Downton Abbey' which aired it final season this year. My husband and I enjoyed watching it, too, so I do understand the motive for this camper decor.

What I love about this camper is that Metzendorf is a German name, so I had to look up with my friends at TinCanTourists.com for info. Here is what they have- just a bit of info on its original owner and an obituary from the owner who bought the plant and built the campers for 18 after that!

Founder of Metzendorf Camper Trailers:

(Provided by great nephew Brin Metzendorf)

The campers were produced in the 50's and early 60's by Martin Metzendorf of West Farmington, Ohio, approximately 10 miles northwest of Warren, Ohio. Martin (my great-uncle) and his wife had the trailers built with Amish laborers, she picked out the interior patterns and colors. They delivered most of the trailers themselves until a delivery accident deprived my great-aunt of her arm. Martin sold the business in the early 60's and the trailer was produced for a few more years under the Metzendorf name, I believe they closed the doors in '63 but I'm not 100% on that. If their is a real interest out there I might be able to piece together some facts from my relatives, but admittedly they're all a touch fuzzy on events from forty years ago. 

Here's an excerpt from the Obituary of the German Karl H. Gerlt, who bought the plant from Metzendorf:

Karl H. Gerlt 1919-2007 Western Reserve #507 was born Aug. 22, 1919, in Bremerhaven, Germany, the son of Emil and Charlotte Gerlt.

He came to the United States, with his parents and two bothers Emil and Helmut. They settled in New Jersey, where he graduated from Bagota High School.

He enlisted in the Army at the start of World War II. He received the Commission of 2nd Lieutenant in the Signal Corps and was later promoted to Captain.

Karl was transferred to the Military Intelligence Corp., serving with Supreme Head Quarters Allied Expeditionary Forces. He also served in the occupation force of Berlin, Germany, commanding the office of Communications.

Upon discharge from the Army, he married Velma Coster. They settled in West Farmington. He worked as an electrician for Ohio Lamp of Warren for 16 years, before purchasing Metzendorf Trailer Plant, in West Farmington, where he built travel trailers for 18 years. He then worked for the Village of West Farmington Water Treatment Plant, until he retired at age 71.

I know this is lengthy, but I thought it worth sharing. So, here you have it, the behind the scenes of the Metzendorf Camper! More info is on the TinCan Tourist website

We'll see you tomorrow again with another campie!                        Simone

1963 Mobil Scout "Mabel'

1963 Mobil Scout "Mabel'

orig. watercolor 11x14in approx. (archivally matted to 16x20in mat board)

more info and purchase: click here

Today's camper is a diamant in the rough still. But so many vintage campers are when they first get discovered and eventually will be lovingly restored. This is the case here with this 1963 Mobil Scout 'Mabel' as well. 

Its proud owner wrote those lines to introduce her:

'Here is Mabel our our vintage camper. She is being restored (and) will have new paint in same colors and design. Glass in triangle door window and no orange tape. We rescued (her) from the woods in Texas.'

Wow, if she is from 1963, we don't know how long she has been forgotten sitting in the woods! Since I have been bitten by the camper-bug, wherever I travel my eyes wander to the woods, too, to any field, behind houses, yards and so on to scout for that vintage camper gem. My friends make fun of me now, but really, after a while I hear them comment on any vintage camper they see! In our neck of the woods, there are still so many around, just waiting to be picked up!

If you are looking for a project this winter and live in our area, just check the Kijiji or Craigslist listings or keep your eyes peeled when you travel. (Of course, if you are the driver, keep your eyes peeled on the street, haha).

I want to thank all of you who have submitted photos this month and keep journeying with me, it has been a blast and I learned a lot! There is only one more week 'til end of the month, so I might not be able to paint every camper submitted. Or I might have to keep painting into October... what is your take on this? Enough campers? Time to move on? Or keep glamping away? Please let me know! I'd like to hear from you!

In any case, w'll see you again tomorrow with another camper!                            Simone