Meet Backstage

Our weekend was spent driving.   We drove north to middle California to finally meet Jeff who had an offer we could not refuse, even if it took us half a year to get it together.   We just returned from our latest adventure, with our big announcement......  

and here it is.......

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'Backstage'

Rose and Tippy showing us Backstage

 The latest addition to our family.  So this really nice guy Jeff contacted us last year about his Oasis, with a most generous offer.  He offered to bring us any parts we needed for the Pink Pearl.  It was a really generous offer, but when we realized that his Oasis was very similar to ours, and talked measurements and everything, we thought it would make more sense to go up to him and retrieve any parts as it was, shall we say, more than a few.


  Over the course of months my husband kept in touch with him, and finally, we were able to coordinate a trip up to his Mom's place to pick up 'Backstage'.   The plan now being to pick her up, take any parts we need for our Oasis, and then her long and useful life would pretty much be over.

This is Jeff, an all around great guy!  We learned all
about him from his Mom as well :)

We drove about 8 hours in anticipation of picking up the 'new Oasis' (we didn't know her name yet).  When we arrived at Jeff's Mom's home she invited us in and regaled us with wonderful stories of 'Backstage'. We learned that they called her this because she and her husband, David,  traveled all around the US and Canada in her doing their comedy act and later performing in other productions.  Rose, who holds the official title of "Mermaid Maker", sat at her table, and told us story after story of their adventures, and really their life in Backstage.

picture from sunbeamwindow.com

 Fascinating stories of a place called Camp Comfort where they spent some time.  Tales of travel, friendships, love and really a whole life lived in Backstage.   They told us how much of their early years together had been spent Backstage; and some really funny, interesting stories about their travels. The funniest one being the 'earthquake' they were jolted out of bed by while camping in the boondocks in Utah; only to wake up and find they were amidst a pack of wild horses and one of them was scratching his rear end on the jalousie windows, which were open.  I wish I had been there to see that!  Erik told her she should write a book, she had so many wonderful memories from so many interesting adventures.

It took us a bit to then get Backstage all hooked up and towable so I had the pleasure of standing outside enjoying the breeze, and getting to talk with David and Rose for a while longer.   David told me how Backstage was their love shack-  I think his exact words were "this is the most romantic place on earth, you'll see."  I still smile when I think about how sweet this couple is.  In the end we met Jeff's parents, his lovely wife, and his beautiful children.   Coincidentally they are also proud parents of a set of very cute twins!

It took us a full day to drive home with her.  All the way home we talked about what we'd do with her, about the wonderful friendly people we had just met, and really, really liked, and we laughed about the stories we had heard.  Erik and I are suckers for Romance. So on the way home we talked about how we are unsure now that we can just use Backstage like that, and not allow her to live on.  Remember my last post about age and wisdom, and beauty.  She had been such a huge part of this family's life and they had shared so many fond memories of her.  In fact just before we drove off we were saying our good-byes and David was standing at Backstage's front window peering in for one last time.  Ok, now I want to cry...

So as ridiculous as this may sound, we are now the proud owners of two Oasis trailers.  Both in our driveway.  Both needing some TLC.   And so the story begins....

Find Your Adventure

The Geenie's Lamp is brimming with life, love, and art these days.   If you've been keeping up with me you know why.  So here are a couple of updates.  My Sis and niece are still here, and will be with me through mid August. Our time is drawing to a close, but we are making the most of it.

An update on the farmyard. The ducks and chickens are all grown up now, and should be laying soon.  More on that to come.

I have new things listed in my Etsy shop.  Check the sidebar or click on the link to see them.  Finished a few more things today.  Not the least of which is my new love...  so, did you catch it?  My new passion/obsession/fixation...  I put a hint in my last post....   

 Here's my latest piece for the big reveal....

This is it!  I have found Vintage Travel Trailers and I really, really want one.  This or a Gypsy Wagon.  I can imagine myself now parked at the beach with my trailer and my art supplies...  Or camping with my family, and my art supplies....  or.... the possibilities are endless really.  When I first discovered the "Gypsy Wagon" about a year ago I imagined one built in our backyard for my studio.  That is still a dream of mine, but this.  Oh this. This is gonna happen.  Then the Geenies Lamp studio will be on the road...

and now for something I finished

and she was Loved

and of course, as usually happens, I love her so much I don't want to list her.  Thinking about offering prints.  That's all for now...  Will update you on my Vintage RV procurement as unfolds.  Suzi Blu once talked about a dream of an artist colony of traveling Gypsy Wagons.  That would be a dream.....

Where the time goes

Wow, just noticed it's been 10 days since I last checked in here.  It's a busy life with kids, animals, and art.  I've been learning a lot, trying some new techniques, reading some books.  I love to read.  There seems to always be something left to work on, or to change in myself and I do this with the help of many authors.

 That is a story for another day though.

One of the girls pointe shoes

Today what I wanted to share with you is what
things take up all my time.  So there was this contest at my daughters ballet studio.  They do this yearly, sometimes semi annually for Galas and such.  They sell these beautifully decorated pointe shoes, decorated by the lovely ballerinas themselves.

one of the girls creations

 Always full of ideas I have been wanting to make one.  This time I did.  I only had a few hours to accomplish this, but I had so many ideas I just had to pick one and execute it.

 Here is the outcome...

It was fun, albeit a little stressful with my time constraints.   And I am very happy with the way it came out.

 I hope some little ballerina in the making is happy with it too.


I have this way of letting myself get distracted and sucked into things my kids do.  Especially if it's a creative endeavor.

One of the girls did this one

So this was a welcome distraction today.   A piece of art to create in a very busy week.  I am in the home stretch with the graduation over and ballet dress rehearsals in two days.  

Isn't it gorgeous?! 

 I got a new tattoo ...

   and my mini has been out having too much fun once again...




that too is a story for another day...

The chicks and the ducks are pretty much full grown now.  They are less work, but still occupy some of my time.  I will post pics another day.

This is the final piece.  Giselle.  My lovely daughter has been working on Giselle for her auditions.


This is where my time goes.  Love, Art, Life...





Enjoy life loves.

      It's the only one we get.

Graduation time!

It's been a very busy couple of weeks.  I had my first High School graduation to plan, and as a homeschooler it's not as easy as that sounds.  There are many things to tend to besides the party afterwards, the gift, and the guests.  There are photos, programs, music, a slideshow, a display table, cap and gown and a boy scout uniform to find and make sure is ironed so he can lead the flag ceremony at the beginning.  Not to mention the other million and a half things, grad night, events, and all those little details.

Now that it's all done I'm happy.  Happy to have graduated one.  Happy to have been able to share this with family and friends.  Happy that he's happy.

I wish being happy came easily to me.  As you can tell from my art it does not.  I am trying to change that.  There really is so much beauty and grace in the world if I look for it.  

This is what I must remind myself constantly.  

I went through a period last year where I realized that I must retrain my eye to see light.  As with Art, art is a process of training oneself to see- to really see things.  I think there is beauty in everything and everyone if one looks deep enough.  It is my hope that people have that kind of grace for me.  That they look deep enough, beyond the external stuff, the tattoos, the funny clothes messy hair and pack of children I travel with  to really see me.  

One of our guests commented on the love he felt.  So much love in that room.  He was impressed.  Did I feel it?  No.  I was horribly stressed and hoping everything was ok.  One guest gave us his interpretation of our sons biography which was, well let's just say non-traditional, as a statement of our belief that none of this really matters.  I hadn't seen it that way, but I had to laugh, because that is how we entered homeschooling.  Wanting our kids to be the best people they could be, regardless of what they knew or had accomplished.  Wanting to give them a love of learning, not just a set of facts memorized and quickly forgotten.  Not a host of  painful school memories, but a family they know they can turn to, and be loved unconditionally.  These are all very lofty goals.  I am not sure we accomplished them.  But I think what I will choose to remember from this past week and this past 17 years is the certificate of appreciation our son gave us during the ceremony and his beautiful smile.  Life is good.  Life is indeed good...