Last year, I wrote a blog post titled Inside the Scamp Life, which detailed how life on the road has its joys and challenges when you're a family of three living out of a 13' Scamp. Since then we've decided to make our family a party of four and have realized that our cute little cheese curd on wheels just won't cut it anymore.
So alas, this is perhaps our last summer tugging the Scamp and the search for our next home on wheels will soon begin. I thought I would take this chance to tell of our highlights so far. It's been an adventurous four months traversing this great nation of ours and I am again reminded that there are good folks with interesting stories to tell wherever you go.
[ T E X A S ]
The open expanses and friendly folks of Texas suit me and, in many ways, remind me of a Southern version of my home state of South Dakota. This past spring, we Scamped our way down to the Lone Star State for a stay in Houston, Galveston and Dallas. A fellow artist from Michigan happened to also be Scamping at the same RV resort and the camp hosts assumed we were traveling together. They placed our Scamps next to each other among the towering behemoths that other folks were towing, which made for a nice photo op.
Whose Scamp is whose? | The Woodlands, TX
The campground also had a little fishing pond, which allowed Ivan to develop a new Bluegill Victory Dance.
Being a history buff, my favorite stop was Galveston and I prepared for our visit by listening to Isaac's Storm, a book by one of my favorite authors, Erik Larson, telling of the horrific hurricane that walloped its shores back in 1900. It is a town rife with history and galleries, and our time Scamping on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico was memorable.
These festivals in the Spring were the first time I showed the latest Jobs of Yesteryear paintings and I couldn't have been more excited to get them up on the wall.
[ K A N S A S ]
Kansas was good.
Ivan's first roadside potty | Middle of Nowhere, KS
[ M I N N E S O T A ]
Much of the joy of the Scamp life comes from watching our 3 year old son, Ivan, experience the various stops on our adventure and one of my favorite events was taking him to his very first Minnesota Twins game. My wife's mom and her husband treated us to some awesome seats behind third base and Ivan managed to get on the jumbo-tron three times, most likely due to his incredibly cute Twins uniform. He made it through eleven innings without losing his enthusiasm and the Twins capped it off with a walk-off home run victory! It was a proud night for this dad.
Ivan & TC | Minneapolis, MN
Livin' large on the jumbo-tron | Minneapolis, MN
We saw some familiar and new faces at the Edina Art Fair and were happy to be among the friendly and talkative folks of Minnesota for a weekend.
[ C H I C A G O ]
I made my first trip to the Windy City this past June and it proved to be one of my favorite cities. The wife and I went childless (except for the bun in the oven) and were reminded how easy life could be without a toddler to tend to. We made all the classic moves like riding bikes to Navy Pier, taking selfies at the "bean", devouring delicious hot dogs, and also had time to visit a couple of galleries. The most impressive was the Carl Hammer Gallery, which had a selection of self-taught and outsider artists on display. Mr. Hammer and his dog, Atticus, personally guided us through his exhibit, which was a real treat.
The best place ever | Chicago, IL
We love city bike riding | Chicago, IL
Chicago Dog at Portillo's | Chicago, IL
Both The Crosscut Sawyers and The Harvesters found a home in Chicago and I couldn't have been happier to leave two of my favorite Jobs of Yesteryear to live just down the street from Wrigley Field.
Proud new owners | Chicago, IL
[ M I C H I G A N ]
We've visited 25 states and driven over 20,000 miles since May 2015 and our favorite state to visit is still Michigan. With its sugar-sand beaches, crystal clear water, amazing craft beer and delicious blueberries, the west coast of Michigan has a lot to offer in the summertime. We had the chance to spend a week at our beloved Weko Beach in Southwestern Michigan while we attended Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff in serene St. Joseph. It was rejuvenating. I would paint in the morning and early afternoon before walking to the beach for a dip in Lake Michigan with the family. Of course, the night would be finished off with a gorgeous sunset and a s'more or three.
The best helper around | St. Joseph, MI
Lake Michigan sunset | Weko Beach - Bridgman, MI
As our little baby continues to grow, the Scamp seems to be getting a little bit smaller, and we're currently looking at other camper options for next year. Suggestions are welcome - we need something smallish, lightweight and preferably unique. Our plan hasn't changed; we'll keep touring the country, finding walls to hang my art on and new places to discover.
All in all, it's been a wonderful summer living the Scamp life. So far, I've found new homes for over 20 original paintings and numerous prints, shared laughs and stories with folks from all over and made priceless memories with my growing family. We're so grateful for this chance to live out our dreams and thank you for taking the time to follow us on our art adventures.
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The best blueberries | Bridgman, MI