For the last decade this little camper has been my home away from home. We bought it when our first son was a mere babe. This beautiful camping spot is where we have tried to spend as much of our summer as we can possibly manage. We camp next to a wonderful watercolor artist named Pomona, who lives in a little scamp, and we watch the weather and the light change over Pedernal and the mesas that surround us.

This little pop-up has seen us through camping with tiny babies, terrible storms, unbearable heat, icy cold, stomach flus, and many, many good times. It has been our home base for races, and art trips, family reunions, and excursions. Friends and family have joined us over the years, and it has been base camp for many a tent village. The tiny kitchen serving parties of 30 or more, meal after meal.

We probably outgrew our little base camp years ago, but as it gets cranky around the edges, we have decided perhaps it should be home to a less rambunctious crew, so we have found a new family for her, and tonight is our last night in our little camper.

People often ask how we have instilled the love for the outdoors in our children. We often joke that perhaps it has something to do with the 6 of us living in our little camper most of the summer, where there is just enough room to sleep, but not enough room to change your mind. It has been a good rig, and a wonderful home away from home.