Is it really camping if...

OK, I have been told this IS NOT camping, but I really must disagree. This weekend I had the opportunity to go with one of my old friends to pick up her new-to-her Casita travel trailer that she bought from a man a few hours north of Fresno. Her kids were with their dad and she was nervous about going alone (OK, I was nervous for her, too), so I said I'd go - it'd be fun to hang out together. Honestly, I really didn't think it would come together and figured I'd be off the hook, while still being a good friend and offering. :o) (Kidding, Lisa!)

Lisa picked me up midday Friday and we had a few stops to make before really getting on the road, so we didn't arrive to her Casita-in-waiting until around 6pm. The convenient thing is that the trailer was parked in the driveway of the seller's mother-in-law, who happened to live next door to the seller. (Now, lest you think we're parked in track homes, this is in the mountain, huge lots, tall redwood trees, etc., so it wasn't as cheesy at it may sound, but we didn't have access to mother-in-law's shower, kitchen, etc.) The seller (Bob) took about an hour showing Lisa how things worked, with a promise to return the next morning and teach her how to hook it up to her truck for travel. Since he was leaving before noon the next day, she would need to be a quick study. After Friday's tutorial, we settled in and cooked dinner on the gas stove in the Casita. There was also a toilet and shower, and though they were about the size of my laptop when opened, when nature called, I was grateful for not having to experience a REAL camp potty. Because we were hooked up to electric, we then fired up the laptop ("Don't leave home without it!" is my motto!) and watched a DVD before bed. Morning brought pancakes, hook-up tutorial, then a trip into Arnold and Murphys, CA for a craft fair and some shopping. Nothing thrills me more than to find something COOL and DIFFERENT at a craft fair and when I saw this booth, I was hooked. I could have spent literally hundreds here. OK, I did spend my fair share - on a Rod purse, of course. :o) It was worth every penny and I plan to add to my collection as time goes on. So...Saturday night meant cooking dinner on a propane stove, another movie and sleeping in the trailer, then a Sunday morning departure and 4 hour drive home. Because the shower was a challenge, I felt dirty, unshaven, with dirty hair, but it was fun to be with my friend and have no agenda.

So...in my mind, I went camping this weekend. And as fun as it was, I think I hear the Marriott calling my name...