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Top 10 Places a Free Spirit Should Wander

I was born with a gypsy soul. For as long as I can remember my dad has called me his little gypsy girl. I think I’ve done well by that nickname. I’ve seen the sun rise over the Atlantic and set over the Pacific, and the gorgeous land that stretches in between. You know, I really love a good road trip, I think it’s my absolute favorite thing to do. In November 2010, I took the most epic road trip via Route 66. Just me and my friend Steph in a white convertible taking in some of the most amazingly weird sights our country has to offer. Everyone should take that trip once in their lifetime. Just take my word for it…

In true gypsy spirit, I’m gonna share with you my top ten favorite places/sites to see. I’m always up for suggestions myself, so feel free to share some of your favorite places to gypsy off to. Before you go, be sure to get yourself a Gypsy Soul Tee from Soul Flower to wear on your travels. When Soul Flower added this item, I couldn’t believe it. If ever a tee was so apropos for me, it’s surely this one.

Cam’s Top Ten Places For All Gypsies To See In This Amazing Land Of Ours

1. Savannah, Georgia— an eclectic mixture of characters in a truly beautiful & historical setting. Pirates, Spanish Moss, & River Street, oh my! Added bonus: it’s home of the ‘Go Cup’, where else can you walk around downtown with a good adult beverage in your hand? The simply isn’t any other place like it.
2. Nashville, Tennessee— the bouncers downtown wear cowboy hats. True Story. Grab your cowboy boots & guitar and head down to Music Row.
3. San Francisco— standing on the corner of Haight & Ashbury felt like an amazing psychic connection to a time I wish I could have been around to see.
4. The Grand Canyon— a place to just go and be small and take it all in. We are a part of something beautiful here on earth.
5. Las Vegas— because if you’ve been, you know why…for better or worse. And, if you haven’t…there is no way I can properly explain it to you. I saw The Beatles Love Show by Cirque, and it was almost a religious experience.
6. Live Oak, Florida— come for Wanee at the Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park, it’s the Allman Brothers Music Festival held annually in April. Last year, we saw the Bros, Widespread Panic, Robert Plant, Steve Miller Band, Stephen Marley, Ween, …and, so many more talented musicians. This year, the Bros will be back headlining with Further, also among many others are Government Mule and Ray Manzarek of The Doors. As a lifelong Doors fan (credit to my dad), I am beyond psyched to see Ray. You can find me down front when he takes the stage…
7. Yasgur’s Farm— the only place on the list I haven’t been to yet, but it’s on my short list for upcoming road trips. I’m gonna go soak up some hippie vibes, who’s with me?
8. Big Sur, California— where the mountains meet the sea. Watching the sun set into the Pacific ocean was a moment I took in in complete solitude & silence…just blessed to have been a witness.
9. Seligman, Az— my favorite Route 66 destination. A small map dot (but, you’re gonna love the scenery on the way there!) serving as a lasting tribute to the Mother Road. Be sure to stay at the Route 66 Motel, eat at the Road Kill Cafe, and pop in at the Snow Cap for a real treat. On the menu? Dead Chicken. That’s what it says 🙂
10. The Rockies & The Appalachian Mountains…for compare & contrast. Okay, I definitely cheated a little on that. But, you really do have to see both.

I haven’t spent much time in the northeast, but my gypsy husband, Berg has and he says NYC is another place to check out. Also, someday I’d like to see the Mall in Washington DC.

Don’t forget to share your travels with me in the comments, buds. And, grab your Gypsy Soul Tee from Soul Flower before you take some trips this summer. Maybe we’ll see you on the road 🙂

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Learn

Restoring a True Travel Happy Bus

Owning a Volkwagen bus, the iconic ‘hippie bus’, is a blast, buds! I own four, a ’79 Bay & a ’67 Kombi will be the ones I keep, but I also have another Bay & another Kombi as parts buses. Basically, I operate on a happy hippie bus vibe. It’s a good place to be.

One thing I can tell you about having a Vw bus… everybody has a story to share of a bus they owned, or someone they know owned, and those stories are usually a hoot to hear. Mainly because Vw buses are finicky little creatures with distinct personalities and particulars. It’s always an adventure in a Vw bus! Another thing is that Vw owners are one eclectic group of peeps. I’ve been introduced to some really flipped-out characters along the way. There’s a strong possibility I’m a flipped-out character myself 😉

If owning a bus is a labor of love, restoring one is a test of endurance. I’ve been working on my ’79 Bay for almost two years. I wanted to be part of the entire restoration. My hands have sanded every square inch of my bus. I was part of the engine removal from my parts Bay. See, that sounds easy enough, but what it really means is that I was crawling all around underneath it and even jumping up and down on a crowbar at one point! I’ve been greasy and I’ve been tired, but I am still in love with that bus.

That’s why the Travel Happy Bus tee is perfect for me! When it popped up on the New! tab, I just laughed out loud. Soul Flower, you just get me….you really do. The tee is made from organic cotton, which makes me happy. It is a soft tee and feels great when you’re wearing it. The color is natural, not a bright white. And, just like the real thing, the Happy (hippie) Bus tee is a conversation starter. People smile when they see you wearing it and they want to know where you got it!

If you’ve caught the bus vibe and just have to have one of your own, my advice to you is to check out Craigslist and the mecca of all things Vw…thesamba.com. Come on and take a free ride, buds! Peace!!

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Stories

Wanee Music Festival & One Happy Camper

I love a good music festival, buds. Specifically, I am in love with Wanee Music Festival in Live Oak, Florida. If you didn’t make it this year, you have 11 months to check out their website and get yourself ready! You don’t want to miss another one! And, we’ll see you there! Look for the Soulflower Peace & Love tapestry, stop in and hang out!

There really are differences between a good concert and a good festival, and if you are not familiar with either…stop reading this review, locate the closest venue, check out their lineup, and make some plans 🙂 For me personally, the music festival is the way to go. You might spend more initially, but you typically get a few days’ worth of several musicians and sometimes even, a place to camp out. Wanee is put on by the Allman Brothers, one of the founding fathers of jam bands. This year, artists like Stephen Marley, Widespread Panic (PANIC!!!), Robert Plant (I saw half of Led Zeppelin, y’all!), Steve Miller (some people call him a space cowboy!), Keller Williams, Ween, etc…showed up to rock us out. And, boy howdy…did they ever rock us out! The music was insanely good! But, I think that what I loved most about Wanee was simply the vibe.

wanee music festival crowd - Wanee Music Festival & One Happy Camper wanee music festival stage - Wanee Music Festival & One Happy Camper wanee music festival goods - Wanee Music Festival & One Happy Camper

Everyone was happy, there were no fights or drama, no one took too much of anything… it was like we were just one big family, probably the Partridges. My husband, Berg, and I camped out along the road to the river, and we saw so many happy hippie people just coasting by on their bikes, faces smiling, and loving the life they live. It was really something to see, buds. I’m still holding on to that happy hippie vibe!

The day Bergman sported his Soulflower ‘Happy Camper’ tee, he was stopped by so many festival friendlies who thought it was Awesome! One vendor kept shouting at us, ‘Hey! It’s the Happy Camper!’ every time we walked by…he thought that shirt was the cat’s pajamas. The days got hot while we were there, so Berg was loving that the tee is constructed of a lightweight material. He didn’t get overheated while wearing it, which is easy to do around here. The color is somewhere in the neighborhood of grayish brown, or if you’re a cup half full kind of person…brownish gray. And, once again, Soulflower honors their commitment to lovin’ Mama Earth by creating this shirt with an organic cotton/recycled PET blend. We’ve seen this tee through several washes now, and there is (as always, happily) no shrinkage to report. The colors are just as vibrant as before, too. All in all, another SCORE! for Team Soulflower…we love this shirt!

So, buds…if you’re a happy camper and you know it, clap your hands and buy this tee!

Play me out, Allman Bros…

Allman Bros ‘Midnight Rider’ by Cam LaBelle on Vimeo

Peace, Love, & Good Tunes, buds!

~Cam

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Our Threads

Free Your Mind Tee

Do you like awesome reminders to live free? Do you like wearing shirts that inspire people to break out in song? Do you look good in blue or black? (of course you do!) If you answered yes to any of the above, then this review is for YOU!

The new ‘Free Your Mind’ tee is the fourth shirt from Soul Flower to have made my face incredibly happy. They were all so diverse with the ‘feel’ being different for each one. The ‘Hunter Tee’ and the ‘Treehugger Tee’ were both very lightweight in construction, and maybe even a little stretchy in composition. The ‘Free’ tee is more like the ‘Soul Flower Block Print’ tee… it feels more like your favorite worn cotton t-shirt. Not too light, not too heavy, but broken in just right.

The design is awesome because it gives off the effect that your t-shirt has been spray-painted. Like, maybe you were just walking to your car one day when out of the blue, someone ran up to you, and tagged your shirt with some fun advice! The process of creation was recently explained on the Soul Flower blog here. The blue and white colors make for a wicked cool contrast. Both are vibrant shades and really Pop! I like a little length to my shirts and this one lands just below my pants pockets. No riding up going on here. It stays just where I like it.

The ‘Free’ tee is my favorite t-shirt so far. I am literally wearing it right now. You should be too. Then, we could sing to each other. ‘Free Your Mind, and the Rest Will Follow.’ You’re singing it right now, aren’t you? 🙂

High-fives, buds…
Cam

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Free Your Mind Tee
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