Where (and who) is Tiffany?

Wonderful Women in Waxahachie

Sister #1, SOTF Founder Maurrie Sussman and I had the pleasure to represent our Sisterhood at this event within an event. The big event being the Crossroads Film & Music Festival put on by the Waxahachie Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Texas Draw

It was an over the top event and drew so many "Wonderful Women" campers & attendees to it. I fell in love with the Texas Sisters I met, the locals, the town, the history and local tastes and color. The blue bells were still in bloom for us and the weather was kind of classic for Texas- gorgeous until the flash flood downpour hit! If my husband's ex wasn't from Texas, I would've make a seriously hard pitch to relocate from Boise there and may have had a chance! C'est la vie, y'all...

The Stories

There are so many great stories to tell from this event but there was a first-time camper there who tells hers so well and when we asked if we could share her blog article about her experience this was her reply:

"Thank you. I wish I had more time to spend with everyone as well. I hope our paths cross again and we get a chance to camp out or hangout. I enjoyed my time hanging out with so many likeminded people. I walked away with a whole new perspective and love for camping. Yes, please share. I created the blog to inspire, encourage and give hope to those that dream of traveling or traveling solo. Thank you for reading my story. Part 2 will be up on May 13."

Her Story

Tiffany attended this event as a tent camper having not camped much and wanting a sense of what women campers were all about. Here is the link to Tiffany's blog article. Enjoy her story and her amazing photos:

BEST FIRST CAMPING TRIP EVER

 

Making a Big Scene in Roundtop Texas

Sisters "Wander Inn"

Sisters on the Fly, the largest (and possibly most festive) women’s outdoor adventure group in the country,recently brought their seventy-five retro-fitted trailers to the Junk Gypsy’s Wander Inn (also known as Gypsyville) in Round Top for a four-night campout. Founded in 1999 and currently boasting about 4,500 active members, the Sisters convene at outdoor-friendly locales around the country to go on camping trips, horseback rides, fishing excursions, and other adventures.

SOTF Badges

The lively crew even earns badges for achievements, but the Girl Scouts this isn’t—you get the naked nymph badge, for example, by streaking in a semi-public spot. Members range in age from their early forties to their late seventies, and each woman has a different story for how she joined Sisters on the Fly.

Texas Monthly Magazine Coverage

Read full article and view fun images HERE

Featured photo by Cameron Gott.

 

Quilting from the heart, for the soul

Blog post submitted by Maurrie Sussman, Sister # 1 & Co-Founder of Sisters on the fly.

***

Once upon a time, I too had a dream.

On a quiet day in Montana, I was busy making quilts for two of my neighbors who had cancer. Both were friends and I love my friends with my heart and soul. I took them each one and walked away.

A few months later, Lucille approached me with an idea. Could I pass this quilt on? She went on to explain how much attention the quilt had received while she was undergoing chemo treatments. The life of the "Traveling Quilt" was born. The year was 2007.

Since that time, SOTF has sent out hundreds of quilts to our Sisters, to Sisters' friends, to Sisters' grandchildren, to Sisters' husbands, and to their friends by request. We ask that they be returned in order to pass on the group love and hugs and blessings for the next person in need. Many of our quilts are never returned, therefore I have to make new ones. Not enough yet!

So I asked Sisters on the fly to help out. To help me find used ones from other sources. To help make them and  send fabric and parts to me. For 11 years now Sisters on the fly members have been doing this. The life of the "Traveling Quilt on the fly" was created!

In the past 11 years, I have received the most wonderful thank you cards, cards from families who return the quilts because their beloved loved one went over the rainbow bridge to a better place. I have even made quilts for the passing of animals. All in all it has been a most emotional and wonderful adventure.

Each quilt has a personal patch hand-embroidered with a name, then hand stitched to the quilt. It is stitched on the back. If you ever received & returned a Quilt on the fly, then your patch is included with other patches on that lovely, blessed quilt that has comforted, kept warm, held, cuddled and sopped up endless tears. It has added puppy kisses, kitties, grandchildren’s plucking and friend's hands. All of that love and prayers are held in one quilt.

We will continue this program for as long as we receive requests for comfort offered in the form of a quilt. But unfortunately, I don’t have the financial resources to create new quilts that can be kept by those who receive them. If Sotf members would like to participate in this program and create their own quilts that can be kept by a recipient they identify, we encourage them to do that, too.

Love to all,

Maurrie

Service through Friendship: The Sisters on the Fly Response to Hurricane Harvey

Sisters on the Fly is perhaps best known for its love of travel, fun, and caring restoration of display of vintage trailers. But what is not as obvious to those who enjoy following these adventurers is the fierce and unwavering dedication they show to one another. Sisters on the Fly is above all else, a network of women who support each other through thick and thin. That's why, in the wake of the damage and devastation of Hurricane Harvey, the entire organization rallied to support those impacted.

The Sisters stay close to one another and have many hubs of contact to stay connected. So, when news of the extent of the devastation of Hurricane Harvey hit the community, the group was quick to act. Within days, the organization had formed a Facebook Group to put all those who were impacted by the Hurrican and all those who are eager to support those impacted in communication with each other. Sister on the Fly staff member and daughter to the founder, Tara Lowder, provided the group with a list of all the Sisters that were in the area of impact and the list included upwards of 100 names.

The group reached out to each Sister to check in on her needs and paired her with a Sister who was able to help out. Sisters who could offer rooms opened their homes (or their trailers! or trailer parking places!) to those in need. Other Sisters sent care packages and some made donations to groups recommended by those close to the scene. And, in that very Sisterly way, phone calls were made between Sisters to offer love, care and a listening ear to those dealing with the shock of the event.

As the group of helpers grew, another plan was forming. Dates and logistics were put into place for a cleanup day! Sisters used the networking and event sharing tools available to members to create the first ever, "Sister Corps Work Event," and within an hour of the event taking sign -ups, 22 Sisters had already joined.

The event posting, shared through the efforts of Wrangler Leeann Moore reads,
"NOW, we are being called to service on a large scale due to the catastrophic events of hurricanes and fire. So, we are responding! The term “corps” means a group of people engaged in a particular activity. We coined the term “Sister Corps” to recognize that within Sisters on the Fly, we have a devoted group of people engaged in the particular activity of going into an area and assisting in cleanup and rebuilding."

This event and all the efforts to date, are an example the power of what's possible when women come together in a united front with dedication to not just enjoying their time together but of taking care of those in need.

Want to help? If you're a Sister, consider joining the November 9th Sister Corps Event, or join the Sisters on the Fly Hurrican Harvey Relief Group.

If you're not yet a Sister, considering joining to attend this and other future Sister Corps event!