Glamping/Shamping

Well, we did it.  After 20 years of waiting, we finally bought another travel trailer.  And, not just any travel trailer, a retro-style trailer.  A Vintage Cruiser.  It's the talk of the neighborhood, as well as the campground, believe me.  People walk by just to ask questions.  Did you restore it?  How old is it?  Is it new?  No, 2 years, and yes.

Let me back up a bit.  I didn't grow up camping.  In fact, I think I remember going one time when I was maybe 4 or 5 years old.  After that, I didn't return to the hobby until after I got married.  My parent's idea of camping was staying in an inexpensive hotel.  For some reason though, I was intrigued by the idea.  Maybe because it wasn't something my family did, or maybe it was just inherent in my DNA.  I don't know.  I just know that I loved it.  The campfires, cooking outside, snuggling in a sleeping bag, all toasty.  It was so much fun.

During the first 3 decades of our marriage, we tent camped.  I even asked for camping equipment for wedding gifts.  Hard to believe, I know!  We had everything though, from a huge tent to a camp stove, and lanterns.  We camped almost every weekend.  And after we had children we would drag them along.  From the Sierra mountains to the Pacific Ocean, from Mexico to the San Juan Islands, we camped.  It was truly one of my favorite things to do with our kids.

One such trip up north took us to our first travel trailer.  It was sitting all by itself with a sad little "for sale" sign.  It was so tired looking, small (16 ft) and in need of a total restoration.  I immediately fell in love.  My idea was to rehab it, sell it for a good amount, and then buy the one I really wanted.  Even though I didn't know what I really wanted at that time.  I still had an idea, dreams, so many dreams.  I talked my husband into purchasing that tiny little trailer from a little old man.  We hooked it up to our minivan and away we went.  Fortunately, we were on our way home.

We parked it in our driveway and went to work.  New upholstery, new countertops, new everything. Lots of scrubbing, mopping, and Windex-ing and once we were done, we put her up for sale.  I sold her in just a couple of days for 3 times the amount I paid for her.  And although I was sad to see her go, I was ready to hunt for my next project, I mean adventure.

We found her right away, a 22 ft travel trailer--again in need of some tender loving care.  However, once my husband saw what I had done with the previous trailer he was all for buying my newest conquest, and soon she was all mine.  I didn't have to do very much.  Mainly some deep cleaning, a little painting and we were ready to go.  We took her up and down the west coast for almost 10 years with our 3 kids.  I loved every minute of camping in her.  She kept us warm and cozy, dry, and safe.  We played games, had fun meals, and made memories.  It was awesome.

And then we had to sell her.  I felt like I was losing a child, but we were moving across the nation and couldn't take her with us.  We ended up selling her to some friends and then proceeding to basically give up camping altogether for just about 20 years.  Looking back, it's really hard for me to believe.
I loved it that much.  However, the kids were growing up, getting married, going to college and those 20 years just flew by.

That traveling bug, that trailer bug, that camping bug never really left me though.  So, I began to look.  Just look.  I priced them, checked on towing them, looked at floor plans, went to every single dealership within 30 miles, and even went to a couple of RV shows.  The bug to purchase another one just grew and grew and grew.

Until one day I found her.  I showed the ad to my husband--he said, let's go look.  I said, don't tease me--he said he wasn't.  I said, let's go!  So we did.  We pretty much bought her on the spot.

She is adorable.  23 ft long, with all the amenities I could ask for.  I love her.  She didn't need any fixing up, however, I wanted to put a little bit of me into her, so I added an interior decal, hung some shelves, some hooks, some cubbies, a clock and now she looks like me.  We've taken her out twice now and had a blast.  We have several more trips planned throughout the fall before we winterize her, and then we'll be off again.  I've even named her.  She's Cora, the cruiser.  She's being pulled by Dora, my Explorer.  Don't laugh, I name things.

This little endeavor of ours has really been a blessing in disguise.  Who knew we'd be dealing with a pandemic and unable to travel out of the country?  And with camping being the safer option now, it's driven RV sales up 600%.  And no, that's not a typo.  Everyone is doing it.  So, we have plans.  Many plans.  Camping (really glamping) along the eastern seaboard, shopping (aka shamping) in all the cute little towns, and eating lobster rolls to our heart's content.  We'll camp on Michigan's 3rd coast. We'll camp with friends, our adult kids, and hopefully take some grandkids with us too.

Oh, our dog.  Yes, we take our dog.  She's a very silly Sheltie, with a bigger than life personality, and she seems to have taken to camping flawlessly.  She's a great camper.  Her bed rests under the dinette table, that's her place.  She's got her chewies and dog food and water bowls and seems very content. Normally, she can be a barker, but camping?  Nope, never.  She's super quiet, she just listens to those other bad dogs in the campground and rolls her eyes.  Silly dogs.  But, our dog?  She's awesome.

It's funny now that I think about this--that the camping bug never really left me.  It just laid dormant, waiting.  Waiting for what?  Me.  Just waiting for me.  I've now got my tiny house on wheels, my little apartment.  She's so cute.  So cozy.  So very special.  I know that my husband and I will make many happy memories in her as we travel the country--camping, shamping and glamping, one campsite at a time.

And, once again, I am doing something I really love doing.

God, help us all

We are now up to over 130,000 deaths in the USA due to the COVID-19 virus.  We did not flatten the curve as intended.  Our entire nation has spiked in numbers again.  And after all that--after the shutdowns, after the small business owners lost their livelihoods, we have failed at bringing our nation out of this crisis.  It's July, for Pete's sake, and the number of deaths has doubled since May.  How much worse will it get, how many more will die?  Please, God, help us.

It seems to me there is such a lack of leadership in our nation.  Everyone is either calling the pandemic a hoax or saying that it's not that serious (it's just like the flu, after all); however, more and more people are being infected every day.  To me, it seems that everyone is wearing blinders.  Our pandemic response team was abandoned, no one is listening to the experts, and people are just doing as they wish.  Our administration pulled out of the World Health Organization and is now telling the country not to listen to the CDC.  Seriously? 

I wonder what it will take?  What will change the hearts and minds of the men and women of this nation?  I watched our president spew hatred over the 4th of July weekend.  I listened to him trying his hardest to push us apart rather than pull us together.  He doesn't even try to unify us as a nation.  He doesn't wear a mask, and he doesn't social distance, so in turn, neither do his followers.  And the vicious cycle starts all over again.  And not just the virus--the hatred, the bigotry, and the violence. 

Europe doesn't even want us right now; we aren't allowed to travel there nor to Canada--because we aren't taking care of our citizens as we should.  The whole of the world feels sorry for us as we are being led to death and destruction.  What a shame.  How many more will die at the hand of this man?  How many more years must we suffer at the hands of this wolf in sheep's clothing?  I wonder.  And I pray.  Hard.

I want this blog to not only reflect my thoughts and insight concerning my world views but to also teach my grandchildren to watch carefully and be aware of things like this going on around them. When they become adults, I want them to let their voices be heard.  Stand up for the underdog, and care for others as Christ cares for them.  Go after that one--they are worth it.  Learn from this horrid time in our history.  And pray.  Please, God, teach them to pray.

I'm trying so hard not to become disillusioned.  I'm trying to be positive, to work for the greater good, to give what I have, to share the truth, and to pray.  However, with death looming, destruction being praised, and nothing but dark days ahead, it's so hard.  But I will pray, and I will keep praying, and I won't give up. 

I know that I haven't been blogging lately--for fear of sounding just the way I sound.  I would rather be telling stories of my past and sharing my wonderful memories, but right now, I just feel sad.
Living in this country is breaking my heart and wearing me down.  History is repeating itself, and no one is stopping it.  Please, God, hear my prayer.

Hear the prayers of your daughter, oh God.  Change my heart to reflect your glory, and teach me through this time.