On to New Adventures

Have you ever wondered why I called this blog “Soul-Journer”?  That’s what we named our sweet little Scamp early in its renovation process!  Adapting the word “sojourn,” we believed (and still believe) that traveling and getting out in nature is seriously good for one’s soul.  Even when our trailer was still an empty shell, we knew it would someday provide a fun way for us to “soulfully sojourn” and enjoy the natural wonders of our state parks and other scenic places. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

After more thought, discussions, and “reality checks,” however, we made the decision–for sure this time–to sell our trailer.  Once again I placed ads in a few places, and–as before–there was immediate interest from people both near and far.   The first couple who came to see it drove over from the Shenandoah Valley.

It had been raining all day, and when they arrived that evening, hordes of mosquitoes seemed determined to suck all the blood out of any human who dared to venture outside.  Certainly not the best conditions for showing or looking at a travel trailer!  While these folks ultimately decided not to buy it due to the needed repairs, the woman and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each other.  Chance encounter or something else?  Either way, the Scamp was the catalyst for a new friendship.  🙂

On Thursday morning, July 26th, I posted an ad for the trailer on our local Craigslist–a classified ad venue I hadn’t used.  Right away I received an inquiry from a guy asking if I’d be willing to trade (sorry, no–didn’t even ask for what), and from a woman asking if it had a bathroom (um, no, there’s a pic of the porta-potty in the ad…).

The next email that popped in was from a woman who said that she and her husband would love to come look at it.  She asked if I would please, please hold it until they could get here, since it would take them 3 or 4+ hours, depending on traffic.  When I responded that I would be happy to hold it–and gave her my address–she emailed a quick reply saying they were in their car and on their way!  Wow!

I could feel her excitement in these email exchanges, and I understood it.  Four, five years ago I was the one checking Craigslist for reasonably-priced Scamps anywhere within a day’s drive–and it took us about a year to find and buy this one!  And when, in another email, she mentioned it was their anniversary (which is why they’d taken the day off and could drop everything to do an unexpected road trip), I smiled, thinking of how we’d gotten the Scamp on my birthday weekend in November 2014.  I had a strong feeling that our baby would be going home with them….

When they arrived at 4 p.m., the woman hopped out of the car, looked at the trailer and exclaimed, “There she is!!  What’s her name?”  (Yep.  I liked this lady! 🙂 )

As before, there was a full disclosure as we showed it.  We showed them EVERY issue we were aware of; talked about possible places to look for the leak that had caused the damage to the floor; talked about all of the wonderful and fun things about the trailer; and just talked (non-stop!), in general!  We discovered a lot of common ground and common interests, and I was awed by the fact that the Scamp had just arranged for me to meet another new friend!

As I’d expected, they wanted to buy it.  And while we were still sad at the thought of her leaving us, knowing that this Scamp would be going to a wonderful home with people who were excited to make her into their perfect camper made it so much easier!

Over the last few days, I’ve reflected on all of the experiences we’ve had since this little trailer followed us home, and I’ve realized that the overriding emotion now is not sadness, but gratitude.

We feel blessed and incredibly thankful for our years as Scamp owners.  As Wayne and I worked together towards the common goal of renovating an empty shell into a comfortable and functional mobile shelter, it solidified our relationship.  Simply put, we’re good partners.

  

  

  

  

Working on the trailer gave us the opportunity to use our creativity in new ways, and it also challenged both of us to learn new skills. Because of the Scamp, I was motivated to learn to sew, and now, in addition to teaching beginning sewing and starting a sewing-related service program at our school to benefit SewPowerful.org,  it’s led to an official business (as of July 2018), as well as to the creation of some unique products that I’m making and selling on Etsy.

As Scamp owners, we’ve met genuinely nice people and kindred spirits (in person and on the internet–there are several groups on Facebook related to these trailers), and just as importantly, we discovered how rewarding it is to sit back, relax, and simply enjoy the end result of hard work:

 

  

  

  

We will always treasure our time with this trailer, and we are thankful for all of the soul-gifts and memories she gave us over the last several years.  As we watched her new owners drive up the road and out of sight on their long trek home, I whispered a prayer for safe travels.  I hope they will fix it up to suit them, and love her as much as we have.

Goodbye, sweet Soul-Journer, we will miss you!  Be a good girl and enjoy your next big adventure!

 

 

~ The End ~

 

 

 

 

Camping Trip – July 11-13, 2018

What do you do when you want to go camping, but still have things you need to do in the real world?  Keep it local!  One more time, we headed up to Misty Mountain Camp Resort.   Yay!  Our Scamp was all dressed up with somewhere to go.  🙂

 

We stayed in site #59 again, and after we had everything set up and got the A/C in the trailer turned on (it was in the 90s), we went to the pool.  Yes, there are perks to mid-week camping–we had the pool to ourselves!

After we got back to the trailer, Wayne needed to go check on something at the house, and I decided to stay and take a nap in the trailer.  I fell right to sleep, but after 20 minutes I startled awake when I felt the trailer move!  It literally felt like someone had pushed on the tongue of the trailer and quickly moved it side to side.  WTH?!  As I jumped up and peeked out the windows, an app on my phone alerted me to a severe thunderstorm warning.  Had the shaking been caused by thunder?!

I didn’t hear any thunder–and there was no more shaking–but when Wayne got back about 10-15 minutes later, he said he’d run into a crazy-strong storm just east of the campground by a couple of miles!

While this storm didn’t make a direct hit at Misty Mountain, radar showed that another one was coming right towards us from the west.  We  scurried around hoping we’d be able to quickly get our soup heated up on the camp stove, but we weren’t quick enough…

As a result, “first dinner” wound up being yogurt and popcorn in the trailer.

  

It literally poured for a while, but at least we were comfortable and dry in the trailer….

When the rain tapered off to light sprinkles, we decided to try cooking again.

  

Better, even though we did have to eat inside!

  

The next morning was clear, beautiful, and much cooler than the previous day.  We left the campground around 7 (yes, 7 a.m.!) and came home to feed and cuddle with Kian, our old Siamese guy.  Next on our to-do list was feeding the feral kitties that we care for.

  

After stopping by the post office to mail one of my spare tire covers to a buyer in Canada, we ate a late breakfast/early lunch.  When we finally got back to the campground, it was time for some serious relaxing.  🙂

And then it was pool time again!

I’m not sure why the water made me look 8 feet tall, but I was totally blissed out!

Love this picture of Wayne:

We stayed in the pool for over an hour–floating, swimming, and totally enjoying ourselves–before going back up the hill to our campsite. A tiny dragonfly stopped by to visit.

  

We had soup again for dinner, but this time we were able to eat outside on the picnic table.

As it started to get dark, Wayne got a campfire going.

And since we had the fixin’s this time out, S’mores happened!

  

We sat outside by the fire until there was nothing left but embers, thankful that we’d been able to take a 2-day mini-vacation and still keep up with everything else in our busy lives.  We hope to do this again before the summer is over!

Spare Tire Covers – July 3, 2018

It started with the spare tire cover I made for our trailer, which matches the new curtains inside the trailer.

Once I’d figured out how to make them, I was off and running–uh, sewing!

These fun and colorful spare cover tires fit 24″ wide tires.  Our Scamp has been the “model,” and I listed them on our Etsy page.  I’m offering free shipping on these through September 1, 2018.

I’ve also completed a custom tire cover (for a glamper), and I have another custom cover order for a different size spare tire, which is also for a glamper.  Lots of work, but lots of fun, too!

So far it’s been a summer of very little camping, but a whole lot of sewing, drawing, and painting.  Follow us on Instagram to see all the different projects we’re working on! 🙂