{"id":1243,"date":"2018-07-31T15:51:13","date_gmt":"2018-07-31T19:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/Soul-Journer\/?p=1243"},"modified":"2018-07-31T16:01:33","modified_gmt":"2018-07-31T20:01:33","slug":"on-to-new-adventures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/Soul-Journer\/?p=1243","title":{"rendered":"On to New Adventures"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever wondered why I called this blog “Soul-Journer”?\u00a0 That’s what we named our sweet little Scamp early in its renovation process!\u00a0 Adapting the word “sojourn,<\/em>” we believed (and still believe) that traveling and getting out in nature is seriously good for one’s soul.\u00a0 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. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After more thought, discussions, and “reality checks,” however, we made the decision–for sure<\/em> this time–to sell our trailer.\u00a0 Once again I placed ads in a few places, and–as before–there was immediate interest from people both near and far.\u00a0 \u00a0The first couple who came to see it drove over from the Shenandoah Valley.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 Certainly not the best conditions for showing or looking at a travel trailer!\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Chance encounter or something else?\u00a0 Either way, the Scamp was the catalyst for a new friendship.\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

On Thursday morning, July 26th, I posted an ad for the trailer on our local Craigslist–a classified ad venue I hadn’t used.\u00a0 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<\/em>), and from a woman asking if it had a bathroom (um, no, there’s a pic of the porta-potty in the ad…).<\/p>\n

The next email that popped in was from a woman who said that she and her husband would love to come look at it.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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!\u00a0 Wow!<\/p>\n

I could feel<\/em> her excitement in these email exchanges, and I understood<\/em> it.\u00a0 Four, five years ago I<\/em> 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!\u00a0 And when, in another email, she mentioned it was their anniversary<\/em> (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<\/em> weekend in November 2014.\u00a0 I had a strong feeling that our baby would be going home with them….<\/p>\n

When they arrived at 4 p.m., the woman hopped out of the car, looked at the trailer and exclaimed, “There she is!!\u00a0 What’s her name?”\u00a0 (Yep.\u00a0 I liked this lady! \ud83d\ude42 )<\/p>\n

As before, there was a full disclosure as we showed it.\u00a0 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<\/em> things about the trailer; and just talked (non-stop!), in general!\u00a0 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\u00a0another<\/em> new friend!<\/p>\n

As I’d expected, they wanted to buy it.\u00a0 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<\/em>\u00a0perfect camper made it so much easier!<\/p>\n

Over the last few days, I’ve reflected on all of the experiences we’ve had since this little trailer followed us<\/em> home, and I’ve realized that the overriding emotion now is not sadness, but\u00a0gratitude.<\/em><\/p>\n

We feel blessed and incredibly thankful for our years as Scamp owners.\u00a0 As Wayne and I worked together towards the common goal of renovating an empty shell<\/em>\u00a0into a comfortable and functional mobile\u00a0shelte<\/em>r, it solidified our relationship.\u00a0 Simply put, we’re good partners.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a0teaching<\/em> beginning sewing and starting a sewing-related service program at our school to benefit\u00a0SewPowerful.org<\/a>,\u00a0 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/em> the end result of hard work:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/Soul-Journer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Scamping-072617-Campfire.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I hope they will fix it up to suit them, and love her as much as we have.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Goodbye, sweet Soul-Journer, we will miss you!\u00a0 Be a good girl and enjoy your next big adventure!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~ The End ~<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you ever wondered why I called this blog “Soul-Journer”?\u00a0 That’s what we named our sweet little Scamp early in its renovation process!\u00a0 Adapting the word “sojourn,” we believed (and still believe) that traveling and getting out in nature is seriously good for one’s soul.\u00a0 Even when our trailer was still an empty shell, we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[13,6,22,5,20,8],"class_list":["post-1243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures","tag-16-foot-scamp","tag-camping","tag-decorative-covers","tag-scamp","tag-spare-tire-cover","tag-travel-trailer"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6ap3J-k3","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/Soul-Journer\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/Soul-Journer\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/Soul-Journer\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/Soul-Journer\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/Soul-Journer\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1243"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/Soul-Journer\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1290,"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/Soul-Journer\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243\/revisions\/1290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/Soul-Journer\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/Soul-Journer\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/Soul-Journer\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}