Beginning A New Chapter

I’ve been working my way up to going camping again. But I went out to our Airstream that we bought together, just to inspect the state of readiness; and I got a whiff of her perfume…

And I had to sit down for several minutes, wiping my eyes, unable to see, barely able to breathe.

When we bought it, we were delighted with it, and enjoyed taking it camping. She especially loved it, because we’d dreamed of having an Airstream for some 20 years.

And then she got too sick to go.

I’d asked once or twice on good days if she’d like to go camping, and she had replied that she just didn’t feel up to it. So I chose to concentrate on the things she could do, rather than the things that she could not do.

And so the Airstream sat, in the upper meadow.

For six years.

I began to pray for wisdom for what to do about the trailer, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this particular trailer was WAY too much for me. It was fine for us and her, as she loved the luxury and the size, and the way that she felt safe to move around inside, even with her reduced mobility. This is something that Airstream does not advertise, yet they should; for people with reduced mobility, these trailers are an excellent fit.

Several good friends helped with wisdom, most especially my best friend since college days, who lost his own wife many years ago: “You have to live your own life. We mourn what has happened, but we have to move on. “

But in considering what to do now, I realized that I needed a serious downsizing. At 8-1/2′ wide, the trailer was difficult to handle on our narrow country roads; when my wife was with me, I could ‘talk out’ my nervousness (and we could pray together) when a semi was approaching from the other direction, taking every inch of his lane. There is also the length – I want to go back to some of the wilderness areas where we used to camp, and a bigger trailer can be a drawback, to the point of excluding you from some places.

I took a look through other manufacturers’ offerings, and their mantra of ‘bigger, taller, longer’ doesn’t fit with my worldview (it never did, actually). And then there were the sacrifices of quality in going with most of those manufacturers from Elkhart, not to mention how difficult it is if your mobility is compromised. I came right back to Airstream because they’re more accessible, and the consistent quality is a known factor.

I began talking to the dealer, finally making a visit. They told me they had just gotten in a 19CB, and it was being prepped and pre-delivery inspected. But, as I was interested in that very size, I would be welcome to take a look at it.

I stepped in, and it was like meeting an old friend. The layout was almost exactly like a trailer we’d owned many, many years ago, that one built by a Northwest manufacturer. We went just everywhere in that trailer, having many good years with it.

I was sold; THIS felt right, was right, IS the right path forward. This new Airstream is EIGHT FEET shorter than the Airstream that I traded in. It pulls and tracks beautifully, like an Airstream.

Most people name their Airstreams, and we were no exception. You register with Airstream, and they send you a nice medallion with your VIN number and the name, ready to mount in a spot on the skin, specifically made for this.

I originally thought of naming the trailer “Song 16″, in honour of my wife and our epic love affair, and the way we would periodically watch (and sing along with) her favourite musical, West Side Story. Song 16 is from the original score, and is the song, “Somewhere”:

There’s a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us, somewhere.

There’s a time for us,
Some day a time for us,
Time together with time to spare,
Time to learn, time to care.

Some day,
Somewhere,
We’ll find a new way of living,
We’ll find a way of forgiving.
Somewhere,
Somewhere . . .

There’s a place for us,
A time and place for us.
Hold my hand and we’re halfway there.
Hold my hand and I’ll take you there
Somehow,
Some day,
Somewhere!

Steven Sondheim

But, I’ve reconsidered. I want to be looking forward, not back. When I was looking at this Airstream, a name had popped into my head, and I’d dismissed it. After spending a few days out with it, I’m going to name it “Dot”. Fits better. A couple of photos in the upper meadow, back from one trip, waiting to go on the next.

The first place I went was the special place we’d been going for decades, but we never got to visit with the Airstream together. We were making preparations, and she had a major setback; so that special trip remained incomplete.

And I saw something in the comics that was especially touching, given that I’m bringing my buddy Thunder with me on these adventures:

When someone asks me, ‘where to, next?’ the old Trekkie in me can’t resist vaguely waving and adding, in the words of Captain Kirk, “Out there… Thataway”.