Matt's New Mexico (Formerly Airstream) Adventure
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@Snowy Good question! For those of you who don’t know the joys of freezing temperatures, winterization is basically preparing any kind of fluid filled mechanical or plumbing system for temperatures that may cause said fluid to freeze, expand then damage the housing within which it’s contained. Houses, boats, trailers all need to be properly drained of water or other fluids that can freeze before being stored in freezing temps. Basically all the water lines, faucets and filters in the trailer will need to be replaced. I’d be way more pissed if we hadn’t bought the trailer for such a steal.
Easy come, easy go.@Chris Yeah there are virtually no rules for having the kids certified as legally educated in the state of TX. No testing, no curriculums to follow. It’s like “Look kids, an armadillo. Science! You pass 3rd grade”.
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Yeah there are virtually no rules for having the kids certified as legally educated in the state of TX. No testing, no curriculums to follow. It’s like “Look kids, an armadillo. Science! You pass 3rd grade”.
Sounds about right. Education is not exactly a priority in this state.
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I'll be heading to the dealer on Saturday morning to pick up The Tin Palace. I'm excited to be getting it back in better shape than I left it. I'm extremely thankful we didn't turn on the water when we were staying in it at my father in law's. That could have been real messy.
We had a small yard sale on Saturday and were surprised a few people picked some things up. We put it outside the fence and sat in the yard drinking beer. Then we shouted prices at them and told them to Pay Pal us if they wanted something. We're selling tons of stuff online as well. People will buy anything on Facebook Marketplace it turns out.
But perhaps my hardest journey lies just ahead. I'm going need to make some hard choices about my t-shirt collection. My wife insists 120 is too many. I respectfully disagree.
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On Saturday I drove to VA from MD, 2 hours, to pick up the Airstream. It was a pleasant drive all on my own while my saintly wife managed the children while simultaneously attempting to sell our shit for pennies on the dollar to passerby out of the backyard. The girls wanted to advertise the yard sale by posting a homemade sidewalk chalk marquee that read simply "Live Girls" as they danced in the street. We didn't want to explain the various reasons why this was unacceptable so we just let them play with some bubbles.
The yard sale was a great success. My trip to VA… not so much.
When I got there I was greeted by a showroom full of unmasked employees and patrons, all looking at me in my mask as if I were there to rob the place. Apparently the social distancing guidelines in VA are more lax than those in MD. I inspected the inside of The Tin palace only to find a heavy layer of dirt and grease all over the floor. I asked if that was customary and was told it would be cleaned right away. I then tried to couple the trailer to my truck and found that the battery was dead so the tongue would not extend. Thus I was unable to get my ball hitch under the receiver. I asked if they could help with that as well and was told they'd get right on it.
Flash forward 20 minutes to when I go back inside to make sure help was on the way and I was told everyone was at lunch and I should do the same to wait for their return. No big deal, I needed to eat. I spotted a Bojangles Chicken & Biscuits across the way and got a little excited since we don't have those near me. I became overwhelmed with the menu choices, which is normal for me when perusing a new menu, and ordered something called the Cheddar Bo Biscuit sandwich with fries and a sweet tea. I was disappointed to find out this was nothing more than a grilled cheese on a biscuit, which on its own was pretty good, but when you're expecting chicken, not at all the same. I ate my cheesy biscuit, all the while wondering if the unmasked and ungloved Bojangles employees had passed their Coronavirus along to me, then returned to the dealer to find someone cleaning the trailer floor. Wonderful.
Next I was met by a mechanic who tried various methods to get the tongue to retract so I could place a block under it making it extend high enough to get my truck attached. He had no idea why it wouldn't start. He shuffled off muttering something about getting a trailer for someone else. I'm not entirely sure he even worked there. A few minutes later a more seemingly competent man approached me and knew exactly what was going on. Someone forgot to turn the electrical system off which in turn drained the battery. We got it working again and I was off...
Two. Hours. Later.
The drive home was long but fortunately uneventful. That is, of course until I reached my father in law's. There I need the back the trailer up his 200 yard driveway, with multiple S turns, and at a 20 degree incline. We used his truck the last time which is lower to the ground so when I tried the rear bumper sitting lower dug into the driveway while he drunkenly insisted I was fine and should gun it. I did not, because I know better, and insisted he get his truck to finish the job. Meanwhile we were totally blocking his cul de sac, which is normally pretty quite but on Saturday was evidently hosting a Shriner's Parade.
We got it up that hill and there it sits waiting for us to start slowly moving things into it. Hopefully this weekend.
When all was said and done it was a 10 hour day for me. I'm sorry I didn't get any meaningful photos. I was tired and sweaty and my hands were full with other tasks. I'll try to get something together once we start packing up.
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Hope this goes smoother,
looking for ward to updates….. -
You should definitely give Bojangles another go, though. Personally, I recommend either the Cajun Filet biscuit or the Country Ham and Egg biscuit.
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Gotta Whanna needa gotta hava Bojangles.
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Watching your kids sob silently while looking out the window at their childhood home for the last time was perhaps one of the most sobering moments of this entire experience for me. Yesterday we took them along with 2 truckloads of stuff out to my father in law's where we're staging the final weeks of our travel prep. The house closes on Wednesday but my wife and I have already signed the paperwork. We've sold so much stuff. We're either selling or taking with us, no trash!
On Monday my wife and I will take the rest of our stuff out and then we'll start loading up The Tin Palace. She'll be cleaned up, packed up and ready for full time tiny living in no time so I'm pretty hyped to start getting some photos posted. Maybe one of me in cut off shorts and a half shirt washing the truck and the trailer will hold you guys over until we start hitting up the parks…
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I’m looking forward reading about your adventure, and with lots of photos of course.
I admire you and your family for taking this bold step
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We’ve been in the trailer for a week now and there’s definitely going to be an adjustment period. Imagine living on a submarine but instead of sexually frustrated sailors you have small children who just want to break everything.
I like it though. I’m excited to disembark in July for our maiden voyage to Trap Pond State Park in Delaware.
Yesterday we decided to pull up the vinyl floor in my wife’s closet after accepting that the smell of mold wasn’t dissipating. The plywood was soaking wet and the underside of the vinyl was covered in mold. Not what I wanted to see but I wasn’t surprised. Fortunately no rot. I can live with some slightly mismatched vinyl flooring. We were worried that we’d have to take it in again to discover where the water was coming from and I have no real confidence in the dealer anymore after being told everything was fine. However…
Wife Detective to the rescue!!! She noticed that the exterior rivets punched into the bolt bracket mounts on that side had no caulk covering them. They did in the other side but the person at the factory must have taken a smoke break after doing that side then forgot where he left off.
Some silicone filler should stop the leak. There were three brackets on that side. About 20 rivers in total. Unbelievable. Ultimately all this troubleshooting is helping us get to know the trailer better.
Today’s unforeseen expenses will include a small dehumidifier and some vinyl flooring.
