Re: [VAC] greetings

[Roger Hakeman <rhakeman@xxxxxxx>]

Greetings, Jim.

I, too have a great deal of respect for full-timers.  I lived in a '70 Safari 23'
for about eight or nine months a few years back; my only experience with
full-timing.  I did, however trailer with my folks when I was young, and have had
a number of trailers and travelled extensively since.  My grandmother lived in a
28' early '50s something all through my preteen and teen years.  When we visited,
we all stayed and slept on the couch and floor.  I have fond memories of growing
up trailering, and I hope my children will as well.

Trailering in general and 'Airstreaming' in particular aren't about taking it all
with you, it's about adventure.  The trailer allows you to take enough of 'home'
to be comfortable during your adventure, but it's not about taking 'home' around
the countryside.  For that most of us need a moving van.

Full timers have found a way to balance taking 'stuff' with the desire to seek
adventure.  That can be a difficult task of itself.  For me, it's not too tough.
I'm not terribly attached to my 'stuff'.  I'd rather experience life.  But for
others, their 'stuff' is their life.  Leaving it is traumatic.

Although it would seem that most of the subscribers to this list are taken with
their trailers (it's certainly true for me...), it's not the trailer itself that
holds the significance; it's that the trailer fits our vision of freedom to
experience life and seek out adventure.  It's another piece of gear that helps
keep us comfortable in our quests.  What we have in common is the love of
adventure, and a fondness for things unique.

It really doesn't matter a whole lot whether your trailer is a showpiece from the
'40s completely restored, or a gutted shell with a cot and a sterno stove.  The
wonder of Airstreams is that they enable you to go and experience places that
others may only dream of.  I don't get to travel as much as I'd like right now,
but just knowing that my A/S is there and ready to go gives me solace and is an
escape from the day-to-day drudgery.

Roger