Hullo, everybody.
Would like to introduce ourselves. Joe and Cathy McGaughey. Bought our '62
International at the turn of the century, has been in storage and just now
am able to start working on it. Can everyone stand another 'how we found
our little jewel' story? Wellll, my husband, Joe, and I were driving down
45 into Galveston, just past the causeway when he saw an old travel trailer
for sale by an RV park. He whisked our car off the road toward the trailer
so fast I nearly fell out the door. We had discussed buying a travel
trailer about 2 years before and agreed that we were not that close to
retirement yet and wouldn't have time to use it much as we both worked -
classic case of ignorant thinking. As he disappeared into the office to ask
price, I sat in the car with a huge frown on my face looking at the worst
piece of junk I thought I had ever seen. Add to that is the fact that I am
claustrophobic and it looked like a death capsule from star trek to me. My
husband didn't come out of the office so after a few min. of silent cussing
I got out of the car and, being the generous soul I am, went over to the
death capsule and begin to try to find SOMETHING good about it.
The minute my hand touched the warm, tarnished aluminum skin at the end of
the trailer by the rockguard and rusted out propane tanks, I fell in love.
My husband came out of the office to find me literally leaning on it with
arms outstretched, soaking up the feel of 'Airstream'. He had talked the
park owner down to $650 and had come out to ask me what I thought. I
haven't stopped yet telling him what a brilliant man he is, about this
purchase anyway.
Well, to bring ya'll up to present time... We hooked up our treasure to the
surburbon and towed it home, 5 miles, after we had someone come out and tape
up the rear belly pan which was half off and trailing the asphalpt. Did I
mention it had been set up as a live-in and the last tenants had painted the
walls and cabinets black and used chalk to decorate with? All in all, I
think the poor thing was desperate for someone to love and appreciate it and
that it reached out to me that day. Call me sentimental, OK.
Our neighbors were not. They ALL hated it on first site and went so far as
to call the city and have the code inforcement offices out to demand we
remove it from the neighborhood! It was just setting there in front of our
garage ON OUR OWN PROPERTY NOT IN THE STREET, I had become quite proud of
it, too, after surfing the net and getting values and other personal stories
about Airstreams. Life is not fair. We located a local RV park that would
store it for us and took it there to be visited every week and checked on
too frequently (per the RV park manager who I think decided we didn't trust
him to keep it safe - but he DID say several people asked him about buying
it) It was in storage 2 years there.
We moved to East Texas, bought an acre of land and finally had the baby
towed home. It sat there 2 years and was top on the list of things we
needed to do and projects to start. Mistake... never move close to your
grown kids and think you will ever again have time to get anything done in
your life time.
How we longed for the simple life again. We moved to Garrison, TX just
before Christmas and towed the baby out here last month. The house we bought
has an RV hookup right beside it. We bought a 1999 Ford F250 with a V10 in
it. (Surburbon was stolen in Galveston the week before we moved away) We
are READY!
Let's get goin' on the fixin',
CAT