I took the trailer to the Vintage Trailer Jam 2009 in Saratoga Springs (See my photos).  It took 5 long hours to get her there and my truck transmission started acting up before I arrived.  My knees were like jelly, so Brett kindly offered to back her into her designated spot (Thank God!).  But I had her setup and level in no time.  We had a great time learning about restoration costs and tools from Colin Hyde, Brett had a “riveting” talk, Rich gave a good talk on boondocking, and I enjoyed Eleanor’s essential kitchen items for the trailer (Also see Rich Luhr’s blog post about it).  I was sorry to miss the backing up seminar – during which ironically, Brett was backing up my trailer for me.
Friday night I went into Troy and was fed a lovely supper by Corey and Noah and got to meet my new grandpup, Charlotte the lab mix.

Saturday was a red letter day.  I jumped a 1920’s Ford truck with my 1998 F-150 (even with its own woes).  Thanks to Mark and Jen for the picture.

And I finally got my trailer inspection done by Colin Saturday night.  He answered all my questions about the timing and order of events and gave me many insights I would have had to discover the hard way.  I was on cloud-nine until it was time to head home Sunday morning with a wacky transmission and 4500 lbs of aluminum in tow.  I got home and had a victory supper with Craig, Marc, Carol, and Mom. Thanks to Carol and Marc for being my backup plan if the truck died and for the delicious roasted vegetable pasta salad.

Ok, I finally got everything working enough to pass inspection.  The last thing was the break-away switch, which was basically ornamentation.

  

I sure hope there is a VTJ09 (VTJ08). The folks at Airstream Life, GSM Vehicles, and Vintage Trailer Supply did a G-R-E-A-T job of getting this first jam organized. Feel free to take a look at my VTJ photos from the weekend and if you see an errant caption, let me know.

I was a “walk-in” and went without a trailer (sorry, Rosie) and stayed with my daughter in Albany. I learned a great deal from Rich (photos and life on the road), Colin (left – talking about structural integrity), Steve (finding parts) and Suzanne (designing the interior). The generator and satellite seminars were also interesting.

One of the highlights of my weekend was getting to meet Rich’s daughter Emma. I wish I had my camera when Rich invited 8 yo Emma to come up and talk about home schooling and full timing. She has such a wonderful grace about her. I feel as though I know these folks from reading Rich’s “Tour of America” blog and it was a joy to see them in person.

I got to meet lots of friendly people (many from Canada) and dogs and to see over 80 trailers, most of them vintage.

During the week, mom and I found a really easy geocache in the Newman Arboretum of Cornell Plantations. I think mom was more excited than I was. Envision my 70-something mother and a barely-mobile back surgery patient looking under leaves and logs for a plastic container.

Then over the Easter weekend, mom and I took brother Charles who was visiting from Boston back to the plantations and found another easy cache. The picture below was the hint.

So, the last post was 2 weeks before I broke my back (10/15/05) on a railroad track while on a 50 mile training ride to see my mom in Endicott. The first part of the ride was great with the fall colors on the hills and the smell of autumn in the air, but then it started raining and THEN I hit the railroad crossing with its narrow angle to the road and elevated slippery rails. AND it turns out there was actually a train 5-10 minutes out, on a leaf-peeping tour. The track is only used a few times a year. The tourists waved to the crying lady sitting along side of the road amidst the corn fields – to them I was taking a break from my bike ride and part of the quaint scenary, not knowing I had just crawled off the tracks with a broken L5.

After 8 weeks of seeing multiple doctors, having multiple x-rays, CT’s, and MRI’s, I had surgery in December, performed by Dr. Seth Zeidman – a wonderful and competant neurosurgeon with a staff of angels in Rochester, NY.
After a major back reconstruction with anesthesia and blood loss complications, I’m now over 2 months post-op with several months of recovery a head of me. I started PT last week and am amazed how little it takes to exhaust me.

I often look out the window at my neglected little Airstream sitting in the driveway covered with snow. I’m sure there’ll be more damage to the floor from the leaky spots, but she’s waited this long for some tender loving care, I guess she can wait a few more months.

I categorized this post under “Trips” cuz this last 4+ months has been a real trip. One I could have done without, but everywhere you go, there you are (whole and healthy or not).

The Belles-Lettres is not just any book club, its an interesting, literate, fun group of friends. This year’s retreat was held on the east end of Wellesley Island. Besides laughing and eating nonstop, we took a boat tour of the thousand islands which included a romp through a couple of island castles. One of our best conversations revolved around Katrina and how (repeat after Tree), “the poor are powerless”. The book for the retreat was “To Dance with the White Dog”, about an older man and his battle to maintain independence in the face of age and health issues. We’re ready to start a commune for the elderly.

I was gone last week to outstate MN with three very good friends – Louise, Mary, and Barb. You betcha!

We were at Itasca State Park (the grandfather of parks per Louise). We biked around the wilderness area and on the Heartland trail. Among the thrills were walking across the headwaters of the Mississippi, seeing the tallest white and red pines in MN, eating in the big town of Dorset, playing cards, and belly-busting laughter. I hope I can take the trailer out to MN in a year or two 🙁

Before I left for MN, I replaced the gasket on the door. When I came back I replaced the gasket on the small window next to the door. It took hours to scrape off whatever the previous owner had used to adhere the gasket. It seemed more like a heavy brown caulk then an adhesive. The adhesive I got from InlandRV was black and is like epoxy where you have to put it on both sides then stick’em together. I kept them shut for awhile then sprayed them with silicone spray to keep them supple (a maintenance item). They seem to be staying on ok.

I also started caulking – YUCK! I am not too good at it and I messed up a LOT. I got the top of the door and little window, the hot water entry, and the stove vent redone with Vulkem. I also did the sides of the window and door with clear gutter seal. I used a 5 cc syringe to apply the clear sealant (thanks for the idea Fletch!) which was better than the caulk gun or the flexible tube, but my thumbs are raw from yanking on the plunger to fill the syringe.

I’ll be interested to see how the gasket, caulk, and sealant have affected the leaks if we ever get any rain.

Oh yeah and the good news of the day …. the frig works with electricity. I have ice in the freezer!