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amysemmens · 11-07-2014, 04:21 AM

Just to clarify....did it take ten years to get to this point? I skimmed the middle pages but checked the date on the first post...eek!

pinkflamingoes · 11-11-2014, 11:19 PM

Haha...no, we've had it for 10, but "life" got in the way for a combined 8 years, and the rest of the time it was money. Without that unusually large amount of bad luck and timing, we'd have been at this point after about 2 years, factoring in jobs and life's other challenges and stuff. Now, back to work! ;-)

dbj216 · 11-12-2014, 04:07 AM

There are many reasons our trailer rebuild projects get put on hold. Airstreams are a rather low priority hobby compared to other really important challenges. Your rebuild thread is an interesting portrayal of the trials and tribulations of the great recession. Many of us went backwards during those difficult years. It reminds me of the childhood game of chutes and ladders. So much of life's journey depends on the roll of the dice and the square you land on. I landed on more chutes than ladders, but still count my blessings in retirement.

You are a major player in our Air Forums community. I like mid sixties Trade Winds because I happened to buy one and hope yours will be back in action someday. Keep us updated when you guys figure out the next step in the project.

David

amysemmens · 11-12-2014, 11:30 PM

Time & Money....there's never enough of either!

pinkflamingoes · 12-02-2014, 01:09 AM

Oh David! What a lovely thing to say. Thank you!

So the 12 hours a day/6 days a week/ night shift stint is over for the big guy. He brought home some serious $$ and had four days off for Thanksgiving!

And he just came home tonight and announced that he might be sent to Alaska!

SMH!

I'm not complaining. 6 months ago I was crying every day while we were battling the bank to keep our house. We were successful, he's now healthy and working steady, and we are thankful. The company wants to send him off-site because they trust him to do the job right. Life is good.

David, in acronym talk that means Shaking My Head or Smacking My Head. And right now DH is Dog-Tired Husband.

dbj216 · 12-02-2014, 06:02 PM

I'm happy you folks found a little to be thankful for this holiday season. Generally speaking, I find folks who work hard usually do better. You folks work very hard, I'm sure some breaks are coming your way. Alaska is beautiful, but cold in the winter. Like Minnesota.

I am not making much progress on my 66 Trade Wind. I was called back out of retirement and agreed to work full time this winter. So it's just weekends for me. I've picked off the silicone, picked out the gunk in the seams, and I'm nearly ready to reseal the trailer. Then I'll leak test it. I wonder how many leaks I'll find.

Take care

David

pinkflamingoes · 12-10-2014, 05:41 PM

Northern California is expecting an ENORMOUS rain storm tomorrow. if it floods high and our airstream floor is ruined I am going to fall on the ground and scream and cry and kick my legs and thrash my arms and throw a tantrum.

dbj216 · 12-10-2014, 07:42 PM

Rain is a good thing, required for all life. You have been so dry for so long. Go out and dance in it. It's too bad the rain comes all at once, but you deserve the rain after the drought.

Tape some plastic over the openings in your trailer. Maybe you can quick jack up your trailer and put it on jack stands during this rainy season just in case, might help a little bit to get it a foot higher. Your new floor was well sealed, and the shell is on. So after the storm, mop up any water that leaked in. Maybe run an electric heater in there for a while. It's the floor staying wet for long periods of time that causes the rot.

We don't want any tantrums!

David

pinkflamingoes · 12-11-2014, 01:28 AM

No, you really don't! My tantrums are horrible.

I think the rig will be ok. This storm, if it's as big as they say, will be in the news. they actually closed almost all schools in the SF Bay Area for tomorrow. Even the Chevron refinery sent my husbands guys home for tomorrow.

pinkflamingoes · 05-10-2015, 04:43 PM

The day is here; pinkflamingoes is selling the baby. The usual reasons, time, money, energy, priorities.

Take a look at classifieds soon.

amysemmens · 05-10-2015, 05:19 PM

😞😞😞😞

pinkflamingoes · 05-10-2015, 05:32 PM

Yeah...but there are other Airstreams out there...we havent thrown in the towel on living in aluminum quite yet. Part of it is that Airstreams aren't camping trailers, they are more for travel. We want to bring the trailer size down...maybe even buy an (older) Sprinter. We don't want to wait years to camp while fixing this one up!

pinkflamingoes · 10-28-2016, 11:34 PM

We are willing to sell for a very low price now...we are no longer able to rehab her or use her within a decent amount of time to enjoy her. Last post information was that my husband had scary blood clots. Well he had a stroke earlier this year, a mild one (TIA is what they call it) He has recovered, we hope. His knees gave out and he had both replaced in July. Recovery isn't going as well as we'd hoped, but it is coming along.

She needs a new floor and for the shell to be put back on to be towable. If anyone is willing to come help with that, you get first dibs on best offer.

If anyone out there is, or knows someone who is, interested in coming out to see her let me know.

I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm looking forward to getting it out of our driveway. I never thought I'd feel this way...sorry for the downer post...

BIGED52 · 10-29-2016, 10:14 AM

Ingrid, So Sorry to hear that you guys will not be able to complete your A/S. I sure understand that the DH medical issues have impacted this decision and hope he is feeling better very soon. You know we all were looking forward to seeing all the amazing work you two were doing finally resulting in your completed project. We will miss your posts and comments on this trailer project. Please feel free to contact me any time if you need to vent. Wishing the Best to You and your family. Your Friend in Illinois, Ed Carver

dbj216 · 10-29-2016, 07:04 PM

Our life's situations are so dynamic. What once was fun becomes a burden very quickly. We all wish your DH back to good health. It is noble to recognize where the priorities are.

You are in a high interest area for vintage Airstream trailers. I'm sure you will have someone take you up on your offer. Your old trailer is famous.

And your Trade Wind thread here is a classic! It should be required reading for anyone undertaking a renovation project on a vintage Airstream. It is a joy to read. Thank you for creating it.

God Bless,

David

pinkflamingoes · 10-30-2016, 05:13 PM

Thank you!

I'll still be around on the board here. Who knows how life goes, we may own an Airstream yet...

If it weren't in the way in the driveway, I would store it and wait until later to work on it, thinking of it as more of a project than something to use often.

I hesitate to encourage anyone to read my thread, because they might get discouraged! If they see our trailer purchase date and the day of this post, they would wonder if we got only as far as we did in 12 years...Everybody, the work stopped around 2007 ish.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm not giving up on a travel vehicle. I want to buy a cargo van and run electrical, put in a bed, grab an ice chest, propane stove, and get going.

BIGED52 · 10-30-2016, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinkflamingoes

Thank you!

I'll still be around on the board here. Who knows how life goes, we may own an Airstream yet...

If it weren't in the way in the driveway, I would store it and wait until later to work on it, thinking of it as more of a project than something to use often.

I hesitate to encourage anyone to read my thread, because they might get discouraged! If they see our trailer purchase date and the day of this post, they would wonder if we got only as far as we did in 12 years...Everybody, the work stopped around 2007 ish.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm not giving up on a travel vehicle. I want to buy a cargo van and run electrical, put in a bed, grab an ice chest, propane stove, and get going.

Ingrid, That sounds like a good plan..... Just get something to use as a "tent" for inclement weather times and the rest is all good! My younger brother took a new commercial Ford van and turned it into a motorhome style van back in the mid 70's that was very comfortable to camp in. He slowly converted it into a "better version' of a conversion van than the industry was building back then and it cost way less than those being sold at the time. I wish you guys could somehow finish your "Dream Stream" but we can only do what we can do! Hope every thing goes smoother for you from here on out. We will be looking forward to hearing from you in the future. Ed

TouringDan · 10-31-2016, 09:53 PM

Ingrid

Sorry about your circumstances.

Do not give up hope. I had both knees "partially " replaced 2 years ago and I feel 10 years younger. Now the recovery is not easy and it really takes about a full year to recover completely. I can now walk, hike and ride my bike with no pain.

Like BigEd said camping is camping. I love my Airstream Tradewind but I also do a lot of tent camping when I am going long distances. I drive my VW Golf, take my kayak and bike and tent camp while getting 40 mpg. Ok, no Airstream, but how about a Cricket or Vista, new for about 20k. The main thing is to get something to camp in and then just go camping.

Good luck. Keep your head up. Just do it.

Dan

pinkflamingoes · 11-05-2016, 07:05 PM

Thank you for all of the encouraging words, everyone.

If we had money and storage for the Airstream, I would probably keep it for working on still. But I simply can't live my life without sleeping in a forest in some fashion soon. We're both feeling boxed into our lives, but hitting the road is not out of our reach if we change our mindset as to what we need.

The van idea is within my skill set with the exception of electrical and solar, and I would be enjoying the build-up and not pulling my hair out over the major structural repair. I learned an AMAZING AMOUNT from these threads and can apply that to the van installation stuff. The Airstream journey I took here was not for naught.

It's nice to hear the recovery can take up to a year. That will help me adjust my worry level. He has been barely able to walk for almost four years now, so this feels like a lifetime...especially for an active couple who used to camp, hike, play softball, etc. That life seems like it has disappeared but if what you say is true, there's hope.

I'm not good with carpentry, so I am taking a basic class at our local community college next semester! Remembering back 30 years to when I took my first college class there so I could transfer to a four year school.

Will keep in touch. Since we still need to get it towable, I'll still have pix to share.

Hugs to all!