Hello - Consideri

[Victorialhq]

Hi my name is Vicki and new to the forum. My husband and I have been researching about the Airstream since we have learned I am permantly disabled and he is no longer able to work as of last week. At first I was so upset as we will lose our home and be homeless but the idea of a rv came to thought as we can pay cash our pickup was paid off as of Monday, kids are now grown and gone all we have is ourselves and my yorkies that I used to show. So why not get a rv as our home for awhile then a friend suggested the Airstream as he said they will hold and in time we could just renovate it to what we like .. so that is where I am ... funny 3 yrs ago he and I were driving a semi, showing dogs and horses had the world ... our mistake when I got hurt was thinking all was ok and paying cash for all 3 kids to go to college and buying them cars thinking not a issue because we can earn the money back in 18months ...big mistake there, but it is what it is and living in a Airstream will sure be better than under a bridge. I plan on keeping a few of my Dogs and my best horses a friend has offered to keep them until things look better for us. We had planned on doing this when we retired hahaha but that is not to happen the way we had wished. I figure we are better off getting rid of the house either sell or back to the bank and saving what we do have left and with my ss and that crazy dr says he will be on ss we should be able to make it with everything paid off. Plus we do have a lot of farm equipment to sell and repay the money we will use to buy our future temp home. We thought of Costa Rica as we do meet the money requirements to move there but sheesh the houses the guy sent me had freaking monkeys everywhere .. I do not think I can deal with monkeys coming into my home, the next house he sent he said the cats keep the monkeys away ..ok what size or these cats ? So think I like the idea of the Airstream living and being a gypsy for awhile then we come to the issue of having to have Drs .. see I had a head injury and they think I have to see a Neuro every month such a drag I think it is to take my money to be honest.
Darn I just rambled on here ... sorry I do that when I am scared,unsure and well I just need more advice on this lifestyle as we really don't have a choice... yea we could find a small house but you have rent,bills with it ..plus being truckers guess you could say we don't like being in one place.... no offense to all of you but I have to laugh as we used to joke with other when a RV would get in our as in cutting us off or parking in truck spaces when we are so tired we can't roll anymore and now we are going to be the RVer getting in the way of the trucks ...can't wait either hehehe it will be nice though as we can go to places we went on the truck but could not really see since you can't get a 18 wheeler around very easy...but we lived in a truck for 10yrs well we did have our farm and house we stayed in like 1 week every 3 months unless it was show season so a Airstream should be like moving into a large house.... I am curious about some things as condensation as we did not have this issue much unless I broke out the george foreman or electric skillet ... you should be in the bunk cooking and see what the steam off that does to a truck.
Dang I rambled again about nothing but not going to delete since I spent the time to ramble... I wish you all well and look forward to visiting and getting to know you all here.... I am sure I will drive all nuts with stupid questions before it is over with... we are going to start looking at them this week... actually there is a 87 Avion on Ebay I was looking at but have no clue about that brand ...
For those on the road be safe and I promise I will try to not ramble again

[kennethowens]

Welcome...from a fellow Texan.

An ad from Craigslist:
1977 24' Airstream Argosy Camper

I hope ya'll can settle a bit before it gets cold.

Alot of good folks in this forum

[willyd]

Hello and welcome to the forum. It is ok to ramble down the road. Best of Success.

[Minno]

Hi Vicki – welcome to the forums! We all have stories to tell, so don’t be bashful! Actually, based on your first post, I don’t think you have to worry about that too terribly much…

Like Ken said, there are many good people here on the forums. Several of them are current full-timers, plus many snow birders, so I’m sure they can provide meaningful advice for you. Ask questions, seek advice. We all share something in common, a love for Airstreams and camping.

Chris

[AIR-Quarius]

The Good Lord will take care of you. That condensation deal...you know if you get one of those small ceramic tile heaters at walmart (about 10.00) or so...they will evaporate the moisture out of the air within the house. And don't be scared you have all the support plus more from this site...and don't worry about rambling on...I'm a AIRHEAD and they accepted me!

[mwells4654]

Good luck Vicki and welcome to the forum. Read alot of the information here before you buy. These people have a bunch of very good information.

[Victorialhq]

thank you for the warm welcome I am normally bashful lol but think I just had to write and vent. We are in Memphis right now just got Hubby out of the hospital he was in ICU for 3 days guess the stress got me. he was on the truck when he got sick, btw it was swine flu so please all of you be careful of that stuff.

Thanks Ken for the link it looks nice will have to give them a call when we get back to TX tomorrow.

We will make it afterall we still have each other. The scary part is I am the one that is going to have to do the looking and all that good stuff should be interesting to say the least.

Redhawker lol I think I have passed airhead and enter total brain freeze
Dang rambled on again just like a trucker..just all this hit us within the last 7 days ..amazing how life can change that quick

[mwells4654]

Yes - I know what you mean - in 1983 my wife and I used to take a 3 mile (at least) walk everyday - then the walks got tougher and tougher - she went to the doctors and was diagnosed with Multiple Schlerosis - within a week she was in a wheelchair. One year later she got up and started kind of walking again. Things were ok for years, her MS was there but neither of us dwelled on it. We just changed the way we did things. Then all of the sudden (last year) she was diagnosed with cancer - 5 months later she was gone. My life has not been the same - I try but it is hard. I know very much what you mean when you say "it is amazing how quickly life can change".

[Victorialhq]

I am sorry for your loss. I know in my heart I will lose my husband and not sure how I can accept that. My prayers are with you. We just got home from picking him up and reality of all this has hit. I have never been homeless nor has he ever not been able to care for us. I think depression has hit me now I know how she felt on walks as I had a head injury,can't walk right nor use brain as normal you will see if I don't get scared to be and hide that I answer wrong or use the wrong words, my life was over in a 1 minute accident and hubby has been my hmmm strength and now I find myself having to figure all this out on my own.. lol I will probably get screwed over ... but even if I screw up and buy a lemon it will be a roof right

[wheel interested]

Vickie I am very sorry for the turn of events that you now find yourself in. AirForums is a great place to find everything Airstream, encouragement, testimonies, and a laugh or two more times than not. Glad you found us. There is even a thread called "silver sisters online rally" that you might like to post in or just read. We are quite supportive to one another.

There is a Texas Airstream Park and you can season there or even buy a site that's undeveloped, or has a small building for reasonable rate. I would definitely look into paying for a season and moving over there for your transition to buy you some time without worry of where you will go.

Can someone post that link please? In fact there is afree offer through October 31, to try the park for 3days and two nights without charge on the WBCCI forum site, I think.

I love the avatar of your yorkie! What a cutie.

[wheel interested]

Here is the post and contact information for the Airstream Park and the gift certificate offer. Maybe you can check the place out.

North texas airstream community - WBCCI Airstream Forums - The ORIGINAL Airstream Community

http://www.ntaci.org/ntac/Welcome.html

FREE GIFT CERTIFICATE OFFER:
If you would like to receive a free Gift Certificate for three days/two nights at NTAC, just write me at: 200 Walnut Hill Ave. #90, Hillsboro, TX 76645. Include a #10 self addressed stamped envelope. This offer expires October 31, 2009 and is not valid during scheduled Airstream Rallies or scheduled Caravan stopovers.

Jim Haddaway
President, NTAC


And come to our internet fireside and introduce yourself and sit a spell. http://www.airforums.com/forums/f47/...lly-29663.html

[Gene]

It's ok to ramble—helps get your thoughts straightened out each time you tell your story. A lot has hit you at the same time and it's tough to make good decisions right now. Can your kids help you go over your options in a quiet, calm way? I don't know what the housing market is like where you live, but trying to sell a house fast usually is not a good idea.

Some people full time in an Airstream and it works well for most. It is not a 4 season trailer however and can be expensive to heat in places where there's real winter. There are trailers with better insulation and thermopane windows such as Arctic Fox. I'm not trying to talk you out of an Airstream and don't know where you would keep it, but winter is a consideration.

I hope you can afford to pay for health insurance as it sounds like you need it badly. If you move to another state, can you continue with the same insurance? Otherwise, the pre-existing conditions rules will prevent you from getting the coverage you need.

Good luck and I hope your family can pull together to help you with all this.

Gene

[kennethowens]

Vicki,

I was thinking about you and your husband. I saw this
ad RVTrader: Pre Owned 1989 Airstream Land Yacht, Duel Axel - Kennesaw, Georgia at RVT today. The
inside photo's look pretty nice.
Hope things are going well.

Visit later

[Maryw164]

Vicki,

Welcome, you have found the right place. The folks here are super friendly, helpful, and supportive. If you need an inspector to help you decide about a trailer, you can search for one on the main portal page, about 1/4 down on the right. Be wary of trailers for sale that are a great distance away, and never buy without first having a look at it. There are unfortunately many scammers out there. If you can have it inspected by someone here on the forums before you buy, at least it can be checked for things that aren't always obvious. Many trailers look great on the surface, but have major issues with the frames, flooring, leaking, etc. So if you can't go yourself to check them out, have an experienced person who can look for the known issues. I'd hate to think that after all you've been through, that you might end up with Airstream that needs more than you can handle. Please know that with all the great people here you should be able to find, have inspected, and purchase a sound coach. Don't forget to check the classifieds here on the forums, as many of the trailers there are sold by existing forums members. You can check on the sellers username in the search members section (left side of any forums page) to see if they are new or have been members for a while.

Remember the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask. Most here have "been there, done that" as they say. So no worries about looking clueless. There are members online at pretty much all hours of the day (some of us don't sleep) , not really; but help is always here.

We will be praying for you, and your husband's speedy recovery.

Take care,

Mary

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by Victorialhq

I am sorry for your loss. I know in my heart I will lose my husband and not sure how I can accept that. My prayers are with you. We just got home from picking him up and reality of all this has hit. I have never been homeless nor has he ever not been able to care for us. I think depression has hit me now I know how she felt on walks as I had a head injury,can't walk right nor use brain as normal you will see if I don't get scared to be and hide that I answer wrong or use the wrong words, my life was over in a 1 minute accident and hubby has been my hmmm strength and now I find myself having to figure all this out on my own.. lol I will probably get screwed over ... but even if I screw up and buy a lemon it will be a roof right

That Airstream community in N. Texas is really special. I recommend you visit there. Could be a low cost "home base". Also you are likely to find one or two FINE gently used units there. (Frankly people die, or have to go to nursing homes or family care - and these are often dedicated people who took excellent care of their units.)

Please do get your children together to have a brainstorming session and make a PLAN to organize your futures. If you have someone outside of the family that you can trust, (a lawyer, financial advisor, etc.) having that person act as a referee could help too. Knowing where you ARE right now could help you figure out what you need to do too.

Selling short usually costs you heavily, but just getting things planned - seeing what CAN be sold easily, versus things that you need to sell a bit less rapidly will really help. Your kids may be able to keep the mortgage up for a couple of months so you don't have to take a big loss when you sell.

Best wishes, and I do hope your husband recovers.

Paula

[Victorialhq]

Thanks everyone I have been out of it all week... Ken I really like that trailer looks nice... how do I get someone to check it out ? will check that link for the TX park. I really would like to go back to our home state in CO the tx heat is horrid will go home during the summer . Not sure what all is going to happen down the road here but as for our kids somehow we raised self centered kids the one that isn't is still in college not sure how she will finish but she will. I put the house up for sale and realized we have tons of stuff we have to unload like horse,hay,car,flatbed trailers and that stupid tractor ... the economy killed the horse sales but found a friend that is taking my horses which makes me happy and my yorkies will go RVing with us .. sheesh what a life that will be. But we lived in a 18wheeler maj of the last 10yrs I am trying to figure out if I can get all my antique clocks on a airstream...last time I counted them I had 34.. is great when hubby ticks me off I wind them all up and set them 30 secs apart .. they gong forever

One good note is when my husband was getting back in his truck he did hurt his back so they had to put him on work comp therefore he will not lose our ins for now. Well from what I read we can have Cobra for 18mths. I am on ssi and in Oct 10 will be on medicare not sure how all that works but the dr said realistic hubby should be on ssi too I just don't like it as it seems like charity despite the fact it is from our paychecks. So that part of this whole nightmare seems better. He is thinking a bit clearer now but still not the man I have been married to for 30 yrs.

Never never take life for granted it can sure throw a curve ball at you. Now off to find the silver sisters thread

[kennethowens]

I do not have experience getting an inspector.

There are folks here who know exactly
what and how to do that.

Glad to hear back from you.

[Maryw164]

Maybe you missed this in my earlier posting:

If you need an inspector to help you decide about a trailer, you can search for one on the main portal page, about 1/4 down on the right.

Good luck,

Mary

[3blessed]

Hi Vicki, I'm new here too, but just wanted to say hello and that I hope that you are successful finding the perfect trailer for you and your husband. May you be blessed mightily! Sandy

[Lily&Me]

Vicki,

So sorry for all your difficulties, and hope you are able to find a path to some peace and stability. You are in the right place for finding and getting set up in an Airstream. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience here, and many kind and open hearts.

My personal experience with severe life stressors is to muster from within the strength to get up every day, put one foot ahead of the other, keep on doing what you need to do and moving in the right direction. You must find and maintain the belief that this will pass and life will settle down.

Good luck to you and your husband. Please stay in touch.