Ran into some traffic on our way somewhere. Spotted an exit with a sign for a campground somewhere else. Spent an uneventful night somewhere I can’t recall.
Well actually it wasn’t all uneventful. The neighbor came home drunk and backed his truck into his rv. There was a bit of a ruckus between park staff and the drunk. And in the morning I went to the office, complained about all the noise (he also had a guard dog), and got a full refund. So really it was a somewhat eventful free night somewhere I can’t recall.
Lowe always wants to ride Ouest’s bike now. “How come my bike is not bigger?” he asks.
I’m not sure if I ever told this story on the website before or not. I’ve told it to friends a couple of times recently, and today when we spotted this Winnebago Brave it reminded me again.
Back when Ouest was about six months old we were in Minnesota where she was getting laser treatments for her hemangioma. At the same time we were contemplating our next move. We’d looked at a couple of boats by then, but nothing had worked out. In fact, we had gone so far as to make an offer on one, negotiate back and forth, get within two-thousand dollars, and then wake up after sleeping on it and decide to scrap that particular boat plan. Wasn’t meant to be. [Side note: that boat was still for sale well over a year later, and at a lower price. Not even home sellers can beat a boat seller in thinking that whatever they’re selling is worth more than it is.]
Anyway, Ali and I had decided instead to buy a vintage (50s or 60s) Airstream. We didn’t have one picked out, but knew of a few eighteen footers out east. So I got on eBay, found a tow vehicle we liked—an 80s Jeep Wagoneer complete with wood paneling and a big V8—and put in my bid. It was in Ohio, so the rough plan was to fly there with all our stuff, get the Jeep, and drive out east to find an Airstream we liked.
We were outbid at the last second.
Three days later Ali found the Spindrift sailboat on Craigslist, and by that night we had verbally agreed to buy it.
All of which doesn’t explain the Winnebago Brave connection at all. Well, during our Airstream search we’d also discovered the Brave. I don’t remember now why we went with the Airstream, but regardless, we have always loved the style of the Brave. And keep in mind, at the time we were only a family of three, so eighteen feet sounded just right to us.
I like telling that story because it reminds me that even if it doesn’t always feel like it, we really do just sort of trust our gut and go with the flow. Somehow things always work out for the best in the end.
A bit further down the road we followed some rough directions to what was supposed to be BLM land. I don’t know if we ended up in the right spot or not, but we did find a dry lake bed where we were most definitely going to be left all alone.
Ouest jumped out of the bus and squealed with delight when she saw all the “mud pies.” I gave both the kids a screwdriver and set them loose. They dug up mud pie after mud pie, and only narrowly avoided stabbing themselves in the eyes with the screwdrivers.
Once they finished that project Ouest decided that they should grab a bucket and walk around picking up glass. They soon had the bucket full, proud of themselves for saving the environment.
Way back when we were living on the boat in Mazatlan there was a vacant lot next door that we’d walk through on the way to the grocery store. There was also a big shade tree in the middle of that lot where the kids would pick up sticks, or giant zip-ties, or whatever else they could find, and play for an hour.
Anyway, one day Ali brought a couple of big garbage bags and the three of them spent an hour picking up garbage. To this day Ouest tells that story. She explained it to me again today as she bent over to pick up another shard of broken glass. You never know just what will stick in their young minds.
The kids were in a good camera mood, so we took the opportunity to get a family shot. You can tell they’re growing up just by the fact that we were able to get a picture with all four of us looking at the camera. Of course there is one tongue sticking out so we’re not all the way there yet.
14 Comments on “Brave”
OH NO!!! Kid climbing up on things w/o helmets, knee pads, bubble wrap and sky hooks to catch them..!!!! 🙂
The Winnebago story reminds me of our English teacher trying to explain “dangling participle”, when you don’t get it, you just don’t get it. Did you forget to “wrap up” that story? or did I let my mind wander again. LOL.
I believe Pat’s rehashing of the circuitous route that led them to the Spindrift might have ended with an old Brave, instead. When it became Bumfuzzle II, their land cruising plans were temporarily delayed.
Now they’re in a different sort of classic old motorhome, out in the middle of nowhere, when they happen upon . . . an old Winnie Brave! One proudly named Chuck from the looks of it. 😉
TJ
Bingo.
I’m 54 and still seem to have my tongue out in about every photo I’m in!
I remember drunks too – over at Tecolote in Baja – they parked right next to us (- they had the WHOLE BEACH and they park RIGHT NEXT TO US! of course). We were out with the kids picking up glass in the sand the next day.
sigh.
Anyway. Gorgeous photos – I love the family one and the one Ouest took of you 3 and the one where she is jumping. Really lovely photos.
Thanks, Meriah. We’ll be down Baja way soon.
Looks like Chuck has been there for a while 🙂 http://instagram.com/p/XQ2YUqMLC3/
Oust front teeth look perfect to me(i am the farthest thing
from a dentist you can get rather i am a zoologist.). The Dentist must have done a fantastic job in repairing them. You guys have so much fun, my family is like yours minus the kiddies(for now). 🙁
Your kids keep getting cuter and cuter and bigger and bigger by the day.
Trent.
All she did was have x-rays. Dentist said she’d be fine.
I love the way you guys let your kids learn about life. So many people today are so afraid to let their kids explore. Of course there are dangerous things that kids can do. So what? It’s a good way to learn, rather than have mommy or daddy tell them they can’t do this or do that because they MIGHT get hurt. Good for you guys. I have four sons that were born in the 70’s and we had all kinds of adventures. We were young and enjoyed those adventures with the boys. I find that as I age I think about the consequences of my actions a lot more than I did back then.
You don’t know how infinitely lucky you are/were to have avoided the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. We had two of them, a ’83 and a ’86, with a big V8 engine. Although we got a lot of service out of both of them, they were very troublesome, with something always breaking, going wrong. Auto manufacturers were having emissions standards imposed upon them by the government and struggling to comply with unproven plastic junk that disintegrated with engine heat. Air injectors and air pumps and no spark advance, just everything wrong about engine tuning. Two transfer cases broke, one requiring towing enroute to Texas, somewhere in New Mexico. They are hugely popular now, sort of a cult thing with a certain segment trying to be unique, all of them. But that span of years was very difficult for auto makers and the Wagoneer is a prime example. You like the Winnebago, hurry to your nearest dealer and buy a brand new one with the retro styling. Looks just like the one in your picture with added graphics and color scheme. Well done. We are in Palm Springs for ‘The Season”. Could have come to Joshua, just over the hill. Max
I think when you break down and buy bikes with pedals, you will be hard put to keep up with Lowe, lol
The desert is so good for photos. good light.