Pick Up The Camper
Larry worked hard on the sell. “It’s a fifth wheel, so it will tow easy for you. It’s lightweight and weather proof, with room for the dogs.”
I couldn’t care less. Honest to God, I really wanted the whole thing to blow over.
He ordered the camper and asked for my decorating input. Gathering what was in the old camper we sold in less than 24 hours, I reused the pillows and wall ornaments. However we did select custom fabric for the new camper cushions.
Pick up was late October at the Canadian border, northeast of Seattle. My schedule was tight, I left on a Tuesday to help my daughter drive from Denver to New York City. It took us three days. I flew back Friday morning, did laundry and repacked. Saturday I was on the road again, this time westbound with Larry, to collect his camper.
She arrived about an hour late at the pick-up spot, a large parking lot surrounding Bob’s Burger and Brews Restaurant. Pulled by a white Ford F150, she was sleek and shiny with a touch of turquoise trim. Larry was so excited, he even kissed her at my request.
Larry drove her to Eugene, Oregon for testing and to help my son with some house repairs. His big white baby was so air tight, condensation gathered inside around the windows. This needed addressing, but the local hardware stores had nothing. We sopped up what we could and made note to get some dehumidifiers when home.
We had a huge list of potential camper names, from places we saw on the road to stories we knew. I was routing for ‘Cupcake.’ And to cement the name, I insisted we stop at a bakery and celebrate our first night with two lemon raspberry cupcakes.
It was late, and I tripped coming out of the bathroom, “This is built like a submarine,” I spat.
“Yes, it’s the S.S. Tunafish.” Larry answered, witty and proud of his new found name.
A little on edge driving home to Colorado during Election Week, with both Liberals and Conservatives battling nastily, I couldn’t wait to pull into our driveway.
Not one time did I drive and tow. Not once. I didn’t tow the original pop-up we had for years, nor the 70’s camper. I had never towed anything. I guess that fact slipped past both of us.
S.S. Tunafish was parked and winterized, she waited.
