Hello. Racoon and Mouse here. We live in Johnny the 1964 Shasta Cabover Travel Trailer. We have been hanging underneath the front bench seat for a while now. That is up until a few weeks ago when we arrived at this lady named 99's house. We knew something was happening when we were hooked up to a big van and taken for a long ride. Once we got here she started right in cleaning Johnny up and getting rid of his baggage so to speak. We had quite the conversation. It went something like this:
Mouse: What is happening?
Raccoon: I don't have the foggiest notion!
Mouse: Do you think we are going to be restored and maybe go camping again?
Raccoon: Let's ask Johnny....
Mouse: Yeah, right. Johnny won't tell us anything and if we run that idea by him you know what he will say?
Raccoon: Yep.
Raccoon and Mouse in unison: "That's crazy talk"
Mouse: Yep! Then he will proceed to call us a couple of whackadoos.
So, we left Johnny out of the conversation and we talked amongst ourselves. Johnny is a pretty cool trailer. He can be a little cranky at times but we love him. We have had a lot of good times together and we hope to have them again. Mouse and I think that is exactly what is going to happen.....and soon!
So, you want to see some pictures of Johnny? Okay! We will show you the outside first. He's painted blue and white. Not the best paint job, but at least he is presentable. Here he is...
Johnny has nice tires and rims. He also has new axles! Oh yeah, he is ready to roll. Well, almost!
The guy whose house we used to live at put a new hitch on Johnny!
This door will have to be rebuilt but the original bargmann lock is still there. You trailer people know what a plus that is!
Johnny has a nice rear end....don't you agree?
That's the outside. Now, here are the photos of what Johnny looked like when 99 decided to take him on and straighten him back out! Warning....he kind of looks like Johnny Rotten, but he will be wheeling along soon. 99 is adamant about that!
This is the curbside cabinets and icebox. As you can tell, Johnny was used for storage like so many other trailers often are...
Johnny's dinette and upper bunk...
The back bed/guacho area.
It is going to take some work for Johnny to be all that he can be again but if there is a woman out there who can do it is 99! At least we hope. She might be a little eccentric at times but we can already feel the love! The last guy who owned us painted the walls which 99 isn't too happy about but it wasn't a deal breaker! I remember 99 saying that Johnny was in worse condition than she thought aesthetically. We are hoping she works some magic though. Johnny has good bones, no leaks, original hardware and lights, new ceiling vents and with a little bit of love he is going to make somebody a nice trailer again.
So, Johnny is all cleaned out and inspected and lots of work has begun. Next time Mouse and I get a chance to get on this here computer to blog some more we will show you some of the improvements to this old boy! We are so excited. We wish Johnny was....but maybe this is what he needs to get rid of the grumpy bugs he seems to have 24/7. Sure would be nice to see him happy again because happy is what it is all about! At least that is what 99 says and when she is out here with us sprucing up Johnny, that's when she is happiest! We are learning a lot from her about the importance of being happy. She says you can find a way to do it even when you are miserable. Hold on to what makes you happy and never let go! Usually, right about the time you feel like giving up, you find the strength to keep pushing...and that, our friends, is where you will find one treasurable moment of pure happy!
Oh...and in the words of Robertson Davies:
Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness.
We hope you enjoyed this blog entry. Stop back by and see us! Maybe we will even get Johnny to blog a little. Doubt it, but one can always hope!
