Times are a changing!

Times are a changing. The house is ours. Repainting turned out to be the least of our challenges. We found major roach infestation and water leakage problems, not to mention the badly wired electrical in the house. My kids joined in to help me fix all of the problems and we now have a like new house! The kitchen had to be torn out to the studs, re-wired, re-walled, and all new cabinets, counter, sink, hood, etc. There is still some minor work remaining but we have been living in the house now for a few weeks - and it is home.

The biggest change for me was moving out of the Casita into a huge (1040SF) house. The biggest change for Cathy was moving out of the double-wide house (1400SF) and squeezing into a tiny new home - and having to share her space with another person (the once vagabond husband). We are learning to live with each other again and it"s working out well. Saturday we had a very successful yard sale in which Tom got rid of the construction leftovers and Cathy got rid of a lot of excess fabric and books.

We reallly enjoy the country style town of Sulphur and have even made time to take a walk on one of the trails at the park - a lot more walks on a lot more trails to come. I have decided that I will not go back to working for money, but I may park host aagain - this time in a tent.

Another of the challenges that the move has made is vehicles. I want to give the Casita and the van both new owners - someone who will benefit from owning them. They would just age and sit idle if I kept them. What I have decided to do is to try to sell them as a unit to someone who would appreciate their unique solar capabilities and take them back on the road. If I can't find that buyer, I will sell the trailer first, strip the solar off of the van and put it on the house as emergency power, then sell the van with ladder racks to a local construction person. I have rented space at the local flea market, starting October 17th, to display the pair, and a dear friend of mine has spread the word to some of the Escapees. I really hope that an Escapee will buy it because I know that it will go to a good home and be appreciated. And I hope that my Escapee friends will not forget me, but come and visit (20amp hookup) in our side/back yards where we have room for several rigs (see blog on June 18th). Chickasaw National Recreation Area is about a mile away and has regular RV camping facilities as well and should not be missed by any of our friends.

If you are interested in the vehicles, here is a brief description:

THE VAN (and solar) is a 2008 Chevy 2500 Express Van (VIN 1GCGG25CX81192400), with about 60,000 miles on it. It is white (matches the Casita) and has the towing package. It is the regular (not extended) length and has been insulated inside, so that the van can also be used to provide a second bedroom for the Casita - or used as a side trip "stealth" RV. The bed consists of three storage boxes with a folding plywood top (folding to allow access to the storage boxes). The solar is mounted on the roof on ladder racks and provides 300 watts of solar power to charge the 7 batteries. The batteries are all advanced glass mat type except the primary van battery. GM engineering advised me that the alternator can be used as a charging source by using a switch method to connect to the battery bank. I have installed the switch as they advised.. I have only had to use the alternator a couple of times when encountering too much rain. An extra advantage of the switch is that you can connect the van to the battery bank and "jump start" the van if it's battery is low and if connected when stored it will keep all of the batteries at a well maintained 13.5V level. The entire solar system is regulated and has a monitor to tell the charge and usage condition at a glance. The inverter AC power is 1800 pure sine wave watts that will take a surge to 3600 watts. It goes to sleep when not in demand so as to not drain the batteries when they are not needed. If used conservatively it will power everything in the Casita except the strip heater. The air conditioner can even be run for short cool downs (like at meal time) several times a day and I have run it all night on hot summer nights after the sun went down.

THE CASITA is a 2007 Spirit Deluxe model (VIN 1C9TB171X71213600) with large and small dinettes that both convert to beds. I have added propane connections for an Olympian catalytic heater and, with the exception of a furnace, I bought all of the optional equipment offered. In addition I have installed a wall mounted 19" LCD DTV. For the description of the trailer you can go to www.casitatraveltrailers.com - they have hardly changed anything in the design since 2007.

If you are interested in both (or either) of these vehicles contact me by email at vagabondmarlatt@gmail.com and I will get back with you.