Monday, July 23, 2012

Our new to us camper ~ Yay!


Hi Friends,

So here is some big news… right before we left for vacation… the day before actually… we put a down payment on a 33.5 foot Toy Hauler. And the day after we got home we picked it up!


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We have been looking for a toy hauler for a few years in hopes of adding to our ability to travel more often with our motorcycle and someone else… 

One of our cats, Tracy, has asthma and allergies and needs her inhaler every 12 hours and Claritin every day. She takes both easily with no effort… she is very trained and will let others give her her medication, but it’s hard for me to let go of that responsibility for very long. I need to know my baby is ok. What if her asthma flared in the care of a cat sitter and they did not know what to look for? What if they didnt know when to give her albuterol to save her life and open her airway?

So we only take one vacation a year together so that Shane or I can be home for Tracy. Yes, we are THOSE people. We care THAT much! She is our child. Finding someone to just feed the cats is easy but Tracy’s care has always held us back. No more!

Getting a real camper instead of our pop up camper enables us to take Tracy with us and makes it easy for us both to leave.

So yeah... we bought this camper for Tracy. >^..^<

And luckily… Tracy LOVES the camper! She truly enjoys hanging in the camper with mom. It makes her HAPPY!

Watching the birdies… and probably sticking her tongue out at the rest of the primcats up in the cat enclosure. Neener neener neener. ;o)

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Happily making pushy pushy on the couch.

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Hanging on the bunk watching the birds in the bushes! Look at those eyes! Focused!

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(Disclaimer... I hope someday to take other cats in the camper as well as Tracy. For now... just Tracy. She is 100% trained, comes when called, obeys commands and is trustworthy. Yep. Trained cat! She is my cat-dog. She is not silly or aloof; She also would NEVER bolt from a camper like most other cats would. I do not trust any of my other cats at this point to safely travel in the truck to wherever we are going or to safely stay in the camper with us for extended periods of time without freaking out. So no need to comment that I'm being unfair to my other cats. I am not. What I am being is a safe responsible cat mom. Thank you for reading. ) (Added... yes, I was sent 2 private messages on facebook that I was being a terrible cat mom and playing favorites by taking only Tracy. Isn't that sad someone, 2 people even! actually took the time to tell me that?)

Now… the thing that held us back over the years on getting what we wanted, a toy hauler, was of course, price.

We are not by any means wealthy. We both work but we don’t have money to throw away on very expensive extra’s like a Toy Hauler. And even a SMALL Toy Hauler runs thousands more than a regular small camper. Larger ones (like the one we got) run Tens of thousands more just because you can put toys in them. Prices on Haulers are off the charts. So we have been waiting years for a deal to come along… and a deal finally did.

The camper we bought came from a Repo Auction. A dealer bought it and on the way back to the dealership… a giant piece of fiberglass ripped off the side. I mean giant. Roof leak. Delaminated side. They no longer wanted to deal with it and they just wanted to unload it. The same day they brought it back… Shane called to check their inventory. And the dream was set in motion.

Why is a jacked up camper with a roof leak and missing side the best thing we could ever find you ask?

Well because Mr. Primcat is an auto body, paint and customization master! And my best friends husband works on big ol’ busses for a living. Between the two of them… they fixed this...

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They repaired the roof leak and fixed the side. Yep… perfect. Can’t even tell they fixed it. Blended that baby like butter. Dang he’s good.

Sorry for the bragging… but I have to. ;o)

He really impressed me here. 

The last 2 weeks have been spent out in the camper cleaning and getting ready for our first camping trip with Tracy. We are both super excited about it!

I will share interior pics soon! You know there's a crock in there now... right next to the diamond plate back splash in the kitchen! ! ;o) 

Until next time…

Carmen and the Primcats

19 comments:

Primitive Stars said...

Hello Carmen, oh so happy for you, wonderful that you can go on trips now without worrying about kitty,. You are great pet owner`s, wish there was more like you. Mr. sure did an beautiful job fixing it up,enjoy, Blessings Francine.

Angela said...

Good morning Carmen, WOw you and hubby scored big on the camper. Love it. He and his friend did a wonderful job fixing the boo-boo. Great talent.
I use to have a cat that went on every camping trip we took. He loved it. Sure caused a lot of disturbance from all the dogs camping when we walked around the campground and Peek-a-Boo was walking on a lease. Campers would laugh and come and talk to us. They had never seen a cat trained to walk on a lease. You will enjoy that new "toy" so much. Can't wait to take a tour of the inside. Have a great week.
Angela

Simple Pleasures said...

Hi Carmen,
Congratulations! That's wonderful news. I think your a wonderfully responsible cat mom and anyone who said otherwise is just NUTS! Can't wait to see more of the inside.
xoxo

Carmen S. said...

LOL, I had to laugh Carmen, because *WE* are "those people" too, our Kiah is on meds everyday and does not eat when we are not home which is why hubby & I take separate trips to HI to visit the kids!!! I'm so glad you found a good solution for Tracy and she looks very comfy in there, it's gorgeous!

Lee Hill Primitives said...

Congratulations !!!! Enjoy your new rides.

Jan - Life on Buttermilk Hill said...

Hi Carmen! Knew about the toy hauler from FB, but the whole story was interesting! It DOES look perfect now! You wouldn't want Tracy riding in a flawed vehicle!Have fun on your first "family" vacation--Jan

Sandi @ The Primitive Skate said...

Congratulations on your toy hauler! How exciting! I hope you have a wonderful time on your first vacation!

sandraallen260@centurytel.net

Ree Leibrand said...

Wow, awesome fun. For all you do, you deserve a good time. If you all drive thru to PA, I 'll keep Tracy company while you two take a ride.
Life is short, live it well. Ree

Traci~Moon Gypsy said...

AWESOME! you will have so much fun in that new toy aka toy hauler. And to be able to take your special needs kitty Tracy with you, purrfect.

My hubby is in the same profession as your hubby.... has been for years. Gotta love a man that can fix anything!
Hugs,
Traci

cynthia lee designs said...

Congrats on your new toy hauler! It's a beauty!!
You'll have so much fun going away...and now not having to worry your kitty. Just think of all the travel stories she will tell to your other kitties.
hugs,
Cindy

Holly said...

Wow! What a score! You could never tell anything was ever wrong with it! They did an awesome job! I know you will have so much fun with you kitty on your trips!

Karen~The Barely There Primitive Bear said...

Awesome job on the camper! I would leave the other cats home, too...Better safe than sorry! My cats ride in taxis in the van. Have fun on your next vacation!

Bear Hugs~Karen

Earlene said...

Carmen you two will have a blast!!!
Tracy pics are so sweet and glad I have seen it with my own eyes how disciplined Tracy is!
Great job on fixing the camper Shane!
Enjoy that next trip!
(((Hugs)))
Earlene

bettyj said...

Love it when dreams are realized! How lucky you are to have a husband who can do all that. Brag on. He deserves it. Don't you love a deal, even if you have to put your own sweat into it? I do. Nobodys business how many or what cat you take or don't take.Just sayin'

Prims By The Water said...

I do not think you are a bad cat mom...I would be the same way. Love your new toy..and it is alright to do some bragging! Your hubby is amazing! Take care, Janice

Prims By The Water said...

I do not think you are a bad cat mom...I would be the same way. Love your new toy..and it is alright to do some bragging! Your hubby is amazing! Take care, Janice

The Moonlit Stitch said...

See what happens when you are nice to animals? LOL! Blessings! You are a good cat mama, Carmen. Enjoy enjoy your new wheels!! ~*~Lisa

Kendra said...

Congrats! Isn't it great to have such a gifted hubby? Jene was in auto body (paint shop) for almost 20 years and it has come in handy so many times. Now with a son coming up on 16 it may be really handy again soon :)

Carmon, I would think that you know your cats better than anyone else, some of them may not enjoy the trip or like you said they may try to escape, can you imagine one getting out somewhere you are not familiar with (my in-laws had that happen with my BIL's dog once-very scary, they did get him back after 1 1/2 days). I think Traci is so good because she knows she needs you and you 2 have that extra time together to bond, how neat. Anyway, you know what is best not someone who only reads about your life and what is going on.

Enjoy your freedom!

Kendra

My Colonial Home said...

Carmen I think it's so wonderful that you and Shane can finally have your dream. You both are still so young and to get this toy hauler is just the best!
And you are in your rights to BRAG about hubby....we are proud of our guys!
Good for you and enjoy your times spent with it.
And pooh on those that don't understand us with kitties and their needs...I'd do the same with Lola and have leave Baby home as Lola has medical needs. We do what we can as fur baby parents.
Hugs,
Karen