Making Headway...

So if you're a family of five, you've got a lot of mouths to feed and that comes before a rockin' restoration of an Airstream. Bummer, I know. But we're in love with the idea of loading up and driving anywhere we like while staying in the comfort of our OWN quarters. That means that when the sun sets, we get to kick our A/C as low as we'd like (thank God I married a man who happens to be A/C certified, right?!) We get to lounge around in our jammies and make a total mess of our kitchen. That's how we roll. And now that Velma is with us... that's how we roll, quite literally! We need a little down-time now as my husband completes his final semester at the University of Texas' Cockrell School of Engineering. We'd like to be able to hang lightly in our Airstream. We've discovered that the A/C still works, the refrigerator does NOT, and the oven is yet to be tested (although some rodents found it to be a wonderful place to nest!) Before you see the photos, let me reiterate that we have in fact KEPT all of the original fixtures for restoration. Whether we end up using them all is another thing, entirely. For now - and for the purpose of being able to chill inside, we've brought in several IKEA items. A rug we found on clearance, a futon that reveals a queen size bed and a couple of mattresses and covers (for the back beds.) And several goods from The Home Depot - peel & stick laminate tiles (for now), a couple rolls of shelf liner, and industrial solvents for removing germs/contaminants/dehumidifiers. We also used some serious elbow grease and cleaned her up a bit. Have a peek. Things have changed since the Nickel Tour! Hunter's beater of a lamp and a portable A/C unit (because the other one is puny) have made their way inside!

The Nickel Tour

Step on inside our fresh-off-the-farm Airstream! Don't mind the mess, try to avoid touching the mouse droppings. It's okay. This baby will look fabulous, one day. I think the television was supposed to sit here. Good thing today's televisions are flat! I'm a real Sherlock, aren't I!? And here's the extra sleeping quarters (aside from the fold out couch.) And here's the bathroom! I hate spiders! Even dead ones. But I love the wall-paper... Obviously, Velma is NOT perfect. Obviously. But this isn't our first rodeo. We've renovated a two-story house before - quite literally down to the studs, slab and heck - we even replaced the roof & decking, so it was quite literally down the studs and slab! I think we'll be JUST FINE renovating our silver bullet. (Kinda nice to be homeowners again... even if it's on wheels.)

Kevin & Jessica Buy An Airstream.

I (Jessica) have wanted an RV/Travel Trailer since I was just a little bitty girl and had seen one at a distance. "How brilliant! You'll never be without anything because 'home' would be right there with you at ALL times..." or something like that (with a very high-pitched voice!) Even the casual mention of a college career by my parents would morph into big plans of a huge home on wheels sitting in the parking lot of my perfect university. I would be able to sleep as late as necessary because rolling up to class in my homestead would be utterly convenient. Probably would've made me the sharpest kid on campus - at least in my mind. Parking permits and vehicle restrictions weren't on the mind of an eight-year-old! 

My plans for life on the road took a shiny turn when I laid eyes on an Airstream for the first time. The mirror-like finish on that ol' silver bullet caught my eye, captured my heart and stayed safely there until the time came. 

One husband and three kids later (ranging from 14 years to 2 years old) those plans resurfaced the summer I turned 33. I think that's about the age that the term 'spring chicken' starts playing in your mind - and after the heart-wrenching loss of my precious grandmother (Velma) in the spring, it became clear that the list of dreams and plans needed to be given proper attention. 

So my husband (Kevin) and I began scouring Craigslist ads for an Airstream. At first, we had visions of grandeur - bright, shiny models in need of just a little TLC. BUT... acquiring an Airstream in that condition is both pricey and near impossible since we live in Austin - a town which prides itself on it's ability to serve food items from completely re-invented Airstreams. The shell exists (as does a walk-up window for placing orders and exchanging cash for cupcakes. Vintage Airstreams are scooped up and gutted before a girl gets a chance to say "I'll pay more!" 

We eventually found "Velma" (our 31 ft. Airstream) not far from the Texas coast living on about 50 acres belonging to a very kind man with bulging muscles named Eloy. He too had a fondness for the silver bullet but had found himself unable to complete the restoration and hated to see the 1977 Sovereign Land Yacht decay into scrap metal. You could tell his heart was in it - he was curious to know our plans and how we would restore her to her former glory and was cautious about who would be adopting her. This, I could respect! 

Eloy priced her fairly and happily helped us get her on the road home. We toured IH-35 with caution and pulled in front of the house after 1 a.m. without any problems. 

Stay tuned - better yet, subscribe to our blog! We'll be updating as we make headway!

Wanna see more pictures right now?

Visit the plethora at www.Photobucket.com/AirstreamLove or just click the 'Photographs' link in the right hand side-bar and it'll beam you up immediately! This is where you can check out all of our renovation photographs. (That's where we load ALL our photographs of our Airstream love affair!)

Until next time...

Kevin & Jessica