Selling our Cozy Cottage on Wheels

This story has been unfolding for over 3 years. So excited to finally share it with you.
It began with an email 2 weeks before my husband Randy was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. (April, 2014)

Hi!

My name is Samantha and I love your Travette, your pictures, and the fantastic way you have portrayed the experience.

I know a bit about Travette: My family owned and operated the business in Bakersfield, CA, until it closed in the 70s.  I have the greatest Travette memories and I’m so happy to read that others are making their own happy memories.

I hope this email gets to you and if you get a chance, it would be wonderful to hear back from you!

Happy Travels,

Sam

btw, if you ever decide to sell her, please know that you have a buyer.  :-)

Well, I knew something was wrong with my husband, so I replied that I would definitely let her know if and when we would sell her... and then tucked it away in a file.

Sure enough, two weeks later Randy was diagnosed with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. Unreal. Life changing. Overwhelming grief. It was a year later before I even remembered Sam's email. But I wasn't ready to sell Cozy until the fall of 2016. When I finally emailed her, it came back undelivered. So I googled her name and her Pinterest board came up. I found Cozy on her vintage travel trailer board and left my email in a message. She immediately replied.

Thus began a series of emails and phone calls that told a story that to this day makes me cry. And well, you know how much I love a good story. Well God, in His goodness, went above and beyond and gave me a great story.

You see, the Travette travel trailer company began in 1957. Sam's great-grandfather, grandfather and Dad owned and operated the business till it ended in the late 70's. The last recreational vehicles the company manufactured were the 13 foot travel trailers. Because they didn't manufacture a lot of them, Sam told me her Dad literally had a hand in every single one. So it was a dream of Sam and her brother Darrel, to buy one for their Dad as a surprise. So you can imagine how thrilled they were when they finally found our 1976 Travette travel trailer 13 footer in their google search.

Sam gave me this old Travette brochure. So cool!

Sam lives and works in the Washington DC area, so her and her fiancé Jim Hanson (from Fox & Friends) flew in to Phoenix and rented a U Haul to transport Cozy to her parents home in Austin, Texas. Sam & I already had a bond, a kinship like no other, so when we finally saw each other we hugged and cried. We sat inside Cozy together and I heard more of the story. Her Dad's health is failing, so the timing of their surprise was even more heartwarming.

Randy & I had spent many hours dreaming of our adventures with Cozy over the years. We wanted to visit the National Parks. Sadly our Bucket List was emptied pretty quickly. Along with quickly realizing I couldn't bear to watch someone we knew live out their dreams through our Cozy. God knew that too. He knew the only way I could ever sell our cozy cottage on wheels was for her to be returned to the one that built her. Simple, easy and painless... and totally meant to be. Only God in His love and mercy could orchestrate such a story.

Well, Sam & Jim spent 5 hours in our driveway getting Cozy ready for the trip. Two of the nicest people I have ever met. Get this, Sam was a paratrooper in the Army, retired Lieutenant Colonel and now runs a non-profit called America Matters Now. And yes, Jim is on Fox Cable News... but he is also from Wisconsin, grew up in Green Bay, a farm boy at heart and a huge Green Bay Packer fan! We were like family by the time they pulled out of our driveway.

Interestingly, Randy's cab dropped him off from his day care during that time, and he was totally oblivious to Sam & Jim... and that Cozy was hitched up to this huge U Haul in our driveway. I was glad he was ok with Cozy leaving... and sad that he was ok with Cozy leaving.

Thrilled when Sam sent me this photo of her and her parents shortly after they surprised her Dad. She said they were already calling her Cozy. :)

I am so thankful I documented every adventure here on my blog. Thankful we found her on Craig's List October, 2009. She gave us a great run! Memories I will cherish in my heart forever. You can read all about her HERE and HERE. 

Happy travels Cozy!