New Trailer!!!!

We got a new trailer today!!!! So.... as an homage to our first trailer...
I give you the "officially retired" Homesteader Runner Challenger:



Look at that boy... You can tell he's been through a wild ride! Yeah... we only had him for 21 months, but he withstood over 100,000 miles, 3 suburbans, 32 states (I actually just wrote them all out and counted!), 2 countries (that one time we "accidentally drove through Canada.... but that's a WHOLE other blog), ending up in a ditch after being bashed in by a semi, and most recently a blow out on the highway... Pretty amazing to think of all the things we went through with this trailer.

And now we have a beautiful new (well... used, but new to us!!!!) trailer that has..... drumroll please... TRAILER BREAKS!!!!! We REALLY needed to get them before we head up to Vermont next week in the crazy winter weather!

I don't think there are words to describe the feeling of being able to open and close the new trailer door. Seriously. You think I'm kidding. But for almost a year, the door has been so jacked up that we had to use a huge belt strap that went all the way around the trailer to reinforce the door.It took all 4 of us to secure the thing for James to actually tighten it around the trailer. We were so accustomed to just "assume the position" when the door needed closing. And the most frustrating part for me was that my hands were too small to deal with the belt strap on my own. So I ALWAYS needed help (if I didn't want it to take 20 minutes JUST to open the door) with getting the trailer open. I don't like that. I want to be able to get things done myself. And I don't like feeling like a "girl" when it comes to things that have to do with this business... I can load in just as much gear as the next guy. It may take me a few extra trips.... but it'll get done! That is, unless the door to get to the gear is closed with a heavy duty belt strap... not cool...

And since I already took the time to write them out.... and I am pretty amazed when I look at the list.... I am going to copy and paste now the states that have seen us on the highway henceforth:
Fl, Wi
Ga, Mi
Al, Pa
Ms, Md
La, De
Tx, NJ
Ok, Ct
Ar, Ri
Tn, Ny
Sc, Ma
Nc, Va
Ky, Mo
Ks, Co
Ne, Ia
Il, Wv
Oh, In
Ontario, Canada :)

That blows my mind! We've done lots o' travelin the last year and a half! Wow. We leave for Texas in the morning.... and when we get back from our Texas trip, we'll actually be adding a few new states to the list once we hit New England. This trailer is getting broken in pretty quickly! Texas to Vermont... think of ALL those states :)

And to completely derail from this topic:
I went to see Ruth Collins tonight at 3rd and Lindsley. She put on SUCH a good show. If you don't know her as a solo artist, you may know her from "Can You Duet" on CMT. She was part of Wild Honey. :) Ruth and I go way back... to college :) And then she and James were roommates until this last May. Cause, you know... he got married and stuff in June :) And she sang a song we wrote together called "Lottery" tonight. It was so fun to hear a song I wrote from the audience. Actually, I think that may be a first for me! Whoa! That is crazy!
She is one of those people that just has an innate ability with melody and lyrics. She is such a talented writer and artist and I am SURE you will hear big things from her.
Check her out!
www.myspace.com/ruthcollins


peace, love, fiddle y'all!