VanTrekker
Well-known member
I learned something interesting today about a vandweller in Phoenix, AZ circa 1980 something...<br /> <br />Once upon a time there was a guy named Paul who lived with his wife and daughter in a van. They loved Phoenix and moved there from Iowa but were so poor (having just filed bankruptcy) that they were flat broke - just had the money to keep the trusty, rusty 1969 Ford van (with "3 on the the tree" stick shift and a straight six engine) running.<br /><br />Paul and his wife Sandy were so poor that they had to rely on their neighbors to bring them food. There were no cooking facilities in the van... nothing. Paul got a job, eventually a house, took care of Sandy up until his death, and they kept their daughter around, staying in whatever home with them. She was loyal to her parents till they both passed. <br /><br />I just learned about Paul's family vandwelling after nobody discussed it for many years.<br /><br />Paul Harris (a.k.a Uncle Paul) - Dad's brother - was a vandweller, along with his wife and daughter. Cousin V. was telling my sister (who is visiting her in Phoenix at the moment) about the difficult times they experienced and the fun had living in a van. Cousin V. thinks my van sounds cool.<br /><br />In some ways I am more like Uncle Paul (personality-wise) than I am my like my own Dad. Uncle Paul was a vandweller... That's darn cool! In his later years he bought a minivan and would go up into the mountains for days at a time to trout fishing and camping... That sure sounds familiar to many of us... Once a vandweller, always to some degree.<br /><br />It's kind of like another piece in the puzzle fit together... I sure wish Uncle Paul was still alive to tell me the stories! Something tells me that many people have vandwellers in their family trees. Dad kept some of the history hushed up but I always suspected Uncle Paul had that nomadic gene... Now I know it.... *smile*<br /><br /><br />Brad the Van Trekker
