So it's been awhile since we've had a chance to do an update here as it's been a very busy summer with Bertha.  The first trip to Winslow Park in our backyard of Freeport Maine went really well and gave us the confidence to take her on a longer trip (100 miles) to Lake Winnipesaukee NH, where Karin's mother has a house right on the lake.  The drive was great & uneventful, and we had another great weekend camping in her with a full house of us & 3 teen daughters.  We camped in her…

We are planning to pick up Bertha on Friday after work.  Very exciting. Our first voyage with her will be getting her home. Wish us luck!

We want to thank everyone for the input and positive vibes!  

After meeting with our mechanic we have decided to move forward and invest in getting Bertha on the road!  Looks like with a rebuilt transmission, some new shocks, a couple of tires and some brake work we will have her in time for our first family camping trip in early June.  Overall, she is in really good shape considering she is 45 (that may be older in RV years...does anyone know that ratio?).…

We were delivered some bad news today.  Our beloved Bertha not only needs her transmission rebuilt but also needs new brakes.  She came to us for free but now it looks like we need to invest approximately $5,000 in order to get her up and running.  We are emotionally invested in Bertha but $5,000 on our salaries is a serious commitment.  We are both dreamers and love adventure so we are already leaning toward biting the bullet.  In reality we have five more years until all of our children…

We had a very productive weekend!  After our Sunday plans went awry we decided to take a trip to Marden's.  For those of you who aren't privileged to live in the northeast, you may not know the pleasure of Marden's; it's a surplus salvage store where you can discover the most random and amazing things amongst a lot of junk.  We went looking for duck cloth to reupholster the dinette cushions as well as the cushion on the back couch/bed.  Our first attempt was thwarted by an overly aggressive…

The search for just the right fabrics has begun.  From the upholstered cushions to the myriad of curtains that need to be made, there is a lot of opportunity to bring some amazing color to the inside of Bertha!  I can't wait to order the fabrics and to have them meet my sewing machine!  Spring, will you hurry up and arrive here in the northeast!