My Precious...

Big thanks to Gail Hinshaw (the guru of Serro Scotty Camper Enthusiasts) for sending me a virgin (ie: never seen the sun) exterior siding sample!  This little chunk of aluminum is incredibly valuable because you can use it to color match the original color--just like it would have been when it rolled fresh out of the factory.  She also provided me with the paint formula for the interior "Jet Stream" light blue color.  You know me--I'm a historian and while Uncle Jeff and I don't plan to be 100% purists with the renovation (ie:  USB ports, different cushion covers, not so much wood laminate or linoleum, etc), there are some historical details that I deeply value.  Thank you, Gail!  

PS:  The photo resolution came out a heckton more vibrant than the color actually is on the sample, but it's still amazingly cool!

See ya later, Backhoe!

The backhoe sold today!  Both parties got a good price, and I couldn’t be happier!  Now, our buyer just needs to arrange shipping, as he lives nearly three hours away.  Once it’s gone, Uncle Earl can move in!  I’m excited, and even better, my grandma was so excited!  She had to call all of the aunts and uncles right away to tell them the good news!  :-)
NEXT!!!

And so it begins...

My family hosts a reunion every summer that we affectionately call "Christmas in July" because we all go 'up north' to visit my grandparents (who used to traditionally host our yearly Christmas gatherings).  We don't do a Christmas tree or gifts or anything like that, but it's a good time to visit, eat, and reconnect.  

The summer of 2017 was no different than any other Christmas in July.  Well, there was one difference.  I had just gotten married, and brought my new husband, Chris, up.  We were walking around my grandparents' property, and I was reminiscing about my childhood spent 'at the cabin.'  For the first time in 15 years though, I saw--really saw--something sitting on my grandparents' property that my brain had obviously dismissed before.  It was a tarped camper.  Let me rephrase--it was a camper that had a super old, faded, ripped tarp sort of half-draped on the camper, nearly shielding it from the sometimes-severe Wisconsin elements.  The color of the camper--silver and teal--clued me into the fact that this very well may be a vintage camper.  My curiosity was piqued... and the cat was about to be killed.

I pulled back a corner of the tarp to see if I could find a brand name--then I knew I could do research.  Sure enough, it was a Serro Scotty.  I had no idea what that name meant, but I immediately went to my phone to start digging.  Oh man--it turned out there were a TON of folks who renovated these types of campers.  They were actually pretty sought after.  Given my penchant for vintage things (I used to want an older model Volkswagon Vanagon), I immediately became obsessed and threw myself into research.  

Later that weekend, I wanted to start making inquiries, but I'm not the type to come right out and ask for things; I never want to step on anyone's toes or be an imposition.  I was sitting at the kitchen table next to my Uncle Jay and casually asked, "So, what do you know about that ol' camper out there?"  He huffed and said, "That thing?  I think it should be compacted."  I said, "I respectfully disagree," and went into my condensed lecture about what I'd recently learned about vintage campers.  

The next person I asked was my Uncle John.  He gave me some more history on the camper--turns out it was a family camper that had been pretty much abandoned on the property without a formal owner anymore.  Ooh, that gave me some hope!  Next, I asked my grandma who reaffirmed what Uncle John said.  

I went home after that weekend, did some more research, and occasionally asked some more questions of my family members, when I thought I could sneak 'em into a regular conversation.  Apparently I am not as sneaky as I thought because eventually someone asked what I would do with the camper.  Of course, I wanted to save it!  By this time, I had already been in it, and seen the extensive water and rodent damage, along with years of garbage and other things that seemed to be haphazardly tossed in the camper.  I knew it needed a complete tear-down and I knew it needed to be rebuilt from the trailer up.  I didn't care.  I had a dream to save this camper.  

Eventually my grandpa got wind of my intentions and told me I could have the trailer, but he wanted it off his property sooner rather than later.  He was concerned that he didn't have a title for it (a lot of these vintage trailers don't), concerned that if he and my grandma had to leave their property, that it would become target practice for the local kids.  

I.  WAS.  ECSTATIC!  The first big hurdle was overcome--the camper was MINE!  Woot!  I became even MORE obsessed (my sweet husband has been so supportive... if not a little surprised), started nesting (OMG, I have the cutest dishes for it), and continued my research.  There was only one really big problem...

...I don't know how to build anything.  I am not sure I can be trusted around power tools.  I definitely can't do math. Dammit Jim--I'm a musician, not a contractor.  Chris is not far behind in his fix-it abilities.  I was in trouble and knew I needed help.  Luckily for me, it was approaching Christmas time.  We trade names for gifts in my family, and my Uncle Jeff (yes, their names all start with the letter "J") had my name that year.  My Uncle Jeff is SUPER handy.  He can fix just about anything.  I figured he could build just about anything.  He *gets* mechanics... and power tools.  And he's crazy smart, so I know he can do math.  Heh heh... He asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said something along the lines of, "I'd really just like your time and expertise... I'd like some solid uncle/niece time... it won't cost you a thing; I'll pay for everything.  And, uh, I want to rebuild that camper."  I explained that while I'm the opposite of handy, that I learn quickly and work hard once someone shows me what to do.  He said yes!  THE FOOL!  Heh heh... Oh, man--now I was REALLY freaking excited!  I had help!  

We waited until the spring of 2018 to go up north again to look at it.  In Wisconsin, you really have to wait until spring--the snow drifts, combined with what the plows pile up, can be multiple feet high.  There was no way we could get near the camper until the spring melt.  We met in mid-June and we went into the camper.  When we came out, Uncle Jeff did not look well.  Eventually, he sat down at the kitchen table and said, "Do you really want to do this?  It will need a full rebuild from the bottom up and it's going to be a lot of money invested.  I'm not sure I have the time to do all of that.  I mean, what do I know about building trailers?"  My heart sunk hard.  I gave it some time before I answered.  I said, "I already have money invested (indeed, I had already bought new tires/rims because we were thinking that we were going to flatbed it the 3.5 hours South to where I live).  They can be saved--people do it all the time.  I don't mind working hard, I just don't know how to do something like this.  I really need your guidance and help.  Grandpa has this really big garage with a door big enough to fit the Scotty.  We just need to clean out the garage--he's got electricity, natural light, and any tool we'd need in that garage.  We can do it here."  Uncle Jeff perked up and said, "Well OK.  If you want to do it, we'll do it."  HALLELUJAH!  

We walked out of the kitchen to take another look.  I told him that my research told me that it was probably a 1971, but I wasn't sure because I couldn't clearly see the tongue of the trailer--I knew the VIN was stamped there, and I knew that VIN held lots of secrets, including the year.  Uncle Jeff knew where there was a wire brush in the garage and set out cleaning the VIN number up.  Sure enough--the first two numbers were "71"--I was feeling pretty good about my research skills at that point.  I may not be handy, but I can rely on my research skills to find out how to do things!  Plus, there's a great group on Facebook called "Serro Scotty Camper Enthusiasts" that is a literal WEALTH of information.  It's like a collective hive of experience renovating these particular campers.  Between that site and the National Serro Scotty Organization website, there is so much information on history, measurements, resources, photos and videos of rebuilds, etc--they've lined up everything for you except for the actual elbow grease.  My confidence was growing.

Fast forward to the summer of 2018, and Chris and I are back to my grapndparents' property for the next Christmas in July.  By this time, everyone knows my plans, and are curious about everything.  Uncle Jeff and I go into the camper and start nosing around.  Chris comes in armed with gloves and trash bags so he can start cleaning it out.  My Aunt Mary (OK, her first name doesn't start with a "J" but her middle name does, so it still counts!) goes in and starts digging through things.  Meanwhile, I'm being all kinds of wimpy because I don't want to see anything dead--or alive--under or in anything in that camper!  I'm freaking out and Aunt Mary is being super supportive and trying to get me to join her in the touching of gross things.  Pretty soon her husband, Eric, comes in and starts loudly telling me to stop being such a wimp and to just get in there and do it.  Sometimes, I need a bit of a harsh reality check to get me going, so I start digging in (mostly because I don't want Eric to think I'm wimpy, and both he and Aunt Mary--and my husband and Uncle Jeff, really--are all being so supportive, that I'm just really touched and want to do a good job).  There was a lot of trash--mouse nests, a yellowed and brittle newspaper from 2001 (the last time it was inhabited), to jars of popcorn, razor blades, and fraying rope.  We filled about two big trash bags full of garbage.  More trash bags held the cushions that smelled like mouse urine, and the canopy that had been chewed through.  But there were some treasures too.  Copper measuring spoons, an antique FireKing percolator, a Serro Scotty baby moon hubcap (those almost are impossible to find!), harvest yellow pots with the avocado green covers, the original Scotty bunk ladder, the exterior rail table, and the coolest--the license plate (still in the shrinkwrap!) and registration from the last time it was registered in 2001.  JACKPOT!  Comparing everything that we found in this camper to what I've seen other campers look like on the Scotty websites, even with all the damage that this one suffered, it was still one of the most complete and original campers with its Dometic refrigerator, original stove and sink, gas lights, hardware, and clothes hooks.  

After awhile, each Uncle and Aunt poked their nose in the camper and was interested in what we were doing.  Even Uncle Jay (he was the one that said it should be compacted) came in to take some "before" pictures.  I am SO grateful to my family for being immensely supportive with my weirdo restoration dream.  Chris knows this will take time and money (especially because at some point we'll also need to purchase a tow vehicle--neither of our current vehicles has a tow rating that will support the camper).  But he is still excited to see me realize this dream.  My aunts and uncles may very well think I'm a bit touched in the head, but they're so kind and helpful to me regardless.  

And that's where we're at right now.  The garage still has a backhoe in it that needs to be sold before we can bring the camper in to start the demo.  Chris, Eric, and I re-tarped it with the biggest new tarp I could find at Meijer, and now it looks like a shiny silver toaster, so I'm calling it "The Toaster With The Moster."  Heh heh... Anyway, if you know of anyone who needs a backhoe...