Farewell Austin

The past few days have been a blur, but we're now set up at our first site and diving head first into full-time RV living. It didn't come without a few kinks. I had arranged to do a farewell tour of friends in Austin on Sat., April 1. Loretta the RV pulled an April Fool prank on me.

But not before our friends Gordon and Jen oohed and ahhed over Loretta.

I met them when I volunteered as the operations director of Keep Austin Fed, a food rescue nonprofit. I showed off all that Loretta has to offer and we traded ideas for proper RV traveling and living. They have a custom 4x4 Sprinter that inspired me to try for my own, but that didn't work out like I planned. They were a bit envious of all the space in Loretta, and I lusted after the ruggedness their rig offers. Before leaving, Jen handed me an envelope with a sweet message and a small token of our friendship.

After Gordon and Jen said their good byes, Loretta refused to start.

Dead battery.

It took me longer than I expected to research what kind of battery charger to buy. I wanted one that could jump-start a low battery without being plugged in and charge up a be able to trickle charge a battery when we'd have shore power. If it exists, I couldn't find it.

Yolanda

On the way to get our battery tested, we stopped at Green Gate Farms, a teaching farm with a farm stand, several Community Supported Agriculture programs, and farm camps. Our friend Yolanda volunteers there as an Spanish interpreter and farm stand worker. Yolanda and I became good friends while working together at Texas WIC. The farm stand was busy, with families coming for farm tours and to pick up veggies.

While waiting for the rush to die down and get some one-on-one time with Yolanda, we wandered around the farm. Chickens and guinea fowl roamed, enticing us deeper into the grounds where we found a patch dedicated to Walter Ernest Christopher James, who coined the term "organic."

Denise was drawn to the goat pen after seeing two baby goats grazing. She fed them handfuls of grass, losing herself in the moment. It was great to see her dote over the little goats, who still had their umbilical cords attached.

After going to the nearest auto parts store on a busy Saturday, asking questions about battery chargers, and getting our battery tested, it was already early afternoon. I had planned to be done with the good byes by that time so we could pack up and leave Austin the next day.

I installed the new battery in Loretta, secured everything I could think of (a few things came loose, including our SunStick and one of Kimbo's toys), then drove Loretta to my old neighborhood to say farewell to a few people.

Alicia and Marshall

Photo by Matthew Lawson Magruder -- matthewmagruder.com

I met this couple when I was the site manager of Gardens at Gus Garcia community garden. They got the only plot left, a smaller than usual, misshapen site that's shaded and was overgrown with weeds. Alicia and Marshall turned that forgotten corner of the garden into a beautiful, healthy veggie patch.

In 2016, they started a new photo booth business called Amurica TX. It's a 1950s teardrop camper converted into a traveling portrait machine. It's based on the original Amurica trailer photo booth in Memphis. Alicia staffs the Amurica TX photo booth most nights, earning as much as her previous job.

Denise and I gave them many of our house decorations, some of which they use in the photo booth trailer. Other decorations adorn their house, just a few blocks from the house we sold to buy Loretta the RV. Our precious mailbox, which Denise called "Baby Arms," now lives in their yard.

Alex and Julie

We lived next door to Alex and Julie for 7 years. He's in a few bands. She's a cosmetologist. Together, they run a zine called Flaustin Paradise and are a fun couple to hang out with. We've spent several New Year Eves with them and they are generous with all they have.

When I pulled up to say good bye, they were waiting at the curb, a round of shots in hand. I'm not one to drink and drive, but I couldn't decline a toast to good travels with good friends. Then Julie presented me with a gift for Loretta, a miniature landscape she painted. Of all the going away gifts we received, this was the only handmade one. It now hangs in our living area, a reminder of what lies ahead.

Wilkerson Family

The Wilkersons lived around the corner from our old house. Mike and Mindy are two of the most amazing parents I've met. Their children, June and Luke are absolutely adorable, smart as whips, and so sweetly compassionate. Mike and Mindy plan the most engaging parties for their kids, complete with a theme, games, and enough fun to keep even the adults interested.

Each year is also themed. One year was travel, and the family managed to camp just about every week. This year, the theme is cooking. It's another way to travel, except instead of getting into a car, they get into the kitchen and take their taste buds for a trip. What a wonderful idea!

June and Luke have come to play with our chickens several times, and the week we left the house, they came to say goodbye to the girls. It was the sweetest thing ever.

I was so pleased to hear the new owner of our old house met the Wilkersons. I believe the chicken play dates will continue and that makes me happy.

Siltala Family

Jeremy and I met during Free Beer Friday at Monkey Wrench Bicycles, my favorite bike shop in Austin. It's a social near closing time on Fridays and, yes, there is a fridge full of free beer for guests. Jeremy and I hit it off talking about gardening and discovered we live in adjacent neighborhoods.

Jeremy is among my closest friends -- gardening, bicycling, and long, thought-provoking articles are shared passions. I've bonded with his son Lincoln, 2, who calls me Jofus. Lincoln loves my van Jojo and we've done quite a few garden walks together. I had just started bonding with Jeremy's son River, who isn't quite 1 year old. Jeremy's wife, Laura, works for Rackspace. She's smart, loving, and funny. My favorite memory is when we all played kickball together in their back yard a couple of weeks before leaving Austin.

I'll miss our walks in the creek, garden safaris, and listening to the silly things Lincoln says.

I had originally planned about a dozen farewell stops, but had to cut it short to make up for time lost fixing the battery. While I regret not being able to see everyone before heading out, our memories will keep us close until we meet again.

Loading Up, Heading Out

The next day, Sun., April 2, we decided to leave Austin. We had already made reservations for Palmetto State Park arriving Tue., April 4 through Fri., April 7. Rather than wait, we decided to go early. Like right now.

There was one small problem. A huge line of storms washed over Texas. Flood warnings and tornado watches spread from Dallas to the Rio Grande Valley, alerts lighting up our phones. We almost left Loretta to fend for herself, considering the shelter of Lissa's house where we'd been staying for the past 3 weeks.

"I'm the captain of this ship," I said to Denise. "And I'll go down with the ship."

Winds roared and thunder rumbled, as sheets of water poured over Loretta. I nervously checked for leaks, expecting water to come in from the roof, a window, or some unseen seam. Loretta held tight!

As we rode out the storm, "The Path," the fictional TV show about the Meyerism Movement, played on one of our tablets. We subscribe to Hulu and Netflix.

We had closed the vents and windows to keep the water out, but that made it stuffy inside, so I cranked up the generator and turned on the air conditioner. It was soon chilly inside. That's when a trickle of water leaked out of the AC vent. I grabbed a towel and Denise grabbed a pot to catch the water. Maybe a quarter of a cup or rainwater seeped in, mostly on the floor. Not bad, considering nearly 2 inches of rain fell on us.

The storm passed and we held fast to our plans to see Palmetto State Park early. After calling in to confirm there was no storm damage at the park and reserving a spot, we loaded up the rest of our belongings.

I greased and lubed Dolly, our Kar Kaddy II car dolly, attached her to Loretta, then secured Jojo, our 2014 Nissan NV200 compact cargo van. I discovered Dolly had a burnt out bulb and figured out I need to stock another set of bulbs (Loretta has 3 different kinds of bulbs -- and counting, Dolly has 2 kinds of bulbs, and I haven't even checked Jojo, yet). After checking and adjusting tire air pressure, we pulled away.

And just like that, we drove away from Austin.