Summary Adventure

PoBoy wishes all the Mom's in the world a very Happy Mother's Day. All you sons, daughters, husbands, fathers, grandfathers show these fine ladies our appreciation.

PoBoy has had problems sleeping this weekend. He's been up and down every 3 to 4 hours. Sort of strange for him as he has slept well since about two weeks after his heart attack. PoBoy is not savvy enough to determine if this change in sleep pattern is an indication of something to come, but whatever it is -- he'll handle it.

PoBoy has just about 4 months remaining before he retires to Florida. In Florida his empty trailer awaits his arrival. The word "empty" makes PoBoy shutter. With everything that has occurred to him in the past few months, he wonders if he can still think clearly enough to take only what he will need.

For example, there is no cooking equipment inside the trailer. His first plan had been totally wiped out by an uncouth park manager where PoBoy once lived. In 2004 he had made arrangements with the park (King Arthur's Court, Lansing, Michigan) to store his trailer in an area of the park surrounded by chain link fencing. Only folks "in good standing" could store equipment in that area.

There were trailers and boats stored in the "secure zone." PoBoy always paid his lot rent on time and he would use that information to prove to the Florida campground that he was a person they could depend on. In fact, he sent the Florida campground a transcript of 10 years without ever missing a rent and never being late. There was also a spot in the contract with King Arthur's Court which specifically stated that a tenant could store a trailer or boat in the secure area.

PoBoy also took an extra step to make sure this could be done by speaking with the park manager in person. It was decided that PoBoy could place his trailer there. This was in 2004 and PoBoy began shopping for a trailer. He found one and it fulfilled his dream. Unfortunately PoBoy did not have the required amount to make a cash sale, so he proposed a deal with the owner.

PoBoy would give the owner an eight hunderd dollar down payment and pay him off at one hundred dollars a month for ten months. The owner was delighted (of course he would have preferred the cash all in one lump sum) with the arrangement and PoBoy almost had his retirement trailer.

PoBoy returned to King Arthur's Court and once again met with the manager. PoBoy explained the arrangement he had made and told the park manager that in October 2005, he would be bringing his trailer back for storage until his upcoming retirement in October 2008. The Park Manager understood and told PoBoy the arrangement would be fine.

However, when October 2005 arrived and PoBoy had made his final payment, he ran into trouble with the Park Manager who claimed he did not have space availability for PoBoy's trailer. That was the beginning of PoBoy's first major downfall. PoBoy negotiated with the previous owner and the owner worked with him. He could allow the trailer to remain there until arrangements could be made to haul it to King Arthur's.

Months went by, years went by, and the park manager of King Arthur's still continued his lame excuse that he could not allow PoBoy to park his trailer there. PoBoy kept the previous owner informed for a year and then felt so bad about having to call him, dropped his calls to about every 6 months. One call PoBoy made to the previous owner, he learned that the roof air vents had cracked. PoBoy offered to send the previous owner the money needed to get them replaced. The previous owner told PoBoy he would contact a friend he knew that might be willing to do that kind of work. PoBoy waited. Word never came.

Finally, in October 2007, PoBoy was granted permission to park the trailer in secure zone of King Arthur's Court. PoBoy now had to hustle up a person to haul the trailer back from Walker, Michigan about a seventy mile trip one way. He also had to contact the previous owner to set a date. The previous owner was now an irate individual who threatened to not let PoBoy have his trailer. The once mild manner, Coke-Cola delivery driver, a Christian in fact, was now a screaming maniac when PoBoy called. PoBoy did his best to make amends with the owner but that only seemed to infuriate him more. Finally the owner said he had an attorney friend with whom he would check about the trailer title.

Well by now PoBoy had lost it too. He was ready to fight. He told the previous owner to have his trailer in the driveway so he could hook up to it and pull it out of their. The previous owner refused. PoBoy said I'll be there at 10 a.m. and hung up the phone.

The next morning PoBoy, riding with a driver, pulled into the yard. They could see the trailer. It looked okay from a distance. As they neared the trailer they noted that tires were low and a couple flat. PoBoy had figured on that in 2005 because the previous owner said it would need tires. Now inside the trailer it was a total disaster. Every roof vent had been cracked or broken and blown off. Water from melting snow and rain had entered and damaged roof, walls and floor. It was a disaster. Window frames had rotted. It would have made anyone cry but PoBoy was too angry to cry.

PoBoy learned that the previous owner had shoved the trailer out of his way into what he called the "back forty." Actually it was a huge field behind the garage where it had sat unattended for more then a year. When water melted in the field it puddled around the axels and tires rotting tires and rusting bearings.

The driver worked out a plan to go buy a tire because one tire on the trailer had totally rotted and another needed a shot of air to get it road worthy. The other two tires seemed weather worn but probably drivable. The plan was to change the one tire by purchasing a new one and then driving the trailer back down to town where the tire was bought to purchase three more new ones. The tires were $100.00 a piece.

Once it was accomplished the trailer road back to Lansing without any problems, until they got to the park. King Arthur's park manager had balked on the deal to let PoBoy park it there. It was finally decided that PoBoy's trailer could remain there for 30 days.

Next he had to find an over-the-road person who would haul the trailer to Florida and make necessary repairs to the trailer to make it road worthy and water secure from Florida rains storms. The trailer would have to sit empty in Florida for a year.

PoBoy was not financially prepared for all these problems so he had to take a $1,000.00 loan. New roof vents were installed. The best roof coating available was applied to the trailer roof. Damaged floors and walls were replaced but PoBoy did not have enough time to stuff it with "living items." The driver was located and paid $1,000.00 for the trip to Florida. The trailer left Michigan for its two day journey the first week in November.

All the time the King Arthur's Court manager complained and yelled to get the camper the "hell" out of his park. PoBoy wanted to smash that individual in the face, but PoBoy also wanted his trailer in Florida. So PoBoy held back his frustration and anger and at the same time continued to work at his job. PoBoy was working on a goal of completing 10 years with the office without missing a day.

The trailer arrived in Florida and was placed in the lot next to where PoBoy would live out the remainder of his years. However, PoBoy's driver ran into a difficulty along the way that cost PoBoy an additional $300.00. It had been a costly month and a half for PoBoy. But his trailer was now safe and awaiting placement on his lot.

There was more problems this time in the campground. An older trailer sat on his lot space which had to be removed before PoBoy's trailer could be placed. To have the older trailer removed would eventually cost PoBoy $500.00 and the setup fee for his trailer would cost him $1500.00.

It was the first of January that the doctor's discovered PoBoy had suffered a heart attack. After the insertion of 5 stenths PoBoy began to recuperate. Once again PoBoy was devastated because he would end up missing 29 days of work. His goal of working 10 years without missing a day had been destroyed. But now his trailer is set in place and PoBoy has four and an half months remaining until he retires to Florida. Oh! And lets add one hurricane season too.

What has PoBoy learned? PoBoy learned that one person with a goal can accomplish it no matter what it is. He also learned that when you have to depend on other people, whether they are Christians or not, you cannot depend on people. They will let you down every time. PoBoy also learned the deadly effects of "stress" as it was a major contributor to the onslaught of his heart attack.

PoBoy now faces a few more problems, the biggest being getting both himself and his boat to Florida. His idea of a TransVan has now been scuttled. New plans are required to complete his total dream.