[a/s] Hello from a new member

["Greg Ledbetter" <gregoryw@xxxxxxxx>]

As well as a new owner.  We just purchased a 1988 29' Excella, single owner,
in great shape save for some minor damage to the body immediately behind the
right side rear axle where a tire tread came loose.  A single owner and the
interior is immaculate.  We camped it the first night after the purchase and
have already "bonded" with it.  We had owned a '78 20' Wilderness prior and
were looking for a larger rig, not particularly looking for an Airstream but
we saw this on a consignment lot in Florence, Oregon.

We live in Salem but go to Florence frequently to visit my two teenage sons
who live with my ex.  There's a consignment lot there that we always stop
by. It usually has a lot of "junk", coastal rigs with a lot of rust.  But
the week before last we saw the Airstream on the lot.  The exterior panels
looked almost new to me so we stopped to take a look-see.  We were told it
had been stored inside a basement garage by the original owners who hadn't
used it for two years due to the Mr. being diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  It
had been on the lot only 4 days.  The inside had none of the musty smell we
had so often found in other trailers of this vintage and after looking on
and under the rig I began to believe.  My wife, Von, also liked the interior
and we looked at each other and I said, "This is feasible."  Von agreed and
we liked the price, $600 under Kelly wholesale.

I got on the net the night we got back and saw all the great information at
Tom Patterson's site, the WBCCI and Airstream central.  We joined the RV
Consumer group a year ago when we started looking to replace the Wilderness
so were a little leery as they don't much like the newer versions.  However
everything I read elsewhere was so positive, and we liked what we had seen
so much, we decided to make the leap.

Monday we got the financing and Saturday we drove back down and picked it
up.  It pulls like a dream behind my 2wd 1987 Suburban 3/4 ton with 454 and
410 gearing.  We camped that night and I fell in love with the feel of the
interior.  Something about the rounded walls or something seems to make it
more comfortable than anything else I had been in (500 plus trailers it
feels like in the past year.)

I also am taken back to the first travel trailer I can remember being in.
It was a brand new Silverstreak my grandparents bought when I was 8 years
old.  Maybe that has something to do with how much I like this thing.

Sorry for such a long posting.

We are Greg and Von (short for Yvonne).  We travel with Jake, our 3 yr. old
standard poodle, and Jennifer, my 15 year old daughter, when she deigns to
go along.

Happy trails.