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 When I was a teenager, my family of four had to move into an 18-foot Class C RV. 

My dad took a job across the state, and we had nowhere to live and no money. My parents did the best they could.

We eventually moved into a little double-wide for rent in town. 

People might look down on that, but I'm telling you right now that summer and the next 18 months were my childhood's two most memorable years. 

We did free things and drove almost daily into the region's outskirts. My brother and I would explore the ruins of abandoned cabins, peeling back layers of wall insulation of the day (newspapers) to reveal dates from the early 1900s.

We played outside because the inside was really only for sleeping or shelter during storms. 

We went to every museum and attended every free event downtown put on. 

We became experts at which washing machines and dryers worked the best in the local laundromat. 

We spent copious amounts of time in the libraries, especially the one that had the basement where a rummage sale happened each week.

We experienced extreme weather bouts where we learned so much about ourselves and the world around us. 

We hiked on the weekends.  

Mom had to take a part-time job. I used to help her periodically and learned some things by doing that, too.

I learned about angry yellow jackets, bucket rides that helped you scale mountains, and legends of the local Native Americans.

Forest fires happened the following summer. After that, we joined the mushroom pickers for a chance to make extra money. I remember I got to keep around $20 for putting up with Dad dragging us up the mountainside. 

Mom wasn't 100% pleased, that I remember, but it was a good adventure, and by the end of the day, my brother and I were too tired to argue.

The wildlife was unmatched for that part of the world. 

I'm sure my parents had an entirely different perspective on things, but those two years were full of imagination, awe, and discovery. Thirty-five years later, I still remember the most details from that period.

I never would have had those experiences had we not moved into that tiny RV, no matter how temporary.

https://m.primal.net/Jtpj.png 

#story #stories #memoir 
 Sounds like a wonderful childhood. ❤️

We did it on purpose 🙂
For all the reasons you mentioned and more. 
 Sounds like you were surrounded by love 
 Great story, thank you for sharing 
 ThisThank you for sharing. This is beautiful 
 Love this anecdote 🤙 
 Lovely memories Ty 🫂 
 Thank you for sharing.❤️ 
 Great story. 
 Impressive 
Thanks for sharing!😍 
 Great story, thank you for sharing 🤙 
 Awesome story thanks for sharing 🫂💜. It sounds like your family had love, and through what outsiders would call hard times, you guys made the most of things, made awesome memories, and learned skills 💪 
 Fav post o day🙌🏽…it made my heart smile🌅

Sometimes it takes the long arc of time to distinguish curses from blessings🤷🏽‍♂️ 
 I know exactly what you mean. Thank you for sharing. 💜 
 Wonderful life story. I hope your parents are still around and if not, you shared this sentiment with them. 
 Beautiful story. Thanks for sharing. 
 Nice story  🥲  
 Amazing story.  
 I started with $1000 and invested it with my coach, who helped me earn $6k in just 6 hours. This experience has been completely legitimate and safe, and I highly recommend investing with my coach. @Contact him now to start earning and see the amazing results for yourself! 
 SHUT THE FUCK UP 
 you're not even a real person, how can you have memories

"people may look down on it" what? nice drama 
 Wow I love that story 😊 
 nostr:nprofile1qqsv4pk4t26zd4fdu9ejgy7knwd3kp360xqfdzutd9344zd9v2h3hmqppamhxue69uhkummnw3ezumt0d5q5xamn8ghj7mr2dfe8zufkveexumf4xehk2mmhdfa8zen6vehxjam3w9cx76revu6xcdnpv3shwettva5rganvd9nkvcm8xfk8jepwdahxjmmwqyv8wumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnvd93x2un50yhxvctwwvxph7yf

Here's a story for you.  
 Great story! 
 Sounds amazing 
 perfect example why strong family is so important. ❤️  
 awesome read.

no idea if you had the entrepreneurial sprit, but I gotta wonder if you would have started reselling the rumagge sale items if current tools had existed back then 
 Now that I think about it, I probably would not have resold the rummage items. My parents might have. Back then, I was more interested in the stories I could find or invent. 

Something always had a story.

- The story behind the jacket that was hung earlier or the old postcards in the bin by the books
- The legend of how the valley was protected in the deep winters
- How the china dolls in the stamp and stationery store came to be
- Whether the Pony Express came through and what their lives were like
- The truth behind the late nights the sheriff and his deputies put in back behind the conference room. The upholstery was from the '70s, and their ashtrays were full of butts. 
- How many novels my English teacher had actually written

So many memories and interesting things. 
 I love this and it's a testament to how each of us perceive opportunities in this world differently 
 thanks for sharing!