On October 19th we took possession of our new home, a 2016 30′ Airstream International Edition Serenity with Oyster Trim. We are calling it The Yamato after the spaceship in the Anime series Space Battleship Yamato, itself named after the WWII Japanese warship. We are also calling it home!

We picked it up from Airstream Adventures Northwest where Linda Henderson helped us get a great deal. We’d talked to her early on and promised we’d be back. Sales folks hear that a lot but when we came by the Tacoma RV show she was there and we made good on the promise. Buying at RV shows is a great way to go as they tend to be eager to make great deals. It’s a good idea to know what you want ahead of time, however. All said and done we got nearly 20% off the retail price and a lot of extras thrown in on top of that. The dealership did a fine job getting it ready for us and showing us the ropes. They also include a lot of essential equipment and a thick book of instruction manuals, guides, and technical docs.

Mind you new 30′ Airstreams don’t come cheap, and there are lots of costs beyond the sticker price such as taxes, extended warranties (nice when you live in the thing), and the hardware needed to pull such a beast. All said and done I wrote the biggest check of my life for some 97K. Easily covered by the sale of the house but no small chunk of change for us I can assure you. Still, the fact I now own my own home free and clear is a fantastic feeling of independence. The fact I can take it nearly anywhere I want is even better.

So far, we are loving the Airstream. It’s cozy, pretty, and equipped with quite the array of amenities. We were able to fit everything we decided not to sell and then some without feeling at all cluttered. There was even room for the cats to have a secret cozy cave under the bed all to themselves. Speaking of the cats, it took a week or so for them to settle in but they seem to be taking the move in stride. They definitely don’t like it when the trailer is in motion or when they get moved to the truck for excursions but I think in time that too will become routine for them.

All in al, we are incredibly happy about The Yamato and look forward to great adventures with her as we make our way across America following our dreams.