Elizabeth, Sutton and their dog, Jonesy, lived in Florida for four months from December of 2018 through March of 2019. The prior summer they stayed with Ruth and me in our Michigan home. Beginning in April of 2019, they lived with us in Michigan for another sixteen weeks. Florida was sandwiched between their two Michigan stops. We saw a lot of each other and shared a ton of fun.
They began their journey in a newly purchased Ford F-150 with an extended bed. They experienced a hailstorm in Colorado near the beginning of their eighteen-month road trip. Prior to, and following the hail damage, they had a series of mechanical troubles. The mechanical issues, coupled with the hailstorm damage, brought an end to the F-150. They bought a Ford Transit Van in February of 2019 and turned it into a rolling home. Elizabeth named it Stevie McVie.
Stevie was an ordinary van when he rolled off the assembly line. He had traveled 316 miles when the kids bought him. No one knew it at the time, but that was an omen of things to come. 316 had played a major part in the Tebo family’s history and continues to do so.
Sutton, Elizabeth, Ruth and I worked to transform the van. The process took several weeks, and the design changed a multitude of times. To be honest, Elizabeth did most of the heavy lifting. She and Sutton collaborated on the interior layout, but Sutton has had minimal experience working with tools. He’s very talented when it comes to composing and playing music, but using power tools is more of a challenge.
I served in an advisory capacity. I knew what needed to be done, owned most of the required tools, and was able to borrow those we didn’t have. Ruth added the finishing touches. She took charge of interior decorating with colorful curtains and room darkening panels. We mapped out a plan on paper, made adjustments as Stevie came to life, and finished with a rolling home that has served them well.
Since settling in San Diego, the traveling couple has embarked on several adventures. They’ve camped up and down the California coast, driven to Mexico, and throughout the southwest. Last November, while on their way to Sutton’s dad’s home in Arizona for Thanksgiving, they were rear ended by some guy focused on his phone rather than the road. The impact forced them into the car in front of them.
The passengers were thrown about and Elizabeth is still dealing with the whiplash effects of the impact. In spite of her injuries, she’d been more concerned with Stevie McVie. A lot of love went into his development. Their insurance company has declared Stevie to be a total loss. After much discussion and deliberation, they’ve decided to keep him. They’ll receive payment for their loss but won’t receive the money associated with his salvage value. They’ve decided that they can salvage him when they decide, rather than tossing him aside now.
He’s still drivable, and although they can’t use the back doors any longer, a slight rear gap where the two doors meet, lets in a bit a sunshine and a minimal amount of rain. I think Elizabeth sees the sunshine as a ray of hope for things to come.
She plans to use Stevie as her podcast studio. He’s quiet inside and holds her mom’s presence. Our plans to do a podcast together will focus a bit on Ruth’s death and the impact it has had on us. I think that’s one of the reasons she won’t let Stevie go. In any case, here’s a look back to his development back in the winter of 2019.
3:16 – I have a story for you.