Living in a Bubble

I love our little Boler trailer. It's 13 feet long and just over 6 feet wide, and seems to have almost everything you'd need to live comfortably for quite a while (not that we've ever tested that theory out for more than a week or so). Actually, there's no bathroom or shower... and we don't hook up the water tank... and we ripped out the stove and the icebox since we have separate camping stove and coolers...and no heat source...but you get the idea. :)

The colourful version above is a fanciful representation (ours is plain white) inspired by a gift of fabric featuring funky colourful trailers from my friend Heather.

Our Boler (made in Canada c.1975) is lightweight and mobile; we could take it almost anywhere and pull it with almost any vehicle... in fact, my husband has been known to fascinate other families camping in the vicinity by dragging it around by hand when the orientation doesn't quite suit him.

We think it wants to be an Airstream when it grows up.

In the meantime, the Boler's retro curves and tiny size make it an object of interest whether it is parked in our driveway, on the back lot at the cottage or travelling along the open road. We play a new version of the punch-buggy game when we see its brothers and sisters bumping along behind their owners.

We attended a camping weekend with other Boler owners (called Bolerama) quite a few years ago; it was fascinating to see how people had customized their trailers to suit their own personalities and interests, with everything from microwaves to solar panels.

We could retreat into our little bubble as if it were a turtle's shell, a place to escape from the world (and sometimes we do)... but I have also come to think of our little egg as a gathering place, a drawing card that allows us to invite others in and take us out of ourselves to meet and greet and share our stories.