A Roadtrek, a retriever, and a family move from Texas to Wisconsin - Sojourn On!
- Jenny Rule
- 16 hours ago
- 5 min read
The call came mid-June 2025…“We need help moving!” Down in Lewisville, Texas, my aunt and uncle were packing up their 4-bedroom home, and it was proving to be a huge task. Could I help with the move? “Aunt Soo” and “Unky Bunky” are two of my favorite people on the planet, so without hesitation I answered “Yes!”
I packed up my 1996 Roadtrek camper van and my sojourn co-pilot: a two-year-old golden retriever named Buttercup. The weather forecast was daunting; merciless heat in every state we’d be traveling through. But there was nothing to be done about it. They needed help, and they needed it now. I double-checked that the AC was working, loaded up extra water, and we hit the road.
June 16
We departed Whitewater, WI before sunrise. Napped in a Cracker Barrel parking lot in Illinois, then drove all day. Slept overnight at a rest stop in Missouri.
June 17
We enjoyed a morning walkabout at Valley Water Mill Park near Springfield, Missouri, then drove to the Oklahoma Welcome Center. Buttercup explored a small, fenced pet area. Very sweet rest area employee shared bacon-flavored treats.
We entered Texas around five, and pulled up to my aunt and uncle’s house just before 7pm. Buttercup immediately fell in love with Aunt Soo and Unky Bunky - she simply couldn't contain her enthusiasm. Yay family!
We moved quickly to the fenced back yard, and Buttercup fell in love again - this time with their backyard pool. While Buttercup swam away all her pent up energy, the grown-ups planned the week ahead.
June 18-22
A major goal of their move was downsizing, so we cleaned up and sold hundreds of items...everything from clothing to furniture to household appliances. Aunt Soo and Unky Bunky focused on sorting and packing - I kept up with the listings and communications on Facebook Marketplace.
We figured out that if we featured Buttercup in short videos, we could reach more buyers on Marketplace. (Good dog!) Our listings got a lot of responses, and brought a constant stream of buyers to the door. We all put in long, hot, exhausting days - in 80-100 degree weather.
A few special sales stories:
The end of a Way Cool era
My Aunt Soo (Susie Burns) spent 35+ years running a home business called Way Cool Designs. She specialized in gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, fabric-covered baby books and wedding books, personalized for every buyer.
During my visit, she made her last sale, shipped her last book, and sold her monogram machines to another incredible small businesswoman. It was the end of an era.
There was a large inventory of Way Cool Designs fabric to sell; some of it still on the bolt and some in smaller quantities. We listed it all on Marketplace - and the fabric was VERY popular. Day after day we sold more fabric, and met some truly amazing people.
The last of the fabric was sold to two women , Vaishali and Harsha (pictured above.) They bought three carloads full - including an entire closet of upholstery samples. They shared that the fabric was for their temple; to be used in the adornment of sculptures of deities - an act of devotion and respect. It felt right that Aunt Soo's fabric had found yet another beautiful purpose.
Bunky’s art finds perfect homes
My Unky Bunky (Robert Terrell) is an artist; a painter who works mostly in oil on canvas. He has been displaying and selling his art in the Lewisville, TX area for over a decade. A recent illness kept him from presenting his artwork for sale, so he had amassed a large inventory prior to the move.
We used the power of social media to share photos of his artwork, and soon many nearby artists - each one more enamored with Bunky’s work than the last - were coming by to purchase his paintings.
One young woman - a painter herself - connected deeply with a dark mountainscape. Another buyer picked out 9 pieces, and returned the next day with a friend, who purchased 4 more.
That same day, a young woman running an art camp for kids bought his easel, drawing table, lamps, art books and paint supplies. It was gratifying to see Bunky have such a positive send-off from the artistic community of Lewisville.
June 23-24
I packed my Roadtrek as full as possible, to safeguard family heirlooms and fragile items. We made our final sales, packed more boxes, and prepared for the moving van that was coming in two days.
June 25 - My last day in Texas - Buttercup helps again While taking Buttercup for her morning walk, she dragged me down a new street. We soon saw 10-12 women in bright pink shirts all carrying cleaning supplies and going into one house. I approached - "no ingles"- so they brought out their boss, Carlos. I explained that my aunt and uncle were about to move, and everything left in their living room was free - today only. Carlos gave his crew time to come pick through all the items…and then handed us $50 to show his gratitude.
By 10am Buttercup and I were all packed up and ready to go. The Roadtrek was full, and it was time to head home to Wisconsin. My aunt and uncle would finish up in the next few days, and then follow behind the moving van. Buttercup said goodbye through the window, then promptly fell asleep.
The weather was still extremely hot, but my sister Susan found us air-conditioned activities for the whole route home, including the AMAZING Bar K in Oklahoma City. Bar K is a dog/human playplace, splash park and restaurant. We spent half a day there on a $12 guest pass. It delayed our trip home, but properly rewarded my hard-working travel companion.
June 26-27
On the road again! We took a different route home to keep it interesting. Driving through Kansas, we stopped at the cattle pens….
In Iowa we found a friendly mechanic with a friendly dog to help with an oil change. (Warrick motors- highly recommend!)
And in Minnesota we may have wandered into a fine dining establishment…
We arrived in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and unloaded everything from the Roadtrek into Aunt Soo and Unky Bunky's new place. We sent them a few photos, then headed for Whitewater, excited to be only 3.5 hours from home.
And that's the story of how a Roadtrek became a moving van, a puppy became a supermodel, and my family got a little bit closer....once upon a time in America.
Sojourn on!
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