I awoke this morning contemplating my little home away from home and was struck by the fact that it is a perfect design. By perfect design I don't mean that every part of it is perfect, or that improvements could not be thought of, but I do mean to say that it fills the function for which it was designed perfectly.

This Airstream is over 35 years old, yet still functioning exactly as intended, and will continue to do so for as many years as it receives the maintenance and care that it needs. Much like a house, it can conceivably last forever. At their core RV's are second homes, yet the average RV will be dead 5 or 10 years after it is built. Only Airstream understands that a second home needs to be, like a regular home, a substantial structure that can withstand the ravages of time.

This Airstream provides each and every basic need and desire one has in a home. There is a place for every function, for every activity. I can write, relax, sleep, cook, shower, even store an embarrassingly large wardrobe (much of which I'll never wear this year) all with comfort and convenience. There is nothing that I can do in my home that I cannot do in this Airstream, and it takes no additional effort to do any specific activity.

This Airstream is also remarkably green, especially given the fact that it was manufactured at a time when no one cared about such things. If it should ever come to the end of its useful life, the vast majority of it, its aluminum and steel can be easily recycled and would leave only a very small pile that would have to end up in a landfill.

I suppose that most importantly, this Airstream can move. Last year it was my second home in Olympia, but it was also my second home in Cannon Beach, Port Townsend, The Hood Canal, Sol Duc Hot Springs, La Push, Ocean Shores, Ellensburg, Prosser, and Walla Walla. If I don't like the scenery, or the neighbors, it's a mighty simple matter to hook up and go down the road a spell. If I long for the ocean or the sun, I can simply go and get my fill.

Is this Airstream perfect? Certainly not. Its age alone defies perfection. After three years of extremely heavy use though I can say that it is perfectly designed for its intended use, it is a perfect second home in every way I can conceive of.