With a few camping trips under our belt and an idea of how camping will be for us, we were ready to name our teardrop. The approach was the same as I used for naming my children, start with a group you like and negotiate to something that works for both parties. We started with a dozen or so synonyms for “adventure” because it is what we are seeking.
What’s in a Name?
Naming our teardrop was a must for us. We especially liked three or four names, but settled on “Endeavor.” It seemed to fit our journey. Webster’s meaning for the word is “to strive to achieve or reach.” From the Thesaurus, “an effort to do or accomplish something.” Related words are striving, struggle, throes, undertaking, trial and error.
The name certainly describes the challenge and effort that goes with teardrop camping, at least for us being new campers at our age. It’s not like sitting comfortably in a spacious motorhome. Ours is a much more hands-on, outside with nature form of RV camping. It requires us to work together and compromise far more than we must do when at home. It has gotten easier over time, but as we travel to more far away places and on longer trips, we will still need to endeavor.
My husband also liked the name because it sounds like a Trekkie name for a starship. When you think of how our little cabin is our means to visit so many far away places, it fits.
A friend of ours owns Stripe King, a local company that does graphics for police and fire vehicles, RVs, and boats. We purchased our graphic from him and really like how it turned out.
You may have noticed that we do not have the @ in our teardrop’s name like you see on most T@Gs. I wanted it, but my husband wanted just the regular letters. As he has compromised so much for me, I had to let him have that one.
We are looking forward to a trip to camping with Endeavor.
Happy camping!
Naming Update
After 2 1/2 fabulous years in our T@G, we sold it and purchased a nüCamp T@B 400. Our reasons are outlined in my post, Replacing Our Tiny Camper, A Big Step .
In memory and because the name really fits our particular brand of camping, we named our new camper Ende@vor II. We love this camper just like we loved the T@G.
We obtained the lettering for the 400 at DIY Lettering and we were happy with the results.
This post is not about teardrop camping. Instead, it is about a road trip to try out our new convertible. Monroeville, Alabama was our destination, a city with deep literary roots.
Harper Lee
First of all, I have always admired Harper Lee and her incredible book, “To Kill a Mockingbird” (TKAM). So when we were ready to take a road trip in my husband’s new car, Monroeville was the destination.
Greg and his New Car
We chose Monroeville because it is near and a place I have always wanted to visit because of its association with Harper Lee. So, a few facts about TKAM:
Pulitzer Prize winner
First book published by a Harper Lee
40 million copies sold
Voted #1 on many lists of must reads
Academy award winning movie adaptation
Translated to over forty languages
Voted best novel of the twentieth century
Taught in many schools in and outside the U. S.
(Can you tell I’m a fan?)
Storyline of the Book
Lee wrote about “small town middle-class southern life” and Monroeville was her home. Her father was the inspiration for Atticus Finch and Monroeville became the inspiration for the fictional town of Maycomb. Another famous writer, Truman Capote, was her childhood friend who was portrayed as Dill in her novel. I so loved the novel that going to the birthplace of its creation was very exciting for me.
Traveling to Monroeville
However, my image of riding down the highway with the top down on this first road trip with the wind blowing in our faces did not match reality. It rained off and on the entire trip to Monroeville and that first day in town.
We arrived in time to have lunch at a popular restaurant, The Prop and Gavel. It was at this restaurant in 2015 that Harper Lee received published copies of her second book, “Go Set a Watchman” from her U.S. and U.K. publishers. The decor is dedicated to aviation and the legal profession, an odd, but interesting combination. We had Barrister Burgers with sweet potato chips, voted one of the “Top 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama.” They were quite tasty.
Prop and Gavel Restaurant
It was too late to go to the Monroe County Heritage Musem after we had lunch and checked into our motel. Fortunately, our innkeeper had copies of “Walk Monroeville II”, which has a lot of information and history about the town and sites referenced in Lee’s books.
The Town of Harper Lee
So we began the tour late that afternoon. Most stops on the tour were at or near the courthouse. Its lawn was beautifully landscaped with many references to Lee’s books. The sculpture below is “A Celebration of Reading”, by Birmingham sculptor, Branco Medenica.
A Celebration of Reading
Every year in April and May, there is a TKAM play. However, we just missed seeing it. Act I is in the Otha Biggs Amphitheater, which is on the courthouse grounds. The set has the houses of Atticus Finch, the Radleys and Mrs. Dubose. My Big Guy is below in front of the set.
Set for Act I
It was interesting to me that the Alabama Bar Association has erected a monument to Atticus Finch: Lawyer – Hero. This plaque is on the courthouse grounds.
Alabama Bar Association Monument to Atticus Finch
We also checked out the sites a few blocks from the courthouse where Lee and Capote grew up. Capote spent his summers in Monroeville with his cousins. Lee’s old home has Mel’s Dairy Dream in its spot, which is referenced in Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman”. A plaque dedicated to Truman Capote’s life is next to Mel’s. But, there is nothing but a stone wall from the original house of Capote’s cousins. Note the dark sky in the photographs because the rain was rolling into the area again.
Mel’s Dairy Dream, former site of Harper Lee’s childhood home
Former site of Truman Capote’s childhood home, next door to the former Lee homeMarker for Truman Capote
We had a milkshake at Mel’s and headed back to our motel to beat the rain. Consequently, we had ice cream for dinner. We’re seniors–it’s allowed. Our evening ended with a movie and a bottle of wine.
The Courthouse
After a very good breakfast at the motel, we headed to tour the old courthouse. It did not disappoint! Built in 1904, it stands majestic in the center of town. It was in danger of being torn down several years ago, but was ultimately preserved. There were exhibits for both Lee and Capote. It also has rooms set up as they would have looked in the 1930s, the years depicted in TKAM.
Old Monrobills County Courthouse1930s-Style Legal Office
The courtroom looks just like the one in the movie because the movie version was based upon it. So it was a most gratifying end to our tour at the courthouse. Anyone familiar with the movie can see the striking resemblance. There is a second story overlooking the main floor, just like the movie and the book. You can almost see Scout looking down from the second floor. The courtroom is where Act II of the annual play is performed, with members of the audience as jurors.
The CourtroomView of the Upper LevelThe Witness ChairThe View from Above
The trip to Monroeville gave me a much stronger understanding of Harper Lee and her hometown. In a sense, I found her, but in many ways she is even more a mystery.
Controversy
In recent years, controversy has surrounded another published book by Harper Lee, “Go Set a Watchman”. But, I must admit it is a little hard for me to reconcile the two books in my mind.
It is my understanding that the town is divided over the second book and some legal action that occurred in the later years of Lee’s life. She died in 2016 at 89 years old. Therefore, questions have been posed as to whether Harper Lee in her late 80s had the mental capacity to authorize the publication of the second book.
Consequently, the controversy adds to the mystery of Harper Lee, the brilliant writer who only wrote one book in her lifetime with her second publication being a draft of her first novel. But, she was a very private person, who remained silent to the public for most of the time after TKAM was published. However, I find her fascinating. If you have not read the book (TKAM), you are really missing something. There is also an audio recording of the book by Sissy Spacek that is excellent. She was wonderful as Scout!
Goodbye Harper Lee
Finally visiting Monroeville, I am even more of fan of Harper Lee.
Returning home, in contrast, we had sunshine for the most of the trip. So we were able to have the top down on the car. Such fun! We have another road trip coming, then it will be back to our Tiny Trailer.
If you are a camper, there are several campgrounds nearby. Don’t miss Monroeville if you find yourself going through southern Alabama. You don’t have to go in a convertible. Follow us at, Retirement and teardrop camping!
