We’re pretty sure that Eleanor’s recent illness has been due to the incredible pollen load here in Florida. The weather report for this area shows “very high” pollen outlook and it has been just monstrous since we arrived in Pensacola a couple of weeks ago. Eleanor has been feeling it again lately, with lots of unpleasant symptoms. Emma’s eyes are a bit red too. Even I am feeling itchy eyes at night and I don’t have that kind of allergies.

So, we are going to make some modifications to the Airstream. Brett and I spent part of the evening looking at HEPA filters. My idea is to add a HEPA filter to the cold air return for the furnace, and also see if I can retrofit a pair into the Dometic air conditioner. The furnace has no filter at all right now, and the filters that are built into the air conditioner are just for dust.

Eleanor will be seeing her doctor in Vermont later this week about new allergy meds, and while she is gone, I plan to work on the retrofits. I’ll also wipe down the interior of the trailer to try to eliminate pollen as much as I can.

My friend and fellow full-timer Rich Charpentier is going through this process as well, since he has horrible allergies that are disrupting his life. He’s considering switching from an Airstream Safari to an International CCD or Safari Special just to get away from fabrics and carpeting. You can read about his saga on his daily blog.

If we had no commitments out east, I’d be heading back to the southwest right now. Tucson was great — we could spend more time there. But since we have things to do here in Florida and South Carolina through the end of April, we’ll stick it out and hope Eleanor can get on some better allergy medications. Next year, we’ll be better prepared and we might arrange our schedule to be sure to avoid the spring pollen season.