You never know who may park next to you at WalMart

rockhillmanor wrote:
Paint it anyway you want the guy's an idiot. Walmart parking lots are NOT for people to LIVE in them period.

Add to the fact that he supposedly HAS money to stay in an appropriate place just adds to the fact he's got problems. Don't care what he does for a living I wouldn't want him living in a parking lot near me.

Just saying, tired of people giving high fives to people living in a parking lot. You want to go off the grid? There's thousands of acres in the mountains and/or remote rural areas for doing that. Not in a public parking lot.:R

Exactly. The guy is living the life of a homeless person and is doing so by choice. Just like many others. Hopefully the manager of that Walmart who has been so nice to let him stay there, will see this news story and go kick his rear out of the parking lot.

rgatijnet1 wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:
So everybody living in a car because they can't afford a house is no longer homeless as they have a home?

Read the article you posted. The guy is living like a homeless person by choice. If that town were to do a homeless count he would get counted as homeless.

Does a VW Westfalia look like just a car to you? I mean it has a stove, bed, the top pops up to give extra headroom. Have you ever heard of a Class B RV?
His permanent home is in Tenn and during Spring training he lives in his camper, much like all RV'rs do that travel South for the Winter.

So all RVers travel to Florida in the winter in a non-self contained unit and live behind a Walmart near the dumpsters so long that every body in the store calls them Van Man and thinks they are homeless?

The negativity on this thread is a trip. LOL

1. He chooses to live in a van as his investment money manager allots him $800 a month living expenses.
(sic: Investment manager)

2. His lifestyle is free and easy and is his RE-CREATION from the tense and pressured lifestyle of major league baseball.
(sic: Re-Creation, briefly to "recreate" oneself internally)

3. Walmart also probably likes him next to the rear dumpster as a additional point of store security.

4. He is not very well likely to rush from his remotely located van behind a multi-thousand square foot Walmart complex to make off with anyone's daughter about 400 feet from where his van is located - duh.

5. And, if you can't see him in front of your face, why should one be bothered by his lifestyle? And if you do see him, why just ask him for his autograph!

At his age and circumstances,I envy his good fortune.

:)

J-Rooster wrote:
Ronnie, there was a similar like VW Van in Port Angeles, WA. around 1977 camping in PA and touring the Olympic Peninsula and it was Actor Pernell Roberts from the TV Series Bonanza. Big Diesel Pusher was not his style, he loved traveling around the country in his VW Bus.

This past year, Norris at 22 years of age, has battled and beaten thyroid cancer, traveled the West coast in his same VW van, has pitched two preseason games on 3/3 and 3/8 in Lakeland, Florida, winning both, and is part of the 40 man roster for the Detroit Tigers.
Maybe he got the engine fixed on the VW before he headed to the West Coast. :B Daniel Norris

Ronnie, there was a similar like VW Van in Port Angeles, WA. around 1977 camping in PA and touring the Olympic Peninsula and it was Actor Pernell Roberts from the TV Series Bonanza. Big Diesel Pusher was not his style, he loved traveling around the country in his VW Bus.

I can see where it sounds like he was a 'dumpster-diver'.... it says he was parked next to a dumpster then dug into his cooler to check the eggs in the carton where he then smells them to see which ones are good. If you read it too fast, it sounds like he pulled the eggs out of the dumpster.

The story brought back memories... I bought a similar looking bus used at the age of 20 although mine was a '73 (blue with a white top) and it was not a Westfalia..... but a fun bus!

I admire the guy doing his own thing. As long as he is not bothering anyone, who cares.

Also, I don't believe 'all' homeless people choose that lifestyle, events in their life that they can not control can cause them to be homeless. But, some do choose it.

MM.

The only reason he is in the Walmart parking lot is because the local cop directed him there. His first choice was to boondock at the beach.

As long as the Walmart and the police are OK with him being there, what does it matter? He's not doing anything illegal, he's not doing anything against the property owner's wishes, he's not causing anyone any trouble.

Whether he's got money in the bank or not, I see nothing wrong with it. If I don't like the idea of shopping with him nearby, then I have this wonderful option - shop elsewhere. What you think is right or wrong has no bearing - he's within his rights as determined by the police and property owners.

He is Not dumpster diving
The article never said he was
He likes to be alone
Being parked by the dumpster
Let's him be alone
Away from the parking lot traffic

rgatijnet1 wrote:

rockhillmanor wrote:

It's all about personal liberties and deciding what is best for you and not caring what other, less fortunate, people think. .... "He's in great shape.

There's also around 100 people on death row that are "in great shape". so this point is what? :R

...right now, the van and all that is secondary. He has great values, and they're working for him."

Is living in a van and dumpster diving one of the 'GREAT values' anyone would want their children to have and aspire to? :H

What parent would want their young teenage daughter going to Walmart to shop where a guy is living in a van parked there?

Obviously you never read the article, or you just can't comprehend what you did read. I suspect that you just skimmed it and pulled out what you wanted to with a preconceived opinion of this young man.
He never dumpster dived. I'll bet that 99% of the parents would be tickled to death if their children met the same standards he sets for himself at 21 years of age:
HE HAS ALWAYS lived by his own code, no matter what anyone thinks: a three-sport star athlete in high school who spent weekends camping alone; a hippie who has never tried drugs; a major league pitcher whose first corporate relationship was with an environmental organization called 1% for the Planet. He is 21 and says he has never tasted alcohol. He has had one serious relationship, with his high school girlfriend, and it ended in part because he wanted more time to travel by himself. He was baptized in his baseball uniform. His newest surfboard is made from recycled foam. His van is equipped with a solar panel. He reads hardcover books and never a Kindle. He avoids TV and studies photography journals instead.

The way I see it some people are just jealous of the fact that this kid is more successful at 21 then most people will ever be.
"Research the things you love," he wrote one night. "Gain knowledge. It's valuable."

"Be kind. Be courteous. Love others and be happy. It's that simple."

"Where else can you be as free as by yourself in the middle of nowhere, or in the middle of the ocean, or on the peak of a mountain. Adventure is freedom."

Doesn't his outlook on life sort of mimic what RVing is all about?
Personally I think that his detractors on this board would accept him with open arms if he drove a DP instead of a VW gas pusher. :B

Very well said. It amazes me how some folks read a article and never understand what they read. There was no mention of dumpster diving or bothering people at Wallys and I would not have a problem with my daughter going there. This is just stuff folks added to the post. Come on people time to get off that high horse your riding.

I think I would fix up the van so he doesn't have to worry about it starting. He seems a bit eccentric writing cards to his van but as long as he is happy and not hurting anyone, pays his own way. Gotta say I have a bit of envy