Mrs. Calabash~ All the Work We Cannot See

Some time back,

I shared my ol' sweet trailer with you.

If you missed that one, here is that post.

Mrs. Calabash

Over the course of the past year,

it would appear as though I have just 'dinked around' with her.

But let show you what goes into this 'dinking around' business.

She didn't look too bad, right?

That is until you dig in and begin the work.

The last post were the "before" pictures.

These are the "during" pictures.

I have a feeling the during part is going to be on-going.

She had been 'updated' sometime around 1990- remember that?

One of the first things I did was pull out the cream and 'country blue' floral linoleum that was peeling up on the edges and seams, because

they didn't clean the original floor first.

It was put in in sections and was not done under the table.

It also made the bathroom door scrape.

The little blue flowers don't really show in the photos, 

but they're there, I promise.

The floor underneath is actually in pretty decent condition

and is much more neutral.

All of the cupboards featured a "lovely" 

(read tacky, low quality, poorly applied, stained, and dried out)

country blue tack paper.

Eeeeewwww!

This came out little piece by little piece.

If it were better quality, it might have at least come out in larger pieces.

Removed the plastic strip along here.

That little ladder rail that was there fell off - it was only hot glued on.

There was also country blue carpet hot glued to the shelf.

It's not there any more either:)

We knew the pump ran, but when we put water in the tank,

and turned on the pump, it sprayed water out the seal.

This is the picture I took before I pulled it out & cleaned etc.

I do that so I know which wires go where in case I need that reference.

The pump is now re-sealed and works properly.

I then went to drain the tank from the outside.

A little drip/trickle came out.

It took all day for the tank to drain.

Once drained, I removed the faucet, cleaned the corrosion out,

removed a ratchet head piece (I'm guessing fell in the tank and worked its way down,) replaced the faucet, and retested.  Works great now.

And last but not least. . . .

I have to say, I have a more intimate relationship with the potty

than I would like to admit.

I have disassembled and reassembled it.

It still has a drip, but at least water doesn't just run right through it.

It is functional:)

As a treat, I got an exterior black water holding tank.

Where we camp, there are no hookups so in order to use the potty,

we needed a holding tank.

I'm going to be a little ornery and stop here.

I'll show you 'after' pictures next time.

I know - cruel indeed.

It is amazing though, all the work involved that is really unnoticeable.

I think there are a lot of things like that.

We don't recognize the efforts of others, because we haven't

been there to witness the hours of labor.

That's just one of those silly things I think about on occasion.

My "New" Toy

Evidently, I didn't think I had enough to do:)
Mr. LB and I like to go camping.
Actually he likes to fish and would probably sleep on the bank
of the river with his fishing rod in his hand
like a child with a teddy bear.
Me? I like to be "away,"
to gather peace, hike around,
listen to birds and brook,
and maybe stitch a little.
The thing about camping is I am the one
responsible for the food, dishes, bedding and so forth.
Don't get me wrong,
he cooks over the camp fire and does plenty,
but there is plenty to do.
Over the past couple years,
I have been casually searching
for a little old camp trailer.
I like the old ones for several reasons
but a couple in particular being full metal frames and character.
And, I just like old stuff:)
Late last fall,
I found her.
16' (14' box) 1968 Aristocrat Land Commander

Unfortunately, the pictures from the ad that I answered didn't save properly
so now when I go to open the file, it's code and hieroglyphics.
So this picture is actually after we have done a few things
which I will share next time.
She was/is original with only a few little exceptions so be ready 
to get your fill of Bert-and-Ernie-ness.
Part of the reason it took a while to find her was that I had some
very specific qualifications if you will.
First, she had to be under a certain dollar amount.
With vintage trailers being a 'hot' item,
some folks seem to think a rotten shell is worth a mint.
Next, 16 feet was the very largest I wanted - whew, just made that one.
She had to have an oven, not just the stovetop.
When we are camping,
I like to have things made ahead of time and just heat them up.

Mr. LB's only request was that it have the bed separate from the dinette.

He awakes at dark:30 to go play with fish, so 

he didn't want to have to sit on the bed to drink his coffee while I sleep.

This wasn't a requirement, but guess who's fishing poles, waders, fly boxes, 
and boots all fit in here?

I also wanted a closet that was at least large enough to fit a porta-potty into.
I am often either the only female or one of very few women on the rivers 
where fishermen go.  She has an actual potty!  Woohoo!
I can now do a happy dance rather than a peepee dance.
(You know, the one 4-5 year olds do when they need to go.)

  My last requirement was no water damage.
This unfortunately, was where I gave a little.
On each side of the front window and in the corner by the back window
there is evidence.  
It appears to be from condensation rather than leakage.
In the first photo, you can see the side compartment that holds batteries
and jacks, etc.  I can see the inside front just under the window,
and it is clean.
I'm not totally naive - just a little:)
I know before she gets a new paint job (have to save a while for that one,)
there will be some issues to address.
There is no water damage around the roof vent which is a huge one.
(I've pulled the light down so I could see in there.)
Again, next time I will share the "imperfections" list with you,
because she did/does have several of those.

She needed a name as they all do, right?
I had to ponder that one for a while.
Mr. LB and I camp together, and though I could have called her
something like the fairy castle or whatever, I wanted to keep his thoughts
in mind as well.
Since we both like Jimmy Durante, I named her Mrs. Calabash.
That way we can say,
"Good Night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are."
And since we are apt to take her wherever, it's suiting.
If you aren't familiar with that phrase,
you can do a search for Mrs. Calabash and read the history.
I think it's rather romantic.

This is the 'before' post.
I have a feeling the 'during' might take a while.
I've been tackling things as I have time but will share those soon.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Sometimes You Just Have to Live

We just returned

from an absolutely beautiful weekend.

Over the past few weeks,

we have attended graduations, dance recitals,

had out of state company, worked overtime, and 

still somehow tended elderly, yard/garden and the house.

This weekend, we took Friday off and headed out

in our 'new toy.'

I will share more about her soon.

But what I wanted to share today

is that lately I've noticed that so many people

seem to be concerned with getting it all on camera (or phone.)

It makes me wonder if they are actually enjoying the moment

or just recording the moment others are enjoying.

It kinda gets me turned sideways inside.

I want to live life, not just watch it or record it.

My camera has been pretty idle lately.

It was so beautiful in this area of Hells Canyon

that I did decide to snap a couple shots.

More about Hells Canyon here.

The above picture is the meadow where we were camped.

It was just us and another couple.

The dogs ran like race horses and tumbled like bear cubs.

We watched the dogs, listened to the river and the breeze

in the trees as well as the chipmunks and birds.

There was a bald eagle that was flying around.

The guys didn't catch much in the way of fish.

I don't think they really minded.

Mr. LB said, "I forgot how beautiful it was there."

This was my first time to that part of the river.

Alas, like all good dreams, it had to end.

We came back rested and at peace.

If only we could live in such peace.

I know it's not for everyone; some folks love entertainment

and busy city streets.

Hubby and I both love wilderness and solitude.

It's one of the things we love about each other.

 Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Our Weekend Company

We took a long and much needed break this last weekend.

Packed up the camper and headed toward Imnaha.

It was absolutely beautiful.

No electric, reception, phones, clocks, gizmos, you name it.

Our nearest neighbors for the weekend...

She was part of a larger crowd.

But their children were well behaved - especially at nap time.

The architecture was amazing!

The local watering hole was pretty lively

and featured music by "Tweety & the Steelhead Fish."

The weather was warm and beautiful.

(Sorry, I know 1/2 the nation is buried in snow, but we actually

need rain/snow over here.  We're in a drought.)

It was so nice, we could have stayed another day or two.

But alas, we must all wake from our dreams:)

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches