A Trailer We Made into a Camper w/ Solar..

Thunderstorms were forecast for today. Jay and his mother went to their appointment, and Ray worked on the sanding and poly-ing of the oak parts for the Little Van, and the Class B.

I picked up a neighbor's poodle to be groomed. First, I had to put Emma, the cat boarder somewhere, as she has had the run of the grooming room as her domain. I put her in a big cage with her box, food and water, and she didn't like that one bit. But when that big white poodle ( no, not as big as Fillmore, the RV-Dreams mascot), came in the grooming room, she knew that I had done it for her own good, and she settled down. She was fascinated watching the dog being groomed, and I wonder if she thought that I was going to do that to her !

These are some before and after pictures of a trailer we worked on in 2006. We set it up with solar panels, as it was going to a place with no electricity. I took the "before" picture of the inside, after we had installed the big water tank up front, and some other improvements. We made two tables that mounted on the wall inside, and there were also two places that they could be mounted on the outside. The tables made the bed, too. The fiberglass benches are 9' long, and had storage below.

We put in new radius corner windows on the sides, and made the back door with an opening window for ventilation. Drip caps over all the windows. We added an awning type window on the front, for more cross air, even when it is raining. We put awning rail across the back at the top. All the matching light switches are on the walls, not on the lights. The switches for the water pump and porch light were illuminated when "on". There is a closet in each of the four corners, and we made wooden doors for them, and in the front ones we put big plastic bin/shelves. We put those metal closet shelves all along the sides. It has plenty of storage.

The sink and countertop are one piece fiberglass, and the propane stove is removable and stored in that little drop down, right under the counter on the right. That way it could be used outside, too. We installed a stove vent-a hood with a solar fan, and built a cupboard over the vent-a-hood with a flue pipe for venting through the roof, inside it. We made drawers for under the sink, and a long storage area below the sink and ice box. That is a Coleman ice-box, as there wasn't going to be any electricity. It is covered with the same pattern vinyl as the kitchen backsplash, and inside of the door, and it all matched the cushions and forest green drapes that covered the cream cellular blinds. The floor is cushioned woodgrain vinyl.

We made the storage box on the front for all those things that you don't want inside, like little propane bottles, hoses, muddy boots, etc. That is a solid wood step going across the back, done with spar varnish. All new stop/tail lights. A black accent stripe around the whole trailer, to match the black framed windows and door. It had orginally been a "rain-out shack" at an oilfield in NM, and we made it into a really comfy camper. It is a sturdy, double hulled molded fiberglass trailer, and there is no way that it can have a roof leak.

My youngest son just stopped by, so this is a great day.

Oh Gee, Spring Break & St.Patrick's Day

Tank top weather again. Jay called and said that he had a phone interview, and would call me when I could pick him up. He had to spend about 3 hours on the phone, and so we never did get any work done today.

Here is a picture of the dash and console in the Little Van, all put together after being re-finished.

Tomorrow Jay and his mother have to go somewhere, but Ray should be here, and maybe we can get the rear oak parts of the Little Van done, and the rest of the cabinet for the Class B.

Today is really St. Patricks Day, and it is also Spring Break around here. I took Jay to get his driver's license re-instated, and there were long lines there, and at Wal-Mart. Unusual for a Monday, and I commented on that to the checker at Wal-Mart, and that is when she told me it is Spring Break. Jay didn't get his license, he has to take the tests all over again. I need another licensed driver around here, as there are two more little rigs that need to be picked up, to be worked on. I get tired of going by bus to get them. I live too far from the airport to fly, as these are in TX.

The "Dog About Town" is just for fun, he is supposed to be a canine Sherlock Holmes.

The other picture "God Spilled the Paint", is to celebrate this lovely Spring day.

Starting to Get TV Installed. Bobcats !

A great tank top day, nice weather, I think maybe Spring is really here. I wish it would stay around here longer, as it will be full blown hot before long.

I picked up Jay at 8.30, and we went to work on the Class B entertainment center.

We knew that we had to raise the TV a bit so that the remote could see it's "eye", especially from the couch. It also seemed that it would be better if the TV was turned at an angle, in such a narrow RV. That funny shaped box is what we made for sitting the TV in and on. We covered it with some of the fabric left over from the base of the original bed, to stop chafing and squeaking. As we were putting the TV at an angle, it meant that we had to build an oak panel wall to close the gap between the TV and the front of the cabinet. We made it the depth of the cabinet, so that things in the adjacent cupboard wouldn't get lost behind the TV. This took a bunch of dry fitting, because of the curves up on the roof on the Class B, see above. Now we have it all ready for sanding and finishing.

I came across a picture of a real bobcat, and this is how it compares to my "Bobcat". I hope my Bobbie never looks at me like that !

The poodles were picked up, and a cat named Emma came to be boarded. She was very leery at first, and wouldn't come out of her carrier in the grooming room. She has the whole room to herself. The foster kittens and Bobcat are sunning themselves on the screen porch. I knew the kittens were back when they knocked a plant over on the porch.

Emma found a hiding place in the grooming room, so I guess we will be playing hide-n-seek for the rest of the day.