24/7 Chat About Anything

[Cammalu]

What a little cutie. Is that a Bambi? Or the next size up?

It’s a Caravel. Same floor plan as the Bambi. It’s very cute! Only weighs 2300 lbs

 

[Cammalu]

That’s a nice little unit. I think the next step down is a canned ham. . I’ve often admired those things. Does it have the original woodwork? They were built to be beautiful especially inside.

The airstreams really weren’t that pretty inside . They didn’t have all the beautiful birch wood many others had during that period. It was all about weight with the Airstream and they cut corners wherever they could. For example the cabinets are made out of very thin luan. The one drawer in the kitchen doesn’t even have sides or a back. I got to looking at it and inside and kept getting more and more confused. I figured it had been damaged and I needed to rebuild the drawer.

Much to my surprise, when I asked about it on a vintage Airstream forum, I found out the drawer was actually made that way - very weird. What they did it to have a little plastic box that weighs almost nada and stick that in the drawer.

There is a rather large bathroom that stretches all the way across the back. It’s fiberglass and what they call a wet bath with the shower and toilet all in one area.

I have looked all over the web for some inspiration photos and think I like this renovation the best and I’m pretty much going to copy it. This Airstream isn’t the same model as mine and is bigger but you get the drift

 

[user 30781]

I had a boyfriend in the mid-70s who had an old trailer he was living in in a trailer park out in the country by the river. I'm not sure what kind of a trailer it was but it had that beautiful Birch everywhere inside. It was rich and lush looking.

So last time I went out I parked at the end of a big parking lot away from Safeway for the night there were a few other people in this big lot I think we're boondocking as well. I'm at the other end of the lot right now and I just finished putting up my curtains in back and since it's a good idea to buy something if you're using someone's parking lot when I got done putting my curtains up I walked over to Baskin and Robbins and got an ice cream cone lol

 

[user 30781]

Uh oh. There are two cops cars in the lane behind me nose to tail having a Tete a Tete. At least if I get the knock it'll be early I haven't put on my jammies yet. Lol

 

[maki2]

Cammalu, be very cautious in remodeling that trailer. Do not put in heavier cabinetry and keep the weight balance the same as to where things are located. The forward/aft balance is critical for safety as is the side to side. The axle of the trailer is located where it currently is based on the weights of the interior loads. These things are not just randomly done, they are calculated into the original design of weight distribution and loads. Changing that one drawer to have sides won't be a big impact. Changing cabinets out to the heavy ones used in houses will be an unfortunate choice. Luan weight plywood is just fine for a camper, so stop considering it to be an inferior choice of materials. It is a just right choice for the cabinetry. Trailers and stick built homes do not have to be equals. They are two different types of structural engineering schemes. You would not expect an airplane or boat to be the equivalent of a house, but people go a bit nuts thinking the interior of an RV, trailer or van build should be.

There is a plywood product called Liteply. It is lighter in weight than standard plywoods sold in lumber yards. But it is not easy to find in lumberyards. Only a specialty lumber yard would stock it. It cost quite a bit more. When I was working on my build next to someone renovating a small Airstrem who wanted to tow it behing his 6 cylinder car I told him about it. Fortunately there is a lumber yard in Seattlle that stocks it. So he was good to go using that for renovating his cabinets. But I give him credit for paying attentioon to the weight of everything he did, counting ounces as being important. I do mean everything right down to the choice of plastic cabinet knobs instead of metal ones.

 

[nature lover]

Camalou, I must’ve gotten mixed up I thought it was the airstream that had all that beautiful woodwork. But my brain problems that’s sort of normal for me. There were some trailers built back in the day that were absolutely stunning on the inside with woodwork comparable to any home. I love wood. Unfortunately I use plywood from mine and haven’t got it stained yet but I couldn’t afford dimension lumber.

I’m still on my mountain top, temperature is mild with a breeze going up here but I have to return to the valley a bit today and it’ll get hot down there. Of course here in the east humidity is the killer. Humidity in the 90s at this time of the year is not unusual. But the trees and the breeze on the mountain relieves a lot of that humidity and heat. This morning I had a gobbler near here calling his hens. And now I am being treated to my favorite Birdsong the wood thrush. Yesterday I had a raven croaking nearby.
I M 4 D BRDS.

If I go down off the mountain on the east side I come to a little bar/restaurant that I like called the Laurel Run Inn. And if I go down off of the west side I will have to pass Mrs. King’s Amish bake shop. I should’ve worded that another way, I will not pass Mrs. King’s bakeshop I will stop. I think I made up my mind it’ll be Mrs. King’s. only one homemade doughnut (at a time). God bless the nomads no-madder-where they roam.

 

[Cammalu]

Maki I’m not taking out those cabinets at all. I will be painting however and don’t think that should add too much weight. I got rid of the really heavy old toilet (broken and gross) and did put a new light weight one in. I never intended to add weight just pretty it up.

 

[maki2]

Paint is definetly not going to add much weight. It is only before the liquid evaporates that it weighs much. Sure it has acrylic solids in it but it dries to a thin film.

 

[maki2]

A day of redundancy, still cloudy and a bit rainy. Took awhile longer for my house battery to get to 100% but it made it by 9:30am which is not too shabby for as cloudy as it has been this morning.

Still installing cabinet doors today. One of these weeks I will begin building drawers. Fortunately plywood prices are starting to drop down a bit so not being in a time crunch to make them will save money.

Yesterday when in town I went into a clothing store to look for a rain jacket. No luck on that but passing a full length mirror was nice, I no longer look like a fat, old lady! Still want to go down one more size but I am almost there, only a few more weeks to get there. Not trying for skinny, my doctor wants her seniors to have a little padding to protect bones if they fall. That makes good sense.

 

[travelaround]

Great, so glad to hear all this padding is worth having. I lost control of my weight after the fire and really need to diet.. just too heavy for good health right now. It affects my blood pressure.

My sister's husband has been in and out of the hospital since the beginning of the year and now is on comfort care. She expects him to die tonight or tomorrow. She's a nurse practitioner and knows about this. The cause is septicemia turned to sepsis and strokes. I'm feeling I may have to go to San Diego to be with her and my van build was supposed to start next week. Not ready for this but who ever is. I first met Tom when we were teenagers as they were dating back then.

Also a long time dear writing friend is suddenly hospitalized and I'm trying to find out why. He just left here and went to Jackson CA in the Mother Lode.. they transferred him to Sacramento.

Daughter moved her RV onto my property. The skoolie wouldn't start so they'll have to work on that. It has been in storage for 9 months. They think it is a battery issue.

 

[maki2]

All the hinged doors in the kitchen area are hung.

The doors under my bed area are now held in place with industrial strength velcro along all edges because it makes it easier to access things stored under there to be able to completely remove the doors. I don't go into those cabinets daily.

 

[desert_sailing]

Uh oh. There are two cops cars in the lane behind me nose to tail having a Tete a Tete. At least if I get the knock it'll be early I haven't put on my jammies yet. Lol

Is everything ok???
This was your last post and your usually a regular poster.

 

[user 30781]

Yes I'm fine and thank you for asking I should have come back and said. Yeah they were right behind me and they were there for a long time and either I'm stealthier than I thought I was or they didn't care.

I wore myself out today rockhounding but I had a lovely day and I'm sunburned, it's been awhile since I've been out in the sun that much.

Tonight I'm in a parking lot between a 24-hour McDonald's drive-thru and in 24-hour gas station just off of i-90 will see if I get lucky again. I'm so tired I probably wouldn't even hear if I got the knock anyway lol

I hope everyone is doing well this Saturday evening.

 

[user 30781]

Got home a bit ago, just got out of a nice long shower with many pumps of mint bodywash and I feel human again. Slept like a log last night, it was a little noisy until about 11:30 or so and then it quieted down nicely. Woke up about 5:30, got a coffee from the gas station on one side, tidied up the van, got a breakfast sammich from McDonalds on the other side, went to the QFC store in town and loaded up on cheeses and salamis for son for a charcuterie tray (he loves those) and headed back over the mountains. I did stop in Cle Elum to get some beef jerky from Owen's Meats. Best beef jerky in WA. Maybe the whole West Coast.

Got home to two wonderful books from the library and a tiny little bottle of vintage Silences parfum. Silences is from 1978 or somewhere thereabouts and is VERY green. Green florals were really popular in the 70s and are one of my favorite types of perfumes. I smell wonderful!!

I rarely wear perfume in public and then only a 'spray once and walk through'. I dislike being somewhere in public when you can smell someone's perfume from a hundred feet (or more) away and I don't want to be that person. I usually just wear it at home for myself now and then.

 

[maki2]

I feel like taking a day off but I also feel like I want to accomlish a lot on tne build. So I guess that means it is going to be another half-ass day of getting some stuff done but not nearly enough to give myself an atta-girl reward.

Wanting some diversions from work, I would like to go into town and get things I need but one of the stores I need to go to is not open on Sunday. So I am going to have to wait.

OK enough of this, I will go wash my window that is so dirty it is annoying me. Action of some type is needed.

 

[vanbrat]

I am taking the day off too. Whole day reading in the hammock cover to cover "Call Of The Wild". Days off are not wasted never underestimate the power of being well rested.

 

[abnorm]

Kudos to Linda AKA Travelaround.........with her "almost" twin to our Ford Transit van

We were texting about a casual meeting up in Oregon recently when I bent the bumper on my Transit van entering Miller Bar river campsite

Linda was determined to come to our rescue........I say: "THANK YOU !"

 

[travelaround]

Thanks Abnorm Doug and Paulette ... and I would have if I could have helped. It wasn't that far from my home. Right now my van is so unready for living in. I took everything out not too long ago and now all I have are boxes full of things that should be used in the new van plan.

 

[desert_sailing]

ta definitely seems so kind and helpful...

Which makes me wonder...
Yo, ta... I know the Pacific Crest Trail runs along your way... have you ever done the trail angel activities?

Many folks can't, or wouldn't thru hike the trail and so they visit the trail for the day and meet the hikers and bring them ice cream, water, little treats and such...

I'm sure after walking 1000 miles with another 1600 to go I would be overjoyed to see you though the thicket with a root beer float! Talk about visions of angels!.. lol

Just curious if you or your church does any of that thing as it sounds you were a bit of a "trail" angel with abnorm.

 

[maki2]

I dont feel that days off to read and rest are a waste of time but I was not actually feeling tired today. It was just a bit "ants in my pants" restless and unfocused attitude. That is a waste of time mindset when so much better use can be made of such a day be it for play, rest or for work. 

 Cleaning the dirty window did manage to get my "get to work" attitude motor into gear. It was good day to work, not super rainy, not windy, and the temp was around 70 to 75 inside the trailer. I did accomplish enough to give myself some atta-girl virtual pats on the back for choosing a good dized task I did not want to do and then finishing it. Now the space is cleared for building the last cabinet. Plus I have garbage bags of stuff that is going away for good on my trip into town tomorrow.

I think Tuesday, if not pouring down rain, might be a good day to relocate my camp closer to supply areas.