Kindred spirits gather THIS weekend!

 

And the countdown begins.  Three more wake-ups!  The inland northwest vintage trailer campout.  We are so excited!  Avalon is all dolled up and ready to go!  Nope - not posting any more pictures until Sunday night. 

We are in the process of packing her up right now.  All the finishing touches...with the most important wine, coffee and the fine china!  The best part is if we forget anything - we can walk two blocks to the house and pick it up!

Tonight I am finishing the dinette cushions.  They are actually sewn and on the foam - I just have to do a little hand sewing. 

Tomorrow and Thursday I have to work - 11 to 11.  Ugh!  But, then I get the most important three days off!  We have been looking forward to the completion of Avalon since we started tearing her down.  This will be our maiden voyage.  Think happy thoughts for us and keep y'all's fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly.

Oh my goodness - I almost forgot!  We found a "My other car is a Tardis" license plate frame for the trailer and  Tardis patio lights!!!  So very thrilled!  Only Dr. Who fans will understand our excitement!

TTFN - We'll catch you up on Sunday night!

Remember, life is good.

Bad days happen.

Today we came home to find that our brand new back window has a crack straight through the middle from top to bottom.  There is no sign of vandalism.  We are completely baffled and heart broken. 

I did manage to sew the cover for the back mattress but my heart just wasn't in it.  To get this close and have this happen just put a major damper on the whole thing.

Time to sew...

Windows are finished.  Shelves are lined.  Lights are mounted - inside and out.  Electricity is flowing.  And, we can't get the damned brake lights to work!  We finally gave up and ate pizza.   

Okay, seriously...The lights work when the truck lights are on.  The brake lights work when the truck lights are off.  But, the brake lights shut themselves off when the truck lights are on and the brake peddle is depressed.  We tried EVERY combination of wire switching possible. We literally did the Hokey Pokey with the wires.  Take the red one out, put the black one in and shake it all about!  Looks like we will have to resort to You Tubing it.  Gotta love You Tube!  We really have found a lot of help with You Tube.

We started putting kitchen ware and a little décor into her today.  We even bought a Olde Brooklyn Lantern today to use as a porch light.  So cute!

Here are the latest pics:

Back view - Isn't she pretty?!

Front view - How nice that the truck and trailer match!

Cynthia mounting the lights.

Blue ice bucket to keep the wine chilled

Lights!

More lights. 

 

Dragonfly coat hook and magnetic kitchen towels!  Too cool!

 

 

 

Now, time to sew.  Curtains & bedding & cushions.  Cynthia will be gopher on this part of the project.  Gofer my glasses, gofer my coffee, gofer a bandaid - I sewed my finger!

What a great day!

Of course, I had to work today.  So, that left Cynthia doing the grunt work.  She had to get tires put on the Subaru, have studs pulled from the old (brand new) Volvo tires that are going onto the trailer and get an oil change since she was there!  I really did feel bad.  She had to sit at the tire place for about 3 hours. 

I got home around 5:30pm;  Cynthia made dinner, we ate & then out to finish the windows.  The hardest window to install was the back.  A little sanding on the frame...and in she went!  All the screens are in too.  Thank goodness - you can only take the first 50 or so skeeter bites!  (We were losing blood by the minute!)  And, of course, in the middle of window installation - it rains for almost 6  whole minutes!

So, windows - check.  Paint - check.  Door - check.  Electrical - check.  Tomorrow - the outside pieces and parts and lights.

Here she is...

Street side back

 
Curb side front

 

Oh, yeah - fixed this cupboard too!

Inch by inch, step by step, window by window...

Yesterday, we, and pretty much when I say "we" now I mean Cynthia, Kathy, Nancy and I  ~ worked on the trailer sans Kathy.  We finished the 2nd coat of paint, finished the 1st coat of roof paint and installed the inside window trim.  Oh yeah, and we installed the door.  Woo hoo!!!

Today, by the way, Happy 4th of July!; I worked.  Bleh.  Then came home and Cynthia and I installed 5 windows.  Count 'em - FIVE!!!  Easily too!  Tomorrow after work, we will install the last 4 windows and then start putting up the curtain rods.

Now, on month 15, we are so very close to being finished that we can already smell the campfire!

A few pics before bed...

Inside window trim

Inside window trim

Photo bomb by me!

Inside door trim

Door!

Door & door stop

1st window!

This is what the awning will look like closed.

After working hard at barking at the firecrackers - it's time for a freezer pop!

 

She is a painted Lady...

First coat - all is well.

Kathy and Nancy came over today, early, like 8am early.  Thank goodness we had coffee and Danishes waiting.  We all had a cup of Joe and were ready to go! 

Kathy and Cynthia started on the windows and window trim.  Nancy and I set off to paint.  About three hours later - all of the window trim is clean and shiny and the first coat of paint in done.

Tomorrow, Nancy will put on the 2nd coat of paint while I paint the roof.  (I always get the cool jobs! - Not!  No matter how much I state that I am afraid of heights - I always get the ladder jobs!)  Once we have finished the 2nd coat of paint - we will stop for the day and head out to Kathy and Nancy's place to work on a garage for their new baby - a 1988 Shasta Revere.

Before

After

Cynthia - totally proud!

June 2013 - 13 months later...

Well, here it is June 2013.  We have been working on her for 13 months.  We are soooo close!

Yesterday, on a semi rainy day, Kathy & Nancy came over and became our nit picky groupies.  They sat and helped clean the gunk and silicon from the trim.  This was the hardest and most time consuming project on the trailer yet.  Thank goodness for Nancy and Kathy!  We would still be working on the trim today if not for them.

We did all the cruddy jobs yesterday.  Cleaned the stove (ewww yuck!), we used putty knives, chemicals, wire brushes, toothbrushes (sorry Amy! - JK), and good ole soap, water & elbow grease.  That's just the trim.  We haven't cleaned the actual siding yet.  We did manage to put up the top street side trim before quitting for the evening.

In the midst of all this, a small storm came through so Cynthia made us the most wonderful lunch of homemade spaghetti sauce with soft Italian bread with a nice white wine.  Later, after another hour or so of work - we stopped again, this time to celebrate the end of DOMA with coffee and banana cream pie!  Yum-O!  Yes, we cut that pie in fourths!!!

Today we finished the street side trim, added the front & back, top & bottom trim too. We also installed the stove & backsplash in the kitchen area.  Cynthia caught her elbow on a piece of trim that was sticking out.  Teri stepped on a nail & smashed a pinkie real good.  All in all - a great day.

Tomorrow, after work, we will attach the curbside trim.  Saturday a good scrubbing and the first coat of paint.  (Keep your fingers crossed!)  Perhaps on Sunday...install windows?!  (Don't hold your breath!)

Ok - picture time!

 

 

Can you believe how far we have gotten?  Not bad for two old gals!

Any time now...

Okay, we bought the trailer over a year ago.  I am so wanting her to be done so we can, I don't know, go camping?!  We are constantly working on her.  Even in the rain!

A couple weeks ago, we built a double gate for to the side of the house.  Another project we have never done before!  Chain link...you really should measure at least 6 or 7 times before you actually pour the cement!  Okay, so we were off by a few (8) inches.  We figured out how to remedy the situation.  And, on the 5th, 6th or 7th trip to the hardware store - we accomplished finishing the gate.  Next we were put to the task of moving the trailer from our neighbor's back yard through the alleyway down the street around the corner and finally to be backed up into our back yard via the front yard.  Easy peasy!. Yeah, right!  Apparently, our street is bowed.  The high part is in the center of the street the low part is at the curb.  Then into our yard it is bowed again.  OMG!  Trying to miss hitting the trees, cars, neighbors etc - we cannot get it to back into the yard without taking off the back bumper via the driveway apron.  Thank goodness for our neighbor!  This wonderful man made us ramps and then HE backed the trailer up into the yard.  The next day, Cynthia backed it up into the back yard where she now sits.

New gate



Finally home

Last week we nailed all the outside panels onto the frame.  Sprayed every seam with paintable sealant.  Finished the inside painting.  Installed the ice box and table.  Hung a shelf above the back bed.  And, finally, ended the week by installing all the cupboard doors and the closet door.  Wow!  We are so close now!

Daisy, Cynthia & our middle daughter, Amy

Counter top

Closet

Above dinette

Above counter

Back bed

Shelf over back bed

Hey, they really work!

In the middle of all this, we managed to pick out the fabric for the cushions.  We were expecting to pay $25.00 per yard.  What we got was $7.00 per yard and then we got 40% off the purchase.  We also managed to find the perfect fabric for the curtains.  Again, expecting to pay $9.99 per yard.  We were so excited to actually get curtain fabric for $3.50 per yard.  I know it sounds crazy but we really thought that the upholstery and curtain fabric was going to be the major money sucker for us.  We spent $51.00 total on both.  Gotta love coupons!!!

This weekend is wash & paint outside panels.  Just plain white for now until we decide on a pattern.  Once the painting is finished, we install windows, trim and then we can hang curtains and decorate.  Of course, I will actually have to sew the curtains and cushions.  We are truly looking forward to decorating her.  We went to the "Junk from my trunk" vintage show today, here in Newport, WA.  There were several vintage trailers on display and we got so many ideas from looking at them.  It was such a great day!

We have a couple of friends who we introduced vintage trailers to;  Kathy and Nancy.  They became as obsessed with them as we are.  So much so, that they kidnapped Cynthia and the three of them drove to Portland, OR.  There, Kathy and Nancy (with help from Cynthia) purchased a 18' 1988 Shasta trailer.  Their trailer  just needs a fresh coat of paint inside and out and a few little fixes here and there.  We took them with us today to Junk from my trunk.  They also got some great ideas and bought little knick knacks for their trailer.  I'll post pictures of their trailer soon. 

Flooring, cabinets and benches oh my!

We got the flooring template made, cut out the linoleum and laid it too!  Then with the help of George again we got the kitchen cabinet and bench inside the trailer.  Nothing is nailed down yet - but there is always tomorrow!



As always - Nemo must help!




Cabinet & bench





Counter top - not sure about it yet.





Benches & storage





So, do you like the flooring that we picked?





So, while Cynthia was scraping the panels - she won tickets from KPND radio station to CITIZEN COPE at the Knitting Factory!!!  This is a REALLY bad picture of both of us - but what the hell?!  It's better than we usually look on the weekends!



Wow! It's really getting there!

I know we have only had her for less than 5 months but it seems to be taking F O R E V E R to finish it up!  Today, though, really felt like we had truly accomplished quite a bit.  It's been very slow going since Cynthia broke her foot.  She's not supposed to be walking or standing for any length of time (ya, right!).  She's basically been watching me do stuff and handing me tools!  She has been sitting working on the siding.  Getting all the sticky stuff off.  (Eeeww!)  Ok, here are some pics...

We went with a semi gloss pure white for the ceiling.  We didn't want the whole thing yellow - it would be like camping in a lemon!

Cynthia is so cute!  Poor thing...I know she is so frustrated about her foot being broke.  Three weeks today.

Lots of yellow.  No cabinets yet.  Soon...look down!

Nemo always has to get into things!

Front cabinets - done!

Street side cabinets - done!

We got the wiring finished for the outlet.  We have decided not to put electric lights in the trailer.  We got these awesome lights from Harbor Freight!  Seriously, awesome!  Next post - I'll post them.

Yes, I mounted the miter box on the tail end - made it so much easier to make my cuts.  And, yes, we do have a serious drinking problem.  Coffee, peach tea, water & Coke!  lol

This is our only sunflower that bloomed this year.  I just wanted to share it with you all!