October 1, 2009 15:04 - Heidi and Buck win Their ATCH Title!
Heidi and Buck have been working all year to be in a good position to go to the Australian Sheperd Club of America Nationals... 'cause they were to be in Greeley... Kinda convenient! :-)
So... they've been havin' a pretty good show... won the High in Trial award for the first 'Show' at the Nationals last Saturday... and yesterday they earned the last 'Q' they needed to earn Buck his Agility Trial Champion (ATCH) title.
In the ASCA National Specialty Finals they placed 18th out of 73 Teams running... not too shabby... That's 18th in the Country when it comes to Australian Shepherds! :-)
Here's a video of the run that won that last 'Q' they needed... near the end of the video you can see a white line on the ground... the deal is... she has to send Buck over to run some obstacles... but SHE can't cross that line... so she has to be able to communicate with him from a lil' distance and send him over the Right obstacles... kind of like workin' livestock... pretty cool...
There at the end, one of the Gals ran out and presented her ATCH Pole... that she carried when they ran their 'Victory Lap'... It's kind of a tradition for the higher Titles... Just a simple pole that they dress up with ribbons and such, and ever'body signs...
On to other things... Lil' Jillian ain't quite so lil' any more... she's up over 9 1/2 lbs now an' growin' like a weed...
I'm tryin' to get some leather carved... for a wedding this Saturday... One of my "Angels" is gettin' hitched... and I misjudged juuuuussst a lil', how long it was gonna take me to build her Wedding Album ( My wedding gift). I've been away from the Leather Carving for too long... and it's takin' me a lil' bit to get back in the rythym of it... not to mention, finding the box where I put that one special leather working tool I need for this or that... :-)
So... It ain't gonna be completed for Saturday... but the covers are carved... and I can show 'em what it will look like when I get it finished... Next Week! :-)
... and right now... I'm off to town... to get a couple things I just can't find where I put 'em at!
Till I get back...
Take Good Care Brian
October 6, 2009 06:36 - Quick Trip to the West Slope for a Wedding
Heidi and I rented a fresher car... Her Subaru is racking up the miles a little too fast! ... and headed for Fruita, Colorado for the wedding of One of my "Guardian Angels"...
... and of course... who can go past Avon Colorado... without stopping at the Wal Mart?! :-) ... but they do have a pretty good view from the Wal Mart parking lot!
Lacee Phelps is now Lacee Doremus! and a sweeter Bride you never saw... unless of course it was Keriann or her Momma...
Whew! Dodged that bullet... maybe. :-)
But tell the truth... is this not a Gorgeous Bride?
Lacee and Cody Doremus
Heidi and I danced into the night... a few times I was juuuuust a mite out of breath!... and when we got back to the motel... it was 9 PM... Huh? :-) I guess when you start at three... and you're a lil' past prime... 9 O'Clock comes early! :-)
Anyhoo... it was a wonderful start for Lacee and Cody... I wish for them all the joy that's they're due... and she's earned enough to give them a joyous life!
Next morning we got up to head home. Just behind the Super 8 Motel in Fruita, Colorado is a heart touching Vietnam Memorial. For anyone traveling past on I-70, it's a place to stop and think about the world then... and the world now...
Makes you really appreciate the weddings of precious friends...
Not wanting to just make a return trip on I-70... and hoping to see a bit of color we took the southern route back through Gunnison... the color is mostly past for the season... but even past peak, the mountains and the roads leading into them still have a pull on me...
Late start this morning... I better get moving
Take Good Care Brian
October 8, 2009 18:14 - October Snow... Frugal Living and Ramblin' Fevers...
Outside, our first snow of the season is softly falling... just a light, dusty, mist of snow... Hmmm... guess I better quit procrastinating about winterizing huh? I'd guess 34 degrees is pretty close to freezing? :-)
I keep hoping the word will come that we'll 'winterize' by rolling south! :-) aw well...
Inside, nothing has changed and ever'thing has changed.
With the house we still wait. It's the biggest obstruction to getting on with a 'different way of Living'. But we wait together... and some have told us better than we've ever seemed to be... so while some things don't seem to be willing to change, those that are the most important appear to be! and for the better too. :-)
Never thought selling this place would be this difficult... but... if we hang tough it will eventually happen... in the mean time, if it doesn't, we continue to sketch out the plans to change things up and lease it, if it hasn't 'moved' by the time the real estate contract runs out... somewhere around the end of the month...
That's the only thing we've not decided and keep waffling on... wait for the contract to expire? ... or just pull it and move along?...
Working out some plans for work on the Eagle as well... Though we'd really like to 'change up' to a smaller rig, right now that doesn't really fit into a Frugal way. :-) The thing is, it will take MONEY, which, as for near ever'body these days is tight. Spending precious cash for something that's really gonna make a small change doesn't seem to make sense just now.
When you start out 'going cheap'... it often costs some money to get it all rolling... In our case, the money to buy the 'new' smaller rig... while we wait, again :-) to sell the Old, larger fifth wheel...
So...
Since living Frugal, often means getting it done with what you have...
We've decided, for now, to hang fire there... do some maintainence work on the good Ol' Eagle and just keep it... unless some good opportunity presents... We've never had any trouble getting into places we wanted to go anyway... so not a real tough decision...
Still have to find the replacement for the broken window frame... a few odds and ends...
... and, at this point, a big priority is getting a replacement truck organized anyway... most likely something in the 1998-2002 age range... Cummins Diesel of course! :-) ... Back to the Future. :-)
Yup... when you realize you goofed... go back to where you were... juuuuuust before the blunder... and try something different!
One thing we're looking at REAL HARD... for 'Long Term' plans... is to simply Keep the Eagle permanently, and use it as the CORE of an RV Home Base setup...
Doing that, we'd pick ourselves up a nice Lil' rig for making our circles... setting the Eagle in kind of a permanent parking arrangement... Build a ramada over it, with a covered deck... and a patio with a nice fire pit out in front...
Sounds kind of sweet don't it?
I'm always sketching out ideas and dreams... keeps the juices flowin'... and the imagination in shape... while I shuffle through the enforced wait to take treatment for my Ramblin' Fever.
The whole point is, you can't just quit. You can't surrender your Dreams. Without those, and without each other... What's left?
... other than sellin' nuts and bolts for the man?
Focus on each other... and on the Dreams... and let the man sell his own junk! :-)
Take Good Care Brian
October 11, 2009 10:20 - Stormy Days... Are Good Days for Day Dreams...
The 3 or 4 inches of white stuff predicted, turned into something more like 6 inches. Nothing tough by any stretch... but... I'm not much of a winter fella any more... and the road being icy is the only thing that keeps Slick parked...
Having to park my Motorcycle 'cause the roads are icy is not how you put a smile on my face... I Don't Like Slick being Parked! :-)
Spent a good while yesterday, while the snow fell, playing with designs for Journals and Albums for the restart of my Old Leather Shop (Restarting the shop is for a 'supplemental', workamping enterprise)... Guess that's kind of coming full circle... Along with tinkering with artsy fartsy Leather Designs... I've been sketching out some tweaks to the Desk layout in the Eagle to reduce the amount of 'junk' I put in there... make it work better, and with less hassles and clutter.
Clutter? Me?... I've decided, as many others have already done in their own rigs, that I... in spite of my many 'admonishments' to NOT do that! :-) ... still insist on hauling around too dang much junk... including miscellaneous bits and pieces for doing my leather.
When I sit down and think a mite on it.. there's quite a few of those bits that I had stuffed in there, that I've not used in quite a while... Since I'm planning on focusing what I'm gonna carve.. into a pretty tight niche... I'm workin' at figuring out what 'bits' I just don't need to keep around... after all, compressing the contents of a 16 X 24 leather shop into the space that a 2 X 4+ desk top occupies should mean you can't take it all! :-)
Here's an example of the deal I'm talkin' 'bout... I've got one or two knives that I use... almost exclusively for general cutting... how-some-ever, I'll bet if I laid out all the knives I own that do that job.... there's probably a half dozen or more... most of which just decorate a tool rack or a drawer... When space and weight is at a premium, why carry them?
So...
While we're still here... through this winter... I'm going to Tee totally, completely, take each and every thing out of the Eagle... While it's empty we're going to do some renovation & maintenance on that empty rig... Then when that's finished and we put our gear back in... we'll ONLY... repack the stuff we actually use...
Leastways, to the best of my ability to honestly say; "Yeah we use that"... and resist the pack rat genes we're afflicted with. :-)
As for the 'renovation/maintenance'... we want to replace worn/damaged mini blinds... recover window valances... take up the 9 year old carpet and replace with 'hard' flooring... swap out incandescent fixtures for fluorescents... and a few other odds and ends... like maybe a new mattress! :-)
I'm also working on a frame bracing project to improve my Motorcycle Carrier. After hauling that 550 lb V Star back there for something in excess of 10,000 miles... and not having a single problem/or issue related to that, why bother?
Well... 'cause the Heidi side of this outfit has decided she wants to ride along. Ol' Slick can do the job... but she's workin' a bit hard to accomplish the task. We're planning on moving up to a Motorcycle with better 2 up touring capability... doing that adds somewhere in the vicinity of 200 lbs of Motorcycle.
Some day we'll likely get to some sort of a rig that'll carry two bikes... 'cause she's also real interested in being a gal about who people can say; "She Rides Her Own!" ... but for now, reality says... "Make do with one!"
Anyway, I'm still somewhere around 1,000 lbs under my axle capacity so no problem there... but... I'm desiring to make sure I've avoided any 'unexpected situations'... so I'll add some steel to the rear framework... that way, I can ensure that the strength of the outfit ain't compromised by the addition of a bit more weight hanging back there on the tail.
I've got the 'Braces' designed in a way I think will work out pretty sweet. The basic idea is to create a buttress type of setup that will start at the rear of the factory suspension mounts, and run back to the carrier. My idea is to prevent any bowing or sagging of the tail section of the frame. The Braces, one for each side, will be built flat on the ground. That way I can handle most of the welding myself... and then, Once built, they can be set in place, as a unit, and welded in place... by somebody who's a better welder than me. :-)
It's that upside down gymnastics where I get into trouble... I've got enough confidence in my welding to do the flat assembly work... But, hitches, suspension stuff, and odd positions sets parts of me to quivering that are best left un-quivered, so I leave those bits to others with finer skills.
Now, even with the additon of the steel on the frame, and the bigger bike, I expect to still remain something like 500 lbs under max axle capacity... and that's with a full load of water... so, needs be, I can cut that haul weight a significant amount should something require it.
Should we meet with any significant success in casting off excessive cowboy clutter, we'll improve that weight situation even more! :-)
Still open to me... though at this point I'm not expecting the need, is to hang heavier rated axles underneath.
Enough day dreamin' for now... plenty of 'Castles in the Sky'... to get foundations built under... so I better go find my 'Sky Hook' and get to work! :-)
Take Good Care Brian
Hmmm... Seems like some of the 'Old Wind' is building back up... don't it? :-)
October 13, 2009 06:34 - Yeah... I think I am...
Steven from Monument thinks I'm back... well, Me too! :-)
It's been a difficult trail, this past six months and more... and I've still got plenty of trail in front of me... but that's the point ain't it? ... There's still Plenty of trail left.
I didn't get it done by my self... that's maybe the biggest lesson here... tried to, for too long (years)... and finally crashed hard... thought I was alone... just too 'down' to see all the folks keepin' me afloat... Leastways until a few of 'em got weary of my 'stuff' and slapped me around a mite! :-) ... so the point here is, if there's anything anyone can learn from the mistakes I make... 1. Don't quit... Not Ever. 2. Look around... I truly doubt, anyone is alone (we just let our egos blind us a mite) 3. Hang tight to your friends and family ('cause they're hangin' on to you) 4. Hang tight to your Dreams...
... and LIVE! :-)
The Paint Scheme I want to put on the Eagle clicked yesterday... I'd been thinking mural of some sort but that's evolved into what I think is a pretty clsassy layout of bands of color... using 4 colors...
Now... I have to sweet talk my son-in-law... he don't know it yet... but I'm sort of planning on putting his automotive painting skills to work... :-)
It appears that quite a few RVers of different sorts are thinking along the same lines these days... I was looking over at Nicks blog... The Gypsy Journal... and he was talking about refurbish/replace work on RV's too... and I found a few others... He had quite a few links to follow for sources and just plain ol' inspiration...
... got me an' Heidi to talkin' some on it last night... I think we may just juice up our own RV Renovation a bit...
To take out the carpet and put in a 'hard floor'... and do it properly, really requires taking out as much of the 'inside' as possible... I'd been thinking we'd just do it down in the kitchen/living area... but, we're thinking end to end now... which means the bed, the couch, stairs to the bedroom area... some in the bathroom...
8 Years of dogs and mountain camps has taken a toll on the carpet... and it's a pain to clean in camp... some sort of hard floor makes far more sense for us... are you listening RV Designers?
... and in the bathroom, the liner of the shower has developed a few cracks over the last 8 years... Oh Lordy... I may have created a monster here...
Now we're thinking the proper thing for us to do, is just park the Fifth Wheel up by my shop, since we still have the shop!... Strip out all the worn carpet and ever'thing else that's in the way... and Redo / Refurbish / Renovate right now...
In pursuit of that idea... I'll be spending the next few days... weeks... months... sketching out our ideas... chasing down sources... ripping, pulling, installing, carving leather for new window valances :-) ... and hopefully, coming up with a few, new, 'off the wall' inspirations... ! :-O
Plus... what with Heidi catching a bit of the Motorcycle Bug... there's a gorgeous Cruiser sitting down in Arizona... Hmmmm... ain't Dreams Sweet? :-)
At the least, this'll all distract my 'Ego' from wallerin' in any more of that 'Stuff' it got stuck in this past season...
Gotta go get ready to ride muddy Ol' Slick through the heavy fog this morning to that Day Job... See ya tomorrow!
Take Good Care Brian
October 16, 2009 08:32 - Continuing to Work on Ideas for a, Hitch to Motorcycle Carrier, RV Renovation
Needful of something to keep me on a sunny trail... I've kind of latched on to Renovating or Renewing our Old 5er. We've hauled it from Wisconsin to the Arizona Desert and up into Montana, Nevada and the Olympic Peninsula.
It's carried two adults and two dogs all over the west... been lived in full time for something over a year... and been used since early 2001... used up it ain't... but it ain't new either... carpet is a might used, a few things need some attention... and then, my fickle self just wants to play with it some! :-)
So... after cogitatin' 'bout newer and smaller rigs... losin' the '06 and needing to set up a, 'new' to us, tow rig... and considering the whuppin' our finances have taken the past two or three years... We've pretty much determined that, for the future we can see, just doin' the RV Renewal work is what makes sense...
I'm thinkin' I want to do the outside, Full Body, RV Paint job first!... Might not make sense to anybody else but it does to me. When I look out the window at it... or head over to work on it... seems to me, seein' that flashy paint scheme will set my imagination to workin'! :-)
I've got the RV Paint scheme pretty well figured out... I think... it's using four colors... a deep bronze, a sand, a real pale ivory kind of color and a grey for accents... There will be seven wide bands of alternating color... starting up front from the floor of the gooseneck and that verticle section just under the gooseneck and running up and spreading out like the rays of the sun... toward the tail and top... I'll use the grey as sort of a divider between the 'base' colors...
Don't know if you can visualize my description... but the roughout 'sketch' I have looks kind of awsome to me... hmmm... maybe I should see if I can post that?
Well... DOH! that wasn't so hard! ... Like I said... a "roughout sketch"... but I think you get the idea... Josh... my son-in-law... claims he can keep me busy with the 'prep work'... so this just may be able to happen before too awful long...
One big obstacle is a 'place' to paint the fifth Wheel... trying to spray high dollar automotive paint, out in the wind, on the Colorado High Plains... is not a formula for asuccessful, full body RV paint job... It'd be easier to just throw a bucket of paint up in the air... up wind of the rig and see how much sticks to the RV... where you wanted it to..
I've got an idea for a 'temporary RV Spray Booth tent'... using PVC pipe and clear plastic... if we can get everything collected, and then watch the weather reports for a window of time where the wind is 'expected' to be reasonable... we might could get this RV paint job done... we shall see...
Once all that is done... we can get inside and start modifying the 5er in ways we've talked about a long time... sort of a "wouldn't it be nice if this here was like that... and that over there was set up like this here?" ... kind of conversation...
But... today, with the Sun shining after a bit of weather the last week we're heading up to the High Country today for some... Fun in the sun!
October 19, 2009 06:24 - Why Make Painting the Fifth Wheel the First Part of the RV Rebuild?
'Cause quite simply Folks, it's the Right Thing to Do!
Yup! That's exactly right! Lookie here... When we're out in the Fiver... on the road... we're not actually In It most of the time... We LIVE, outside! When we are in it we're likely asleep... or taking a shower... or doin' somethin' else I won't mention... Point is... we ain't lookin' at it!
The rig is just a thing to keep the rain and wind off in a manner that's the most economical... a lot cheaper than havin' six houses sittin' all over the country... or $125 a night motel bills.
Now... folks say the outside of it don't matter... just paint... Hmmm... The Outside is the part of it we SEE the most! Sitting under the awning in an afternoon thunderstorm... Coming out of the woods from a long hike... Cookin' supper on the BBQ... just standing out in front at sunrise, watchin' the start of a new day... Whenever we look around, we're Seeing that outside of the Fifth Wheel.
What you SEE, just might be even more important than what you eat. It colors your emotions, your outlook. It provides inspiration. SEEING the right thing can wash away depression, sorrow, even loneliness. What you SEE is the Greatest part of your memories...
It's about Art. It's about Food for the Soul.
I've wasted so much of my life watchin' out for the beans on the table... taking care of our keisters... that our souls are famished... They've been neglected... dang nigh on to starvation!
Of course... in this society, that's how we've been trained and conditioned... Take care of our Butts first... don't worry about that 'other'... Why? 'cause that's exactly what takes care of the corporations, the bankers, the politicians and all the other parasites...
So... Why paint the RV on the Outside, before we do the interior RV renovation?... 'Cause my Lil' Ol' Soul demands it!... and it's a nice, big, canvas to do some Art on! :-) ...
I say... put your Butt in second place... and Hangin' a smile on your face... and some joy in your Heart as Job one! ... and... judgin' by a lot of the folks I see movin' around... their butts could stand bein' in second place for a while...
When my Soul gains enough weight... I'll go to work on that other stuff.
October 22, 2009 19:59 - Some boys... need to Learn some Frugal RV Boondocking lessons... 7 or 12 times!
... and some of us maybe 9 or 13 repetitions.
:) Oh Lordy... can I blame it on a bad case of Early Old Timers?
Took a run down to Denver town this morning to visit lil' Jillian who's been feeling a mite poorly the last couple days... She's gained up to something around 10 1/2 pounds but still dealing with a bit of cholic... aw, the joys of parenting... My daughter is gettin' a crash course! :-)
She sure didn't look poorly during a recent visit to Heidi's store did she? :-)
But I wander.. back to the RV Boondocking Lesson Re-learning...
So... Miss Heidi and I, on the return run, pretty much hashed out what trail we intend to pursue over the next several months with the rig, the house... and even motorcycles! ... one of the things was that when we got home -Today- we'd set to swampin' out the 5er for the upcoming RV Remodel...
... I'm hopin' I don't have to eat any more crow very soon... but let's face it... wantin' to paint a rig... on the Colorado High Plains... in the winter is gonna require some sort of indoor arrangement... If I can't come up with that... I'd guess feathers and crow meat are on the menu again! Dang!
So anyhoo... when we get here... I start to packin' an totin' "Stuff" to empty the Eagle...
Now... you've got to remember... over the past couple years... in amongst all the other tribulations, we've been discarding junk and dumpster filler till you'd think, it'd be fairly scarce 'round here!
Hmmm... not so much. I found waaaay too much stuff that a description of, would best fit it into one of those two categories; Junk or Dumpster Filler!
How can a person... who claims to be against haulin' too much crap around... still... be haulin' too much crap around! :-) That may end up bein' just one more benefit of this project... it oughta lighten the outfit by at least 50 lbs... and maybe well into 3 digits! :-)
That maybe don't sound like much to a lot of folks... but since junk has the tendency of bein' fairly low density... it takes up a hell of a lot of space... and every pound taken out either burns less fuel to NOT haul it... or it allows for MORE Motorcycle! :-)
I will allow though, that maybe some of 'it' ain't totally worthless... but as Wandrin' Lloyd pointed out recently... leastways I think it was him... hauling a bunch of books you ain't looked at in the last year or more... and likely won't look at in the Next year or so... is a whole hunk of weight it just don't make no sense at all, to haul around!
So... for all you Frugal RVing folks out there... and even ya'll that ain't got an interest in, or the necessity for Frugal RVing, make another crawl through your rig... look back into the tail end of those compartments you can't hardly reach, that you ain't gone into since the cat drug that NOT DEAD mouse in, from the wilderness, of the edge of your camp... two years ago next Sunday!
You just might be amazed at the crap and worthless treasures, you've long forgotten, that you've been hauling around with $2.60 a gallon... and more... diesel! :-) I'm thinking the stuff must breed and reproduce or something... so some sort of a regular 'Swamp out' schedule might make some sense... at least, apparently, for me... to keep it from swelling out of control.
Well the tail end of this lil' windstorm is... the rig is now, nearly empty. The final evacuation will happen in the misty haze of tomorrows morning... after I suck down some of that fancy Starbucks coffee I've been slurpin' ... and tinker with some sketches of Journal and Album ideas I'm working on for the restarting of my Leather Shop...
...and then... I got to do some high minded editoring on that first "Great Western Novel" I finished this summer! :-) and try to get it ready to present to the world! ...
In my spare time, working around that RV Remodel... we've got to get goin' on finishing the Walkout... figuring to either lease it out as well... or maybe we'll opt to just live down there... using this place as our 'Home Base'... till things shine up well enough to sell the whole caboodle for a decent amount...
October 23, 2009 09:07 - Don't do this at home all you RVers! :-)
I just couldn't resist passin' this'un on... got sent to Heidi by a Grandaddy-in-law.
A 'Special' way to entertain yourself, pushin' a rig down the road on those Looooong drives!... :-)
So... ever'body run out and buy another steering wheel! :-)
... back to swampin' an' editing, and carving, and ... oh hell... I gotta go check my notes!
Take Good Care Brian
October 24, 2009 10:29 - Working Out the Furniture for Our Frugal RV Remodel
Yesterday the Sun was shining so fine we just couldn't bring ourselves to just work... The better alternative was to take a drive on up to Red Feather Lakes, and take a short, hour or so, hike around Dowdy lake.
This time of year, knowin' we'll soon be cabin bound a goodly part of the time, chased inside by the wind, cold and snow (I am NOT a winter guy any more!) we're takin' every opportunity to soak in some mountains.
I'd have some pics... the camera went along... but... somehow a feeble mind left it sittin' in Lil' Red when we parked to go walkin'... this 'Old Timers' infection is truly a grievous affliction. :)
On the way back down out of those high pines, I suggested we take a short look see at a couple of the local furniture stores...
... and I do believe that'll be the source for the furniture for our upcoming RV Remodel. We found a couple chairs that will fit nicely into the space that I'm figuring to open up... and you know what?...
When the store front doesn't say RV Furniture on it... the price seems to have a whole lot fewer zero's in it! I hate to knock dedicated RV Suppliers, but, sometimes outfits get a goofy perception of values.
It's seems like a "If they can afford that rig, they can afford my prices" sort of mentality... and I for one think such an idea is misguided.
My loyalty is to the outfits that give me the best value for my dollar... I don't give a curly hoot what the name on the billboard says... So... I do believe we found two chairs, of good, equivalent, quality, for something a touch less than 2/3 of the price of 1 of the chairs we saw at a dedicated 'RV Furniture' supplier.
... Weight wise, they're still light enough for our purpose as well... Maybe not the 'Mission Style' :) ... but the ones we found sure are.
I accept that maybe, there might be a lil' difference in the fabrics and such... but... that don't account for the difference in price... Sometimes you're just payin' for the 'Name'... and I don't mind 'nobody's at all, not one little bit. :)
So folks... if you... like me... have to be frugal 'cause your wallet don't allow any other options :) ... or you want a style the RV Suppliers don't provide, and you need or want to do an RV Remodel... go strollin' around your local furniture stores with a tape measure in your pocket...
Along with those two chairs... assuming that IS the way we end up going, I'm planning on taking the antique oak desk I'm writing on right now... and using it as the desk/leather tooling space.
It's right around two feet shorter... in total length than the 'built in RV Desk I did a couple years ago. How-some-ever, to be honest, with its' drawers, it will allow better and more convenient, organization of tools and supplies and such... not to mention... that I just Like it!
This is only the second of three RV Remodels we have planned! :) The first being when I built in the RV Desk I have now...
... and the third being out there in the future somewhere...
OK.. take a breath... me too...
What we have floating around the backs of our tiny Lil' brains is that we still, and ALWAYS... want to crack out and take at least a year... maybe two... Three?... and just ramble... full time, ever' day... for as long as the itch drives us...
... And, whenever, we're able to do that...
Once that wanderlust itch starts to calm a mite, it would be our intention to set up a secluded, private, sweet lil' Home Base... using the Fifth Wheel as the core.
So... when and if that happens... we'll adjust it again... to fit best into that situation.
I've already got 'sketches' drawn up for that bit! :-) ... I'm always schemin' and dreamin'.
Anhyoo... If you're thinkin' on doin' an RV Remodel of your own... think hard about lookin' at your local, general furniture suppliers... inside your own house!... or even maybe at the yard sale of a neighbor who's sellin' out to go RV Boondocking! :-)
... I'll warrant you can save enough cash to allow a bit more of your own RV Boondocking!
Take Good Care Brian
"You don't stop playing 'cause you grow old... You grow old 'cause you stop playing!"
October 27, 2009 06:38 - As always... a little of this... a little of that... and some waiting! :-)
Doin' some research... and some scouting... and we're looking hard at a flooring material called 'Allure'. It's supposed to be 100% vinyl... so there'd be none of the issues any of the Pergo type laminate material has with moisture... You're not supposed to put it in front of RV entries and such... 'cause getting wet a lot ain't a good thing for it...
... Kind of defeats the purpose, don't it?
A little more cogitaiting and I'll pull the trigger on that... on that same project, I studied our slide setup a little closer and have pretty much determined that, though I'd prefer to pull all the carpet out, that really can't happen.
The way Jayco built our 5er, there's a long, nylon, bar that runs the length of the slide, on the 'fixed' part of the floor. When that slide comes in, it runs up and over that nylon bar. Going out, the edge of the slide fits down behind that bar, making the 'flush' floor. Bottom line, that bar is a 'bearing surface' and has to remain... with carpet, there's a 'flap' on the slide side, that hangs out over and keeps that nylon bar covered.
It would look kind of odd to just be hangin' out there in the sunshine... So, I'll leave the carpet in the slide. That's OK... that part don't get much wear and really stays pretty clean... It's the section that runs down from the door through the kitchen area to the bathroom that gets the traffic and the whuppin'.
Swappin' it out, and all that up in the bedroom, that'll greatly ease keepin' the dog hair, grit and gravel cleared out... back in our woods camps... I can live just fine with that lil' bit left under my desk and our soon to be set, chairs!
No progress on the paint... and to tell the truth... I'm not real optomistic that my desire to do that first is gonna happen... no spaces have magically appeared to pull it in out of the wind, and the 'storms' have been coming so regular that even thinkin' about doin' it outside would demonstrate, for sure and for certain, that I've landed on my head to often!...
I have a 'plan' sketched up for a temporary plastic 'tent'... but I can't get past the feeling that on these high plains... it would likely turn out a mite TOO temporary. :-)
Finally got a link put in on "Howies makeover" in the "Your Custom RV" page... you can see some pics of his work... and if you've done some work to your own outfit... I know a whole lot of folks would like to see it... It helps inspire them to tackle a similar project... Tell us YOUR story there... or on one of the other "Tell your own story" pages... links at the bottom of this post! ;-)
... and then last but not least... Steven thought maybe the Nav Bar, over there on the left, could use a 'Re-Ordering'... grouping 'em up in some likely order ... I've thought so too... so I juggled it around a mite... anybody think it's better? worse?... Ideas? :-)
Rode in to that hardware store yesterday morning... coldest this season... 24 degrees when I parked the V Star... though I was feeling fine! Having the RIGHT, winter motorcycle gear makes all the difference... One of the gals that works there insists on greeting me ever' morning with; "Good Morning Evil!"... that's for evil Knievel you know... :-) ... some folks just can't get their heads around riding wind, rain, snow or cold! :-)
Looks like I'll have to 'ride' four wheels tomorrow... Likely the first 'big' storm of the season supposed to be payin' a visit Wenessday and Thursday...
Time to go make the donuts... maybe I'll get to eat a few of 'em this time!
October 29, 2009 07:15 - Hmmm... Motorcycles... and the refusal to keep 'em fueled...
What is it? How come a fella insists on runnin' a bike out of gas? I ain't ever run a car or a truck out... that Ol' Slick, I think I've run dry seven times! :-(
It's gone past pathetic and well into some sort of an OCD mutation!
Left work at the hardware store Tuesday night... and 'bout 2 miles north of Pierce... and still 9 miles or so short of the driveway.... sput... sput... sputter... pffffftttt!... and 'bout 30 or 40 miles early... again! Out of Gas...
Rainin' like hell... first part of the first real winter storm of the season... and this Ol' fool is standin' on the side of Highway 85 waitin' on herself to bring me enough gas to ride on home... pathetic...
Then... to add insult to injury... before I could make it home... that last 7 miles... started snowin' like a banshee... My visor foggin' up... so I'd crack it open... then the snow would whip under and smack me in the eyeball so I still couldn't see... the 'other' snow cakin' up on the outside of the visor... so my left hand floppin' like a windshield wiper... in between opening and closing the visor...
But... I made it on home...
Aw.... I love riding a Motorcycle in the Winter! :-)
Until... you walk in the house... figuring to dry off and warm up... but NOT!
The furnace is broke!... a winter storm thumpin' and bumpin' outside... and that high tech, propane piece of 'stuff' only blows... it ain't heatin' nothin'!... Furnace guy is supposed to be here in about a half hour... two nights without heat ... except in the two rooms we're usin'... heated with radiant electric...
That's a good thing 'bout this house though, the way it's built the cold has to get deep and long before it freezes completely up... 'bout 17 or so last night... the unheated part of the house only dropped to 50... still too cold for my butt to wander around in my skivies!
OK, Whatever... I can deal... right? ... Get up yesterday morning, to go do my last 'Day Job' day of the week... go out to the car, 'cause I'm gonna take Heidi to her store, and drive the car to my own job, 'cause it's snowin' hard... and each and every door on that sucker is frozen shut... two doors on the left... two doors on the right AND the hatch back!... :-) Winter in Colorado is a pure Joy... Can I tell you that?
NOT! :-)
Finally got the Hatch Back broke open so I could crawl inside... and bust the others open, from the inside...
Roads goin on in were iced up... I guess, judgin' by all the machinery slid off into the median... I don't slip around at all... but them other folks sure seem to have great difficulty keepin' there cars on the asphalt...
So... you fellers that are whinin' 'cause ya'll been so HOT down there on the desert?... HUSH! :-)
hmmm.... maybe I should go out and start sanding the fifth wheel to start prep work for the paint job!... at least the dust would blow away! :-)
... nawwww... I'll just get another cup O' mud and maybe do some braidin' on that wedding album... yeah... that sounds a lot better! :-)
Take Good Care Brian
October 30, 2009 08:25 - All You Southern RVers... Got Heat?
If you do... step outside of your Rig... tilt your head back and look up at the sky... close your eyes... take a deep breath in that 90 degrees you're standing in... think of me and say; "Poor B_ _ _ _ _ D!" :-)
Winter winds blowin'... and that's OK... furnace guy got the lennox crankin' again... 'something' triggered the high limit heat switch to trip. Though it's supposed to 're-set' all by its' lonesome... it didn't... it just... set.
So... when it just 'sets'... you pay a guy $79 to drive out from town... slippin' an' a slidin' on the iced up asphalt... to pull this little gizmo out of the side of the furnace... rap it twice or four times with the butt end of his screwdriver... say; "Hmmmm!" and nod his head... screw it back in and say... "That'll be $79!" :-)
I guess... you have to decide; "Is gettin' rid of the icicles on my moustache and that squeeling coming from the bathroom... worth $79? ...
... Uhhh... I paid the man. :-)
To tell the truth... drivin' 30 miles or better, on winter roads for a $50 trip charge... and the $29 labor to put the wear and tear on his screw driver... I'm not sure that's a real profitable enterprise!
When he left... I spent a goodly time re-doin' what I re-did the other day... Steven had got me to recombobulate the Nav Bar over yonder... but doin' such things gets my thinkin' parts warmed up... and we all know that's a risky thing to touch off!
Anyhoo... what I did now was to take all those pages where you can write your own story, and I'll publish 'em... and put 'em under one button... Which I called... and this is the Imaginative part; "Visitors Stories" ! :-) It's up near the top... Hard to miss... so, if ya'll got a story about your own customizing efforts, places you've travelled with your rig, general tips you might have... or... the recreation/hobby kind of stuff you might do while you're wanderin'... go there and tell the story!
Now... back to my Old leather carvin'... It's a pitiful thing... Closed up the shop a couple years ago after cuttin' custom leather part time and full time for something like 10 years... I've built everything from leather vests and chaps... to high end gun belts and wedding albums... even had one request one time for some ladies dainties... uh... that one I declined!
Got the desk mostly figured out. I'm going to start putting it together this next week. I'll use it here in the house and work the kinks out, before it goes into the Eagle during the RV Refurbish effort... Was asked the other day how I intend to keep the drawers in the desk... when the Trailer is rockin' and rollin' down the road?
Compression Rods! Leastways that's what I call 'em. You gals use 'em for hangin' window and shower curtains. I've got about 29" between the bottom of the desk top and the floor. When we're ready to roll, I'll just take a rod... compress it between the bottom of the desktop and that floor... tight against the face of the drawers... wa la! the drawers stay in the desk... the tools stay in the drawers...
... and the steam stays inside me!... and to keep the tools situated in those drawers? Magnets!... You can get short to long 'Magnetic tool bars' at most hardware stores... Home Despot... Lowes... wood working places... cut 'em down to fit the drawer... lay the steel leather workin' tool on it... and it ain't goin' anywhere!
But... what was that bit about pitiful things you ask?
I'm tryin' to get a Wedding Album finished... decided that rather than stitching it... it needed to be Braided... No problem right?
Wrong!
There's at least a couple hundred ways of braiding... I had one all picked out... It's on a pen cup I built 6 or 7 years ago... it sits on my desk... Could I remember how I did it? ... Not a chrome plated chance! Aaaaarrrrrgggghhh! Spent most of yesterday afternoon tryin' to figure out what pattern I'd used... finally found the pattern 'bout 7pm last night...
Takes not only having the right Braiding pattern... you gotta figure out the right String width... the Color of the Lace... the distance from the edge... the correct punch... and then... you gotta hold your ears just right and still be able to SEE what you're doin'... while you wrangle 39 feet of Lace around the edge of an Album... making sure that all that lace, which only wants to twist... ain't twisted...
...With eyes that ain't what they were 6 or 7 years ago... and all that combines to be...
... PITIFUL!
So... my pitiful self needs to go get back to work...
Take Good Care Brian
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