It's true, I'm an unfaithful blogger :( Seriously, I knew it had been awhile since I'd updated here but had no idea it had been this long. This is a picture of our 1976 Fan Luxury Line. It was taken at the Lake Shelbyville Rally that Mark and I hosted in October. We had a great turn out and the rally was a blast. A leason learned was that I need this years rally to be closer to home. So with that decision made we have decided to hold the 2010 rally at 34 Ranch here in Southern Illinois. It a great location and think that the rally attendees will be pleased with the new location. Please note that the Fan is sporting it's new polish and paint job. Wow, that was project was very labor and time consuming although the result was well worth it.

Summer Update

As with most of us, I've been very busy over the past few months and have found that I'm way behind here. Since I've updated several things have happened. We finally finished the 1400, can you see me doing my happy dance? It turned out wonderful and I couldn't be happier with the result.

We took it to a rally in Southern Indiana and came home with a 1976 24.5' Fan. Good thing we had taken two trucks :) So we tucked the '72 Shasta and '72 F100 into the pole barn, cleaned the Fan, moved the camping supplies from the 1400 to the Fan and hit the lake for 10 days. We had to be able to check all the systems, right? So far everything works although the fridge did give us a scare. A friendly neighbor said that it may take up to 6 hrs for it to start working correctly, guess he was right as it did start working and continued to work just fine the rest of the trip.

We really didn't have any intention on buying another trailer. We already had the 20' Shasta waiting in the wings for her rebuild but the hubby really liked the Fan and I must admit that the idea of having a dedicated sleeping area really appealed to me. So here is our plan, the 1400 will be used for vintage trailer rallies, the Model Twenty will get a face lift verses a rebuild and will find it's home in the backyard in a permanent camp spot and the Fan will become our traveler and everyday camper.

Our plans for the Fan include removing the carpet and the 1970's paneling. New birch walls, tiled floor, curtains, cushions and polish the exterior and it should be ready to roll. We'll start on it this fall after the camping season is over.

End of winter update, first camping trip in 3 weeks!

Once again it's time for an update. There have been several questions about pictures of the quilts and bags I've made. The fact is I don't have any. At the time I made them I had no idea there would so much interest in them and I was rushed to get them finished. Since that time I decided to take time and make something for myself. This past week I finished a king size quilt for our bedroom. All the sewing is done but I still need to clip the seams then find a washing machine large enough to start the fraying. Once that's done I'll take some pics of it and post them. Maybe we'll have our master bedroom redo done and be able to show a completed project that my husband and I have been talking about doing for the past 4 years.

Actually I have some fantastic news. Our Shasta is almost 100% complete. The galley is finished and all the plumbing is done. After finishing the kitchen I finally confessed to the hubby that I wasn't happy with the cushion covers. Once again he surprised me saying he knew I wasn't and to find something I liked. It didn't take too many minutes for me to find some fabric I love and have it headed to my house. It being on sale for $5.00 a yard helped ease my sense of guilt and yesterday I finished the new covers. They are gorgeous. After I sewed the first set I told myself that if I ever changed them I pay for someone else to make them. Well that didn't happen and this set was much easier and I'm so much happier with the out come. New curtains are next and I'll get started on them in the next few days.

The hubby told me today that I have 3 weeks to get the curtains done. Guess that means our first camping trip is scheduled for then. We have a vintage trailer rally coming up in May and he wants to take the trailer out, test all the plumbing, holding tank, etc. before we head out of state with it. This must also mean that he has 3 weeks to get the screen door built. Once the door is built and the new curtains are up it will be complete. We sent off our door handle for the closet/porti potty room to have it rechromed today and it should be back in 2 weeks. There have been times when I've wondered if this project would ever be finished but we are finally there. It has turned out better than either of us expected and we couldn't be happier with the out come. New pictures have been added to the photobucket album, all you have to do is click on the small pic to the left and you can see how it's turned out.

Highs and Lows

Well, I guessed right. This past month has been hectic, not much work has been done on the campers. The month has been filled with highs and lows. The high is that my son's wedding went off without any problems. It was a beautiful event and the reception was very nice and a lot of fun.

The low side is that my father is back in the hospital and has now been there for 15 days. It was very difficult and stressful at first because he wasn't doing well at all and I didn't know if I would be able to make the trip to Chicago for the wedding. After being in there for 3 days he started showing improvement and we decided to go ahead and make the trip. He had a relapse over this past weekend but is now eating again and seems to be improving. Unfortunately during a conversation with one of his therapist this morning it led him to believe that he would be released tomorrow. After conferring with his doctor we found out that this information was incorrect and he would be in there for at least a couple more days if not another week. Dad is not going to take this well and tomorrow will not be a good day for any of us.

On the up side, Mark has been able to put in a few hours work on our 1400. We were not able to locate the correct window to replace where the previous owner had cut the window frame to install a window unit so we located two windows to replace the large one that was damaged. Come to find out we had a leak in the area between the two replacement windows and damaged some of the new birch we had installed. The leak was found, repaired and new birch installed. The best part is that I now have three new cabinets. One large one in the back of the trailer and two smaller ones on the side. As I spent three weeks inside this trailer earlier in the summer without any storage this improvement is huge. He doesn't have the doors built yet and I think he is going to start on the bathroom wall first. This is fine with me as I just want it finished. We have a huge camping weekend planned for Columbus Day with all the kids, their families and my sister and her family planning on joining us. As long as my Dad continues to improve and I can keep Mark out of the garden then I should have a completed trailer for this trip.

Here's a few shots of the wedding, the garden (my husbands second love) and my new cabinets.

Shasta Twenty Update

Unfortunately we haven't had the time to actually work on either of our Shasta's this past month. August isn't looking any better as we have the wedding this month. We returned from our last camping trip the first week of July and Mark just got the Twenty parked back behind the garage and the 1400 back into the pole barn.

I'm back on the schedule at work but that hasn't stopped me from doing a bit of on-line shopping :) On the way to my house is a set of 42" wings for the Twenty. They will have to be rebuilt but what doesn't on these trailers. Cannot tell you how excited I am about this. It is very obvious where the wings once were and it looks naked without them. The paint is very bright and shiny where they use to be and it just makes me happy all over to know that I have wings to put back on her.

Also on the way is two replacement globes for the light over the sink and the ceiling light in the bathroom. Both lens covers for the 12v lights in the main cabin have cracks in them. Honestly, it isn't really noticeable unless you look closely but it bothers me. So...I've found one and will keep looking for the other one. There are also some sconces I'm keeping my eye on.

It's very difficult for me not to get too wrapped up in this project. We won't start working on her till next year and I want to start shopping for fabric. This is a mistake I made on my 1400 and won't do that again. I won't commit to an interior fabric scheme till new paint is on the trailer. Realistically this may not be for another two years. When we decided to buy this trailer it was with the plan to make it a 2 or 3 year project. There is hail damage on one side of the trailer so we will be replacing all the side skin.

We still have a lot of unanswered questions in regard to our Twenty. We are looking at this trailer as long term. It needs to be designed where it will be an easy set up at a local campground but also be capable to boondock for up to a month at a time. If we can't take it to the ranch in Colorado for as long as we want without electricity then it isn't worth investing a bunch of money in. So...we'll be researching generators, batteries, gas and solar panels. How we'll be able to incorporate these items into our vintage trailer and not be able to see that it's been modified is an issue for us. It isn't that I'm a purist and have to keep it completely original but I would like it to appear as original as possible.

Worried

It's been a hectic week. We wound up not coming home from the lake till the 5th. Once getting home it was a lot of working unpacking and getting things back to normal. We had camped in the trailer 17 days out of 3 weeks and it was a mess.

While still at the lake my son and I had a huge argument and wasn't speaking till a day ago. That was difficult for me as we are very close but we are also hard headed, stubborn, etc. Things are better now but it will take awhile for the hurt on both sides to go away.

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law came for a visit two days after we got home. It's only been about 6 weeks since my father-in-law passed away and I feel so terrible for her. She lost him just a few days short of their 50th wedding anniversary. Kathy, my SIL said that all she does is sit on the couch. She's been able to get her out of the house twice and that was to come see us. We don't live in the same town, about an hour and half away so it isn't like we can visit everyday. She isn't alone and I'm thankful for that. Two of her adult sons live with her so I know they are taking care of her but they are a bit odd. Guess that's obvious because we are talking about two men in their 40's that still live at home.

I'm very worried about my father. He is 82 and his health is failing. Last night he went to the ER and they admitted him with a bowel obstruction. Found out this morning that he isn't urinating either. He is a 3 time cancer survivor, had his back broke in 4 places, lost a lung and is just a very strong individual. He has fought and worked so hard his entire life and I think he's tired. Last night at the hospital my step mom tells me that he's been have trouble with his bowels for the last 8 months. Now during this time he has also lost his appetite and has lost close to 50 lbs. I hadn't heard about the bowel problems till last night and she tells me he has been eating prunes and taking laxatives almost daily. I wanted to smack both of them. This morning I asked her if this had been discussed with his doctors, her reply..I think so! I'm waiting till after the doctor sees him this morning before I go up. Sandy (Dad's wife) and my sister are there. I'll stay with him this afternoon and let them get some rest. We'll give this hospital 24 hours then we'll take him to Evansville, IN or St. Louis if we don't see improvement. To say that I have little faith in our local hospital is a massive understatement. If he hadn't been in so much pain last night we would have went to Evansville to begin with. If you've stuck with me this far send up a little prayer.

Puppy Pics at Dolan Lake

Well, I didn't make it back to the lake last night. Rain has moved in and I'm sure Mark and I will have a blast packing up a wet camp. He's still sleeping as he didn't get in from work till 2am. Not really looking forward to waking him up as I have bad news for him. On the way home yesterday my check engine light came on and my truck started acting sick. Seems like she's running on 7 cylinders, maybe a plug or plug wire (hoping & praying it isn't more serious). The problem is that I won't be able to bring the trailer home, we'll have to use Mark's truck. The plan had been for both of us to go back to the lake, break camp and then he could leave for work from there. Less sleep and more work for him now that my truck is out of the picture.

Here's a few pics of the dogs and a Blue Heron. That bird sure was brave, I cropped the picture cause at the bottom of it you could see Daisy's butt. We saw it everyday and it was kinda cool to watch it fish.

Dolan Lake

Well, finally home again. It was a great time although a bit stressful at times. We took all five dogs with us for the weekend (with both campers) having no plan to stay a week. We left on Thursday and it's Wednesday night and one trailer is still at the lake. Once the holiday crowd started rolling in it was time for me and the dogs to head home. As the hubby is at work (he has been working and driving from the lake since the weekend) and expects me to be at the lake once he gets off work..I haven't decided if I'll be driving back out tonight or not. It would be easier to break camp in the morning if I was already there but again there is the issue of the dogs. Can I stress enough that I don't want to take all five dogs camping again?

I did get some really cute pictures of the dogs while at camp but don't have them uploaded yet. That will be for another day. We really enjoyed our camping trip and the place we camped was awesome. For the most part we had the loop to ourselves and it was perfect. The weather was great, one night of rain but very little heat or humidity. For anyone living in the mid-west they know what an oddity this is for late June and early July. We have now found a new 'favorite' camp site within 30 minutes of home. With gas prices as they are, can you beat that?

Did I mention that we took both trailers? Mark was a bit embarressed pulling the Twenty as the outside of it is in such rough shape but let me tell you that the inside of this trailer is wonderful. There is so much more space than the inside of the 1400. I'm now itching to start on the rebuild. Gosh, there just isn't enough time or money and I want it done NOW. All good things will come to those who wait? Right?

Shasta Twenty

Here's a picture of our 'newest' Shasta. She'll be going in for rebuild either this fall or next spring.

Getting Ready to go Camping

No weeding for me today. Today will be spent cleaning house and reloading the Shasta. One week after returning home from an 8 day trip and we'll be heading out for 4 more days. This time we'll be sticking closer to home and going to Dolan Lake. It's a small state lake about 30 miles from home. It's always very quiet as most people forget it's there or don't realize it is in the first place.

I really, really want to camp on the water. I wouldn't want to camp this close to the lake in a tent as the lake has LOTS of water snakes but I'll feel safe sleeping in the trailer and the dogs will sound the alarm if a snake gets too close for my comfort.

We may be taking both Shastas on this trip but that is not yet decided. Here's the problem, my youngest daughter and her family want to camp with us this weekend. The husband has already told her that they could use the Shasta Twenty once this year before we start the rebuild on her. Daughter has asked me if they could use it this weekend and I told her not to get her hopes up. The hubby has already told me that they aren't using it this weekend. Why? Who knows? What I do know is that I'll most likely get stuck in the middle and I've told her I don't want to be there. So, we'll see. I don't see what the problem would be and I think it would be kinda cool to see the old gal in her element before we tear her to pieces. Since I'm totally ate up about taking pics and documenting the trailers anyway I think it would be a great photo op. More on this subject later.

These pics were taken on our vacation and at the mini rally that wasn't.