North Carolina, 2013

[ClydesdaleKevin]

It was a light crowd today, but the folks that did come out to brave the cold we shopping for Christmas presents!  We had one couple buy 14 of the more expensive catapults in one shot, and a lot of other multiple sales, so at the end of the day we had an awesome closing day!

Last day of Faire, and it was outstanding, although we froze our breeches off!  The Buddy heater under the counter did keep it a lot more comfortable, even if I did have to keep relighting it because of the breeze blowing out the pilot light!

Going to be a long cold week of getting everything else done, but nothing too extreme.  We'll have to keep at it, but there is nothing that will delay us in any extreme way.  Even with the great sales this weekend, I'll still only have to dedicate one day to catapult building and prep work.

The only glitch of the day was this morning, when Karli saw a deer in the woods during our morning potty walk, and she took off after it!  Me in my bathrobe and slippers and 27 degrees outside!  She took off deep into the woods, and Paladin followed her.  So into the brush I went calling for her.  When she finally came back like nothing happened, she had outrun poor little Paladin, who was now thoroughly lost and crying for his daddy...lol!  So I had to hike even deeper into the woods until we spotted each other and he ran back to me...and then we all hiked back to the house...lol!

They are too cute to get mad at, but dang it was cold!

Tomorrow I start the rest of the projects, but tonight?  Some more Bourbon, and back to The Wheel Of Time!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Lots to do today before the rains come in tonight!  Supposed to be very heavy rains tonight through Wednesday, so I'm figuring out my work schedule accordingly.

I'm thinking I should get all the leaves off the roof today as my primary objective, since most of the trees over the motorhome are bare now.  Then wash off the roof and solar panels before the heavy rains.

Also have to go get dog food and stop by the local market and pick up some whole beef tenderloins, which are on sale for 10.99 a pound.  We get a lot of good steaks out of one of those!  Gotta start stocking up food for the trip.

Another thing I need to do today is get some big trash bags for cleanup, and maybe get a start on that.  I'm also going to crawl under the rig and grease the fittings today and check the diff fluid, then figure out how many feet of fuel line and at what size I need for the generator, and depending on the price I might go ahead and pick up a new fuel pump at Napa while I'm at it, along with an inline filter.

I also want to get the tambor "rolly" doors back in, and the desk, and fix the bowed out wall while I'm at it.

If I can get all that done today, then the rains won't set me behind at all.  In fact, I'm thinking of throwing on my rain gear during the storm, and washing the rig!  Let nature rinse her!...lol!

And boy was it cold last night!  It got down to 17 degrees.  We left the water on at a trickle, and fired up the Wave 8 catalytic heater.  With the small ceramic heater in the bathroom, the whole rig stayed toasty all night, even with the Wave 8 on low.  SWEET!  That thing works great!

Gotta get dressed and get on with the day.  Lots to do!

Kev

[sasktrini]

Nice work on those roll-tops!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks!

I got an early start today and had to drive all over the place to get enough dog food to last the pups a while on the trip, then made some other stops, and was back home by around noon.

After that I cleaned all the leaves off the roof and solar panels, and washed the panels and roof...then had to rinse the RV to get all the brown slime off that ran off from the roof and panels.  Pretty clean now!

While I was out I stopped at Walmart and took a piece of the carpet with me, and there was a perfect match in the thermal curtain section!  A dark blue the right shade and hue, but of course I had to run it past Patti first.

So after I cleaned the roof we took the trip back to Walmart, and Patti liked them, so now we have a rainy day project!

And since its going to POUR all day tomorrow and into Wednesday, that's what we'll be doing...curtains!!!

We got the right color thread spools at Hobby Lobby while we were out, and brought everything into the house for the projects...so aside from taking the poor pups out in the rain, we won't be wasting time in the rain!

We'll have the curtains done, the bowed wall fixed, the desk reinstalled, the tamber doors reinstalled, and the freshwater tank crack fixed easily before the rain ends...then we'll have time for everything else.

Now I'm gonna read a bit!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

The rains have begun!  Cold too, low 30s, but not enough to freeze.  Just a light rain right now, but its supposed to be torrential by this afternoon.

Paladin has a vet appointment today at 10am for his last set of puppy shots, so I'm glad the heavy rain is going to hold off.  Not worried about our driving, since we have a Jeep...its the other clowns on the road around here that I worry about...lol!

Once we get back home, the curtain project begins!  We should easily be able to knock out every curtain in the rig today, plus some of the other indoor projects...and everything else indoors will definitely get done tomorrow.  I'm hoping the rains really do end tomorrow early afternoon, so I can get into the workshop and knock out the catapults I need for Arizona.  That would give me 2 sunny days to complete the mechanical projects and pack down everything so we can get out of here on Saturday.  That's the plan anyways!

Coffee time for a while, then its off to the vet!  We're going to bring Karli with us too, since we are curious what she weighs now.

Kev

[DonD]

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL!  I'm smart with my Jeep and grew up in New England where I know how to drive in snow and rain...folks down here get really confused if the roads are wet, and forget snow!

Paladin had his shots, and OMG is he getting big!  Again, the vet just shook her head and said he's going to be a big boy!  Already 49.8 lbs!!!  Karli only weighs 52 lbs and she's 3 months older!

For all his size though, he definitely doesn't like strangers taking him away from his daddy to go in the back room to get weighed!  We'll have to work on that, but now that he's had all his shots we can start socializing him, which we'll work a LOT on on vacation, both with other dogs and strangers.

Took a bit longer than I wanted, especially since Patti wanted to get more grocery shopping done before the heavy rains came, but we got a good jump on the curtains.

The front privacy curtain is all done...and it looks great!...and the others in the front are on their way to completion.  The front is the hardest, so we tackled that first.  Lots of material to wrangle on a small dinette with dogs underfoot!  I was able to use a seam ripper to get the snap ribbon out of the old curtain...which we made 2 years ago so its not too old...and reuse it.  The clips were all only 2 years old as well, so they were still like new and not brittle.

Yes yes...pictures will be coming soon!  We are going to use the same material in the oak valances over the windows as well.  We should be able to wrap all that up tomorrow in the rest of the rain.

They predicted torrential rains, but while its definitely raining, its far from a torrent.  Just a steady slow rain which is supposed to last until about noon tomorrow.

Great weather predicted the rest of the week, so I won't have a problem getting everything done...but we might end up being delayed a bit if we can get office permission to stay until Monday morning.  I'd rather not travel on Thanksgiving weekend anyways.

And that was our day...lots of stuff done even in the rain, and the new curtains look fabulous!

Time to read for a bit!

Kev

[M & J]

Funny you should mention about pictures. I know a few who had that thought.
You must be psychotic. Or is it psychic?I cant remember......

Nice work! My wife made all the curtains in ours from ones found at Walmart on clearance shelves. Had to go to 3 Walley Words to find enough but a buck a package for lined, thermal curtains couldnt be beat.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Yep, those thermal curtains really work great in an RV!  Especially since they are light dampening as well, which means you don't have to have shades or blinds if you don't want to, and we certainly don't!

Got lucky on the color match though.  We went to 2 fabric stores over the last couple of weeks...BIG fabric warehouse stores...and not a single blue fabric was quite the right shade to match the carpets.  The ones at Walmart were dead on!

Going to finish up the curtains today and get more inside work done, and take a break later today to go to the office and pay up for next year, sign our contract and all that, and then ask about leaving bright and early Monday morning.

Lots to do, but coffee first as always!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Most of the curtains got done yesterday along with some other odds and ends.  Patti is going to finish up the last 2 kitchen curtains today while I work on the mechanical projects.  But first I'm going to reinstall the tambor doors if it kills me...lol!

Its COLD outside on this fine sunny Thanksgiving day though...brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!  I forgot to check the weather and didn't realize it was going to be as cold last night...got down to 16 degrees!  Its 20 out now.  Needless to say, I didn't leave the water on at a trickle and my hoses are frozen...good thing I had enough in my freshwater tank to fill the coffee pot!  Supposed to get up to a balmy 45 later today, so it shouldn't be all that cold laying on the ground under the rig...note of sarcasm there...lol!  I also had the presence of mind when the pups woke me up at 3:30am to go potty to plug in the heater tape that wraps all my pipes in the water/waste compartment.

So today's agenda is going to go something like this:

Coffee.

Install the tambor doors.

Go open the side walls of our display tent after putting stock in bins so the tent can dry out completely.

At 10:30, go to the Harris Teeter supermarket and pick up our ordered Thanksgiving dinner so Patti get get it started in the oven.

Change both fuel filters.

Grease all the fittings and check rear diff fluid...and while under the rig, trace back all the fuel lines going to the generator to get an idea of how much I need to buy tomorrow to replace them...also going to buy the new NAPA fuel pump recommended by the Onan mechanic if it isn't too costly. (On tomorrow's agenda will be to replace those fuel lines and pump).

Top off radiator fluid since I lost quite a bit when I pulled the heater hoses off the old water heater and closed them in a loop.

Start engine and let it warm up.

Change oil and filter.

Restart engine and let it come up to full temp, then advance timing slightly and lower the idle accordingly.

If all that gets done in a timely manner, then I'll work on catapults until dinner time or dark, whichever comes first.

Then its turkey time!

Tomorrow will be mostly dedicated to catapults...I have to get them all done tomorrow...but first I'll run down to NAPA for the parts I need for the genny, then fix that first thing.  At some point tomorrow we also have to go down to the office and sign the contract for next year and pay them the faire fees for 2014.

Saturday the great packdown commences, with the goal of being completely packed down and ready to go by Sunday afternoon and to get the RV down to the parking lot and the Jeep hooked up...then hit the road to St Mary's GA bright and early Monday morning.

If I have time I'll squeeze in some other projects like the wall repairs, but those can be done on vacation.

We went to 3 Walmarts last night and could only find one more thermal curtain panel that was the same brand and color, so the bedroom curtains are on hold.  I'll be ordering 3 more panels from Walmart.com and have them delivered to my sister's house in St.Mary's, and we can do those while on vacation.  Patti also wants to use the same material for the headboard, which is why we need 3 more panels.

And I'm rambling again because its cold outside and I'm procrastinating...lol!

Kev

[HandyDan]

I'm sitting here trying to stay out of the wife's way while she prepares the Thanksgiving dinner for the three kids and their spouses and who knows who else.  You have worn me out just reading your agenda.  I feel for the weather.  Today is a nice day in Missouri with sunshine and presently in the 40's and climbing.  This evening I will be at the Boy Scout Christmas Tree lot selling trees to those that traditionally put their tree up on Thanksgiving.  On Dec. 1 the scouts will be directing traffic at Christmas in the Park at Longview Lake.  It is a drive through experience with lots of animated lights, choirs, and food.  I hope it isn't too cold, but cold weather seems to enhance the experience. 
Kev, I hope you have an easy, uneventful trip to GA.  Let the vacation begin!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks Dan!  And Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!  And the Boy Scouts of America!!!

A LOT got done today!

And yes, pictures were taken!

First I reinstalled the Tambor doors on the overhead compartments.  In order to get the oak bottoms past the curve in the tracks, I had to remove most of the tenons, but left enough for strength, and they look great and operate perfectly!

Here are some pictures of the finished project all installed, along with some sneak peaks of the new curtains!









The next two pictures are of the aluminum tracks...





Patti wouldn't let me post any more inside pics of the curtains until the house is back in order, but the following pics are how they look so far from the outside...pretty classy!









While I was at it, I took an outside picture of the new tankless Girard water heater, since all the other pictures are gone!  Not on my computer or camera, and lost in cyberspace!  I'll take some pictures of the back of it when I get a chance so you can see how its hooked up:



And that's it for pictures!

After I installed the tambor doors, I repaired the one wall where the desk is going to be installed tomorrow...and got it all glued down with the desk and weights pressed up against it so the glue will set nice.

Then I went to the market and got our already cooked Thanksgiving dinner  (Patti's heating it now), then got home and got back to work.

First was the rear diff and grease fittings, all done.

Then I topped off the coolant and power steering fluid, and had to do something about the frozen hoses.

One at a time, I let the water flow through and melt the ice...and now they are clear.  Supposed to get below freezing again tonight, so the faucets will be on a trickle!

Then I replaced both fuel filters and started the engine and let it warm up for a half hour.

After it was warm, I advance the timing and dropped the idle a bit each...then stopped the engine and changed the oil and filter. 

Once that was done it was time to troubleshoot the leaking front airbag.  Leaking from the brass ferule at the base of the bag, so even though I made 2 new sections of hose where the leak was, I couldn't stop the leak.  Tomorrow I'll squirt some Slime right up into the airbag and inflate it...its a very slow leak, so that should do the trick.

Then I started the genny and it ran great for a while, then started acting starved for fuel again.  Tomorrow morning I'll go to NAPA and get the new fuel pump and a length of fuel hose and clamps and an inline filter and gas for the gas can.  First I'll put a new hose on the pump and run it to the gas can.  If it starts doing the same crap, I'll know its the pump not the hose.  Regardless, I'll put the new pump on and the first section of hose.  It goes to a steel line, then to a T fitting on the return line to the tank, with no fuel filter in between!  I'll probably replace the small section of hose to the T as well.  If that doesn't solve the problem, then I'll replace the rest of the fuel line in my sister's driveway.  Might replace all the fuel line while I'm at it!

Then I cleaned up and that was it for today!

Drinking some good beer right now since its Thanksgiving and to heck with the diet...and dinner will on shortly!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So it was up bright and early to get everything done.  First I went to the pavilion tent and the bottoms of everything was still damp, so I packed up the catapults and everything else into plastic totes, then hung the tent walls and table skirts up high and open to let everything completely dry out. 

Then it was a massive trash run to the dumpster on my way to NAPA for the fuel line and clamps and fuel pump and filter.  Stupid black Friday traffic!  At least NAPA wasn't having a black Friday sale with long lines!

The pump cost me 55.00 bucks, but I remembered to bring my gas can so I could test the one that was still on the generator.

Back home I got, then put the fuel line on the genny pump fitting, then the other end in the can of gas, and fired it up.

After about 5 minutes it started to do the same thing...fuel pump clicking loudly, genny surging, then finally stalling.  So a bad fuel pump was it...or at least it was a part of the problem.

I replaced the fuel pump, which wasn't too difficult...it actually does just fit right in and I used the fittings and hard line off the original pump. 

Got it in place, then attached the fuel line to the pump and then to the can of gas...started right up and ran like a top once I made a couple of adjustments to some of the screws.

Once it was fully warmed up, I attached an extension cord to the genny outlet (off the 20 amp side) and plugged in 2 fans, my planer, my router table, and the chop saw...still ran great under load!

Okay, time to replace the fuel line.  I at first only replaced the section going from the metal line to the pump, and added a clear plastic inline filter. I let it prime using the switch I never removed, and it was only getting a trickle of gas!  Now what? 

Back under the rig, and saw how horrible the short sections of rubber hose were that connected the steel genny line to a plastic t fitting that connects it to the fuel tank, and then a line running to the front.  Since I had some slack in the line running from the tank, I connected it directly to the steel genny line.  It primed finally, then ran like a top again for a half hour, even under load.  SWEET!

Okay, what about that line going to the front of the coach?  Was it a return line?  I started the coach, and yep, gas was pouring out of it!  Definitely the return line!

So I had to replace the small hoses going to the T fitting.  I cut the T fitting out, and noticed it had a crack in it!  So that was probably my problem all along, and fuel starvation was what probably killed the old pump!

But I didn't have a T fitting, so out I went into the crappy black Friday traffic again!  I got to the parts store and got a metal T fitting this time, a couple more clamps, and a small bottle of Slime tire sealant...figured I'd multitask a bit!

Got back...after stopping at the office for one last mail run...and crawled under the rig with the new T fitting and clamps and got everything back in place with the new short hoses.

Genny fired right up with good fuel flow! A couple more adjustments to the screws, and the idle sounded right and was running smooth and steady again even under load, putting out between 120-125 volts.

Fixed for now!  I really do need to replace all the fuel hoses though...they aren't as crusty as the ones I replaced already, but they're close!

No time for it now.  Maybe in my sis's driveway.

By now it was already 4pm!  Geesh! 

While the genny was running its final test run, I pulled the air line from the bottom of the leaking front air bag, and squirted a few ounces of Slime up into it, and reinflated it.  It worked!  No leak!  SWEET!!!  Good stuff, and is supposed to stay liquid with little fibers in it that seal the leaks.  I'll let you know if it holds!

After that, had to help Patti a bit with the curtain she was working on since the workspace is so small for getting straight cuts and seams...then called it a night!

Tomorrow I HAVE to get the catapults done!  And the desk installed and help Patti with the last curtain if she needs help.

And Sunday we have to be completely packed down with the RV in the outer parking lot with the Jeep hooked up.

Its going to be a hellacious 2 days!

Book time!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

COLD outside, but I've got to get that last run of catapults done and stained, reinstall the desk after adding a support to it, and start packing the rig for travel!  My realistic goal today is to do just that, and get the Underhill pavilion and all our stock loaded up, so that tomorrow all I'll have to deal with is packing down the workshop.  Only one last thing to do before the rig is ready to travel, and that is check the tire pressures and top them off if necessary, and the same for the Jeep.  Once the workshop is stowed away in a friend's booth along with the fencing, we'll be able to pull out to the outer parking lot and hook up the Jeep, and should be able to get that all done before dark.

Then we hit the road south first thing Monday morning!

First stop along the way is St. Marys, GA to visit my sister for a few days in her driveway...and see my mom while we are there...the dip down into Florida and pick up I-10.  While in Florida we have to stop in a DMV or tax collectors office and renew the registration for the RV and the Jeep, and Patti has to renew her driver's license...then its Westward Ho!

Not sure if we are going to stop in Louisiana this year or not, since the Faire ends earlier than usual this year!  Last weekend of that Faire is December 7-8 this year, which means we won't get there until they close.  Patti is going to try to work something out so we can at least see our friends Ande and Brian, even if its only for a day or two.  Frowny face!

Okay...gotta get to work!  Lots to do!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

The last run of catapults are done and on the stain rack, a butt ton of parts were prepped out in case student days in the first week of the Arizona faire, and that is all the stain fumes and sawdust I have to breathe for at least 2 whole months...yay!

I also repaired the bowed wall behind the desk, and marked where the aluminum framing in the sidewall was. Then I added to crossmembers to the back of the desk, then reinstalled it, this time using screws through the new crossmembers right into the aluminum framing, and of course the original screw locations.  Solid as a rock for the first time since we owned this RV!

Patti finished the last curtain that is going to be made here, and started on the tie backs and valance for the small kitchen window over the sink.  She's going to finish the valance tomorrow while I pack down, and at least the tie backs for the windshield privacy curtain.

I finished the catapults and whatnot around 4:30pm...I took a break from them early afternoon to do the desk install...then had just enough light to bring all our stock from the tent to our camp, staged for packdown.  I ran out of light to take the tent and tables down, but that won't take long tomorrow.

Its going to be a full day packing up everything tomorrow and playing Tetris with my compartments, but most of my workshop gets stowed in a friend's booth, and I'm darn good at Tetris now!  The only things that I want in the Jeep on our vacation are our porch chairs and mat and tables and grill, my toolboxes for minor little projects on the road, and one plastic tote with RV project supplies in it, like the plastic welding iron and whatnot.  I have some things I want to take care of on vacation, and it will be nice if the supplies are handy and not packed away in the undercompartments.

Another goal is to make sure I pack the compartments well enough that there is NOTHING else in the RV that won't fit in a cabinet!  Since we've been here the rig has been upside down.  Time to enjoy our home for a while!

So that is going to be my day tomorrow.  A serious packdown and get us out to the outer parking lot before dark and hook up the Jeep.

I also have to fill the primary freshwater tank and top off the battery water levels and the air in the tires, but that won't take long.

I'm going to repair the crack in the secondary freshwater tank when I'm in my sis's driveway, and depending on how long we stay I might replace all the fuel lines on the rig, but we'll see.

And that was it for today, and another busy day tomorrow...and then its vacation!

Time to read for a bit!

Kev

[HandyDan]

Kev, your tambor doors came out great!  I've got to find a source for those tambor tracks.  They beat mine all to heck.  They provide for more useable space in the compartment and should be less likely to bind up.  Thanks for the picts.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks Dan, and you're welcome!

Lots to do, so I've gotta get going.  Not AS cold out as its been, but its still in the 30s. 

First I have to build a wooden box to crate our sign in...the cardboard box got soaked in the rains we had, so its useless now to protect the sign.  Not a problem though...it will only take minutes and I have the scrap plywood and whatnot left over from the dash and tambor project.

Sure hard to get a move on this morning!  Getting tired of this cold...glad we are heading south in the morning!

Kev

[joanfenn]

Cold there??? :)rotflmao  It is going to be minus 25 here later this week.  Now that is cold. 

If we had more sense we would move to the warmer climates, but then we would have nothing to complain about. Hope that you two will enjoy your holiday.  Give the pups a hug for us.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks Joan!  And uff da I'm beat!

And I'm not done yet!  The rig is loaded, the stuff that goes in the Jeep is staged to load up, and the workshop is almost all packed down and ready to stow, and the trash and wood debris is staged to go to the dumpster.  The box got built for the sign, and we are so close to being out of here...but we ran out of daylight!

I blame it on the 3 days of rain we had...yes we got some projects done because of the rain, but it set us way behind. 

Ah well...I hope the office understands!

I'll get a very early start tomorrow, and then call the office telling them our estimated time of departure.  We really only have about 3 hours of work left to do, but we need light to do it in!

My back is going to be killing me in the morning, and more heavy lifting to do to stow the workshop...but that's the nature of this business, and at least its only occasionally!

Now I'm going to enjoy the book I'm reading, have a little bourbon, and call it a night!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Pups woke me up around 4am, so I figured I might as well stay up so I can get a start on finishing the packdown at first light!

I won't be going too far tomorrow, I tell you!  Probably only as far as the first Flying J or rest stop...oi vey!

Kev

[jkilbert]

Boy are you up early. 4am is my usual get up time for work. Today is get up early for fun day. The kids and I are heading out shortly for opening day of Pa's firearms buck season. Hoping to stock the freezer today.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Everything is DONE, although it took longer than my estimate...we finished up around 2pm by the time we were out in the parking lot and ready to leave.

The office was nice enough to let us stay overnight in the parking lot tonight, so I won't have to drive anywhere this exhausted!  SWEET!

I'll hook the Jeep up in the morning, then off we go on vacation!!!

Thus endeth this chapter...WE ARE NOW OFFICIALLY ON VACATION!!!! Wooohooooo!!!

Look for our next chapter that I'll start tomorrow, called Winter Vacation 2013-2014!

Kev

[Stripe]

Don, nice pic, now you know why I have a snorkel installed on the land rover.
As to Kev and Dan, I discovered a way to re-enforce the plastic tracks for the roller doors.  Easy and cheap as heck..

[Stripe]

Aww, DonDs' pic is gone..

[DonD]

Hmm, don't recall what it was? Wonder where it went?