Hello, my pretty

My people

 Been too busy to write much... But just wanted to post some photos of Agnes starting to look clean and polished (in a few areas anyway). Working on the cosmetic aspects has been a little addicting. I need to switch gears and get back to the nitty gritty of the shell and electric and propane and plumbing and.....

Shiny new red mahogany closet

Footboard came out so lovely

Water damaged veneer that will be replaced-yep, learned how to do that!

Was considering replacing this wall, but after pulling off damaged veneer, decided it was too interesting

Shards of veneer

Messy girl

Rustic goodness

The beading makes her look almost professional. Almost.

I was kinda really happy with it :)

See? Damn rogue panel

Made a trip for goodies

My dining chairs

Old nasty floor

Ewww

Pro with the trowel now. We'll see how the floor did on the next trip...

New floor. Yes, I can see the gaps on the left. My second attempt on the right was much better. Bed will be over anyway. Keep telling myself that...

So, yeah, it's been a little chilly lately...

The ever present red chair

Fog over Campo

I guess the light needed insulation?

Attempting veneer

Determined to finish last coat tonight

Agnes after dark

Now we're talking

Long drive home with a perfect view

Pulling up weird metal from the floor

Not everything is black or white

So, as I was saying before...Agnes is going to have some personality. When I first started, I really wanted to make her funky and random and was less concerned about everything being perfect. I have to admit, as I put in the perfect new ceiling panels, the idea of her color being really shiny and consistent became a bit more appealing. Well...

Hmmmm...living in perfect harmony? ;P

So either this piece was a completely different type of wood, or sustained sun damage or something. Both colors are just as pretty. The dark is a rich violet brown, the color I would like my hair to be. I just have this one random, really dark panel in the middle of my ceiling. Not bummed, just a little *sigh*. I think I will eventually grow to appreciate it, but right now it feels kind of like a big flub.

Spent the day sanding panels and shellacking overhead. Goodness, the next two days my neck was in more pain than it's ever been. Couldn't turn my head. And I still have two more coats with sanding in between. Massage has already been scheduled..

The shellac smells like whiskey and immediately turned the rosy birch panels into warm golden hues. I had really been needing a change of scenery and was quite pleased with having some immediate visual satisfaction.

Good stuff, Maynard! Only spilled the container once. Exactly why I decided to to the floors after ;)

From a lesson learned earlier

Wow!! She already feels much more inviting :)

Argh! rogue panel!

Abandoned wasp nest.

Meanwhile, back at the Treehouse...

Apparently, Dennis has been spreading the word around the neighborhood. Meet Miss Trixie.

Here we go...!

So today I made reservations for my first trailer rally! I had no idea there was this whole subculture going on. I'm kinda pretty excited about having plans for something. It's not until August, so I think I will have plenty of time to finish my ol' girl. She better be done by then! When I first started in February 2012, I asked my friend to give me a date to work toward to finish. He said April 19th. 2012. I said no problem. Well at least I had grand hopes!  :/

Pretty!

So there are these vintage trailer rallies that are all over the country. They even have little events at them. Apparently socks hops and what have you. Many of them are restored to 50's style perfection in all their glory. Some of them are quite impressive. Not sure how my handiwork on Agnes is going to stand up, but at least she will have some personality. I'm really looking forward to experiencing the whole thing. They even have a day when visitors can come and tour all the trailers.

How can this song not make you smile?

Just a bit of randomness

Most awesome truck

Harbor Freight. My candy store.

Peacefulness

Things that I need to figure out what to do with.

Potpourri

Abandoned hummingbird nest in perfect condition

Old

New

Who needs a bench grinder on a stand? I have knees.

Always a beautiful drive

I love the jigsaw. Numb fingers hurt less when they are injured as well.

Well crap. Literally. I prefer black widows to termites.

Snail lover. Will find a place to hang in Agnes.

Unbelievable toy from friends. The best part? The inhabitants are cats and squirrels.

Shelter from the storm

So, much to my dismay, my roof was beyond repair. I had been determined to save it, after all, if I wanted a new trailer, I would have bought one. I wanted all the quirks and flaws of her original exterior. I was stubborn about it as I sometimes am about things. But after talking to a few people, I was convinced having a leak proof, safe roof might be a priority (yeah yeah, I know you told me a long time ago). I am already paranoid about the whole thing flying apart like a house of cards the first time I take her on the freeway, so I thought I would give myself a little peace of mind. And I still have all the other beat up metal that will have marvelous random patches...

Thanks to Larry at Canned Ham Trailers for getting back to me so quickly with expert advice and offering assistance (may take him up on that at some point). And to Steve at Hemet Valley RV for humoring me and trying to help me salvage and eventually driving an hour to pick up my roof himself to make sure I got it in time. Even though he did say I was squeaking...;)

So we made the trek to Hemet about an hour and a half away. Never been there before. Beautiful drive, lots of open spaces. Very open spaces.

What happens to metal seams in high winds... :(

My workshop

Yippee!

Steve. Right after I did a little happy dance.

Drive home

My people!

What happens when you rip wood. I wish it was snow.

I am really excited about the roof...

Let it roll

Bob. Right before the roll popped open like a can of biscuits.

Yeah. I guess it was a good idea.

So I was expecting the roof to be almost impossible for the three of us to lift up. It was surprising light and we popped it up there in a minute. Undid the tape and voila! It was freezing up there. Low 40's~high 30's. I don't even understand those temperatures. At least now I don't have to worry about rain damage. And the timing could not have been more perfect. It snowed there the next day :/.

Oh please oh please don't let me muck up this perfect metal

Tiny injuries

I have been waiting all year to get the top back on. And even though it's not all attached and secured down, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. She finally looks different! Sometimes so much work is done with very little progress to be seen, all it takes is one piece to help you get motivated to see a bit of the big picture.

Oak volunteer. She chose a very inconvenient spot. Named her Little Orphan Annie Oaktree.