TOO DARN HOT!!!!!

HoLy cOw! I seriously think it was 110 today in the sun. Is it bad that we were seeing purple spots?

 You said it, Cole...

Today we screwed in all the ceiling panels as they were a bit warped from the sun/heat. I also collected all the outside light fixtures to take home and clean up and attempt to rewire. We shall see how I do with that...

I'm a tad bummed that the weather is so unbearable. It slows productivity!  Just some random shots for today. Not much interesting to say about putting wood putty in cracks or spending 30 minutes trying to unfold the largest tarp ever.... :/

Crap, one of the few remaining windows got broken!

Star, trying to stay cool

I was fascinated by this moth. Looks like a little skirted headless statue with arms up and wings

Spent the day filling with wood putty-Going to cover in vintage white tapestry wallpaper

Another huge black widow. I let her stay.

I really wanted to get a clear photo of this yellow jacket. Poor little guy had his arms and legs crossed so peacefully...

...until I dropped a clamp on him...  :( 

...I tried to put him back together, but I think his bottom half was upside down

heart hole

Agnes has a fancy new cover!

Here we gooooooo....!

Thought I would just bite the bullet and dive right in (as always). Got the beginnings of my electrical system ordered from the most wonderful Vintage Trailer Supply! They were super helpful and considerate with my questions. Unlike my local RV Supply who just struck out for the second time. So condescending, bad listeneres and just not nice. They could have easily won a dedicated customer, but chose to not answer a simple question unless I drove out to their store. Being stingy and defensive and pretending you don't understand what I'm talking about just cost ya, buddy! Don't talk to me like I don't have a clue ;P  I would rather pay more to have something shipped than have an unpleasant experience (or two) that leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. Especially when it comes to things for Agnes as she is quite dear to my heart <3.

For converting 110 to 12v! (I think)

7-way cable for connecting trailer to the car (I'm learning, see?)

7 way Junction Box. Way to keep all wires nice and tidy and protected. Now we're talking.

Onward I go....

The shin bone is connected to the-knee bone, the knee bone is connected to the-thigh bone...

Well...

I'm starting to like the idea of tackling rewiring Agnes. For a second there, I almost got too intimidated. But, I wanted a challenge, so I gave myself one. I know I will be much happier knowing I accomplished it. That's the goal, anyway. Check back later to see if there are photos of me pulling my hair out. Or crying. Or hitting something. Or curled up in a little ball in the back of the trailer.

I spent about 2 hours following (or trying to) each wire and document. I think I did a pretty good job of figuring out how everything is connected and laid out. I even made a little detailed map that will hopefully make sense when I look at it again. 

Makes sense, yes?

I did find one severed outlet that I cannot figure out for the life of me where it came from. It's ok to have leftover parts, right?

Just to give you a better idea...

Also did tons more sanding. How can there possibly be anything left to sand? I think I'm just addicted to it. My fingers were numb for hours afterward...

Very dirty girl

Make Circuit with Me

Oh my. Been putting this off for awhile. Can't seem to get it all to click. After hours on forums, visiting condescending trailer supply people, watching videos, looking at diagrams....still not sure if any of it is really starting to make sense. I so want to get the electrical and plumbing and propane issues out of the way so I can go back to working on the wood and putting the skin back on. I'm so anxious to build the interior as well! Decided to put a writing desk in the old bathroom and a wine rack. And also want to build a counter out of some lovely wood to run along the entire side window.

So far, I know I need a 7-pin system so Agnes will be charged by my car battery, a 110v system and a 12v system which I want to tie together using a converter for consistency. A circuit breaker, which I already have, possibly a fuse box, new wiring. Not to mention the water pump issue, as well.

Now, just have to figure out how to hook it all together and make it work :/ In the meantime, I think I'll have myself my own little dance party....

Aw. The rainbow makes it seem so simple.

This is what I'm dealing with...

My red chair

Keep on movin on

Yeehaw!! Goodness it's hot!! 100+ and we work in the direct sunlight with no breeze. Slowing down the pace just a bit today. Good timing, though, as the project for the day requires more thought than action.

Quick stop at the junk lady for goodies

I finally got to frame the back window! Looks pretty damn good compared to the before photo...

So, because the back end of the trailer (known as Benjamin's "sculpture") had been such a frustrating pain in the ass, I decided to take a different approach with the front corners. Bob used the jigsaw to cut away the side wall panels back to the support beam. We then used as a template to create a 3-layer plywood wall to give much needed strength and support. 

Had to think things through a bit, which was difficult as we were both brain fried from the sun. But we decided to attach the pie shaped piece to a support piece, leaving room at the top for wires and to secure the whole piece to the existing framework (thanks, Mom! Sometimes you do have good ideas ;) 

Cutting out side panel

Ready for new mini wall!

I was a tad worried about the curve being in the right place as our template was a bit rough. But after a few visits to the sander and back to the trailer and back to the sander and back to the trailer...did I mention it was over 100 degrees? I finally got it perfect. So the idea was to sandwich 2 1/2" pieces of plywood with a 3/4" to get just the right width to replace all the rotted benderboard.

I laminated the pieces together (glue it and clamp it!) Put some brads in (complete with a smiley face I forgot to take a photo of), and learned how to use the drill press to secure to plywood to the support piece. Even learned how to countersink. How ya like them apples!

Might as well make it pretty

I love having all the tools at my disposal

Yay! Worked like a charm

Looks sturdy, dontcha think?

The first side came out perfectly! For something that seemed so complicated and required so much thought, the process went surprisingly smoothly.

Just me, myself and I

I think the heat was getting to me cause I was determined to do the other side. Bob was pretty beat and I felt too guilty for asking for him to help more. So I told him to have a seat and I would do the whole piece by myself. Which I did. Without any help. Yeah, felt kinda bitchin.  I think he was both impressed and a little sad that I didn't need any help. Now I just want to build and build and build things. I love it. My mom thinks it's the oddest thing in the world that I have so much fun or that I am capable (being a girl and all). I did see a free trailer today on Craigslist...hmmmm. And I did learn to keep in mind what happens to the piece of wood I am cutting when I get to the end and no one else is holding it...it fell and stabbed me in the leg. Could've been much worse, though  :/

My first countersink :)

Well, at least it was a charming little injury. I think I need to shave.

So easy and fun!

My piece of pie

Front corner

I love coming out here. It's so peaceful. Away from everything. Everything is beautiful and I notice it all.

The tiniest of grapes

Add caption

This is Melon. As in water.