The 68 Frolic

 It doesn't look like that big a deal, but getting these two pieces of corner trim cleaned up was quite a process. Over the years they had collected several coats of paint, a liberal application, or 2, of silicon caulk, and, the part that joins the roof to the side had been slathered with fibered aluminum roof paint. Here are a couple of pictures at the halfway point. One piece is clean and nice the other is waiting its turn. Both are done, now.  Step 1: Heat gun & scraper, plus a couple of other implements of destruction for good measure. Step 2: Wire brush on a drill. For the worst places, I used a side grinder with a brush attachment. Step 2: Palm sander. Step 4: Hand sand with fine sandpaper. Step 5: Solvent (I had some Frombie's laying around. I suspect lacquer thinner would have worked as              well) with fine steel wool. Step 5: Wash it down with water and Dawn detergent. Step 6: Eat supper.

 I kept the original siding (skin) that was on the Frolic. I invested a lot of time stripping, sanding, and painting. As I said in a previous post, it still has some marks of character. I put the last pieces of siding back on today. It's really a pretty straightforward process, but this side of the trailer has a lot of new stuff on it, things that weren't there when I took the skin off. The little refrigerator requires two vents. I replaced the old electric receptacle (the place where you attach a big extension cord to the power outlet provided at many campgrounds) with a modern 30 amp. receptacle. Of course, it isn't the same size and shape as the old one. I installed a nifty inlet for the freshwater. It has both a pressurized inlet that lets you hook a hose to the campsite spigot and a gravity feed for filling the freshwater tank. It's all behind a door that can be locked if I choose. Since it is a good bit bigger than the single hook-up that was there, I had to modif...

 The house where Kathy and I have lived for most of our lives is well-made little Cape Cod. The original parts of the house are about the same age as I. The collection of 2x4s, plaster, sheetrock, oak flooring, and various amenities serves us well. It keeps us dry and secure. It's warm in the winter, and--since I added an AC system--cool in the summer.  But those things don't make it a home. For that, we need Kathy's lovely decorations, the history and memories that abide in its nooks and crannies, in short life, warmth. Often people speak of "hearth and home." That doesn't merely refer to a fireplace. It speaks of the warmth one feels when they enter the place and feel the embrace of the familiar, the welcome, the secure, the love--all things that a mere house can't do. My desire is that The Frolic be more than a portable box where we can live while seeing the wonders of God's world. I want it to be a home. For that it needs warmth.  I've been wor...

Well, since last time I posted I have gotten a few things done. I put in new gas line. I eliminated the gas light, but added a refrigerator and will be adding an on-demand water heater. I ran black pip under the trailer and copper inside. I'm picking up a new regulator. Hopefully what is supposed to fire up will, and what isn't supposed to catch on fire won't. It was one of those things that seems like it ought to be quick and easy, but for some reason, getting the fridge put in and getting the ventilation right took a while. A door has to be one of the greatest architectural achievements of all time. So much so, that it is one of the images the Lord uses to describe himself, John 10:7 & 9. Just think, a door keeps out what you want out, lets in what you want in, and vice versa. Even though the Frolic had been the victim of a break-in in its previous life the door was in pretty good shape. Actually, it is two doors--a solid door and a screen door. Way back when I first ...