Lethbridge

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Just About Ready for a Homecoming

It’s amazing how quickly I was able to get the rig squared away this morning! Except for the case of the missing driver’s side curtain (very curious), I’d say my study is looking pretty good!

Now:

versus before:

Here’s the small bookcase and desk with the new tops:

Here’s the best before shots I have of the set up before:

and

Where the top was just put there for storage/picture taking and wasn’t attached or usable in any way.

Doesn’t it now almost look like a built-in now, instead of a mix of two unrelated pieces of furniture? The top is fantastic; it fits perfectly, so no more dropping things behind the small bookcase! I will probably end up putting a hole in it for feeding wires so that I can keep my external hard drives on the bookcase, but I won’t know for sure until I get my tech back in here later this week.

I also squeezed one of the end tables in beside the filing cabinet… and forgot to grab a shot of that! 🙁 I wish I would have thought of doing that sooner so I could have refinished the top. But I’ll leave it as is for now. I just didn’t have space for it in the library and it gives me some space to store all the leftover paint. 🙂

I’m going to bring one more load down, then I will get back to transcription. My time management today has been excellent and I am making great progress with both projects. Another thing that is helping me feel accomplished is that I have put two bags full of donations in the car and I know I can at least double that amount by the end of the week!

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Behind Schedule, as Usual

I was asked to do some transcription this weekend. I’m currently working for my beginning of May pay cheque, so I’m trying to get in as much work as possible as it will be lovely to have some real income in the middle of my travels. But I took my client to his word that he’d sent 131 minutes of audio (9 hours of work) when it was actually 161 minutes (11 hours of work)! I didn’t clue in to this till late today and what was supposed to be one hour at the apartment complex stretched into three. So I’ve been in income mode for most of the day. I’m not complaining. 🙂

This has actually been a blessing in disguise since it’ll give the brown paint an extra day to cure before I start shifting things in the rig. I did put on the three coats of sealant to the bookcase and desk tops. I hope that will suffice to protect the paint job.

Each time I’ve gone down to the rig, I’ve brought a small load of things. Croft asked in a comment how much extra stuff I’ll need to lug down and the answer is nothing. I’m actually going to be giving away a lot of clothing, which will actually mean I’ll be bringing less into Miranda than I brought into The Apartment. This should serve as sufficient proof to the continued doubters that I continue to have a full-timer’s mentality. That said, I brought everything up over the course of six months and plan to bring it down in about two days, so it’s going to feel like a big job! I need to get into the habit of not going down the stairs without something for the rig.

I plan to bookend tomorrow with transcription and move forward with squaring away the rig in the middle of the day. Once everything is away, it’ll be easier to start bringing in loads of things on Monday.

Departure day is really going to depend on what day I can get help from Jody and/or Gary to get things back into the rig, but it could be as early as a week from tomorrow, but hopefully no further away than eight days!

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Removing Rustoleum Frosted Glass Spray

Back in Osoyoos in the fall of 2010, I used frosted glass spray to get some privacy in the office while I got curtains in.

It worked for a time, but I grew increasingly weary of it as it blocked more light then I would have liked. I tried to remove it with acetone, but failed, and then the removal project moved to the back of my mind as a low priority project.

While searching for something at the office this week, I found a razor blade in a holder and decided to try using it to remove the frost spray. It worked effortlessly; the spray came off in snowy flakes that I was able to then vacuum up. But there is still spray residue on the frames and one of my side windows is still glued shut.

All in all, while I understand why I used the spray in the first place, I think it was bad decision, at least in the way in which it was done. I would not use frost spray again on an openable window and I would tape off the frame of a large picture window before spraying it.

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Introducing Boondockers Welcome

Since I began RVing, I’ve discovered that for every crazy person willing to let go of physical roots and hit the open road there is an equally crazy person eager to have this RVing stranger stay on their property.

Well, there is a new online community, brought to you by Marianne Edwards of Frugal RV Travel, to help these two groups meet up: Boondockers Welcome.

Boondockers Welcome‘s purpose is to provide a database of both private boondocking locations and of RVers looking for a friendly, free, overnight spot. The site is well thought out, offering an opportunity for both the boondocker and the host  to provide plenty of pertinent information about each other. For example, a boondocker can say in their profile that they prefer to park and pull out without talking to the host, while the host can say ahead of time if BBQs, dogs, awnings, generators, etc. are allowed. There is also a recommendations or ratings option to help folks build up their reputation. The site is also open to users worldwide!

Please check out Boondockers Welcome and create a user profile offering a boondocking spot to receive a gift for being a founding member of a site that fills a much needed void in the RVing community.

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A Drop of Golden Brown

Miranda’s interior makeover is definitely an amateur and barely skilled effort. But that doesn’t mean that the rig can’t still look pulled together. One of the unifying elements is the oak cabinetry throughout. The problem is that there is also mismatched wood throughout. So starting in the kitchen and then in the dressing room with the wardrobe doors, I used a golden brown colour that matches the honey oak of the cabinetry to make my additions blend in a little better. I decided to buy a ton more of this paint colour and use it in the study, which had no fewer than four different wood finishes.

Now, I suck at taking decent before shots, but here’s an idea of what the bed base looked like this morning:

As you can see, the trim was unpainted. I was going to paint it golden brown like I did with the trim around the sink in the kitchen, but the bed base had a bunch of holes and scratches. Now, it’s all golden brown:

My desk, while sporting a few chips, does match the rest of the cabinetry, so it’s fine, except for the top:

I decided to paint the top as well as my little bookcase and the new top I made for it this morning (it’s been a productive day). Both the bookcase and desk top swill be golden brown and sealed with Verathane to protect the finish. Here’s a sneak peak of that:

Finally, the white door into the toilet room from the dressing room was getting on my nerves. I couldn’t figure out what to do with it. Once I was committed to buying more of the golden brown paint, the answer was obvious: match the toilet room door to the wardrobe doors. Ta-dah:

I’ve got two coats of the golden brown on now and will do a third after dinner.

Tomorrow will be a mostly lost day as I need to put in a half day at the apartment complex. I’ll be glad for the extra income and the new manager is glad to not have to come in yet on a weekend. So I hope that three coats of brown will be enough and that I will be able to apply the Verathane tomorrow. Sunday, I’ll be able to get the rig completely squared away, and Monday I will be moving back in 95% of what’s in the apartment, leaving only a functional office and kitchen!