Hello Carolyn, Goodbye Joni

This past Friday, Gary pulled Joni out of the garage once again, and gave her a final water testing. She sat out in the rain a couple of times, and got sprayed with the garden hose twice before, but Gary wanted to give her one more test. She passed with flying colors. The results were a HUGE difference from when Joni first arrived here, and her soaking wet mattress was removed and set outside to dry. With everything completed (and then some) that Joni came here for, it was time for her to go home. She was here for eight weeks, and was worked on intermittently for 62 total hours. I've kind of grown accustomed to her being here, and the garage looks a bit empty with her gone. But now it's MY turn for some much needed repairs, and there's only four weeks to go before we head out for our first and longest camping trip of the upcoming season. Saturday was here, and Joni's owner Caryn and her BFF Carolyn arrived to pick up Joni late in the afternoon. Gary and I had never met Carolyn before, and we all hung out and talked for awhile. Like most people that come here to visit, Carolyn was very nice and had nothing but good things to say. Joni was hitched up to Caryn's mini-van, and was pulled outside. That's Caryn on the left and Carolyn on the right, doing their best imitations of the models on "The Price Is Right". After the brief photo shoot, the girls headed home to Jacksonville. It was kind of quiet here on Saturday night. Helen the Husqvarna, Gary's riding lawn mower, had really bonded with Joni, and they used to talk until WAY past my usual bedtime. I will kind of miss Joni, but Helen will miss her the most. Once again, Helen is the only girl here in the Green Acres Garage. I'm sure we will see Joni again sometime, maybe even camp with her. That would be fun. As Gary completes some work on me, I will post pictures. He has a lot to do in a short time. More soon, I promise.

Joni's Re-Hab, Part Four

Joni is another day closer to completion. Gary put the finishing touches on her removable plexiglass window mounting yesterday, installed the weatherstripping, and tested it for fit. No problems. The window is installed by inserting it into the window frame from the outside, and then securing it inside with a strip of aluminum flat bar and wing nuts. Easy in, easy out. Then it was time to install the air conditioner. It has been test fitted MANY times already, so there was no doubt it would fit. Once the air conditioner was bolted to it's wooden mount, it was thoroughly caulked to prevent any water leakage. To go one step further, an exterior wooden surround was attached to the main part of the mounting. This will stop most of the rain water before it even gets to the part of the air conditioner that was caulked. In addition, the exterior surround dresses up the opening, and hides the unsightly mounting hardware for the air conditioner, and the gaps between the air conditioner and the surrounding window frame. The air conditioner is considerably harder to get in and out than the plexiglass window is, but it is do-able. Joni was vacuumed out to remove all of the construction debris, and Gary was about to put the hinged plywood base for her bed in place, but noticed that two of the three hinges are broken. So now he has another unexpected thing to fix before things can go back together permanently. There's still a couple of little things to do as well, but Joni is 98% completed at this point. She has been one surprise after another, but I guess the same could be said for me when Gary first started my renovation. At least Joni didn't smell like a wet and dirty dog, and was so badly coated with nicotine that it had to be bleached several times. Yep, I was pretty disgusting. When Joni is finally completed, Gary will take her outside and water test her for leaks, and then she will be ready to go home. The time is drawing near.

Joni's Re-Hab, Part Three

My buddy Gary has been pretty busy with other things, but he's still made time to work on Joni. He's getting closer and closer to being done with her. I'm pretty excited about this, because once Joni is done, work finally begins on me. I want to look my best for our upcoming camping trips, and I'm pretty embarrassed to have anyone see me at the moment. My time will be here soon, but it's hard to be patient. Let me explain what's been done to Joni in this series of photos. First, there was nothing reflective inside Joni's taillights to reflect the light and make them nice and bright. Gary found some replacement mirror material at Wal-Mart, cut it to fit inside the taillights, and as you can see, the reflection now is mirror bright. Moving to the front end of Joni, she was missing several parts on her right side to hold up her stone shield. Gary made a pivot and stone shield lock from various parts. He cut the main part of the pivot from a galvanized hurricane anchor he found at Home Depot for eighty-two cents. With a little grinding on it's edges, it pretty much matches the cast aluminum pivot on the other side of Joni's window. It's possible to make pivots for both sides out of one anchor, but Joni only needed one. The support rod for the awning was cut from a piece of 1/2" aluminum c-channel. The locking mechanism was made from several parts, including a lamp nipple, a clevis pin, a spring, and some washers. How he comes up with these ideas I will never know, but Gary is quite good at making things work for jobs they are not originally intended for. Heading inside Joni, you can see that he added window trim to the large rear window, set the nails, and caulked the holes. Joni's owner will paint everything later. The side window was quite a problem. The entire wall has a good amount of water damage. Since Joni's air conditioner will be mounted in that bare frame most of the time, the wall needed some "beefing up" without replacing it. So, Gary used some 1x2 for window trim, and inserted longer screws from outside of the aluminum frame and into the trim. This "sandwiches" the weak plywood wall between the aluminum frame and the solid wood, stabilizing the area and making it good and solid. No problem with this area holding the weight of the air conditioner, even during travel. The last pic is of Joni's vintage Eskimo metal fan. The remaining pieces of the incomplete Humphrey gas light were removed, and a small plywood mount was attached behind the wall of Joni's over-dinette cabinet. The plywood mount contains something called a t-nut fastener. It's basically a threaded nut with "teeth" on it that is pounded into a hole in the plywood mount. It accepts a machine screw from the front side of the cabinet that the fan hangs on. When the fan is removed, the machine screw can also be removed. That leaves nothing unsightly hanging out of the cabinet. The black piece of carpet underneath the base of the fan serves two purposes. It hides the large hole left behind by the old gas light, and it cushions the fan and silences some of the vibration created when the fan is running. Gary doesn't always think of everything, but I would definitely give him an "A" for effort. I hope I've explained all this stuff clearly enough that you can understand what I'm talking about. Living here at the Green Acres Garage has been quite educational for me. I couldn't have told you about any of this stuff when I moved here, but I'm learning more and more all the time. I'll probably have one more report about Joni's re-hab before she leaves us. I'll write more soon, I promise. Have a good one!

New Home Of "Gary's Hardware"

I really should have posted this before I posted the update about Joni, since this occurred before, but I got a bit ahead of myself. I guess the extreme heat in the garage isn't only effecting Gary, but it's getting to me as well. Must be an age thing. Oh well. Remember the ultra-cool hardware cabinets that I posted about a couple of weeks ago? Gary had come home with twelve of these beauties, and began clearing a space and moving an electrical outlet where they were going to be located. Gary didn't want them to sit directly on the concrete floor, so a base was built to sit them on. The two long 2x4's seen in the first picture are new, but all the other wood on the base is recycled. The plywood top used to be part of Henry the Hilander's floor. It's not the prettiest plywood on the planet, but it will be covered by the cabinets and not seen. With the base built and put in place, the hardware cabinets were brought over one by one. Gary lag bolted the bottom layer of the cabinets to the base, and bolted each cabinet to another, forming a solid wall. Some of the drawers had to be removed to gain access to places to bolt everything down and together. Once the wall of cabinets were together, the drawers were put back in. The next step is to organize the large amount of hardware that Gary has "in stock", put that hardware in the drawers, buy whatever may be missing from "inventory", and label all the bins and the fronts of the drawers. That probably won't happen until the fall. Getting those cabinets out of the way was the main goal for now. I never paid much attention to hardware before I moved here to the Green Acres Garage, but I can see why Gary likes it. A guy that works on lots of stuff like he does can never have enough hardware, right? I can't wait for everything to be organized. I'll be hearing a lot less cuss words when Gary can finally find what he's looking for. When he's happy, I'm happy, and a happy camper is what it's all about!

Joni's Re-Hab, Part Two

It's been busy around here since I last posted an entry into my blog, but I guess that's nothing new. There's ALWAYS something going on in the Green Acres Garage. Gary's been sweating his butt off in the hot and humid summer days of Florida, but he's slowly making progress on Joni's repairs. He would have had her completed in half the time in cooler temperatures, but these brutally hot days really take a toll on him. We only have eight weeks to go before our first camping trip, so I know he's doing his best to get her done. I am waiting to get some of his attention for myself. Anyway, let me show you some pictures and tell you a little about Joni's latest improvements. After shimming out a rather crooked wall, her left side cargo door and lock was installed. I donated the empty window frame that Joni's air conditioner will fit in. That frame used to be where my fire escape window is now. Somebody got REALLY mad at my previous owner, and they took their hostility out on ME! What did I do? I'm just a poor little travel trailer. Those were the dark days of my existence, and I try not to dwell on them. They beat all the glass out, and destroyed the "innards" of the window. Gary, not one to ever throw anything away, kept the empty frame for a future project, and Joni became that project. The air conditioner will be removable, and a plexiglass panel will fill the empty frame when the air conditioner is not needed. The pictures you see here are "test fit" photos, and not the final product. There's still a lot more to do yet. The biggest improvement this week has been the completion of Joni's rear wall, both inside and out. Gary originally cut a small patch panel to cover the hole where the air conditioner used to be located under Joni's rear window. It didn't look like Gary wanted it, so he cut a wider panel to go all the way across the back under the window. I agree. It does look better. She also got a brand new license plate light and bracket, and got her "Serro Scotty" emblem reattached. With that done, it was time to install her rear window for good. He had test fitted it before, but now it was time to install it for good. Looks nice, doesn't it? The inside of the rear wall was insulated, and then came the installation of the plywood trim panel. Sure looks better than the one Gary removed. It had been hacked up in the past, and had nowhere to be attached to because there were no studs in the rear wall. All of that has been rectified, and Joni now has a good solid rear wall. I'll write again soon, and will give you an update on Joni and whatever else happens here in the life of St. Augustine's one and only "talking" travel trailer. Until then, XOXOXO, Toaster.

Joni Gets The Power, And I'm In The Dark

For Gary, it's been a busy week here in the Green Acres Garage. For me...not so much. As usual, I just sit here and take it easy, and watch my beloved owner run around like a chicken with his head cut off. On Monday, Gary finally got all of Joni's rear lights working. This was quite a monumental task. All of her 12-volt wiring had been cut, and Gary had to figure it all out. He has more patience than me, that's for sure. Joni looks good with her REAL lights working, and not just those hokey taped-on trailer lights that somebody attached to her bumper. Tuesday, Gary had a doctor's appointment mid-day, so that pretty much ruined any momentum he had going. He spent the afternoon doing the necessary things like washing clothes and housecleaning. Wednesday, he was up and running very early. He had to go to a lab for blood work, and he was there by 7AM. He followed that up by doing some shopping, including a trip to Tractor Supply for a couple of bolts he needed for Joni. As it turned out, that simple trip for two bolts ended up being MUCH more. Gary came home with twelve 5-drawer hardware cabinets. Tractor Supply had remodeled their hardware aisle, and was selling their old cabinets. He HAD to have them! Since Gary has an abundance of hardware that he keeps in storage totes and cardboard boxes, these cabinets will be the greatest thing ever for organizing everything in the way that he's always wanted it. Tractor Supply had left the cabinets out in the rain for a day or two, so part of Thursday was spent getting them dried out and cleaned up. Then he wondered where the heck he was going to put them. As you can see, they take up a serious amount of space. He then began to empty off one of the big garage shelves and the floor beneath it. The shelf will get removed, a base for the hardware cabinets to sit on will be built, and they will occupy the now empty space. Where did all the stuff go that got removed from the shelf and floor you ask? A good amount of it is piled up in front of me. I'm not too thrilled with this, but what can I do? I'm stuck back here in the back of the garage, and whatever happens, happens. On Friday, Gary began the process of moving the electrical outlet that would soon be blocked by the new location of the storage cabinets. He HATES electrical work almost as much as he hates plumbing, so I knew this day I would hear a variety of swear words and have to deal with a VERY grumpy owner. The main breakers were turned off to the garage, so I had no power for a few hours. I couldn't watch "Judge Judy" or "Peoples Court" like I usually do, but I was NOT going to complain. Gary was not in a mood to get a bunch of grief from me. I sat quietly and watched, and things went rather smoothly. It took a long time, and Gary had to go to Useless Depot for some parts, but he got the electrical outlet relocated about twelve feet to the right of where it was. I finally got my power back on, and all was well. And now it's Saturday, and I'm writing this while I await the arrival of Gary for another day's work. The plan is for him to build the base for the storage cabinets, and hopefully get them moved. The yard needs mowing too, but the cabinets are blocking Helen the Husqvarna from leaving the garage. First things first. We'll see how today goes, and I'll check in with you fine folks as soon as I can. Stay cool.

Joni's Re-Hab, Part One

No work has been done on me lately, but the wood saws and metal shears have been hard at work on our guest, Joni. I promised I would post update pictures when things progressed, so here's a few of her latest improvements. I forgot to post a picture of the rather ugly A/C mounting when I did my "Meet Joni" post. So the first pic shows what that looked like, and you can probably tell why there was water leaking in. A view of Joni's back wall from inside her, shows her hacked up paneling and insulation removed. Some of the insulation was wet and had black mold on it. Not pretty. You can also see me through her window, watching over the project and waiting somewhat impatiently for Gary to work on me. But that's another story. Back to Joni. The next pic shows where Gary cut out the jagged and epoxy filled sheet metal, to make a flat foundation to attach the repair panel to. You can also see how he repaired the 1x4 window frame with mending plates to give the replacement window frame something to be screwed into. With that done, Gary spent some time "beefing up" Joni's rear wall. There was no structural support of any kind between the window frame and the bed, but there is now. Two more 1x4 studs were added. These not only give the wall support, but also provide a solid backing to screw the repair plate, Serro Scotty emblem, and tag bracket into through Joni's skin. She's good and strong now. The final pic shows the repair plate attached, and the window being test fitted. The work continues, and I will try to keep Gary focused on the job at hand. When Joni gets done, then I will be getting all the attention, and you KNOW how much I'm going to enjoy that! More updates soon. Have a GREAT day!

Company Is ALWAYS Nice!

I sure do love having company stop by to see me. Everybody is always so friendly and complimentary. I often sit here alone for weeks or months at a time without anybody other than Gary to pay any attention to me. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my owner, but it's always fun meeting new people. I was blessed twice this past week with new friends stopping by for visits. First, Marguerite and her nephew Jacob from Orlando came by with their Airstream Bambi. Marguerite is friends with Nancy Martin in Charlotte, NC. Nancy had come by to meet Gary and I a couple of years ago, and keeps in touch with Gary regularly via e-mail. A couple of months ago, Gary had cut the rear bumper off of my brother Scotty to give to Nancy. Marguerite and Jacob were heading to North Carolina to camp with Nancy, so they stopped by to pick up the bumper along the way. They were carrying a LOT of stuff, in addition to five dogs, a cat, and a bird. But somehow, Marguerite made room for the bumper and a temporary spare tire that Gary was also sending to Nancy. Unfortunately, they couldn't stay long, but our visit was fun while it lasted. Yesterday, Gary's Facebook friend Amy and her husband Jim came by for awhile. They have a variety of vintage trailers, but on this trip, they brought along a rented r-pod. They had spent their 25th wedding anniversary week at Anastasia State Park, and came by here on their way back to Panama City. There was lots of trailer talk going on between Amy and Gary especially, and they chatted in me with the nice cool air conditioning on for about an hour. Just like with Marguerite and Jacob, the visit with Amy and Jim was much too short. I'm hoping that everyone who came by to see us this week will come back again soon. Even better, maybe we can all go camping together one of these days, but not until the summer heat is gone. If you're going to be in St. Augustine, stop by and say hello. I know that we are not going to be going anywhere for awhile, and it's always nice to meet new friends and see some smiling faces. I'll leave a light on for ya!

Meet "Joni"

The Green Acres Garage was a total man cave until Helen the Husqvarna arrived in May. You know how it is. When one girl or guy gets into an exclusive club intended for just one sex, others are soon to follow. Such is the case here. Early this month, "Joni" arrived, joining Helen the Husqvarna as the second girl in the Green Acres Garage. Who is "Joni" you ask? She is a 1971 Serro Scotty, that belongs to our friend Caryn from up in Jacksonville. Joni didn't have a name when she got here, but Gary decided to name her after Joni Mitchell, the famous singer. Since Caryn is a folk music fan, and Joni Mitchell's early works were folk themed, the name just seemed to fit. Who am I to argue? Joni was born in Ashburn Georgia, just like me. Gary says she's my older sister. We do look very similar, at least from what I can remember of how I looked when I first arrived here. She has many coats of brushed on and rolled on paint, just like I did before Gary stripped me down to bare metal. She's had a hard life, just like I had before Gary found me. And that is why Joni is spending some time with us. She is basically in "re-hab", and Gary is trying to make her a little healthier and stronger before sending her on her way. Somebody savagely cut up her sheet metal, her window support, and her wiring. The main goals are to remove her air conditioner from her hacked up rear window, beef up her back wall, install a new rear window, create a removable mounting for the air conditioner in her side window, cut a hole and install a new cargo door on her right side, replace the doorless cargo frame on the left side, and get all of her non-functioning 12-volt wiring working. All of that is more difficult than it sounds, and I wouldn't know the first thing about doing any of it. But Gary did most of that stuff and more to me, and I'm sure he can do the same for Joni. What is making matters worse is the intense summer heat, and that's something that Gary has a hard time dealing with. I often remind him to take a break and hydrate, two things that he sometimes forgets to do when he's busy with a project. When he ignores my caring advice, he usually pays for it by feeling poorly the following day. He's doing better, but I have to nag him quite a bit. Honestly, what did he ever do without me? Progress is being made with Joni, and luckily, Caryn is in no hurry to get her back. Joni seems to be enjoying her time here in the garage, since she has to sit outside in the weather when she's at her own house. Helen and Joni have bonded, and I'm listening carefully to their conversations. I'm nervous that they will form a girl alliance, and will try to take over this former man cave. Luckily, Gary has the keys, and I'm positive he will thwart any attempts of a possible takeover. I'll post some more pics of Joni as the work continues.

He's Back And He's Running!

I am BEYOND happy today. A little while ago, I heard the sound of a familiar engine running. Then, Gary opened the garage door, and there was my best buddy and trusty tow vehicle "Dodge". YAY!!! As I posted earlier, "Dodge" quit running and Gary had him towed to a repair shop. They had him for almost two weeks, and couldn't figure out what was wrong. Gary was tired of waiting for them to come up with an answer, so "Dodge" got towed back home. Within minutes, Gary found that a piece had broken inside "Dodge's" distributor. That small metal ring leaning up against the distributor in the first picture is supposed to be riveted onto the distributor shaft. As you can see, the rivets broke and the piece was floating around loose. As I was told (I'm not mechanically inclined), without that piece being attached, the engine won't run. Gary ordered a replacement distributor from NAPA, installed it, and "Dodge" fired right up. Knowing how much I've missed my buddy, Gary brought him into the garage so we could hang out and talk for awhile. I am SO glad he's not sick anymore. He looks good, he sounds good, and we could go camping right now if we wanted to. I'm SO surprised that a professional mechanic couldn't figure out what was wrong with "Dodge", and Gary found the problem and fixed it. He's my HERO!!! Welcome home, "Dodge".