Waking up Alice

I am notoriously not a morning person. Last summer, I was lucky to get Alice on the road by check-out at noon. We did have a rich night life that was tiring and caused such slumber.



A few weeks ago, I ran home from work, like a kid on Christmas morning, and I bodily tore the cover from the trailer. It took 20 minutes for three people to get it up there (with two ladders), and 5 minutes for one person with a step-stool.



Opening her up, I was pleased to find her vermin free, mold free, and the lights still flipping on and off to a happy battery. I looked around, thinking of all the projects I had to work on (got the door seal done in the fall--check that one off!), and set to work. The first rain showed me my new door seal was good... and my window seal from last summer was once again bad. A little nuclear goo (rubberized silver goo--Parbond), and it was all better.



Then, I took a look at the water damage to the little shelf under the window. I knew it had to be replaced last summer, but it was doing it's job. When I unscrewed the brackets, the whole thing fell into dust. Yuck. Soon after, the battery died. I plugged her in to charge... but nothing has happened. Uh-oh. Maybe I shouldn't have left it outside over the winter? It WAS charged...

So, you can see I have some work to do. I am planning on refinishing the cabinets this weekend and staining the new shelf... give the interior a face-lift. Oh, and getting the battery working. Oh, and emptying the coolant out of the tanks and flushing the water system. Whew.

Other plans:

• repainting interior with ceramic, heat-reflecting paint (I love the Zoloton, but it isn't looking good after 46 years; I'll be using low-toxicity paint with a non-toxic ceramic additive)
• replacing the banquet cushions (I replaced the bed last summer... they are very squishy in comparison)
• having new cushion covers made (I picked out a cheery green-striped fabric that will brighten up the space; it's a stain and fade-resistant stuff)
• installing a new floor (this is an expensive one; the first quote I got was ridiculous, but I still love the floor I picked out--actual eco-linoleum, not vinyl, in fire-orange)

I'm pleased so far with the "eco" decisions. It's a small space, so low-toxic fumes is nice. And hey, I bought used so I could have low toxic materials and low carbon foot-print.



I will get some pictures this weekend of the refinishing. Grading is finishing up, and the woods are calling Alice for a little visit, even if only a night.



Our actual summer trip isn't set in stone yet. More on that as information becomes available. I do know I am going to try to make the Avion Trailer Rally in Elkhart, IN, late July. Stay tuned!