New Toys :)

J got new toys for his birthday from his wonderful family :) A drill, impact driver, and a gift card to our local hardware store are sure to bring him lots of winter fun this year! He already put them to work and took out the remaining cabinets in Blue. She's all empty except for the bathtub, toilet, fridge and water tank! All of that remaining fun will have to wait though because we are off on our inaugural Puget Sound Paddle Party (PSPP)! J and me and a few friends are circumnavigating Orcas Island and visiting many spots along the way that we have always wanted to see. We are looking forward to sunny weather, friends, and enjoying the islands.

In the meantime, we toasted Blue and all the happyness she has already brought us :)

The Beetle and the Airstream

Heyo! We hooked up the airstream to the beetle...

:) Just kidding...this is actually from an old VW advertisement, but I couldn't help myself. No worries, my bug remains safely on the ground. Back to demolition! I unearthed a crowbar in the airstream and it has been very helpful! I also ripped out the back sink (it's amazing how helpful a solid karate kick can be in remodeling) and the floor is so rotted away i can see the chassis. Good thing we were planning on replacing the floor anyway!

The "Before" Video Tour

Enjoy this tour of Blue Moon before we did anything to the inside!

Demolition Begins!

Jacob is gone on a trip - I hope he likes what I did with the place while he's gone :) That big metal cylinder is a hefty water tank that will go bye-bye as soon as Jacob returns and can provide the additional muscle to move it! (Jacob has the camera on his kayak trip, so these are taken with the computer webcam = low quality). It was really fun to take all that cabinetry out - we are going to be able to save and reuse all of the drawers and some of the wood. Much of it is covered in a plastic-y shiny veneer that just peeled right off. Lots more demolition to do, and we are going to have to find a home for that one-of-a-kind curved bathtub in the back! Anybody want it? :)

So We Bought An Airstream...

On September 5, 2012, we became the official owners of an airstream! She is a 1963 Land Yacht International Overlander 26'. Whew, if that ain't a mouthfull! We named her Blue Moon because she came to us under a beautiful island blue moon. After quickly becoming disenchanted with the price of owning a house here, we decided to seek other inspiration from the tiny house people, like Tumbleweed Houses, Airstream owners, and many others. The idea of buying an old trailer and making it our own was very exciting (and much cheaper than buying a house!). We started scanning airstream and argosy trailer classifieds for the right one. After months of looking, and dismay settling in, I finally put a wanted ad up on craigslist describing our desire and budget. A few weeks went by and out of the blue an email came through from some folks not more than three miles down the road - they had an airstream and were too busy to get around to renovating it - did we want it for $2,000? We zoomed over to take a look - poked and prodded all of the cabinets, chassis, and carpet (*ew). We went home that night with airstream dreams and a promise to call in the morning with our decision. The very next morning the owners sentimentally signed over the title to us and she became ours. J towed her home to our driveway behind the Astro van and I "supervised," driving behind and providing the break lights/turning signals from the Beetle. Over the next several days we took measurements, foamed out active wasp nests, and emptied drawers and cabinets of various "presents" from previous owners. Safety glasses/dust masks are a must! Blue Moon has a nice aluminum shell, and then the "nice" ends. When you step inside the door, which is held shut by a bungee-cord, 1963 + 49 years of not much love greets you immediately. The plan is to completely gut her and put in a whole new floor. Then the fun will begin; turning Blue into an off-grid tiny house on wheels! Follow this blog to join us in our remodeling, renovating, restoration fun!