Friday, May 30, 2014

One Week to Go....and SOLD!

Next Saturday is the auction!  I've been getting literally everything together in boxes...like kinds of things. The auctioneer's crew could have done it all for me, but 1) who knows my stuff better than I do? and 2) they don't do that for free!  I took these pics earlier today....there's even more on the floor now..and not just in two rooms!



It's all moving along now!  I already don't miss anything I'm looking at here!  That said, I'm not thrilled about getting rid of my art work - mine and collected art, but I can just create more!

After my family sees the interior of the RV on Sunday, I'll post pics here and on various FB RV groups. A friend said it looks just like me, so I think/hope that means it looks "good" !  I'm not one who could live in a space that I haven't "redone" to my own liking. A lotta tweaking has been done!

So, next week will entail finishing gathering everything up for the auction, cleaning the house where I can before everything is out and detailing my car (will be in the auction), and taking a bunch of clothes to the local thrift shop.  Hopefully they will take them because Goodwill is quite far away unless I have something else to do in that area...which I don't!  It's supposed to rain mid-week, so I'll have to weather watch for working on the car.  Keep your fingers crossed for good auction weather!!! That REALLY helps with a good turnout, which equals more MOOLAH!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

All in a Day's Drive !

Well, I made it to Fairfield and back in one piece!  No surprises, thank goodness.  Closet door kept coming open, but duck tape to the rescue fixed that!  Will install a hook on that door.  Nothing flew around the RV, so all my bungee cord hookups worked sufficiently.

RV is now registered.  Easy process at this particular DMV office.  Got a new sideview mirror....another easy process and makes a great difference!

Purchased Reflectix at Lowe's.  Will cut it to fit each window.  Great barrier for heat and cold.  Molds into the window or you can affix it with little Velcro tabs.  Weighs next to nothing.  Also got a new fire extinguisher as the one in the RV was the ORIGINAL from 1990.  Figured it might be slightly expired!
May have to reevaluate some things with regard to weight.  Will probably ditch more clothing and heavier items...really don't see myself being in "winter" conditions very much....one coat will do.  Can only wear one at a time anyway!

All in all a productive day....didn't do a lot of backing up, tho'!

Big Travel Day !

All the way to Fairfield, OH in the RV!  It's about 25 miles, I guess.  Near where I used to work.

My 30-day registration is up tomorrow, so off I'm going to DMV.  They have to check the VIN number, so it's a "must" drive the RV.  It's not a hard route...but there will actually be other cars on the road! LOL!  I will have to park across the way in the Kroger parking lot....I know, for sure, the DMV parking area isn't suitable for RVs.

While I'm down there, I will stop at Goodwill and drop off some more clothes, etc. and see if they have any shorts in my size.  Also have to stop at Frank's Glass and see if they can cut a new mirror for my sideview....it's right down the street from Goodwill.  Luckily, they are both on the same side of the street (busy Route 4) and both have good sized parking lots!  Then on to Lowe's -- another big parking lot!  YAY!

The local granary near my house is going to weigh the RV for me, too, today while I'm out and about. It won't be an "official" weigh like at a weigh station, but it will give me a good idea where I am with weight relative to the 11,500 gross limit.  I won't have the two large totes on the back cargo rack and a few other things inside, but even without those items, I'll be able to tell if I'm going to be close. Right now I have no idea!

This ride will also tell me if I've secured everything inside for travel.  Would prefer not to hear "CRASH"!  LOL!

So..... off I'm going on my first trip!





Friday, May 16, 2014

Filling Up !

Not with gasoline....yet!  But filling up the RV!  Basically only have my art supplies to load and miscellaneous odds and ends.  Space utilization has been an exercise in organization, but I like the challenge!

As to the leaks around the windows....silicone caulked them on Tuesday.  There's been rain every day since then...not continuous, but varying amounts.  So far, so good....water has only been outside! Sooooo....I'm going to go ahead and presume I can start working on interior the dinette wall.

Also need to paint the peg board...white...have several things I can hang up....use vertical space!  Will post pics of these projects as they move along.

In my 'down time' (HA!) still have to organize "lots" for the auction.

It's all moving forward...now it's time to start making very detailed TO DO lists!  And not misplace them!


Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Move In Has Begun !

Fourteen short hours yesterday started my move in.

The first thing I did was go around the RV and silicone seal around the windows.  Places had previously been caulked but needed it again -- with silicone -- because I had found a bad leak situation around the dinette window.....fairly typical in these older RV's.  So, I promptly ripped off the contact paper (UGH!!!!  Does anyone truly like contact paper??? ) which had been put on top of the old wallpaper (I would have lived with the wallpaper!).  The plastic quality of the contact paper pretty much hid the wet wall because moisture couldn't penetrate it.  Rot spreads.  Didn't want that!



Anyway, there was a lot of rotted plywood stemming from the bottom corners of the window where the outside rubber seals had shrunk over time.  It literally crumbled in my hands.  That was a mess. But the wall dried out during the day....it was warm and breezy and I had air circulating.  It's supposed to rain today/tomorrow, so we'll see if the new caulking has caught the leaks...  Let's hope!  Then I'll move onto the next step....whatever that is!  (I have some ideas....)

Since the mess was confined to just the dinette area, that didn't inhibit moving things into the RV at all, so I got quite a bit done.  Except for a few items, the kitchen area is organized and all the camping items are in one of the 'basement' storage areas.  On to art supplies and clothes today....the two major question mark bunches of stuff!  Will know soon how / if it will all fit!  My forecast is another trip to Goodwill with clothing....

I'm already liking minimalism!


Monday, May 12, 2014

Today's the Day !

Will be picking up the RV today......and actually driving it!  That will be interesting.  But it's an easy route back to my house....it's not New York City around here!

Busy day, so I might not start on much "arranging" until tomorrow.  I'm sure I'll be putting in/taking out, putting in/taking out several times before I get it "right".  But I've done that in sticks and bricks houses, too!

The good thing is, no moving van needed!  Just walk out the front door...and no furniture to move!  YAY!  Easy peasy!




Saturday, May 10, 2014

48 Hours....

No, not the TV show!  48 hours and I'll have the RV sitting in front of my house!  YAY!  My sister, Marta, and her Expert Mechanic Man, Anthony, have really done a great job going over everything and it has helped me out SOOOO much!

Spent all day yesterday cleaning the inside from top to bottom.  It wasn't gross or anything, but really did need a detail cleaning and vacuuming with a good, deep down vacuum....Dysons are good for that!  Used a lot of Clorox Wipes, too!

Would love to take up the carpet someday, but that's not in the near future, for sure.  I sure am glad it's faded, tho'! Can you say, PINK??  Under the front carpet mats, you can see the original color....yep....80's MAUVE!! I'm not sure what color the bulk of it is now, but the years have toned it down a lot....thankfully!

So, the cleaning is done....now for the real deal of "let's see what I can actually get in there and what's still destined for the auction and/or Goodwill." I see a lot more clothes heading to Goodwill, for sure.  I picked up some of those vacuum storage bags.  As long as the vacuum holds, what a space saver!  Maybe that's why they're called Space Saver Bags!  Used them for heavier, bulkier clothes/jackets/coats, sparkly clothes I won't wear much, but didn't really want to have to replace them someday (in case I go to any sparkly affairs!), SCUBA wet suits, comforter I don't need for the summer, some blankets and extra pillows. All that is now taking up a stacked space of about 2'x3'x4'!


Still a lot to do in the next month, but onward and upward!

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Countdown Has Started !

It's May 7th.....one month til my June 7th auction!  Been very busy sorting, tossing, sorting, tossing, sorting, tossing!  I will have the RV very soon and can start filling it up....then I'll know how much I'm thinking will go in it -- that won't!  LOL!  I'm sure there will be a lot.  So, I'll start over sorting and tossing!

Hoping I do $okay$ with the auction sales, but there's never any way to project how it will go.  However it turns out will be fine...stuff gone and some money in my pocket.  I'm getting paid for people to take away my stuff!  Nothing wrong with that scenario!

Will be auctioning my 2003 Saturn VUE because it is, unfortunately, not towable.  Super vacuumed it today with the Dyson and really cleaned the inside.  It shouldn't get too messy within the next month.  Can't be putting off everything til the last minute!

Stay tuned....this is what it takes to RV full time!  DETACH!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Sad Day :-(

Well.....Cody is not going to be traveling with me.  After a month together, he just wasn't going to be a good fit for RV life.  We were never apart for more than a few minutes since I got him.  He is very loyal, but chasing after squirrels, rabbits and kitties just wasn't going to suit the outdoor living life very well.

He remembered Sarah, the agency gal, so he felt comfortable when she took over.  Hopefully he will be re-adopted by a good family/single.  The agency is going to keep me posted on his adoption.

At some point, I will look for another travel companion, but it is now too close to my departure date to bond/train a new fur baby.

Onward and upward!  Have lots to do in the next month!