Wednesday, August 17, 2011

NO IDLE HANDS IN THIS HOUSE

Tuesday, August 16 –  While Marsha has been visiting all her girl friends,having lunch with several old friends, working on her pine needle baskets, knitting a pray shawl, Paul's had some time to finish some motor home projects.

The first order of business was installation of the new Magna Shade windshield cover. We really like this shade, not only for the protection it offers from heat and ultraviolet rays and the privacy it provides on the huge windshield, but because it is installed using strong “rare earth” magnets. You just slide the cover on the windshield and move it into place using the aluminum rod provided. No snaps or locks required. It is said to stay in place in winds up to 100 mph. Paul first saw it in Quartzsite and really liked the magnetic installation. It is amazing how cool the front of the MH is now. We don't have to close our curtains and a BIG bonus is Bella gets to sit on the dash and watch the dogs march by.

window-shades

Paul received the final piece to his Quick-Fill battery system.

2-box

Brannon from Custom RV in Red Bay, AL sent him the pump for filling the batteries. When purchased in Red Bay the pump Brannon had was for the old style system. So a new and improved model was mailed recently. Paul tested the pump and the Quick-Fill System. Another satisfied customer!

4-holders

1-batter-filler

battery-filler

Ever since we replaced our front air conditioner we've had an unsatisfactory finish to the control panel on the ceiling of the motor home. The new AC was slightly smaller than the previous one. The padded ceiling was left with several screw holes and an imprint of the old larger AC cover. So Paul made a trim collar to hide this unsightly condition. Look great!

ceiling-ac

In addition to the trim collar on the inside of the motor home, Paul painted the AC exterior cover the same color as the rear AC. Now the new AC matches the color of everything else on the roof of the motor home.

roof-ax

Another item on the replacement list is new carpet on the steps (both inside and out) leading into the motor home. We purchased a carpet runner at Lowes and Paul used it to cover the two outside steps and the three steps inside the motor home. Looks nice, don't you think?

steps

Ever since moving into the motor home full-time, we've been unhappy with where are waste can was located. We tried placing it next to the kitchen sink, behind the dining room table, and under the kitchen sink. None of these areas proved satisfactory. While in Red Bay at the Tiffin factory, we toured some new MH's and saw some of the improvements made on newer models. One improvement we liked and thought we could use was the placement of the waste can on a pull-out shelf under the cook top. Not only was Paul able to install a pull-out shelf under the stove, but he was able to place two waste cans on the pull-out shelf! WOW, does Marsha like that!

Before
wastebasket-empty

After
wastebaskets

Marsha moved her pans to under the sink. She said it is so much easier for her to get to them there. You now you know where we keep some of the extra wine bottles.

pans

With Paul's joints falling apart with arthritis, he's found riding his bike each morning a good alternative to his once morning walks. His bike is out in the weather 24/7 and has taken a beating. Interestingly, the handle bar grips have seemed to melt! Too much time in the HOT south, I guess. He's been using them with clear shipping tape covering them the last year, so decided to breakdown and install new handle bar grips. Now these should work just fine......or at least till they spend a couple years in the hot Texas heat!

bike-handles-2

The last item on Paul's “to do” list is the installation of a wind gauge (Anemometer). He has a little weather station that tells him the temperature and humidity but has always wanted to know the wind speed. This is something he enjoys.....men and their electronic toys....JEESH! Living in a motor home, the wind is something you learn to appreciate. You don't need a gauge to tell you when it's blowing like crazy. Remember south Texas this past winter. So he purchased an anemometer on line and installed it on the back roof ladder. Wonder how long till he needs a rain gauge..... :=)

wind-guage

wind-antenna-2

That is all the repairs for awhile…WE THINK!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

10 comments:

  1. After all that the poor guy needs a day or two of rest.

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  2. Wow! You really have been doing a lot of work on your home! I love the runner carpet idea and also the wind speed thingy. Remember, all work and no play makes for no fun at all!

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  3. Okay, I think it's time you took a break. That's a lot of projects. Jim's been busy doing all kinds of things to our fifth wheel to make me happy. Hope he gets everything done before we head to Escapade next week.

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  4. Oh my. I was so proud to have put a new liner in the cabinet under our kitchen sink. Now I look like a piker! Guess we'll have to finish the second project of repairing our outdoor chairs!

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  5. Gee...what's Paul going to do while you 'do lunch' with the rest of your girlfriends? LOL

    Isn't it amazing how doing those 'little things' bring such a sense of satisfaction and/or makes the ADL (activities of daily living) so much easier?

    We LOVE our weather station...and yes, it shouldn't be too long before Paul decides he just has to have the rain gauge. We had one in the garden at our stix house and missed it. We do like the trivia of knowing how much we're getting now...especially in some of the storms we've been in.

    It's amazing how much cooler the MH stays with the windshield cover. We liked it so much we made an inside sun shade for our shower sun roof that goes a long way to keeping the back of the motor home cooler in the blazing southern sun.

    BTW...I've also knitted prayer shawls. Don't know who is more blessed, the recipient or me.

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  6. So that wind gauge comes down before you travel? It looks like it's really up there which could make some underpasses more exciting. Or you can feel like a pilot reading airspeed as you go down the road.

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  7. Very, very nice modifications you've done there!!!
    By the way we just got the Magna Shade recently and LOVE it as well. It's made a huge difference in how hot the RV gets and it really is easy to put up and take down.
    Nina

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  8. It looks like Mickey Mouse on top of your pole. I think you need a rain gauge!

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  9. Looks like we weren't the only ones busy doing motorhome repairs and additions. Things look great, Paul did a great job. Kevin just bought an indoor outdoor thermometer, he also loves his toys.

    Kevin and Ruth
    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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