Today: Dust and Draft Seal for under-cushion wheel-well access doors, Coat Hooks at entry door, Flashlight Mount relocation, Galley and Greatroom Area Rugs.
We had to run into town yesterday morning. Errands. While out, we ate breakfast and discussed hand-held shower planning, and folding aluminum chairs. Conclusions are forming out of the chaotic space debris, circling around in the universe of our minds. That's the poetic way of saying, "this is too cheap, that is too costly, but such and such is just right!" More to come another day.
We also stopped by some second hand stores and home centers. Now that right there, that's a Country Music Album name!
Billy Buyright and the Buckhorns, with their new album - Second Hand Stores and Home Centers, including the new top 10 hit! - "Keep It Between the Lanes".
Seriously - while at the home center we found some close enough "look alike" coat hooks, small rugs that MATCHED to now discontinued "stair-runner" carpeting we used in Lil' Queeny, and weather stripping.
Let's start there. I guess the stuff on my shelf wasn't 1/2" after all. I think I used up that stuff on the fridge controls panel door. No - my stuff was 5/16 - Foam. I know, because I ran out of new stuff and pieced in some of the "on-my-shelf" stuff.
Duck Brand (on my shelf) from Walmart, MD from the home center.
The atmosphere at the home center was one of those times when they run you out of there. You know the kind, music too loud - speaker located right over the spot you're standing in the aisle while you're trying to think. I HATE that stuff. So you grab and go.
And today's Country ain't real Country. You can't compare the talent and style of the "whose gonna fill their shoes" Merle Haggards of yesteryear, to these sexy little cowboys strutting the stage these days with their Pop Music disguised as Country. Just like Disco pushed me out of Pop and Rock many years ago, Modern Country left me cold right after Randy Travis and Travis Tritt.
Yeah - give me Classic Rock, Classic Country and Western (gotta be careful with DW with that "Western" though), and Classic Al - as in Clasical. Yeah Classical is cool! My favs are the Beethoven Symphonies. He's called the "rocker" of his time you know. Mozart is fine, and even talented, but Beethoven beats him hands down! Try it if you think I'm joking. Generally, Movement 1 is the intro, Movement 2 is the quiet reflective part, Movement 3-4 then really get you going. You'll recognize Symphony 5 and 9 but 6 and 7 are my favorites. Cheap on iTunes and probably Amazon Music.
But anyway, not only was this Haggard "wanna-be" chirping out his - well - whatever he calls it - Country I guess - from the speaker right over my head in hardware, but it was LOUD enough so the workers at the far end of the store could hear it while they operated their Pneumatic hammer drills! Good Grief! Zip - we got out of there as fast as we could! Shopping Interrupted!
We got run out of one of the second hand stores too! Right after I discovered the folding chairs they had on hand, didn't fit my wants for our needs, their fire alarm went off. The sound was like that Dumb & Dumber "most annoying sound in the world", but times fifty, maybe times 1550 - something like that. Holy Mackerel Andy! Yeah, False Alarm, but they lost lots of shoppers that day.
But I digress. So in the sound profusion and confusion, I bought "sponge foam". Thicker, stiffer, not exactly what I was picturing, but I like it! Just couldn't think through the math and got too little.
1/4" Sponge (MD) on the right, 5/16" Foam (Duck) on the left.
One board, full sponge. The other, pieced in. I did the doors so I could more easily replace it in the future.
This should work just fine.
The surface is raised higher than I wanted, but too bad, so sad.
And the coat hooks? I thought they were they same, but (new in center) they're a bit different. The theme is the same, but even the slightly different look, old to new, can be thought of logically. One style for hats, the other for coats. You know - hoax hooks. If you tag on the word hoax, you can justify anything! And do it logically. If you have a compliant listener. You're compliant, right?
I filled the remaining two screw holes (from the flashlight mounts) with a bit-o-wood-fill wax-pencil. Wrong color, but it suffices.
And the flashlight couldn't go ANYWHERE! Everywhere we tried near the door - no go. No room, in the way. Lil' Queeny is getting filled up. But then I found this spot - still within reach from standing on the ground outside the door, but tucked away safely and securely...
In the crook of the bathroom/dinette seat corner. Door hatches still swing and remove. The head of the flashlight rests on the mount so it won't slide out.
Now the rugs. We kicked around several ideas, but when DW located the SAME pattern as the other carpeted areas, well it was all over but the finish work.
This stuff is meant to finish the ends of a rolled runner purchase, after they cut it from the roll to your length. We got one kit and used it on one rug (two ends). Now we have to buy another kit to finish the one remaining end (of the rug) used at the bunk step. In the meantime, I ran the propane torch quickly along the edge to burn the fray, like you do with a nylon rope end.
Adhesive. I could run a seam on the machine if it doesn't hold up.
Here it is on that left edge.
And on the right.
I did this rug full width so it wouldn't shift, and so it would appear more as a "front door rug" so to speak.
But like everything in this camper, it pulls double duty. In this case, as a bathroom rug; that dry, comfy spot you step out onto when you step out of the tub.
We'll probably need some sort of "rubber boot/shoe mat" on top of it, depending on travel season.
Then there's the main room rug. Not wall to wall carpeting, but cover over the hard wood floor, for foot comfort and warmth, and also floor protection in traffic pattern areas.
That's the full rug size 2' by 3'.
And then there's this end cut from the first 2 by 3 rug. This is the one with the edge that might get finished, or left alone. This is a "landing rug" at the base of the bunk step-up. Like you might find at the bottom of your stairway.
And all together from the front door.
And the look from the bunk.
First trip: Area 51! Are you shifting me?
