Country Living Fair ~ Here we come!

Here is a link to Go RVing's blog on the sisters on the fly who will be attending the Country Living Fair at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia this weekend. So much trailer happiness! I am leaving for the fair on Wednesday and can't wait to see the 80 sisters attending. I will also be camping in my new Lake House trailer for the second time! Took her overnight this past weekend and have lots of work to do for a long trip! Didn't even have a bottle opener on board!

Here are a few pictures that didn't fit on Go RVing's Sneak Preview!

http://blog.gorving.com/2014/10/take-a-sneak-peak/

Here We Go Again

It's true! Even I didn't think I would never renovate a trailer again but the plan was to take a longer break than 6 weeks!! Trailers have a way of popping up though and this classic 1966 Go Tag Along was right here in my own town. I couldn't resist.

The plan from now on is to just gut them. Now that I have done it once I think it is easier and it gives me more peace of mind when I sell them. I can tell the buyer that I replaced absolutely everything!

Here she is! 10.5  feet with another 2' for the tongue.

Ugly, uglier and ugliest! They all apply here.

The original kitchen.

There was a bunk over the back bed that was very low and all the wood on the back wall was quite squishy! The official term for "has to go"!

Lunch anyone?

After my dear hubby pulled out the back wall,  the wood "supporting"  the wall over the windows disintegrated in his hands. The leak stemmed from the running lights. Even if it seems as if there is no water coming in the lights should be taken off every few years and new buytl tape put on . This is preferrable to just caulking them.

There was no water damage on side walls but the back left floor was rotted out.

And here is a sneak peak at the inspiration for the new interior. Just a hint. Lots of work to do before the fun part!!

Objection #2 - I don't know how to tow

Many women we meet at campgrounds and events express the most wonderment over the fact that we towed the trailers to our location by ourselves. They can't imagine doing that.  In overcoming this objection (which is really fear) I want to first focus on the bewildering aspect.

Everything that we don't know how to do holds a sense to us, that there is some secret skill or God given attribute that the person who knows how to do it has that we don't. Those who are not athletic are in awe of people willing to run 26 miles for fun. If you can't make it to the mailbox without rapid heartbeat the idea of becoming a marathon runner yourself seems impossible. The thing to remember is that the runner did not wake up one morning and run 26 miles. There is a START point  in all new things and with towing it is this.

 

 

Adopt the attitude that you will learn how to do this and you will be successful at it. I learned a great deal of skills from my dad who was,  and still is, a classic 1960's dad who did all the home repairs and renovations himself. I oftened helped him in his basement workshop and even as a kid I can remember thinking that my dad, who was not a carpenter by trade, knew how to do a lot things that he was not employed at doing.  I asked him one day how he knew that he could make all the kitchen cabinets in our house and his reply changed my life!  He said, "Well...I looked at the guy who does this for a living and I said to myself...when he gets up in the morning he puts his pants on one leg at a time. I put my pants on one leg at a time so, I guess I can do this too".

The life changing part,  that I did not realize was life changing at the time,  was that I started to look at things that I wanted to do and didn't know how to do,  with the attitude that I will just have to learn this.   Towing is a learned skill like any other.  You start off slowly and build up. You learn the basics and you build from there. You start in your church parking lot and then you begin towing around your neighborhood. You hook up and unhook your trailer 20 times until you feel that you've got it down. You pick a time of day when traffic is low in your area and you practice getting on and off the highway. You drive two towns over and park in the far end of the shopping center and pull out again. You get a friend that tows and you ask them to encourage you and to ride shot gun with you and talk you through it. You start by reading everything you can about it and having information. Knowledge reduces fear. You watch Youtube videos that give tips.

 

http://howto.curtmfg.com/Pages/index.cfm.20.html

Uhaul has some great videos that give good information that you should have before you start.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZkjOGIP85o&index=27&list=PL023786C1FEAFE54C

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ8DRC_fWSg&index=28&list=PL023786C1FEAFE54C

 

The most important thing to have is the attitude that you can and will do this. Remind yourself that it is being done everyday. The women who are camping and towing and doing things and going places had a starting point. There was a time in which they knew nothing at all about it. My friend Mary was such a person. She was fascinated by the whole sister on the fly, girl camper movement and thought it was a cool thing that other people did. I kept telling her to join us and she kept saying, "I don't have a camper. I don't know how to tow. I've never left my family before."   With encouragement and patience Mary learned to tow, bought a camper and is now going places and doing things with her girl camper friends and with her family too. Mary has converted her family into campers. She overcame her fear and took it one step at a time. This same Mary who was so shy that she wouldn't ask a question at a PTA meeting,  is going to Wyoming next week to learn how to rope and ride and brand and barrel race. It all starts someplace. It's one step at a time. Just start today by reading about it.  Slow and steady does win the race.

 

Happy Trails