With the morning rain showing no signs of letting up, this is a good time to bring you all up to date on our adventures. My last post was near the end of March, a long 7 months ago. We headed north at that time to attend my daughter’s (Krystal) wedding. After three months of semi-quarantine in Florida, heading home was a welcome prospect.  While our home on wheels is spacious in terms of an RV, the seemingly vastness of a real brick and mortar house seemed luxurious. But the most welcome part for me, right after the long, hot, pounding shower, was the availability of my newly-upgraded workshop and some home projects. I thrive on this form of creativity. I love to fix things and enjoy the satisfaction of “creating beauty around us.”

Summer at home was busy. I had 3 major roof repairs that had reached the point of leaking. Each had damaged roof decking and rotted support rafters. Also on the necessary list of things to do was a new furnace for my house. I didn’t want to leave for the winter with an uncertain heating system.  In addition, I had a couple projects I promised my daughter (Kim) I would tackle on her house.  She has purchased the house, but I’m sure more projects await my return in the spring. While roof repairs are not “fun projects” they are necessary. On the other hand, the RV upgrades were food for the soul. There were a couple simple repairs, but the real challenge was the complete upgrade to the kitchen island and the conversion of the dining table into a desk.

The original kitchen counters looked like some type of solid surface material, but in fact, they were not even as good as quality Formica.  They were actually a particle board with a thin plastic wrap like contact paper. At a recent RV show, we found this was the new standard in RV counters. The stainless sink was an under-mount design which looked cool and modern, but the exposed ridge of the sink collected water, and it seeped into the particle board at the sink/counter seam. Adding water to particle board is like adding water to a dry, compressed sponge. The wood swelled and the plastic covering  loosened. While the camper was still under warranty, all the company would do was replace the counter with the same thing. I thought to myself, “Sure, I replace the counter only to have it do the same thing again.”  I could have taken it to the camper dealer and have them replace it, but the results would be the same and it would take forever!  As I thought about the options, I asked myself, “How can I make this design even better for us?”  We love the island, as it allows both of us to work together preparing meals. What if I made it even bigger? Would it fit? Could I design it so the slide would still come in with the larger island?  Could it also act as a breakfast bar?  The answer to each of the questions was YES! The newly completed bar top not only gives us counter seating and additional prep space, it also makes room for a new residential-sized sink. Marilyn’s recent comment about the new sink was, “I am going to miss this at home!”

Once I finished the island, it was time to tackle the uncomfortable dining table and chairs. The table and chairs were located in the slide-out, as that is a common configuration. I removed the wall-mounted table and cut back the support so that I could install a desk counter along the slide-out wall. The straight-backed dining room chairs were replaced with two comfortable desk chairs. I am sitting at this new configuration now as I write this post. It is so much more comfortable. It’s almost like having “a new RV in Florida“. Perhaps it will allow me to write more, as many of you have suggested. As you might suspect, we are back in Florida while the Illinois weather is in a tailspin diving toward COLD! We came down after Marilyn’s class reunion mid-October and started with a 6 month lease agreement. We have since amended that lease to be a full time spot. We will not stay here full time but will come and go at will, while the camper stays here.  When I sold my daughter the house next door, I promised I would remove our trailer from its long-time parking spot in the back yard off the alley and would not return it. This will give her the additional garden space she wants. It will be a win-win proposition for both of us.

I will follow up this post with an in-depth description including photographs (of course) of the remodel along with an RV walk-through. Those of you interested in this possible upgrade to your RV, check back next week. Once I get into a routine, I plan to post on a regular basis so you will know when to look forward to the regular updates on our adventures.

Life is what you make it; make it happy.
Love and Light,
D