Plain old Brown County living

Just got home from town and the doctor again. Just a check up for Bill. Doc wanted to check to make sure the infection stayed gone – it has! And the allergies are kind of under control – Zyrtec seems to be helping.  Doctor says by the end of June the spring allergy season should be over – but of course then there are summer allergies…

We went to buy groceries at Wal*Mart while in town. They are installing Self-Service registers. And not opening the 20 items or less registers. The only open (3) lines had lots of people in them so we went to self-service. That old adage that you can’t teach old dogs new tricks goes for us old foggies too. By the time we were through bagging our groceries I was sweating – and there was a girl there to help us! Actually though if we only have a few things and none of them are produce I might try it again.

Now that the Alfa is cleaned I feel lost – not having to run out there to do something. Don’t get me wrong – I have lots to do – like painting – just not doing it. Too hot. And humid.

Lots more flowers blooming around here. More Clematis

And some water iris in the pool

And of course the peonies – sure wish they would last longer.

And a flower from one of the tulip trees. They very seldom fall off in one piece. Forgot how pretty there are.

And we had company this past week. “Oh my gosh – will I make it?”

Yep I did. Yum.

“Quit interrupting us when we’re trying to eat.”

“Don’t touch me. I’m bigger than you.” He almost was – at least the size of my hand -  and I did touch him ‘cause I thought he was dead. He wasn’t. Want to know which one of us moved faster?  I cleared the driveway before he got off the porch.

Makes me remember why we live here. 

Lots of racing on today – #18 laid down the fastest lap in Cup practice. Later is Cup qualifying and a truck race  – so think I’ll go down in the basement where it is cooler and watch TV and knit or maybe bead.

Alfa - Part 3 - the end

I'm getting tired just review
ing all the work that has been done in Alfie. Of course it took place over a period of 12 years and is still on going. Bill reminded me of a couple of things I forgot to include so will have to go take more pictures.
The front end is done so now heading towards the back - We added mirrors to the bathroom door - like the look and made the door more solid. Also added mirrors on the narrow wall next to the bath door. Then added photos I've taken - they change with our travels. 

Also added mirrors to the cupboards above the bed. And then Bill did some "etching" to make them prettier. That was fun but haven't done it again. It's not that we like to look at ourselves it's that it adds a lot of depth and light to the rooms. 

Just as look at the bedroom. I made the quilt using photos I've taken as we travel. Through the years the photos have faded - didn't think about that when I made it. Debating about doing another one...[the green thing is Bill's shoe horn - it also doubles as a drawer stop when traveling. Some of the catches on the drawers need fixing.

See the picture on the lower left - it is really a box covering a bunch of electrical switches, plugs, etc. 

This is not a very good picture but it is the only one I could find. There used to be two windows between the closet and the back wall. One was in the slide so it had a deep shelf in front of it. Arrow.

Kind of useless so Bill got a couple doors from a home improvement center and made it into a double cabinet.

And we added extra storage devices in the closets

and along one side of the bed - don't just use this for shoes - holds all sorts of little stuff. The quilt comes down over it so it isn't seen.

Years ago I wallpapered the bathroom and added curtains.

By last year the trim piece was falling off so Bill put up mosaic tile trim. It will still be standing when the bathroom comes down. He also built himself a box to hold his shaver. 

And of course a magazine holder. Every bathroom needs one. 

Back to the front of the rig - we had to change the TV last summer - what a job that was! So the new TV with an oak frame.

And a few years ago we added a front steel bumper - the fiberglass piece that was there got more and more cracks and pieces missing every trip we took so finally it was removed and replaced. The new bumper doesn't crack or bend. 

And I think that is all we've done - this year we have to figure out how to cover up the crack on the inside (by the TV) front cap. I'm thinking glue and vinyl - Bill is thinking colored Duct tape in a striped pattern. Hunmmmm Or maybe we'll just ignore it. 

Alfa Then and Now Part 2

So now we are in the living room again. As I said when we bought Alfie he had a couch/bed it sat in front of a narrow deep cabinet. One of those cabinets that you put things in and then couldn’t get them out or forgot they were there. Before we changed the carpet too. 

So when we decided to change the carpet we had to take the couch out so what better time to get rid of it. There was another Alfa in the same campground and he needed a new couch. Bill told him he could have this one if he'd take it out. Thirty minutes later it was gone. The next day the new carpet was installed and we bought the Lazy Boy recliner.

That cabinet was just a deep pit so Bill decided to do something with it. Why not a fireplace and a wine cellar? Sounded like a good idea to me. So here are the pictures. 

electric fireplace and new doors for wine cellar - bought doors at Lowes

making sure fireplace works

fireplace in - space for doors marked

bricks added in front of fireplace - hole for doors cut

Behind the doors he built partitions to hold bottles and lined them with foam so no rattling. 

Not only does it look pretty it puts off a good amount of heat too. He also added a partition to the top so we can still use it for some storage. About five inches deep. 

Some odds and ends up front - a key holder just inside the door - more use of carpet to keep down noise. 

And a holder for his cup when driving [the hooks go to the front window curtains] - still have to put them back up. They are on a track.

that's the back up camera on the right the little gizmo on the right side holds the cell phone when traveling.

And here you can see the curtains. I know just more dust catchers but makes things homey. The front ones can be drawn for privacy but we can still see out and they let in a lot of light. At night we use the shades.

We also added an additional grab bar when coming up the stairs getting in. And a custom cover for the dashboard.

we no longer have the stuffed parrot 0 he got a little ratty after many miles and years

And this was not a good idea - but it sure looks pretty. Bill did it - stained glass and it has been there for several years and miles. The only problem is the driver cannot see if anything is coming from the left. Just a small detail!

Between the copilot seat and Bill's chair is a small table with a reading lamp attached. Also has storage for maps, books i.e. campground books, WalMart book etc. 

I also made covers for the driver and copilot seats - terry cloth - have made new covers for the arms, stool and a complete cover for Bill's chair. Easy to sit on and easy to wash. 

What else in the front - oh yes the lights. This coach came with plain Jane ceiling lights. Bill hated them so he made covers for them. The regular lights.

The lights as they are now - there are three of them. 

And again I'm going to stop - the front of the coach is pretty much done - not too much more to write about - But I just remembered something I didn't take a picture of - so until tomorrow and Part 3...Bye

Alfa - Then and Now - Part 1

The Alfa is finally cleaned. Hooray!

We bought it in October of 2002 so we’re going into the 14^th year of having it.  Here is a picture of how it looked when we picked it up. By the time I took this picture the decal on the nose that said “SeeYa” was already gone. Bill took it off the day after we brought it home.

Here is a picture of how it looks now. The black on the front is Rhino lining – the stuff they put on pickup beds. And the new paint on the bottom.

This is what the living room/dining area kind of looked like when we got it [ a picture from the brochure.] Ours didn’t have two bench seats with the table – we got one bench seat and two chairs.]

Taken this morning - couch is gone, ceiling lights are different,  small TV above chair is gone, tile on wall next to stove. Our set up with one bench seat and two chairs and a computer station next to dining table. New carpeting.

Between Bill's chair and the kitchen cabinets is a bookcase/DVD holder Bill built.  

We took out the small TV above the chair next to the cabinets that came with the Alfa [without the couch we didn't need it] and turned the cabinet into a cupboard. Bill put in the glass. 

The switch inside the cabinet is for the satellite TV- we now have a Winguard dome. Original dome quit working and was replaced. This is also our snack cabinet. 

Some modifications in the kitchen area. Bill built a couple of spice holders. One behind the sink another behind the stove. 

They really come in handy. On the stove top we have a large cutting board with rubbermaid lining on the bottom. Doesn't move when we travel and keeps the burners from rattling. 

The Alfa came with an opening on the counter to a trash can [there is access to the trash from an outside door] Bill cut the lid in two and hinged it so it is easier to use.

All cupboards and drawers are lined with indoor/outdoor carpet to cut down on noise and it also keeps things from moving around. If a piece gets dirty we just throw it out and put in new. 

Bill also tiled the wall next to the stove with mosaic tile - much easier to keep clean. 

I mentioned that when we bought the Alfa we had a chance to do a little design change. Instead of two bench seats - we got one - I like to sit on it and wanted the storage beneath it. Bill liked chairs so we got two chairs instead of another bench seat. Very convenient for us. 

Notice the long narrow box at the end of the table. Bill built it for me to store note paper, pens, pencils, calculator etc in because the way the table is set up we couldn't put drawers under it. I work on my laptop sitting at the table. 

He also built me a real handy item for when I want to do jigsaw puzzles. I tried the roll up mat but always made a mess of my puzzles. So he got a table sized piece of Plexiglas

 - rounded the edges and drilled little holes in the four corners of the Plexiglas and table. I can take it off when working on a puzzle and put it back on for eating, working on laptop or traveling.

Bill uses the computer station for his PC - the drawers have files in them. A printer goes in a cabinet above the PC.

That is a wicker basket next to it - used for extra storage.

We took out the couch not long after getting it and put in a Lazy Boy rocker recliner - my chair. And a couple of years later we replaced the carpet with industrial grade - casino - carpet. Then Bill made use of the big cabinet that was originally behind the couch. He put in a ... I'll finish this tomorrow as I've got to get to the laundry now.