Today was the day that Mike started to take “inventory” of what repairs have been made and what needs repaired. Nick and I went about scrubbing the walls and shelves…..and tackling the back curtains. Airstream / Argosy walls are known to be “sticky.” It’s not necessarily grease but some sort of substance that was originally treated on the walls but after all these years, that substance has become “sticky” and somewhat gross. The only thing that truly cleans it off is a product called TSP (found at your local hardware store). We used a tsp added to Krud Kutter. Use gloves and do not let children use this product.
Those “clippy” things sewed onto the curtains are a pain in the back end!
I believe the PO had made these curtains but the clips were original and practically decaying. I found the perfect fabric at Walmart for the back curtains (although they are on the thin side, the windows are tinted). Nick and I tried to remove those back curtains but it was impossible. Thankfully, Mike removed the curtains while Nick and I worked on the kitchen.
After scrubbing Tartaruga, I decorated the kitchen a bit while Nick put the kitchenware in bins for the pantry. There wasn’t much effort into decorating this kitchen because it is getting a complete overhaul with a new Countertop, Sink and removing the Stove Top.
This area/wall with the “somewhere” sign is going to be covered with a bronze back splash from floor to ceiling. We will carry the back splash over and behind the sink as well.
The pantry (cabinet to the right of the fridge with the big box in front of it) has multiple shelves.
The plan is to convert those shelves to rollers so we can pull them out as needed. At the moment, we are putting the utensils, dishes, cookware and canned goods in plastic tubs to help with organization especially while towing.
The wall with the magazine rack is tricky. The PO before the PO had really messed up this trailer in a lot of crazy ways. He obviously loves screws because they are everywhere including all over this entrance wall! My original idea is to use the same bronze backsplash but it might be difficult with all the screws. I was thinking about painting the front of the fridge with chalkboard paint and could paint the entrance wall as well. THEN it dawned on me to just put chalkboard paper on it ….. Time will tell what I decide to do.
Nick takes a break
Since we are planning on traveling with our terriers, we figured it was time to test out how they act being inside Tartaruga. Surprisingly, they all did excellent! Each explored and found their favorite spot.
The PO before the PO had converted the closet to homemade “bunk beds”. We do not need closet bunks so we are going to convert it back to shelves and a hanging clothes closet. My goal is to take the bottom area and convert it to a doggie area to hold containers for leashes, food, shampoo, etc. We are missing one door and the other two have very slight damage to them from nail holes and ripped veneer. We could build a door if we can’t locate one.
All in all, it was a good afternoon. Mike has a list of items that needs addressed (the bathroom is a tragic mess that was thrown together), Nick helped clean and I got to glamp Tartaruga some more.
We truly believe that this old trailer needs restored. Inside there is a lot of broken, cracked or missing trim. The bathroom is such a mess. The PO before the PO had converted the shower to an outside shower (including cutting into the skin) and taking out the inside shower/bath combo. The PO we bought it from put in another bath but it is wood surround with a plastic shower curtain behind it. There are some really rinky-dink homemade wiring throughout. Bizarre fluorescent lights everywhere.
There are a lot of redeeming qualities as well. Like the original green countertop (which, sadly, had to be replaced due to water damage), original pull down shades and all original and good working tambours.
I can’t wait to go camping!
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Mike
Sandy
