We have been taking advantage of our stationary summer and doing some minor repairs and upgrades to Betty Jo (the Airstream.)  Including, a CURTAIN MAKEOVER.

1. We replaced the hand towel holder in bathroom.
2. Touched up surface spots on the ProPride hitch with a good cleaning and paint job.
3. Greased/Lubed and silicon sprayed all moving parts keeping them flexible and smooth.
4. Tightened all screws, nuts and bolts. We do this quarterly.
5. Cleaned and sanitized the fresh water tank.
6. Took everything out of the back of the truck to give it a good cleaning.
7. She will get a good cleaning before we hit the road in mid-September.

It was the little touches that were a real treat this summer. Living in her for over a year now, there were some changes we wanted to make. As much as we love our Airstream, most of her surfaces are a bit on the hard side and it was time to add some soft touches and some color.

We replaced the drain piece in the bathroom sink. The previous one was getting scuzzy and cracking. The new one added a clean and shiny look to the sink.

The accordion-like fabric that came with our 2018 Flying Cloud allowed for privacy in the bedroom or separated the bath area from the living space, but it was harsh fabric, not to mention not an exciting color. We decided to add a little more color and softness to the space by replacing them with a curtain.

1. Found hooks that fit the existing track on Amazon. Luomorgo Plastic Curtain Track Carrier Slide Roller 11mm/0.43 inch Dia White 50 Pcs
2. We measured the area then searched for curtains that fit. We didn't want anything too wide (most curtains are) and didn't want anything too long where it would drag.  This limited the availability but finally found a set we were happy with. The next requirement was a set with grommets. JINCHAN Light Filtering Curtains Waffle Weave Textured Window Curtains -  Grommet - 72 Inch Length x 38" in width.
3. The final item was something that would would fit through the tiny loop on the hooks for the track and through the grommet. We found them at Lowes Hardware store.

When removing the old curtains be aware that they are also screwed to the wall. We unscrewed part of the track to remove the old and then added the new.  Since the velcro straps that kept the previous curtains in place were attached to the curtains, we had to come up with at least a temporary fix to hold the new curtains - we screwed some velcro to the wall (where the previous screws were located) and use that to hold the curtains in place.

 White.... White.... White.  
After years of living in white wall apartments I find I am not too tolerant of that color so I have to "add" color. 

I knew this project would be very time consuming and would need some skills I may be slightly lacking in so I waited until our return to Anacortes and recruited the help of a friend, who also happens to be a quilter.

I had found this video on how to makeover the Airstream curtains using the existing curtains. This made perfect sense to me - you already had the template with the existing curtains, they come with all of the hooks attached, and the blackout material is already incorporated into the design. Why reinvent,  if it is already working.

My friend and I picked a day we could shop for fabric. We found these lovely designs on the sale rack at the local fabric shop. Same designer, similar color scheme, a slight variation on the design.

We picked a couple of nice days and washed the curtains on the gentle cycle. I had read many warnings about drying the curtains in the dryer (because of the blackout material) some had good luck on low, but since I was using an older washer/dryer set that was not mine,  I opted to lay them out in the sun and let nature do the job.

We did one room at a time starting with the living area. Our flamingo beach towel and large pillows made for a temporary curtain solution to provide privacy at night. Once the living room curtains were done, we put them temporarily in the bedroom for privacy, while the bedroom curtains were being sewn,

Then it came time to iron the new fabric, measure, cut, and sew. We removed all of the velcro patches before starting - make sure when reassembling that they line up correctly. We also numbered the curtains in the order they came of the tracks.

After a few lessons, I took over preparation of the curtains for sewing - measuring, cutting, and pinning the new fabric to the curtains. Gale expertly sewed the edges, finished the corners, cleaned up around the snaps, and made the final product a work of art.

I could not be more pleased with the results. I only had a vague idea of what I wanted when we started this project, but nothing concrete. When I saw this fabric it just sang to me and next to the aluminum walls, the fabric and the walls shine.

It's the little touches that make a home a home.

A BIG THANK You to GALE. You have our deep appreciation and gratitude.

We are always asked - "what's your favorite?" Favorite place. Favorite thing you did. Favorite RV park. Favorite food. Favorite, Favorite, Favorite.  This list was  hard to do but it here it is.

From pre-newbie to newbie, to semi-advanced newbie, back to almost-newbie….Again.

We were pre-newbie in January of 2021 when we started looking for an Airstream and dreaming of RVing full-time. Then newbie reality hit once we found the Airstream in February of 2021 and had to tow her home. From then on it was a whirlwind of crash courses on RVing, and everything associated with this lifestyle and owning an Airstream.

After a couple of Maiden Voyages, we left our hometown of Anacortes and headed east. Each mile gave us just a pinch more experience and a tad more confidence. Pushing us toward becoming semi-advanced newbies.

We wintered in Florida for two months, then six weeks in South Carolina, being stationary for so long we found it hard to get back into the routine of being on the road when we finally left to head west. By the time we reached Washington state, we were semi-advanced newbies once again, even advancing toward ‘advanced’ newbies

For medical and dental reasons we returned to our hometown where we are moochdocking on a friend's property. When we finally hit the road again in mid-September. We will have been in one place for almost four months. I am starting to feel the anxious butterflies in my stomach as we get closer to leaving, and when I think about hitching up. Just like when we left South Carolina in mid-February, I suspect it will take a few trips to get us back into the routine of travel days - and I am newbie nervous.

It’s been months since I have had to plan a route and I am finding it takes a while to fire up the brain neurons (blame it on older age) that remember how I did it before. I finally picked an afternoon, knowing I needed enough time to focus on the task, I got as far as an outline of where we are heading.

This trip, I am planning (and I use that term loosely) is to try more Boondocking, another learning curve, and another newbie skill to acquire. Our route is Oregon to Yellowstone to the Tetons to Colorado to New Mexico to Texas, settling in Arizona for the winter. We will throw in a few Harvest Hosts and RV parks to mix it up a bit. For me, Boondocking tends to add to the anxiety, I prefer to know where we will be staying and when. And I found I am more of a mid-scale RV park type of RVer so this type of camping will be a change, to say the least.

This route will be more of a wing it route, how else will we acquire this skill and know if we like it or not unless we try? It is also part of this plan to help weed down our budget for nightly stays.

I feel a little more confident approaching Boondocking now with the skills we have acquired and the experience we have under our belts versus when we were brand new newbies. Boondocking will add to our experience of RVing - and to the thousands of photos we have collected since we started this journey.

We are allowing about two months for this route so by the time we get to Arizona we should be semi-advance newbies again (maybe even advanced newbies,) with new skills, new experiences, and new “I Learned That” attitudes.