Thursday, June 14, 2012

Our 1997 Jayco 10 UD: What We’ve Done With It So Far

One of the first things we needed to do was replace the dry-rotted tires.  It gave us the perfect opportunity to wire-brush the rust off the rims and repaint them white.  They look brand new now! 

Then we treated the rusty bumper, rails, step area and hitch with rust reformer and repainted them black.  What a difference!  I wish I had taken before and after pictures of these two jobs!  What was I thinking?

I did take pictures of the next job, though! 

We plan to use the extra folding table outside under the canopy when we camp.  I don’t want to have to clear it off every night to use as a bed support.  1 x 12 cushion support_thumb[4]So, I cut a length of 1x12 to fit where the table would have gone.  It makes room for one more cushion—which is all we really wanted!  In the morning, we can tuck it under a cushion out of the way!  I did the same thing for the other side of the camper.  Only on that side, the extra board just gives Hubby and I an extended step area to use to climb up onto our bed.  The 6 or 8 inch existing ledge between the dinette wasn’t quite wide enough to be comfortable for us old folks to climb on.    Lol!

For the countertop, I picked up a set of plastic shelves.  It will give us a safe place to put phones and gadgets where a certain furry family member won’t be able to reach them.  The new toaster oven was a $10 flea-market find I thought might come in handy.  And I already had the serving/bed table which fits nicely over the sink to give us more counter space.quick shelf_thumb[4]

The propane tank that came with the camper is old and will need to be refitted to use the remaining gas, and then replaced.  With time so short before we leave for vacation, that will have to wait.  For now, I decided to pick up a set of electric burners which fit nicely over the little stove.  At this point, “easy” works for me!

 electric burners_thumb[1]

I already had a three-draw-tower packed with paper and plastic supplies to use for camping in the past.  So all I needed to do was make sure it was re-stocked with kitchen supplies.  It will work nicely at my kitchen station under the canopy.

plastic drawers_thumb[6] 

Besides giving it a good cleaning, that’s pretty much all we’ve had time to do so far.  Vacation just snuck right up on us.

Although we won’t use it the whole time, we do plan to set it up at French Creek State park (in Pennsylvania) for the last three nights of our vacation. 

Earlier this week, we had a “dry run” before we closed it up to see how our sleeping arrangements were going to work.  dry run_thumb[1]As you can plainly see, Greta the pup did NOT spend the night in her crate, which was the plan.  When I woke up, this is where I found her.  She was more than happy to snuggle in somebody’s bed!  She is SOOO spoiled!  Lol!

Just wait till she wants to do that after a muddy day of camping!  Lol!  I doubt she’ll find a place on a bed as easily as she did this time!

When we get home, I’ll be helping my oldest get ready to turn around and head back out on a short term missions trip.  (I can’t wait to tell you more about that!)  Anyway, my next few weeks look pretty crazy.

That said, I’m going to take a blogging break.    I can’t say for how long.  But more than likely two or three weeks.  I promise I’ll take my camera (or at least my phone) and bring you back some pictures!  :)

I would covet your prayers for our trip.  We weren’t planning to go “home” to Pennsylvania this year.  However, a dear friend of ours has been diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer.  It will be a tough visit.  But it helps to know that she loves the Lord, and even if God doesn’t choose to heal her here, we’ll see her again someday.

Pray she’ll have a good week while we’re there and that our visit would be special for all.

I can’t say how much I appreciate all of you!

Blessings!    

3 comments:

Christina said...

I love the camper photos, and I hope you have a good trip. I'll be praying for you.

Christine said...

Your family is going to have so much fun with that camper. What a great gift for you all. I'll be praying for you and your friend while you are gone. Be safe!

Mari said...

The camper is looking good. Makes me think of things we did to make ours more homey, organized and user friendly!
Enjoy your trip - praying for your time with your friend. Will be waiting for your return to blogland!