rv skirting | The Chinese Buffalo

23 Sep 2012

Autumnal Equinox

Autumnal (Vernal) Equinox is here and I sense a change. Call it what you will – I celebrate it greatly as Autumnus, Feallan, Sukkot, or Samhain. Practically speaking, it was 51 degrees Fahrenheit (Celsius 10) this morning – I left windows open and did not tarry getting dressed upon rising. The process of wintering-up Ms. Bertha is about to take on some urgency. I am looking for the flannel sheets my wife claims are somewhere on board, and am trying to decide which wool blanket goes over/under the down comforter (probably the cowboy blanket and changed with the Navajo pattern) – baby steps to face Old Man Winter – say I on the Autumnal Equinox.

As the temps gradually diminish and the hours of light decrease, I now take the short walk to the community shower (& a great one!) in darkness and with a sweater on. I also only have a few hours after returning from work to have a pre-dinner cocktail, make something yummy to eat and enjoy my patio before darkness falls and I sense it is time to go to bed (or actually to read for a few hours before nodding off). Gone are the days of trying to cool off Bertha’s interior resulting from months of very high temps (& many triple-degree (F) days). I now am deciding on how to keep my gal warm and protected from what is certain to come our way. Thankfully, skirting the rig is accomplished and I think the floor is, in fact, warmer that it was this past spring with similar temps (or perhaps I simply want it to be so!!!!!!!!!). I am developing a plan for heavy curtains, insulating here and there, snow removal, etc., etc. – most of which will be talked about in future blog segments.

I want to mention that I revel in decorating Ms. Bertha (inside and out) – the ambiance and coolness of our home is muy importante y significativa! One of my colleagues refers to my lifestyle as “Margaritaville.” I initially brought out a lot of decorative pieces to Colorado from my many years of travel – my wife brings more every time she comes out. I had the opportunity to be back on the East Coast last week on business – and made a quick stop at my house to bring out even more. Since I have not been “home” for half a year and have been living in Ms. Bertha for almost five months – I had a good vision of what additional cool mementos I wanted to bring back. The following photos show a milk gourd from Kenya, Rastafarian belt, British pub towels, Russian saints with long, long beards (that I think resemble me) – wooden icons from St. Petersburg, brass bells from Malaysia and Burma, eagle feathers from the Aleutian Islands, beer bag from Laos, Samoan palm hand fan, Cambodian scarf, a beer cap musical instrument (shaker) from St Croix, USVI, and misc. Guatemalan woven pack straps – all of which will soon have a special place with Ms. Bertha! I particularly like the Samoan palm fan – use it to stoke the coals in my small charcoal grill – sure beats the cutting board or other things that I have used all summer!!

Recent bunch of travel mementos and collectibles for Ms. Bertha.

Posted in Airstream, RV, Uncategorized and tagged Airstream, Airstream International, Bertha, Big Bertha, Charles Bello, Chinese Buffalo, Colorado, Denver, Full-time RV, Full-time RV living, RV, rv skirting, The Chinese Buffalo

03 Sep 2012

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A “Skirting” We Shall Go!

I mentioned in my last post that we are in the process skirting Ms. Bertha. Why are we dressing our baby up like this? Easy, I will be living in our lovely aluminum womb in Colorado over the winter – probably enough said! But I want to relay that my hope with this expenditure (and it ain’t inexpensive) will be to allow Bertha to be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The 18 oz., polyester reinforced vinyl skirt ought to help prevent fresh/gray and sewer water pipes from freezing, improve refrigerator efficiency, keep the young lady from rocking in the wind, warm the floor, and deter critters from taking up residence under her belly.

The RV specialist who is doing the installation measured the nine sections of the durable and pliable fabric (tractor trailer cargo protection material) last Friday and spent part of the weekend cutting, sewing, and putting on snap buttons, zippers, Velcro strips, and turn-button attachments. The color we selected is charcoal gray – a nice contrast to the silver aluminum.

The family crew arrived Labor Day a little before noon and finished attaching the many turn-buttons (70) and snaps/Velcro to the rig – carefully making sure that the various sections fitted together nicely and hung straight. Tubes were sewn onto the bottom of the fabric in order to slide in 1.25-inch diameter PVC pipes to stabilize the skirt. For added efficiency I will fill these pipes with sand.

I asked that the fabric be trimmed out with zippers around the wheels of Bertha – so when traveling we could simply use these 6-foot segments for sun protection – the craftsmen had no problem making this modification.

The crew spent 2.5 hrs. measuring and fitting on Friday; 8 hrs. pinning, hemming and sewing the setup at their shop in Loveland; and then a little under 2 hrs. for the onsite installation today. The sections were cut no more than 14 feet in length and I was shown the correct method for removal, packing (storage bags included), and reassembly. Their product, design, and installation is perfect. I am most happy to give them the highest recommendation. Kudos to Kurt, Matt, Courtney, and Josie.

First time that I have opened up the stainless steel wrap (rock guard) protection panels – love the “gull-wing” effect. May hang some lights on them and open for happy hour ambiance.