Birdie

We got birds in the shop and they have babies about a few months ago and they are trying to flew the nest. But one on Friday kept landing on the shop floor. Here is Derek putting the birdie back into its nest, about a half dozen times in total. Little usafe on a ladder on a forklift, but the trying to help the little fella to get going.

Been hot this week, and sure was nice to get back to the campground after working all day and going for a swim in the pool. Lifesaver, I usually don't get down to the pool all that much.


Buddy of mine boat a 1990 Doral 20 foot bowrider with inboard outboard, got it cheap as it sank. When they were pulling it up out of the water, they cracked the both on both sides approx midship. We repaired it this last week and it was a nice change from working on heavy equipment. I was hoping to get out on my boat yesterday but Thursday night I started tearing out the carpeting in the kitchen.

The kitchen has carpeting and linoliem, and I was hoping that when they made the trailer that the linoliem was across the whole kitchen floor. Once I got the carpet out, I found out that the linoliem was about a foot short. Now I have to replace the floor.

The wife wanted a wood floor, and was at Home Depot and found peel and stick planks, she phoned me and I told her to pick up a box and bring them home so that I can ascertain if they are going to work.

The floor looks great and I took my time doing it so as to not have to use alot of trimwork. It is a fully floating floor. It took about 4 hours to install and maybe a hour or so to remove the old carpet. I went right to the entrance door and thinking maybe of going into the living room with it. Thinking in the winter time it would be better to have the carpet, help keep the floor warm. I really like the floor and I hate carpet, with dogs and kids and a couple of felines thrown in for good measure, you can imagine what our carpet was like in the kitchen, it being a high traffic area. Seems every trailer we have I end up doing this and if I ever order a new fiver, I will option the wood floor in place of carpeting.

I levelled off the trailer this morning. Last year when our last trailer burned down, I pulled it out and we were without a home for about a week. I had the owner of the campground bring me a load of gravel to cover my trailer spot. After spreading it out, I backed and parked our new trailer on top. It's a nice clean look, having the gravel under the trailer, but the trailer needs to be levelled every month or so. I wish it was a concrete pad, when I finally buy my own land, concrete pad it the first thing to do.

I am on my own this coming week in the shop as Derek has a week's holidays. It's supposed to be off and on rain for the next four days and Wedesnday is a civic holidy too. I got my nephew up for a few days and hopefully me, my son and he can get out on the boat. Hopefully there is not much going on and I can leave early everyday. I am not taking any holiday time this year, so I gotta get when the getting is good.

Been working on getting more tools to keep in the trailer. I bought a Snap On toolbox last year and it fits nicely in the basement storage. I open the cargo door and it is sitting right there. I bought a Makita cordless drill and it came with all the bits and two batteries, and really comes in handy around the campsite. I had to cut holes in my new floor yesterday to fit the heat vents and needed a jigsaw so I picked one up at the local hardware store along with a bunch of hardware items, like screws nails etc. Always handy to have around. I have a shop full of equipment and tools but all geared towards heavy equipment repair. Plus I don't like trying to remember what I need to bring home, I always forget.

I also picked up some dark brown silicone to seal around the new floor. Wow, what a good idea, cleaned up and hid all my mistakes ha. Good little trick.

My neighbour got his new to him trailer onto his lot, and the deck is up and levelled. It required about ten of us to move into place. Will get some pics maybe today and post em. His site looks nice.


Here is a shot of the floor at the entrance door, there are my two retards. They want to come in the trailer cause I am in here. I have been taking them down to the lake lately from swimming. So everytime they are in the truck they think they are going for a swim. Me and the kids boyfriend took the dogs down by the water and I told him, hold onto them as they will fly through your window to get out of the truck. As we got closer to the lake, I asked if he had a good handle on them, he said yes. He is a big guy, my size and only 24, so strong, he could'nt hold em, out the window they went. He could not believe how strong they were.

Here they are on the bed now, they don't want to be outside with me being inside. We go through alot of comforters, as you can see a new one the wife picked up today at Wallyworld. the animals are a constant concern but we love them.

One might think that having a onboard washer dryer is a good thing. Well, the brother in law is over doing his three loads of laundry today and if it's not him it's the daughter doing her's on the weekend. Maybe I should advertise a little wash and fold service here in the campground, might be hard to get that pass the other half. ha.

Hot

I was out in the yard today moving a Kenworth and the dash said the outside temp was 91 degrees. Hotter in the shop, especially doing fibreglass repairs on a boat that my buddy bought. All that fibreglass being grinded and floating around in the air.

Last thing I did today was paint a Peterbilt hood and then I went to check out a shop for rent. Had been talking to the owner of said shop the last couple of days, making sure that the shop is okay for what I need it for. Everything was going good so I dropped by there after work today. As you as I pull onto the road that the shop is on, there is a big no truck route sign. So that didn`t work out.

Got to the campground around 6 and headed right to the pool. Refreshing, water temp was perfect. I have been taking the dogs down to the lake after work for a swim, but tonite was my turn.

My neighbour bought a newer trailer, so this week they are moving his old trailer off the site and tomorrow his new one should be sitting in it`s spot. Complete with a big deck. I catch some pics tomorrow night and post em.

Shop is still steady with work, finishing up now with a bunch that are going back off lease and another company we do work for bought 6 Kenworths T 800, all 2006 models, most of them need touch ups here and there, usual bangs and scrapes etc. Keep us busy for a week or so, not hard to take. Most everyone else is just starting to pick up. Gravel guys are moving more than a couple of hours a day now. Been a slow start this year for them. Hopefully this lasts, but I am thinking it is going to crash right after summer. Been reading about all the smart guys with regards to the economy, and thats what they are mostly saying, this little blip increase in economic activity will be short lived. Read today, that oil will hit 100 bucks a barrel later this year.

Last two days the ac unit on the fiver has been working overtime. The trailer mostly sits in the sun so when we leave in the morning I set the ac for around 70. The system maintains the temp although it is warmer in the bedroom than the rest of the trailer. The fiver has in ceiling ducted ac, and vents throughout the trailer, but the ac unit is mounted at the rear most section of the trailer. So there is not alot of ac for the bedroom, but I can live with it.

I am scared to see what our hydro bill is gonna be. It`s either the ac going or the washer dryer. I am not going to conserve until I see the bill, besides I am the only one in the family that knows what conserve means. I mean, the ac unit going and the door open to the trailer.

No Pics Today

Thank god it's Friday, I went into the shop this morning and spent the afternoon out and about looking at jobs at quoting prices. One was a cement truck was a broken frame and the other a boat that was splitting in half. I got the boat job, and the cement truck they are going to fix inhouse.

We have been busy in the shop the last three weeks and actaully made some money, but this will only help to offset what we have lost since Feb. If the rest of the summer is anything close to steady in the work department, then we should be okay.

Been looking for another shop, my current landlord is starting to irritate me. We have problems when it rains like it did this last week, floods out the front of the shop. Another problem is going to be heat for this coming winter, I need a furnace and I need some walls repaired in the shop to contain the heat as there is little or no insulation in the majority of the walls.

The landlord is not real keen on investing any money into the shop and I think he mostly thinks that I will just put up with the bullshit. Oh no, that is not going to happen. One of the big problems with moving my shop, is the phone numbers and internet access. Well I run everything off a cell phone now and my internet is mobile, gmail for email and a bell stick for access.

I need the landlord to cement about a 100 sq ft area in front of my overhead door, buy me a furnace and allow about 2 grand for wall repair. I will do labour part of the work, but I am not paying for it. This week I have had a mud pit in front of my overhead door, every time I bring a truck in, the tires drag in all sorts of mud and crap.

But the shop is in a very good location and although our yard can sometimes get hectic, we do have enough room to do what we have to do. I have birds in the shop too, alot of young ones and I need them to move. I would have thought the birds would have vacated by now due to welding and paint fumes, but no. I need to figure out a safe way of getting them to leave.

Left the shop early, got back to the trailer around 330 and let the dogs hop in the lake to cool them down and clean them up a bit, now they stink like wet dog but cleaner ha.

Going out tonite to fish on the boat, supposed to rain tomorrow but nice on fathers day,which reminds I better make my list ha.

Kids Trailer

Bought this a few weekends ago for the daughter and her boyfriend and my two grand kids. This sits right behind my trailer, so it is nice and close for the kids to venture back and forth, and yet far enough away so that i maintain my sanity. Came complete as you see here, a older unit, but everything works and they have enough room. They are seasonal and are up on the weekends.

Not a bad campsite either, lots of trees and still a area in the center to let the sunshine in.



I got the Bell stick for internet at the campsite. Just plug it into the usb port and away you go. Works fast and i can watch you tube videos no problem at all. Cheap too, 2 year plan at 30 bucks a month and the stick is free. Rogers has their version too, but i have spent enough money at Rogers lol.

The wife and brother in law got some gardening done this weekend. They laid in some 4 by 4's and top soil and this is what they ended up with. I am not really the flower type guy, but have to admit, it did turn out nice. Trying to keep the dogs out of the garden is another matter though, you can see my grass or what's left of it. This is where the dogs usually hang out.

Here are the girls this afternoon, Shilo on the left has a rock in her mouth and wants to play fetch. I got the lacrosse stick and ball going and gave them a good run, man can they go. Out of all the dogs in the park here, these guys are the fastest and have the most endurance, they are really in good shape. Sheena on the right turned two yesterday, Shilo is just over three. I will post a video on how fast they are later this week.

So after living this lifestyle for 10 plus years I finally agreed to letting the family poop in the trailer. We always camp near a washroom so I figured why not just poop in the public restroom, saving me the trouble of looking after it on my trailer. I got a Rhino Flex system from Crappy Tire, 50 bucks. It went together real easy and am impressed that it is somewhat heavy duty. Because we had no solids through our waste system i always used a 3/4 id water hose as you can see on the ground. So we had been pooping the toilet the last week or so, and was time to drain. I pulled the lever and all went well. What i like about this unit i got, was that the end that goes into the pipe in the ground is cone shape, creating a good seal, so good in fact, that there was no smell. All this came in handy this past weekend drinking that cheap beer, yup right through me, lol. back to Coors Lite this week, yea 10 bucks more a case, maybe i will take it outta the kids allowance.

Long time

Been a bit over a month since my last post, I have been busy moving to the campground and getting things settled and setup for the season. I bought my daughter a trailer that is sitting right behind my trailer, a older Prowler travel trailer complete with deck and shed and most importantly a beer fridge for her boyfriend and the times that I wander over.

This is working out real well, instead of the daughter and her boyfriend coming up and sitting on my deck and making a mess, they now have their own place. Big big bonus, is when the granddaughters come up, they can stay overnight in their trailer. I get to spoil them and then send them home some twenty feet away.

So I inspected the trailer and did all the component checks and it all works, no leaks and at some time in it's history someone had retiled the floor and redid the roof. The daughter painted the deck and cleaned up and they have a great little spot to spend the summer, beats hanging around a apartment with no air conditioning in Mississauaga.

I bought the trailer and the boyfriend paid the seasonal campground fee, he wants to pay me for the trailer, but I told him it's okay, I am getting just as much enjoyment as you guys are.

I have another fifth wheel, a 93 Jayco with a large slide out, that I sold to my buddy last year but he has failed to pay for it. I had tried getting it back earlier this year and was going to put the kid in that one. Still trying to locate the Jayco and my buddy. Real impressive eh.

Weather has been kinda up and down, yesterday morning there was frost on the windshield, and the weekends lately have been windy and cool, this weekend coming is supposed to be nice, maybe I will get back out on the boat.

So a recession or depression is ongoing, and yet, there is at least 10 brand new trailers in our park and another half dozen that have upgraded to almost new trailers. On top of this, many people in the park have been laid off or at least had their hours cut, a couple of families have had both mom and dad loose their jobs. So go figure. All the people that I talk with, are making the best of it and just trying to survive as best they can.

We have been slow in the shop, I have picked up some work but overall we are down at least 50 % and now it is just me and one guy in the shop. Earlier this month and last month I have been feeling down, due to all that is going on. It was this week that I sort of pulled up my pants and started to think about all the good things in my life. The good things far outweigh the bad and although this is a bad year for business and money is tight, I am still enjoying life and moving ahead very slowly.

Because of our lifestyle, our personal living expenses are damn near nil. So we are in a great position to whether out the economic storm. Instead of worrying about paying a ton of bills every month like most people have to face, I downgraded my choice of beer to Lakeport Lite, and I am saving 10 bucks a case. lol. We are also trying to limit all our trips with the Explorer, getting everything done in one trip. Why the wife has to make three or four trips to WallyWorld everyday is a big mystery to me.

I have found a piece of property up in Northern Ontario that is ideal. In between North Bay and Sudbury, about three acres with a well built 16 by 40 shed on it, driveway already installed as well as a cleared area, lots of room for a big fifth wheel. On a county serviced road and hydro at the entrance to the property. All this for 9500.00. I am still sitting on it and pondering?????? Thought the already built shed is a real good idea, to hold my 1500 gallon water tank??? maybe some tools etc. I would have to go into debt with the bank to swing it though.
http://northbay.kijiji.ca/c-housing-other-Priced-to-sell-W0QQAdIdZ129114464
Theres the listing if anyone is interested.

I can't move up there till another 3 to 5 years as I have a 14 year old at home still. It's also just far enough away, that going for a weekend trip would be too far.

It took six months before I could get the wife to let me bring the dogs into the trailer, see, persistence pays off. We bought this trailer after our last trailer burned down and the first thing that came out of her was, there will be no dogs in the trailer. ha lol. They have been keeping fairly clean anyhow, and I have been taking them down to the lake in the campground for a swim, and that cleans them up pretty good. Problem is the carpet in the trailer, especially the kitchen area, I would really like to take it out and just have tiles or linoleum. It's a high traffic area and the carpet gets killed.

We were sitting over at the daughters having a campfire and the dogs were with me, then around 10 pm, they went and wandered back over to our trailer and wanted in to go to sleep. They rarely sleep during the day, but come bed time, they have had enough.

I should get some pics together this weekend and post em.

We can't get a wireless signal at the campground, last year I got one although very weak. As it turned out the wimax modem for internet at the shop went down, the modem failed and I am waiting for a replacement from Bell. I did take the modem to the campground to see if it would work there, but I was too far away from the tower. I ended up with a Bell Stick that plugs into your usb port and works off the cell network on a 3g system. Well this works very well and even plays you tube video with no problems. Cheap too, 30 bucks a month and you get the stick on a contract for two years, free. Otherwise the stick is somewhere around 400.00. I use it here at the shop all day and then take it home and plug it into the laptop. the wife and kid go do their thing.

We spent 8 grand at Rogers video over the last three years. Wow, we are the top renters in our town. Now does that not sound a little excessive?????? What burns me though, is that most of the movies that they put out now, are simply garbage and most of the time I get half way through one, and either fall asleep or become non interested and shut the damn thing off. I ordered a movie and it cost me over 30 bucks, I thought it was going to be a good movie, called My Winnipeg, as I lived in Winnipeg for years, and this movie was also a top choice at the Toronto Film Festival. After waiting over 45 days to get the movie, I watched it and it was just a complete utter waste of money, so much in fact, that I was looking for any type of a email address on the packaging where I could write and complain.

So we are looking at getting Bell sattelite, which we had years ago and did not like. But I don't like spending what were spending at Rogers Video more. Figure the system is around 100.00 and then 40 per month or thereabouts. I am pretty handy with sat systems, so setting up and getting a signal is a no brainer for me. But, what I might consider, is the VuQube dish, just set it on the ground where it can see the southern sky, and locate and lock onto your signal from inside the camper via remote control? Also looks alot nicer than a dish hanging off yer trailer or on the property.

I also miss all the documentary and history channels too. Hopefully I can delete the channels that carry Oprah and Dr Phil lol. My buddy in the campground is working on the digital antenna system, he brought the converter box over to my trailer last weekend and we hooked it up and with my onboard antenna, I got six channels super clear. If we were at the shop as we are in the winter months, we would get 19 channels of clear digital tv with 5.1 sound all for free. Good channels too. Converter is about 55-85 bucks. At any rate, my buddy went back to his trailer and the antenna up around 20 feet and all he could get was one channel, the CBC, my personal favorite. This weekend he is putting up a homemade tower and going close to forty feet to see if that helps.

A couple of weeks ago my buddy brough over his free to air sat system, we wanted to watch the UFC fight on the Saturday night. So I checked out the system and it costs around 650.00 for two recievers as we have two tv's in the trailer. Problem with that is sometimes you can get zapped and then have to go on the internet and download a new file to enter into the reciever so that the signal can be rebooted. Well I did that 10 or so years ago with Direct Tv and got real tired of having to go all through that to save under a hundred a month. One day it went down twice.

My beer fridge has been working overtime ever since we got into the campground. Everyone there drinks daily and lately so have I. I'm good for about 6 beers before I have had enough but have been known to pound back a 24 of Coors Lite. Looking at 50 now, and sure can't carry on like I used to, probably a good thing too.

My buddy is down in New York State for a weeks holiday, he sent me some pics of the campsite he is on







Pretty disgusting eh, look at him pretending he is enjoying himself. Too bad the only site you could get was right on the water and look at all those trees you have to look at. And the sun, I can see why your under the awning, man I sure am glad I'm not there. Thank the good lord, there is no ladies in bikinis wandering around the lake and beach, like a guy needs to look at that kinda stuff. Yea I am a little envious, looks like your having a fine time Bill.

Well thats about all for today, will get some pics up later.