The Writing Studio: A Father’s View
Dad started an Airstream journal, keeping track of our expenses and repairs and listing questions or concerns as they arise. Of course, he knows a lot more about all of this than I do and he’s not running a blog that tries to see the silver lining in everything. I’m sitting here claiming small victories because of the gas burners (and now the fridge is working, too!) but he knows how to spot things beneath the surface. Luckily, he knows how to fix them, too. Dad’s journal caught my attention and I asked him if I could reprint some of it on the blog. Go, Dad:
12/14
Katey and I continued deep cleaining. Found left bed frame needs rebuilding. Overall inspection of trailer so far shows much to be done:
1. No batteries
2. Loose wires
3. Water supply lines broken
4. Condition of black water, gray water, and fresh water systems unclear
5. Belly pan under bedroom shows damage and is sagging
6. Under carriage shows rust
7. Something attached to the furnace has been cut away
8. 2-3 windows need to be replaced
12/15
Unwrapped the electrical cables from rear bumper. Opened back door and rear side panel. Pulled out all the insulation–some of it wet–to expose hot water heater compartment and rear plumbing compartment. All the copper piping has been replaced with plastic. Connection to hot water heater seems in tact but floor under heater very wet. With Katey pulling on the pipes inside the trailer, I was able to trace which ones go where…Back rear corner has a box with a button in the middle. Out of the box comes a short, stout, two-pronged cable which might be the hook up for the battery. Plate on back of camper says it is a 110-120 AC and 12v DC system…Waiting for a manual to confirm many assumptions.
[Look closely for Dad’s face!]
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Your dad's a regular Sherlock! (His notes tell me that he has a lot in common with my father-in-law, too.) Cracked up (not "at" but "with") when I read "Waiting for a manual to confirm many assumptions." Yes. Go, dad!
P.S. Great photo of the gas burner. Looks kind of like one of those talismans to ward off evil.
I'm chuckling, too, at 12/14, no. 5: "Belly pan … shows damage and is sagging." LAW! How often I've felt that way.