Just Streamin' 54 Cruiser "Nellie"

Sink Cabinet

2012-02-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

Got the sink top assembled today and the first coat of sealer on.

Cabinets continue

2012-02-05T17:53:00.000-08:00

Sink/Stove base.

Old cabinet was good only as a template, only had tosave it for 3 years.

Had a little fun in town last night at our annual balloon festival.

Then a visit with my Dad, turns 84 this year.

Nellie is out for a walk and some cabinets

2012-02-05T02:01:00.000-08:00

Moved the Cruiser a little closer to the house today so I could save a little walking to test fit the new cabinets.

I need to cut one more hole soon for the water heater just in front of the wheel.

Refrigerator vents turned out ok, I need to polish them up a little yet.

Made good progress on the wardrobe, bathroom and pantry.

Cabinets are taking shape.

Got the front panel cut and installed for the refrigerator.

On to the stove/sink next and install the water heater.

Found and install a new handle for closing the door on the inside.

Entrance door rebuild

2012-01-29T14:55:00.000-08:00

Disassembled the entrance door so the screen could be replaced, re-insulated and strip the old blue paint off. Also added extra wood blocking above and below the lock assembly so I can add a good door pull for closing the door from the inside.

Interior Cabinets

2012-01-16T18:59:00.000-08:00

Cabinets are under way, fun spot in the project to be in! Didn't think I would ever get here!

Next up the wardrobe cabinet.

Projects

2012-01-04T18:23:00.000-08:00

Started off the new year with a few projects, now that our kids are getting more settled and life seems to be calming down a bit for the moment anyway, I have had a little time to work on the barn and a couple of more crafty items.
I found this round fire ring in a dumpster all covered with black ash and melted plastic and first thought to fix it back up for a fire pit like it was and then found out it was made of copper so I cleaned it up and had a little more fun with it and made it into a bird bath.

Next was a project on Jan's wish list, a shelf unit for her

craft room. Made from someone else's project, it started

out as a barn door with some flowers pained on it that we disassembled and used for the sides then used old barn board for the dividers and old corrugated steel for the back.

Fun stuff, on to the next project!

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T20:19:00.000-08:00

The end of another year, quite a few changes this year:

Nellie our 54 Airstream Cruiser has made a lot of progress this year and if all goes as planned will be on the road next year!

Our son Ben turned 18, graduated high school, got his first full time job, and purchased a new mountain bike he has been dreaming of for quite some time!

Our Daughter Ellie and Son in law Isaac purchased there first home and now live 2 miles away, it is great to have them close by!

Jan and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary! Woo Hoo, I hope we have 50 more!

We addded 2 new family members this year Henrieta and Jake, a schnauzer and golden retriever.

Built the new loft in the barn and finally have steps to the top of the barn, now I can move all the extra stuff upstairs and have more room for working on Nellie! Now the barn has 3 floors and the copula, lots of room to collect good stuff!

The tree that Ben picked out this year, a 12footer!

Jake above and Henri below.

Grand Marais, Family shot!

This will be Nellie next year!

Ben's new bike

Above the new loft and steps to the top, the beams are from a couple 100 year old barns that came down near us, I've had the beams stored for 15yrs. nice to finally use them!

IT WAS A GOOD YEAR!

firewood, Airstream, Ellie and Isaac's

2011-10-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy fall but it always is! Seems like there is always to much to do in the fall but somehow it all gets done. The last 2 months we have been working on my daughter and son in law's new home. They purchased the home at a house auction and were the only bidders. One other person showed up and after he heard it was to be there first home he left. The auction was not advertised very well, so they got a fantastic deal. A little paint and some remodeling and it is starting to come around pretty good .

Finished getting our winter firewood supply this weekend also, bring on the snow!

And then I got a day in on the Airstream, installed a new 2" coupler and the lp gas tanks/regulator, the front end is looking a little more complete.

Also got the side walls cut out for the bathroom inside, so it has been a good weekend but weekends are always good. Actually most days are good!!

Also received our new rv frig a couple weeks back. Piece by piece it all is coming together.

Interior Cabinets

2011-08-07T17:54:00.000-07:00

I managed to get a few hours in here and there to work on the interior cabinets.

I used some scrap lumber and did a mock up of the counters on both sides.

It is good to get a feel for the stove and sink.

The frig will sit on the curb side. Still looking for that and hoping for a good deal.

I finished polishing the upper cabinets today and temporarily mounted them.

We decided to reduce the bathroom back to a wet bath which makes room for the pantry cabinet by the stove. So really the only change from original in the kitchen is the curb side where the cook top and big frig were. The new counter top really opens things up.

In the rear we got rid of the twins and built a full size bed in the center, the picture does not show it but there is room to get around the end of the bed so there will be access to three sides.

There will be cabinets in both corners in the back also.

The front of the bed has storage with access from the top and both sides. The rear third has access from the rear trunk door and for now holds the spare tire.

Weight check

2011-06-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

I brought the Cruiser over to a neighbors farm to check the weight before anything was added inside.

Great to have neighbors with handy things like this.

Interior paint

2011-06-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

Had a great weekend working on Nellie! Finished patching a few holes inside, installed all the window frames, Primed and painted the interior and stripped and polished the upper cabinets, I am beat!

It is hard to put this picture up and hard to paint Nellie pink but it was fun to see the reaction everyone had!

This is just the primer, I had the store tint it as much as they could to help with the final color of dark red.

I was very happy to get the top coat on to cover the primer, also temporarily installed the power converter to try out the fantastic fans and some of the interior lights, fun to watch things to come together.

Nellie's guard dog Cooper, she loves working on Nellie as much as I do. We have a lot of chipmunks and she lives for chasing them. Even catches one sometimes!

Interior skins and paint

2011-06-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy few weeks installing the interior skins, I was very surprised at how easy it was to re-install the liner and line up all the old rivet holes. It did take a lot of rivets about 900, that's been quite a workout for my hands. It has been more of a challenge trying to decide on a color for inside.I think we have settled on dark red but also considered a vintage looking mustard yellow and chrome aluminum.

The red you see in the pictures still needs a couple coats to darken it up.Hope to have the painting done this weekend. Then we will be done for about a month.

It sure is great to see some big changes, I was getting a little discouraged.

Ben's Grad Party

2011-05-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

Lot's of fun

Proud of ya Ben, We are very fortunate to have such a terrific son!

Lot's of good friends!

A little too much fun with the goats but happy again 5 minutes later.

Jan, All ready for the fun to start.

Dad and my long time friend DJ and Cooper, she got a lot of attention and probably plenty to eat!

Lots

and Lots

of rain but it didn't slow any body done from coming.

We had lots of help from Jan's sisters who kept the tables full so we could visit with everyone. This trading works well, all of their kids are younger then ours so we owe them some time. Great to have family close by!

Then comes the clean up, 150 people through the house, pouring rain outside and everyone having a good time, so we had a bit of cleanup at the end. Hours and hours to clean the house, 5 minutes for the garage. By the way all the food was wiped out, I was bummed, no left overs and there was a lot on the table. We had a great time visiting with everyone, lots of great friends, family and neighbors, we are very lucky to live in such a great area.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

2011-05-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

25 years ago today I married my best friend.

Jan was 19 and I was 22, I had to marry her quick before she new better.

Lucky if we had a few dollars in the bank but we had it all figured out, well it turns out that we didn't really have to much figured out but we are still having fun with the game of life.

I am not sure what Jan got out of deal but my life has been great!

We have experienced so much,

I always liked this picture.We have enjoyed a lot of canoeing, kayaking and outdoor activities.

Our big camping trip to the west coast, this was in a little county campground in Sisters, Oregon. We had the place almost to our selves. This was our first hard sided camper, cost us a small fortune in gas but so glad that we did it, great trip!

We've lived in four homes,

Our first Apartment, we had the 2nd floor, $300/month included everything, should have stayed there, maybe we didn't know everything?

The first home we purchased 6 months later and lived here fore 1 1/2 years

18 months later we found this gem, there were a few tears over this 100 year old beauty, it needed a lot of clean-up. Ten years later, Ellie and Ben now completing our family, we decided to move to the country but we hated to leave.

We purchased 9 acres in the country from Jan's parents.

Our new home, it takes a long time to make a house a home, it doesn't mater if it is new or old.
It is the love inside that brings it all together.
We've had countless pets and cars and campers, raised 2 fabulous kids and traveled a lot.

We had a great addition 2 years ago, Isaac, top center, he chased and caught our daughter, actually not sure who chased who but
we are very happy for them.

I can't imagine having a better life with anyone else!

Jan has taken such good care of all of us, home schooling Ellie and Ben and supporting me with all my ambitions. Most of the time you had a smile for me.

Jan has kept me on a good coarse though life and I pray the next 25 years don't go buy as fast as

the last 25. Jan recently came up with our plan on marriage"She is right and I am happy", I am ok with this plan, except when she needs a hew plan?

I am so excited to get Nellie finished and travel the country with you!

I hope that god blesses us with a long life because I

think there is much to be done yet.

Who knows what life will throw at us next (grand kids)??? I look forward to our next chapter together.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JAN

Love Doug

One more piece to the puzzle

2011-05-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

Our new to princess stove arrived from Franks trailer Works today.

Can't wait to day when we can install it.

Thanks Frank!

First end cap back in

2011-05-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

Installed the rear interior end cap today and gave it a polish too. Great to have the first piece back in the interior! Only been two and half years since I took it out. I was actually surprised at how well it lined back up with the old rivet holes.

Some fresh air and a shower

2011-04-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

Ready to start finishing the inside and wanted to get Nellie out in the rain for a couple days and check for any leaks.

Hopefully the last summer for the SOB in the background, we do like the hybrid camper but we are also really looking forward to getting Nellie on the road.

Tested all the running lights last week, I need to get the brakes wired yet.

Quite a bit of polishing left to do.

Little stuff but lots of progress

2011-04-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

I have not posted for a while but I have been working on Nellie quite a bit.

I came up with a name for the Cruiser a few weeks back"NELLIE" It was a nick name given to Jan by her Granny when she was young and it seems to fit well. I read a thread on the airforums about naming your airstream and Frank had posted that by tradition boats were given female names for good luck and since this is a land yacht it works good, Granny was a pretty special lady and so is my wife and we are starting to get pretty attached.to the cruiser, so she needed a good family name.

Taillights are back in, license plate holder with new light socket and new rub rails all the way around.

Also finished the belly pan in the front and back. So the belly is complete except for the center until I finish the inside and the tanks.

Added in a work light in the back, it actually covers the old hole from the original 110volt power plug, I will have a switch inside the trunk door.

I did the same in the front where the original water fill was,There was a nice little aluminum patch here with about 10 rusty rivets and screws holding it on, it will be nice to have a light here for those late campground arrivals.

Rebuilt the four marker lights, the base and sockets were falling apart after 57 years, should be under warranty! One of the original glass lenses were missing but I found a replacement at vintagecamper.com.

I thought of putting clearance lights on top front and back but think I will keep that original.

The new tanks arrived a couple weeks ago. I don't think I will mount them until the cabinets go in.

Now I can move back inside and do some final sealing on some seems and windows, finish insulating and reinstall the liner.

This was one week ago, I hope that it is done now, we really want to start getting some spring yard work done and it is lot more enjoyable to work on Nellie with the sun shining.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!

Rock guard and rub rails

2011-03-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

Made a little more progress this week, tried making a rock guard for the front window, turned out pretty good. It tucks into the hinge on top and a couple wing nuts on the bottom.

Also made up new rub rails and rain shields for the storage doors. I am installing the rails all the way around the bottom. Not sure why airstream didn't have them on the sides, I think it looks more complete.

To end things up this weekend I tried installing the front belly pan, that was a challenge and ended up cutting into 3 pieces and only got the street side in.Maybe the other side will go better?

A Great Airstream Weekend

2011-03-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

I had a great weekend working on the Cruiser! After a enjoying breakfast with my beautiful wife Jan I got out to the barn to enjoy a nice sunny day working on our airstream. We have really been tossing around lots of different ideas and plans for the interior and are pretty happy with the layout now. I started wiring everything Saturday morning and pretty well finished this afternoon.

I wired in 18-110 volt outlets, this seems like a lot but we are so tired of our previous trailers with 4 outlets in the hole trailer and none of them in a convenient spot. It is a challenge getting all that wire into an inch and half thick wall.

I also started installing equipment in the side hatches. The city water connection, 110 volt power cord and a couple of external outlets.

New wheels and new plans

2011-03-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

Finally got the axle rebuilt for the cruiser over the last couple weeks, I was surprised that the shop had new brake assemblies that would fit a 57 year old trailer. They recommended rebuilding over replacing the axle because the original is built better then new models. They did re-arch the springs to gain a little height.

Along with the axle also came new wheels and tires, Just a little shinier and reliable then the originals.

We had a visit and inspection from Brad today also, it was a lot fun to review his and my progress. Also it helped a lot to go over his trailer plans and others, we have been struggling over ours for quite a while. I think we are pretty close now.

Side views

Top view

Now I think I can start wiring the interior and keep things moving.

Thanks for the ideas Brad

Ben's 18th Birthday!! Wow

2011-03-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that my #1 son is 18 today, he makes us very proud!

Just recently he picked up the welder and started creating. It has been a lot of fun to see what he comes up with. Through the help of a friend of ours he was introduced to the owner of an art gallery in Hudson and now has a few pieces on display there.

He really likes robots and creatures.

He has made quite a few wine racks, 3 years before he can drink the contents of the bottles.

It will be very interesting to see where he goes with this?

Airstream Progress

2010-11-23T17:16:00.000-08:00

Made a few more small steps over the last couple weeks, painted the floor just to seal it a little better and brighten things up. Installed new taillight sockets( no picture) from VTS $11 each and made from stainless, just cleaned up the old lenses for now $45ea for replacements. Took apart rear trunk door, it was bent up pretty bad because the bottom hinge was messed up causing the PO to slam it shut which bent up the top of the door, so I fabricated a new hinge piece. Also got the front belly pan roughly cut out and waiting for a nice day to install, 12 degrees here today. Work has been crazy for the last month with everyone starting their furnaces in their homes, good to be busy(most days).

New aluminum looks so much better! At least for the belly, I like the aged look on the rest, it shows some history.

Airstream had a heavy aluminum bar in the door to stiffen it up but I think I will do something different.

Getting ready for winter

2010-10-31T16:37:00.000-07:00

Lots of fun fall projects today. Cleaned up the garage and barn, mowed the front garden area so cars can park there for Bens grad party next spring, sealed up the garage entrance door and got an hour or two in on the airstream. Looking forward to working on the cruiser this winter!

Ellies Birthday today!!

2010-10-18T03:47:00.000-07:00

My favorite daughter, Happy Birthday Today!!

The last windows are done!!!

2010-10-18T03:36:00.000-07:00

Seems like it has been a long time since I started replacing the gaskets in the windows. About 50 to 60 hours through the summer, I am glad to move on to something else!

Set for the winter

2010-10-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

We've been putting up firewood for the winter over the last month, nice to have it done before the snow hits.

Harvesting time, Glen has run the combine for My father in law since the start of time. This is what he uses his vacation time for. Our son Ben has rode with him since we have lived here 11 years now.

Tom has had a record crop this year!

Our favorite son Ben(17) and Glen Hall

Its good to know where you are!!!

2010-10-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

My favorite place to be!

Windows Windows Windows

2010-10-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

The first picture is of the curb side with the windows done and the first pass on the polishing complete.

The windows just don't end, kind of tired of rebuilding them but only 4 left.

I have about 35 hrs into replacing the window gaskets so far, it will be nice to be done with that, hopefully by the end of the month if all goes well.

Windows and vents

2010-07-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

Ugly vents are gone!! New fantastic fans are in place. one with a rain sensor and one without.

The old gaskets are built into windows, which requires drilling out the rivets holding the windows in.

Two windows down and nine to go.

The Aluminitus is coming back!!

No more tar, New vents next

2010-06-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

Finished removing the roofing tar at 5am this morning. At least the previous owner didn't make a lot of holes in the top when he attached his extra roof to the side. The cruiser looks so much better without those black tears running down her side. It took about 12 hours with a heat gun, putty knife and lots of rags. Now on to the roof vents and new fantastic fans, i have had the fans for almost a year now, they will be out of warranty before we use them! The old vents have so many layers of caulking and tar! The cruiser will probably come up some when I get the extra weight off :-)

lots of TAR

2010-06-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

After lots of spring projects and watching everyone else work on their trailers, it's time to dive back in for a while. I started removing this tar from the top over a year ago and am really tired of looking at it running down the side. Between a heat gun, a putty knife and some solvent I am finally making some progress. One more night and I should be done.

Next on the list is the front and back roof vents, they are really ugly. There should be an ugly vent contest?

Nice to be touching aluminum again!!

Key West and the space shuttle-fun to visit but we like Wisconsin

2010-04-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Key West 75degrees and hot

My employer and friends Don and Lois asked Jan and I to join them on a trip

to Key West, the timing and weather was near perfect, all we have heard here in Wisconsin is how cold it has

been in Florida. It was warm and sunny when we were there.

The end of the road or I guess the start depending on which direction

you are going.

It was very nice every morning waking up to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach

and the sun shining in the windows.

I like to bring trees back home whenever I can from our trips but I guess palm trees don't grow in Wisconsin?

Ever since we acquired this aluminum sickness we can't help but keep watch for Airstreams :-)

Don, Lois, Jan, Myself and son Ben. Thanks Don and Lois for the great trip.

Ben spent most of 4 days in Key West rolling around town on his long board.This was our last night there and we had dinner at the A&B lobster house, first time Jan and I had lobster, very good.

There was quite a lineup to take this picture, our tour guide said there used to be just a sign here but it was stolen all the time so they put in something more permanent.

Everyone has to get a sunset picture,it was very nice to watch the sun go down.The boardwalk every evening is full of street performers , lots of fun.

Honey just take couple more steps back :-)just kidding this is part of the original bridge system, very narrow road and no room for a breakdown. originally there was not a road just a railroad built by one man at a cost of 50 million dollars around 1915, quite an undertaking.

I didn't do very well with the tolls, I went though the wrong lane a couple times, probably a warrant out for me now?

We made it through the keys and up to Cocoa Beach, very nice there, miles of clean sandy beaches to walk along and relax. We collected a few shells, built a sand castle and just sat back for a day.

Our last day of the trip, Saturday, we woke early to get to the Kennedy Space Center. Doors open at 9:00 and we were the fifth car in the lot. It felt like the movie vacation when Clark drives all that way to find Wallyworld closed, but it was not closed and we put in a full day 9 to 6 I could have spent a couple more.

Just one of the displays, really incredible.

This sign was at one of the launch pads and we thought it may be a good one at our place too.

Ben took a trip to the moon on one of the rovers, Ben wake up we are there!!!

Our $5 post card to end the trip, we packed into one of those picture machines built for two, lots good memories. The one thing we could not find was the astronauts Airstream camper, that would have been fun to get a picture by.

Working on campers, just the wrong one :-)

2010-02-28T17:05:00.000-08:00

I have been getting some camper time in the past few weeks. It's just been on the new camper that we are going to use this summer, what makes it hard is that the cruiser sits right next to this one in the barn and I would rather be working on that. Good thing is that I am just about done, I got the refrigerator and upper sink cabinate rebuilt and the new awning arms installed. Just a little cosmetic work on the outside and it should be good.

Bens B-Day

2010-02-28T10:57:00.000-08:00

Ben turns "17" this week,wow the years just fly by!!! He is very good at guessing his presents, so I made it a little harder for him this year, he will have to look at them for week :-) Have fun Ben

The running of the goats

2010-02-28T10:39:00.000-08:00

These two, Miss Mary and Moose look pretty innocent here but this walk was not as much fun at 9 o'clock at night in the dark after their escape.Out of their pen, around the garage, up the driveway, down the road, in the neighbors drive, a loop around their yard, then to loose me in the woods behind their place, back to our house for me, then down the road again with treats, flash light, and the truck. Found them at the neighbors again, of coarse they went right to him and held them until I was able to get a leash on them and walk them back home,they would not come to me for anything, aaarrrggg. Funny goats, these actually belong to our Daughter Ellie who now lives in Wyoming, I hope you are making room in the apartment Ellie. :-)

Rescued from the back with help from JD and Tom

2010-02-13T11:41:00.000-08:00

We sold the 57 overlander a couple weeks ago and Brad (her new owner)would like to get a start on bringing her back to life.It will be fun to watch the restoration. We originally picked it up in the northwoods of Wisconsin. We thought we would use it for parts but I could not bring myself to take it apart.

Nice to have the Overlander back in the driveway.

John Deere got a bit of a workout and so did I.We hope Brad has fun with her.

Quite the snowblower on JD, thanks To Tom my Father In Law, otherwise it would have been a couple more months to get the 57 out.

Winter is here

2009-12-27T06:03:00.000-08:00

The barn is pretty well closed up for the winter, I need to build the doors on the end but with the overhang the snow stays out pretty well.

We also picked up a temporary camper for next summers use until the cruiser is ready.

Hoping to start in on rebuilding the windows in the airstream soon. Now that it is inside we don't have to worry about it being left open. It will be nice to start working on her again.

Thanksgiving at Bobs

2009-11-27T18:18:00.000-08:00

Lot of fun at Bobs house for Thanksgiving, good family times.

Sides are done and cruiser is back inside

2009-11-26T06:29:00.000-08:00

The Cruiser is back inside now that I am done working above it and won't drop anything on now. I did come close to dropping a ladder on it, so I had to move her outside for a while. Now I am down to building a couple more doors and some misc. trim.

Front Overhang, A day in the sun :-)

2009-11-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

Bob came over last weekend and helped me frame in the overhang I wanted on the front.

I saw this feature on an old barn some years ago and liked the detail it adds. Kind of like a porch on a house.It also makes the barn 8 ft. longer so I can get bigger Airstreams.

Just a little metal left to bend up to finish the roof.

Survived another day

2009-10-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

Second peak done, it was a good thing we had no wind today, nice to have both ends done.

That is actually a 24' ladder, it was a bit of a stretch to get up to the peak. Maybe it did get too tall :-) Ben gave me a hand with a couple of the long sheets.

After waiting a couple weeks an excavator from down the road showed up today with some fill to finish the driveway to the barn, no more mud in front :-)

This is what I started the day with today, it was nice to have a change on the end towards the house.

24hrs. earlier this is what we had, the cruiser is getting cold and lonely outside.

Almost a blizzard, I think this is the third snowfall this year and not even November yet.

Steve, a buddy of mine up the road just finished sawing up the big cherry tree that we cut down at the beginning of the summer.
I had the bigger logs sawn into 2 1/2" slabs for some rustic tables or benches.

My photographer. I love her dearly, even if she doesn't want to walk in the mud to visit me slaving away on her barn:-)

Some fun at Bobs house

2009-10-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

Brother Bob has been wanting to build a covered deck off his workshop for a while so today was the day. I love working on these old buildings. His house is over 100 years old and is one of the few houses in town with the old carriage house still standing.

It was a beautiful day today, almost a perfect fall day, we have not seen the sun here in quite a while.

It was a nice project, we got all the framing done in about 4 hours. just a little faster than the barn project :-)

Bob working hard or thinking about it.

Getting the roof panels in place, they worked ok for this project but we don't think we would use them for anything bigger. They were made of a compressed asphalt material.

Pretty well finished up, about 9 hours of work, a pretty good day. Now for a little work on the deck.

Last falls project at Bob's, we removed a wood retaining wall and built this boulder wall, that was quite a project. Looking good now that the grass is growing back in. It is dangerous to get me into a bobcat at my own house or someone else's, a person can do a lot of damage pretty quickly but in the end it usually comes back together :-)

Snow is coming tonight I'm not ready :-(

2009-10-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

It was a challenging weekend on the barn, starting with an inch of snow in the morning(just enough so when it melted it made it all muddy again). Then came the wind from hell that tried to blow me off the ladder,I made it to the center on the end until the wind won and I stayed on the ground and worked on building the door.

Brother Bob came over today and it turned out to be a much more productive day and no wind just good company,finishing the end and all of the lower steel on the side,Thanks bob I could not have done it without you!!

Siding is going on :-)

2009-10-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

The barn is starting to match the Cruiser. The steel siding was about 2 weeks late in coming but it did give me time to get the framing done on the ends and a few other projects done around the house.

Built a small roof over the sliding door to cover the track and break up the siding on the end.

About a third of the way done now and hope to hit it again this weekend. I would really like to be working on the Cruiser(soon) I know Frank is going to bug me about having the camper in the barn when it is still under construction but I hate having it out in the rain and it has rained here a couple times a week since I started this project,argh.

The Cruisers Home

2009-09-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

After 55 years the cruiser finally has a place inside, it rained last night and I can say now that my Airstream does not leak:-)

I did get some time to install the windows on one side, I have had these stored for about 12 years, I am trying not to collect stuff like that any more but it is tough, to much good stuff out there getting tossed out.

Airstream Rallies and cupala's

2009-09-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

Jan and I went to the Osceola Airstream rally last Saturday ,It was great to meet airstream buddy's Tim and Steve, Hopefully I can get a chance to help them on their trailers, it is fun dirty work:-)

Jan and I like these kind of features, the fridge has a clear front on it with postcards and pictures from their adventures behind it.

It always gets me fired up again to work on the Cruiser when I see other units fixed up. The Cruiser has been patiently waiting for her face lift and new home.

I did get the cupola finished this weekend also, it really serves no purpose but I think it looks cool, maybe in a couple years we will have some grandkids to play up there ;-) Today I started getting the main power hooked up finally, it should be powered up in the next day or two. Steel for the side should be here this week so soon it will be sealed up a little better.

Roof steel finished :-)

2009-09-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

30 Sheets of steel 18' long 1,200 plus screws, pretty good work out up and down the ladder, better than a stair climber :-)

$1.79 for these gloves and worth every penny, Rubber coated,never slipped on the roof and no sheet metal cuts.

I was glad it never got windy.

On to the side panels now. Just ordered so that will be a couple weeks.

Thanks Ellie

2009-09-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks Ellie and Isaac for the contributions to the treasure wall. We have collected this stuff from all of our vacations from Canada to Mexico. It could be anything from a small car part to a piece of drift wood anything to remember a different place or things we have done, the shiny license plate Ellie found in the backwoods of Saskatchewan, Canada .

Thanks Isaac, his first piece on the wall, the fork:-)

One Side Done :-)

2009-08-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

Half of a roof done this weekend, it went pretty well working by myself, it was pretty relaxing. Brother Bob did come over for a couple hours on Saturday aft. for a couple hours and helped finish the wall framing on that side. The last piece on the front was a little tricky, there were 2 screws in the middle that I could not reach, I will put those in when I finish the front trim with a taller ladder.

When I took a break from the steel I built this little decoration for the front, not to functional but fun to make and easier to install now without the roof on.

I made up my own fascia material for a different look.

A sample of the galvanized metal cover for the fascia.

Nice to have one side done, now I have a system down to do the side that does not show, I probably should have started on the back, but that is no fun, might just as well have all the mistakes show on the front side.

The Roof and some new visiters

2009-08-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

I am sure glad the roof is steel and not shingles, it would not be any fun to carry bundles of shingles up there.

Good lunch today, it does not take to long make lunch for one person, it is a little quiet around here without the family(yes I am missing you), it would probably be more comfortable living in the airstream the house is too empty.

This is my friend Mikes daughter Emma, she is crazy, no fear of anything, she likes to climb up ladders or scaffolding, high is ok.

This is Abby, also a climber, and loves our new baby chicks. She had to kiss all she could.

The Steel for the roof finally came today,it took almost three weeks to get. Witch was OK because there have been plenty of other things to do. Bob and I got all of the bracing installed from the walls to the bottom of the trusses this week so I could remove the exterior temporary bracing. I did get far enough tonight to get the first two sheets of roof steel on. It went a lot better than I thought it would, the roof is almost a 45 degree angle, so pretty steep, I thought I would use the crane to lift the 18ft. pieces of steel up but instead purchased some rubber sticky gloves today and just slid them up the ladder with me. One screw in the top to hold the sheet, then position the bottom and then screw it down from the bottom to the top, about 40-2" screws per panel work my to the top, only have to do it 29 more times :-)

As you can see in the first picture I am almost done with side one. It is going pretty well, Brother bob helped again last night with some more framing and temporary brace removal.
Hopefully I can finish before the next rain, I am getting tired of mud inside.

A little slower pace :)

2009-08-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

Back to the day job now, it will be nice to get a break for a while, changes won't happen as quick now.

I think I will have to turn this into Dewalt for warranty, it should be able to hold up to a 15ton crane backing over it :-) That's ok if that's the only casualty.

My Dad wanted to get up to the second level(he is 81 this year) he thought it was a little high.

Sunrise from the coupala

Day Five-No Rain

2009-08-22T06:01:00.000-07:00

Ron and his sons, Elvis and Sammy and Doug. End of the day, boys wanted to come up standing on the deck of the second floor.
Our working dog, Cooper. Safe spot to watch all the action.
Brother Bob's dog, Pepper the Pug.
Boys up in the Coupala.

Ron and Doug positioning the Coupala.

Getting close.

Reminds me of the last scene of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie, where the elevator crashes through the roof and flies through the air ;)

Ben guiding up the materials for the second floor. Handy to have the crane.

After some instruction from Cy, the crane owner, I am the official operator today.

The new second story floor is in. With the availability of the crane, I decided to take advantage of it, and put in the second floor now.

Ron and his youngest son, Sammy.

Finally a day with no rain. It was a very productive day. Installed the deck for the second floor, the coupala, and finished framing the roof. Ron just keeps on cruisin' through the work. Hard to believe five days ago this area was bare ground, now we have a building that is 31'6" tall. Starting to look like a real barn.

Day Four Trusses and Mud And Lots Of Rain

2009-08-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Dad and Cyrus swapping stories about their crazy kids.
A view from the top of the world:-)
We had no shortage of mud today, plenty to go around.
Ben and I put a fey finishing touches on the cuopala before it goes up tomorrow. He worked pretty hard today.
We had the first truss in the air this morning about 8:45, just about the time it started raining. So we all got a little on the muddy side.
Here is today's crew from the left Cye, My Dad, Bob, Ron, Ben, and Me, O and Cooper and Pepper:)
The last truss is up, 9 total, Bob, Ben, Ron, Doug. For being so tall, Ron did a great job of squaring things up, everything came out to within fractions of an inch, Thanks Ron.
Ben and Bob bringing in the next truss.
Here is Cyrus and his big rig, they did all the heavy lifting today. Cy and his wife Kay are friends from church.

All and All A pretty productive day considering the weather, one that non of us will forget for a while. Still waiting for the roof steel to show up, maybe tomorrow. There is supposed to be better weather coming anyway. The cruiser barn or my brother calls it the man barn is starting to take shape now. Thanks everyone for your help.

Day three Rained out :-(

2009-08-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

Well as it turns out it was a good thing we stopped for lunch because two hours later we had some good wind and tornado warnings, it would not have been good to have the trusses half done with that wind. To bad to have a crane like this just waiting thou.

Jan feeds us well :)She has always been to good to me.

Brother Bob and Dad, scatching his head with all those angles :)Looking good Bob

Myself,Ron, and Nephew kyle finishing the last part of the wall, and josh supplying material from the ground.

Jan's great rolls !!!

Final wall framing before the trusses.

Steve is getting a great start on the coupala!! I have always liked these on buildings and now was my chance to have one.

Well it looks like it is time for a nap,we finished all of the framing and are ready to set trusses. Then the rain came and doesn't look like it is going to stop anytime soon. Jan fixed us all some terrific cinnamon rolls for break time and another great lunch. Looks like I will have to get some inside work done this afternoon.

Day Two Taking Shape

2009-08-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

Posts all set

Jan still smiling :-)

Brother Steve was helping to get the posts ready to set in the holes. We had to change the tops some to set the rafters in the middle of the post.

Ben was sizing things up:-)

Josh, Ben, Doug, Kyle, Ron

Dad, Bob and I

I may be getting too old for this kind of fun, but not too old to think it can't be done.

Another day of hard labor filling the holes back in that we worked so hard to dig out.

I have been talking about and dreaming of having a barn forever and I am always talking about the old barns out in the countryside. My family has looked at so many of these old buildings. Building the barn was actually Jan's idea, and it seemed like a good summer to do it, and help get everything organized under one roof.

The barn is taking shape today giving some perspective to the size it will be, overall it will be 26' to the peak. Added two new guys today, my brother Steve was able to come this morning and help with some of the posts and should be back tomorrow, and my Dad came to supervise and help with some of the side framing. Started framing a 4'x4' coupala that will add an additional 4' to the height of the building, bring it to a total of 30' tall.

Again today Jan made us a terrific lunch of ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and root beer floats for afternoon break. Thanks Jan!

DAY ONE - HARD LABOR

2009-08-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

This is what we have to show for 7 people x an average of 5 hrs.

20 HOLES 4FT. DEEP 16" WIDE THRU ROCK AND CLAY (VERY SIMILAR TO CONCRETE )

More machinery today with my Father-in-laws big John Deere tractor and A neighbor and friends power auger on the skidder.

LOTS OF GREAT HELP THANKS TO BROTHER IN LAW RON AND HIS TWO SONS JOSH AND KYLE,
SON BEN, BROTHER BOB, AND GOOD FRIEND TOM.
MANY THANKS TO JAN FOR KEEPING OUR ENERGY LEVELS UP WITH THE GREAT FOOD ALL DAY.

Sure Wish my new son-in-law was here so I could put him to the test and watch him sweat a little:)The new couple moved to Wyoming three weeks ago.
Its funny how their new home looks great and when they lived here it was hard to see the floor in their area:)

Heavy Machinery

2009-08-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

More heavy machinery moving in, a person really just doesn't realize how many friends and resources they have accessible to them until the time comes and everything starts to come together. It will be hard to thank everyone enough.

Utilities are roughed in

2009-08-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

100 AMP POWER FOR POLISHING THE CRUISER,WATER FOR WASHING THE CRUISER AND GAS FOR KEEPING HER WARM IN THE WINTER(SOMETIMES).

What a day,This was one of the biggest jobs I was not looking forward to doing, it is great to have the worst of it done. My Dad was here most of the day, it was great to have his help and company.
175' OF TRENCH 2FT. DEEP THROUGH ROCK AND CLAY AND TREE ROOTS. It went so much better thanks to my brother in law Ron's big John Deere skidder. This machine is just a tank, it would pick up the Cuiser with out a problem, thanks Ron.

Tomorrow I pick up a crane to lift all of the trusses into place. Then Monday Ron and my brothers will be coming over and the real fun begins:-)

Posts and Trusses are here

2009-08-08T04:08:00.000-07:00

Posts and trusses arrived this week, I ordered the roof steel after the trusses arrived because the steel can be ordered to the correct length, I had to wait for the trusses so I could measure the the top cord and get that length correct. When the walls are up I will order that steel to the right length, it will save a lot of cutting and waste. If all goes well I will get a couple of posts in the ground today.When done the barn will be 24' by 40' with 14' sidewalls and a second floor for storing extra airstream parts.I am also leaving room on both sides for the additions later. With the bigger trusses the barn will be about 25' tall, should be enough room for the cruiser and maybe a friend to keep her company:-)
Jan's gardens are looking very good this year,I think they have gotten just enough rain. she has the yard looking like a park. We also did a little extra tree trimming in front of the barn.

The Cruisers new Barn starts

2009-08-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

Now that Ellie and Isaac are married and starting their new adventures and the county fair is done we can get going with the airstream new barn/shop. To start, it will be 24'x40' with a second floor for parts storage. We are setting it up so we can add on to both sides if needed.

As soon as I got home from the fair and unpacked, I got to work clearing the brush and trees from the new spot. I hate cutting down trees no matter what kind they are. I had to take out 8- 50' tall trees that were under the barn or going to be leaning over it. We will get a lot of firewood from the trees anyway, plus a fair amount of cherry lumber.

On our way to the fair we spotted a barn close to the style we will be building. It was nice to look at and has full length windows just under the eaves on the south side that really light up the inside.

County fair

2009-07-31T18:51:00.000-07:00

Jan and I had a pretty relaxing time at the fair, this is our 3rd year running the campground. Its like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle some rigs are 35' long and some 15' long,We had 38 campers and 10 tents, it gets a little crowded but everyone has a good time. Early one morning I awoke to a group of people walking by our airstream saying that sure is a strange looking camper:)
Isaac and Ellie (just married 4 weeks ago) headed out to Wyoming to go to school for a year last week so it is pretty quiet around the house now with just Jan and I and Ben. We will be missing them:-( but we have a nice place to visit them for now,we hope to have them move back close when they are done wondering the country.
Here is a few more shots of the fair.

First trip(trial run)in the Cruiser

2009-07-31T15:47:00.000-07:00

We did a lot of work on the Airstream over the last couple weeks to get the cruiser road worthy so we could camp in it at our local county fair. I waterproofed the inside as much as possible and put in the first layer of insulation, installed the back window and installed temporary tail lights. I knew it would still leak a little,they all leak:}The insulation worked well because it was hot enough that you could not touch the shell above the insulation. The aluminum tent was a little rough looking and looked very out of place to say the least but worked very well.

Could have been ours:(

2009-07-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

This has got to have been the quietest day Jan and I have ever had, we just sat around with Dj, Amy and Amy's sister Nancy and talked and watched the dogs play.It was very nice and relaxing.

Now for the airstream story:
About 1995 DJ and Amy offered to give us this Airstream and we said no. They ended up selling it for $400.00. They were non-believers at the time and have now seen the error of their ways:-)The camper belonged to Amy's uncle and she doesn't think it was ever on the road.He lived in it full time but never used the plumbing, he had an outhouse until he moved to an assisted living apartment.

Madison

2009-07-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

We have been having a great time here with DJ and Amy. Jan and I and DJ went to visit a place called Little Norway today by Mount Horeb,Wi. It started out as a Norwegian family homestead some 100 or so years ago, very interesting. Hard to believe what our ancestors did to settle here and survive. Also in Mt. Horeb is the world famous Mustard museum and The Grumpy Troll Cafe(great burgers).
After we returned home Jan and I went to the rally again to see if we could get inside any more vintage trailers or talk to any more owners. We did get to talk to a local man who was in the middle of his restoration. It is fun talking to someone that is going through the same steps as us, he has been at his project for 6 years. That was not very encouraging seeing that we are planning the maiden voyage for our in 2010.
We spent the evening visiting with DJ,Amy and Amy's sister Nancy from Florida, it was a very nice time. We had a great supper at the Hubbard Ave Diner, followed by a tour though the rally to show off all the aluminum and then on to Michael's Custard and home.
A few pics of the day:

International Airstream Rally - Madison,Wi

2009-07-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

Jan and I made it to the rally on Tuesday about 6:00pm and headed for the rally site, it was very cool to see all of trailers in one spot. We really did not know where to go or what to do so we just followed some people to the coliseum. At the door we found some security people to ask some questions to,since we are not wbcci members yet, they made some calls and got the ok to let us watch the proceedings for a while. It was very interesting to watch but not something we would get involved with at this time. We left for the night and came back Wednesday morning to look at more trailers and the vendor areas, Again we were surprised that there were not many vendors there, so no purchases made today. We did get to tour all the new trailers on display, that was cool!! Then we went to the vintage trailer area and walked thru, some very nice units!!
We ended up running into Frank with his AnnaAluminum trailer, he owns Franks Trailer Works and was real nice to talk to.We found this nice 18 footer for sale for $40,000,
hopefully he gets his money back out of it. He said that Colin hyde had done much of the restoration, Colin did a nice job.

Ellie and Isaac's Summer Wedding and Potluck Social

2009-06-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

We made it through the wedding yesterday, I don't think it could have gone better, although a little more sleep for Jan and I would have been good . We had great food, great weather and best of all a great turn out of family and friends. Ellie and Isaac did a great job of keeping things simple comfortable for everyone there. Yes I did get to talk a lot about Airstreams because of my new tie, purchased just for this occasion. Ellie and Isaac are off to a good start and we are proud to have Isaac as part of the family.

My Fathers Day present

2009-06-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

My Daughter recently asked what I wanted for Fathers Day so I asked her to set this up. It is kind of a busy weekend for her as she is getting married this weekend to a great guy. We are looking forward to lots of great years with them.
The main reason for this blog will be to track our new 1954 Airstream 26'Cruiser restoration and travels. I hope to really dive into this in the next couple weeks and will add some pictures soon.