B L U E S S A F A R I

Back on it!

2012-02-15T11:25:00.000-08:00

My '66 is back to being worked on. I must have gone out for a pack of smokes or something but I'm back, baby! I've decided to do a shell-off instead of a shell-on. Many people that I trust have suggested that it is much easier to just do the full monty. The shots above are where I'm at.

1) Gantry built and put thru the "can it hold a fat bass player?" test.

2) Safari backed into gantry ready to have perimeter rivets drilled out.

Peace y'all!

HAIL NO!

2010-08-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

DeCook Excavating returned to put class 5 (road spec gravel) inside the barn and also where we will put concrete in front and on side under covered area. These guys really know how to spread it around. They also did the final grading work around the outside to make it ready for seeding.

inside with class 5 level and up to the batter boards

Bessie and Clara at home and not fearing hail!
There's room for two but eventually the barn will just be home to one
leaving plenty of room for work and play.
Worked on Bessie interior woodwork with a solution of equal parts vinegar, turpentine, and linseed oil. It's a recipe passed down from my wife Julie's father Mark. He was big into antiques and his formula left the wood looking much better. (sorry, no photo)
gratuitous butt shot

It's not a barn until the cupola sings.

We went with a Labrador on top.

Looked thru the book for an Airstream, but they didn't have one...

it's a barn!

2010-07-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

NORTH SIDE WITH '64 TRADEWIND IN BACKGROUND

(I have finally picked a name for her...BESSIE

...named after the legendary Bessie Smith, one of my all time favs)

VIEW FROM THE NORDEAST

DeCook Excavating scheduled to come back and do the inside class 5 gravel work

along with the exterior dirt work to make it look all purdy.
Concrete work will be next year after all has settled and bank account recovers.

VIEW FROM THE SOUTHEAST

The area I intend to host a MN TAC bash in and around.

I'm thinking about 10 trailers would fit nicely.

going up ^

2010-07-22T05:15:00.000-07:00

the pad with neighbor Dorothy's shed and house in the background
the footings being poured

away we go!

supervisor Jake

'64 keeping an eye (tail light) on the action

TradeWind's new budget futon on top of new carpet.

(I know Colin hates these, but it beats sitting on the floor)

I found Art Costello's autograph inside the utility closet. Kinda cool!

Rained hard this morning.

Supervisor Chris says they work through the rain....we'll see....

Safari has a cute older sister!

2010-07-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

The '64 Airstream TradeWind home in Rochester, Mn after having a stone cold gas at Baker's Acres with all of the great Bash attendees. Towed 1100 miles with only having to put front of bellypan back on and replacing the alternator in my Tahoe. Towed through heavy winds that blew a semi off the road and through a guard rail. The Airstream cut right through the wind with ease...

inside the TradeWind, beauty, eh?
Josie, my little helper. She has already claimed the Airstream TradeWind for her own after I'm done on this Earth. It's all yours, baby.
The trailers are getting a new home. A 24'x40' Northland Building.
Barn red with a silver roof and white trim. This is a shot of DeCook Excavating at work building the pad that the barn will sit upon. Construction begins July 19th. Updates to follow.

Another shot with the "new" trailer in the foreground. She's photogenic and she knows it!

pot of aluminum at the end of the rainbow

I received a number of comments at the BASH about the spare tire holder and its ties to religion.

To me, it looks like the spare tire holder that Black Sabbath would have had on their Airstream. Heavy metal and religion all encompassed in one sweet package. Rock on!

Note the original equipment window openers.
Many people aren't aware that sticks were factory options back in '64.

My almost yearly blog looks as if it could return to a semi-regular post so stay tuned as I see adventure around every corner for the rest of the Summer.

Peace and Joy to you and yours,

Dancin' Hansen

TAC MN-31

Frankly speaking

2010-06-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I blogged (as I was reminded by Frank) and the reasons are two-fold. One, I haven't done any work on the Safari as I've been saving money to head east to the Birthday Bash and pick up my '64 Tradewind that I won in the raffle. (Still can't believe that.) The money has become tight because of reason number two: the rebuilding of our lake cabin that was totalled in a fire last Fall. I wish I had some before pictures to show you but the after photos will have to suffice. It turned out great but as most building projects go, it went over budget and the Airstream funds went into the cabin kitty.

This is a shot from the loft. The old cabin didn't have this feature. The kids absolutely love this space for playing board games and generally hanging out. The big kids love it too!

Just a shot of the driveway and the back of the cabin.

The deck is still waiting for railing but we had to celebrate my mom and dad's 62nd wedding anniversary and what a great day we had for it. Low 80's, nice breeze and great family get-together. Most of the kids are still up in the loft. Not pictured in the foreground are the big kids playing some very competitive bean bag toss.

That's all for now. I've got two weeks until I load everything I own into my Tahoe and head to New York state to meet up with a big group of new friends. Looking forward to breakfast by Frank, canoeing, fireworks, and God knows what else.

Peace!

vintage hat!

2009-11-03T16:03:00.000-08:00

My buddy Jim Bier called me up and said "I've got something for you that you're gonna like" and I said "Is is an Airstream?" So I was close and he was right, I dig it!

This is my 8th grade girl Lucy. She played on the Rochester Lourdes high school varsity tennis team this year. They took 4th place at state as a team. We're pretty proud of this one.

It's leaf raking time and my 4th grader is in charge (takes after her mom). Josie loves the leaf piles and she's a huge fan of the family Airstreams. She can tell you the year, model, and length of both of our trailers.

It's time to get the fireplace going, tune in a hockey game and enjoy a cold one! Game on...

back to the 50's

2009-10-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

With the onset of cold weather, restoration of the Safari has ground to a halt. I am in desperate need of a 60 degree day to apply Por-15 to the frame and Mother Nature is quite content to keep it cool around these parts. So in lieu of anything on the trailer rehab front, I thought I would pass along a photo that one of my radio announcer friends posted on his Facebook page. It is a shot of his dad's tow vehicle and trailer from the 50's. He says the trailer was a Mallard (manufactured by the recently defunct Fleetwood trailer company). My buddy Jim Brunnette is the little guy in the photo which includes his brothers and father. You gotta dig the color of the TV/trailer combo! In his Facebook post he said there was no doubt, you could see us coming down the road.

In other news, any plans of getting work done on my '64 Tradewind have been shot to heck by the need to rebuild the family cabin which was lost in a recent fire. The insurance doesn't really cover the price of a new structure, so money that I had earmarked for Airstreams is being dumped into a lakeside gathering place. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. If it means using a portapotty and looking like a hillbilly for a couple summers, I don't care. All I know is that I can't miss any future camping seasons so I'll use what I got and hope for sunny days and moonlit nights.

Enjoy the photo, peace to you and yours!

winner, winner, chicken dinner!

2009-09-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

I hit the Airstream lottery! Rob Baker called to tell me that I won the '64 Tradewind raffle. Cannot express how excited we are here at the Hansen household. Thought I was being punked.

goodbye clearcoat

2009-09-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

I had time today to apply a gallon of RemovALL 220 to the trailer. It took just about 3 hours to coat the Safari, putting in on with a big 'ol brush. I could tell it was going to go well because areas that I had gone over earlier and overlapped a bit were already starting to come off in sheets.Here we are with the stripper applied.

You can see where the clearcoat had already come off (shiny spots).

Turn on the powerwasher and watch the fun!

I've got the pressure set very low here but increased it quite a bit as I progressed.

The end result is a pretty nice looking old girl...I'll have to go back and touch up some of the stubborn patches, but I'm done for the day.

Osceola, Wisconsin rally open house

2009-09-14T05:58:00.000-07:00

Well I made it to my first rally and found out that Airstreamers are indeed a great group of people. I got up to Osceola, Wisconsin this past Saturday with my daughter Josie in tow. We spent the first few hours in town at the fair watching a tractor pull, walking through the art fair, going to the exotic animal petting zoo, and eating corn dogs, cheese curds, and apple pie with ice cream. I asked Josie if she noticed anything different about the people and then I pointed out that no one (not even the kids) was on a cell phone. It was just good folk having a good time. We walked through the parking lot that had all of the old tractors waiting in line for their turn at the pull. Lots of John Deere(s?), and then you had your Farmalls, Olivers, etc. What I didn't see was any Minneapolis Molines. They are a personal favorite of mine ever since I played in a roots band by the same name. I wish I would have thought to bring my camera to the fair, but left it in the truck.Josie took most of the pictures for today's blog. She assured me that she had pictures of every dog at the rally. Not exactly what I was looking for, but I had to give her artistic freedom, I guess. Here is a shot of most of the trailers. If you look in the center of the photo, you can see a frisbee dog in action.

Here's Ed Emerick with his dog. I have to add that the dogs at the rally were just as friendly as their Airstream owners were. Just a great group of people and pets. Ed is the past president of the VAC (Vintage Airstream Club).

This is a '64 Globetrotter that belongs to Bob and Bonny Herman from Florida. The crazy thing is that I saw this trailer in a small county park about 5 miles from my home on August 26th but couldn't track down the owners. Josie was camping with her girl scout troop right across the path from the Hermans. I left them a card with my name and a photo of my trailer on it, but didn't expect to see them again. Small world!

Here's Paul and Marcia Hahn out of Denver, Iowa. I met them as I saw they had a '66, same as me. Being from NE Iowa, they've seen some of the same music groups as I have and been to some of the same music venues such as the Inwood Ballroom where my blues band opened up for Canned Heat. Oh, yeah, their dog's name is "Dude."

This is the Hahn's '66 Globetrotter looking great on a perfect late summer afternoon.

Three pictures of a Liner hooked up behind a Lincoln Zephyr. What a great combo platter! The inside skin was painted with a super cool treatment that made it look like wood or leather depending on how many cocktails you've had. Bed in back, kitchen in front. That's Josie sitting at the dinette looking casual. The only thing that surprised me about it was the lack of headroom. Not a trailer for a tall guy/gal. I didn't find out who owned it, but it did have Minnesota plates.

This Streamline is west of Rochester, Mn and I drive past it whenever I'm heading down I-90. Finally stopped and got a picture of it. Looks like it's in fine shape.

This mystery trailer is my latest obsession. Don't know what it is, I only now that it's little and cute and I want it.

Josie and I had a great time in Osceola. Met some friends from the Airforums up there (Tim and Doug and Jan) and had a beer or two and got to talk Airstreams for a couple hours. Next year I've got to have my Safari ready to tow so we can stay longer and make more friends.

Still waiting for my Por 15 to show up...

Peace

classic shot and a great gig

2009-08-17T18:18:00.001-07:00

I've been looking forward to posting the "classic" Airstream renovation picture and finally...here it is! Man standing on the ground in the back of his trailer. It doesn't get any better than this. Of course I will say the same thing when the Safari is roadworthy. Time to order some Por-15 from VTS and an axle from Colin Hyde's Trailer Restorations.

Sunday night, me and my great friend Charlie Lacy got to open up from blues singer Shemekia Copeland. She is the daughter of the late, great Johnny "Clyde" Copeland, a blues guitar legend. What made the gig great was that Charlie's daughter Molly and my son Louie both played the gig with us. The kids are 16 and they got to play in front of a couple thousand people on a big stage. We played a 45 minute set and had a stone-cold gas!

Here's a shot of our band "wiggleFoot" before the gig. Front row is Molly and Louie. Back row left to right is me, Rick Miller (harmonica), Charlie, and Geoff Mattson (sax). Rick's dad died early Sunday morning in his sleep, but Rick told me that his dad would've wanted him to play the gig. A very emotional day for all, but music has a healing power and we know that Rick's dad, Bob, was watching from the best seat in the house as his kid poured his heart and soul into his amplified blues harp.

My manchild hanging out backstage with Shemekia Copeland. Her guitar player joked that she better "watch her hands, he's not old enough for you" and she didn't miss a beat and said "he will be someday!"

Shemekia took us all to Church with her singing. Please visit her website, buy her music, see her in concert. In fact, go see as much live music as you possibly can no matter what style you like. It's all good....peace! http://www.shemekiacopeland.com/

one black tank and two black eyes

2009-08-10T18:25:00.001-07:00

The original Thetford valve mounted on the previously "repaired" black tank which is on its way out!
Another shot of the fun...you can see the black tank's old insulation honeycomb.

Looking aft from the curbside.

One used '66 blacktank. The valve is actually in good shape if anybody needs one, let me know.

The tank and its former support box after what must have been a few years of leaking (yuck).

If a picture is worth a thousand words, I'd like to officially enter this picture as my VAP black tank story in hopes of winning the $25 booty toward a Vintage Trailer Supply purchase.

And finally the two black eyes. This is what can happen when a hockey puck hits you in the nose and your nose is big enough and strong enough to pass the shock on to your face. Yeah, the chicks really dig a guy that looks like a raccoon. This happened to me last Wednesday night at my regular skate. I gigged the next three nights (Ames, Iowa...Mankato, Mn...and LaCrosse Wisconsin) and got a lot of sideways looks and had to spend more time than usual explaining my face.
I was thinking of calling this post "SHIT HAPPENS," but I didn't want any links to my blog spouting profanity.

level headed thinking

2009-08-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

She's level and off the ground. I'm using two tall jack stands behind the axle on the frame rail (one on each side), two shorter jack stands to help out on the A-frame in front, and a couple Airstream issued stabilizers on the frame rail just in front of the bumper to help out.
Here's a look underneath at the frame rail, crossmember, outrigger, axle plate, axle, shock, etc. From all that I've read and heard, this is a great place to put the jack stand. Stable as a mofo.

Here's my genuine one-of-a-kind story stick made from leftover hardwood. It is amazing how fast a colored pencil dulls when drawing on an old subfloor. I used a couple different colors to help sort out the confusion of lines. After I remove the section of subfloor, whatever parts of the curve don't survive can be recreated by putting the story stick back in its tracing and adding the wall thickness.

Nothing conveys satisfaction like a Vintage Trailer Supply t-shirt with rolled up sleeves! The deeper I get into my project, the more confidence I am gaining. I know I have miles to go, but I also am starting to see the distance behind me. Next step is to crawl under and remove the elevator bolts that hold down my old subfloor. My plan is to remove the back two sections first, wirebrush, Por 15, figure out a new black and gray tank, and replace the subfloor. Sounds like a hoot! Any advice is always welcome.

bellypan down and I'm out of beer...

2009-07-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

After a couple days of drilling out many rivets, down came the bellypan. Even though I have read countless stories of finding dead or alive critters, my Fifth Avenue on Wheels had none. Just a lot of gravel and insulation that had let go.
Here you can see how the '66 era trailers' side panels wrapped down below to meet the bellypan. A previous owner or two must have done some work under the bathroom because a seperate sheet had been tacked on toward the back.

The black tank holder has seen better days. I'm thinking that the new black tank will go above the floor and the gray tank I am adding will go within the frame just behind the axle.

I got a good look at the condition of the frame and I think I got lucky with just how intact it is. Next step is to remove the subfloor insulation and the subfloor and then wire brush the frame making it ready for Por-15.

Yeah the axle has to be replaced, too. At least it had some travel left in it by the looks of it.

As a post script, I would like to express my appreciation to Tim, Colin, and Rob of VAP fame for all of the podcasts they have produced. It sure makes working on a trailer more fun listening to the three of them plus all their great guests telling stories about how to fix and how to enjoy a vintage Airstream. Now if I could just get Rob to draw my name as the winner of that '64 Tradewind, I could bring my family out to D.C. for a visit and add to my aluminum collection.

Now I'm off to the beer store.

beer belly pan

2009-07-07T19:13:00.001-07:00

I've moved the Airstream (which still needs a name) from the backyard to my front driveway so I have a nice semi-level place to put it up on jackstands and remove the subfloor and work on the frame. It seems to be happy in its new location next to my cargo trailer.
I started to drill out the belly pan rivets and then it started to rain. I was forced inside to drink beer and look for leaks. I found one leak coming through a window hinge (typical on a '66), but I still have to do the hinge silicone treatment that is suggested for my vintage window.

Now that I have the trailer level, I am messing with different ways to make a template for my subfloor. This is an idea that I came up with using aluminum foil. I am also going to use a "story stick." This is a method of copying curves that someone on the airforums mentioned. I am constantly amazed at how much information can be gleaned from the forums if you spend enough time searching it. One thing I have learned, though, is that if you find something useful you should bookmark it so you can find it again!

so much to do, so little time

2009-06-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

Since my last post back in March, all of the old window and door gaskets have come out and most of them have been replaced. Not as easy of a job as I thought it would be. It's not that it was hard, but it did take me awhile. The old gaskets came off with a plastic scraper. The old adhesive came off with adhesive remover (imagine that!). The gobs of silicone came off with silicone remover. Whatever was left came off with various abrasive, elbow grease and that ellusive thing called "time." My Airstream quality time has been shortened because of my oldest son, Leo, graduating high school and all that goes along with college planning. He's heading to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to become a golf management professional. I'm hoping he finds a course to manage that has nice weather and a place to park my silver beauty. I have also been coaching soccer three days a week and teaching my other son, Louie, how to drive a stickshift. Being a Dad is great yet very time-consuming. Happy Father's Day in advance to all you Dads!

This is the old
double-flare door gasket....>>

...which I replaced with brand new Airstream gasket.

all of the old dried up window and door gaskets

This is the silicone remover in action.

Yup, that's the adhesive remover.

Next on my list is to finish the gasket on the three small windows (I didn't get enough linear feet to complete the job even after measuring twice and cutting once. Pretty sure my order was shorted.)

After that it's on to stripping the old clearcoat, dropping the bellypan and removing the old subfloor and then posting the classic "me standing in the middle of my trailer with no floor shot."

Enjoy your summer, your families, and your Airstreams!

silicone is for Hollywood, not Airstreams

2009-03-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

Silicone worms...

this is just one of the many handfuls of bleepin' silicone I removed from my Safari.

I used sharpened wooden sticks and my thumbnail (thanks, Frank) to do most of the removal. When it gets warmer out, I will try out the silicone removal gel that I have to get the remaining junk off. It's -25 with the windchill today, but should be above 40 degrees by Friday.

Today is my birthday (48), so I took the next three days off and am watching the Minnesota boys high school hockey tourney. It's as big in this state as football is in Texas and basketball is in Indiana.

I'll take some time Friday morning to listen to the VAP which is always a great listen. If the weatherman is right on with the mid-fortys projection, I can continue with the silicone removal while listening.

more shots of the skin after the initial scraping with sharpened wood sticks...

I also took off the homemade rock guard along with the old TV antennae mount. This leaves many holes to deal with, but progess is progress.

silicone removal time is coming...

2009-02-11T14:09:00.000-08:00

If Springtime ever comes to Minnesota, it will be time to remove a ton of silicone from my silver beauty. As you can see from the pics, there is a lot to be removed. I found McKanica Silicone Caulk Remover in the big tubes at Ace Hardware. I've got a couple tubes and I will see how far they go and just how well they work as soon as we get a little warmer weather here. January temperatures only got above freezing one day (the 31st). I still get out to the trailer and have a couple beers and dream of her future. It's very, very peaceful just sitting in a gutted out Airstream listening to music or the VAP and trying to figure out just what needs to be done and in what order. Enjoy the pictures. Be glad that you don't have this much silicone to remove. Tomorrow I'm taking my two boys to see Dr. John and the Neville Brothers in concert. We have front row center tickets and I can't wait to absorb that great New Orleans vibe!!! Peace...

Baby, it's cold outside...

2009-01-14T15:22:00.002-08:00

Today's high temperature was -5 degrees. Great day to work on the Airstream!

all of the old wiring

yeah, the old door gaskets are shot

Winter butt shot

aft of trailer with insulation cleaned out

post blog note:

I quit my regular blues band gig after 8 years or so (Charlie owes me $1...he said I could never do it...) I now need a new band to help pay for the Airstream restoration. Will play bass for cash!

until next time...stay warm and stay happy!!!

2009-01-14T15:22:00.001-08:00

the year in review...2008

2008-12-25T18:55:00.001-08:00

Chuck Taylor snow shoes

2008-12-24T14:11:00.001-08:00

It's still true, everything in an Airstream can fit out the door.

Here my Safari is jettisoning its second of two interior endcaps while keeping her cool by means of a "Snow A.C."

My 10th grade boy Louie (from the penalty box pic) loaned my winter boots to a friend so they could go sliding on the hill a couple nights ago. I don't have my boots back yet, so I get to walk through a foot of snow in my "Chuck Taylor Snow Shoes."

I called my folks down in South Padre to say "hi...Merry Christmas...we love you..."and my dad said it's 80 degrees in way south Texas. Some snowbirds have all the luck!

end to end action

2008-12-19T18:22:00.000-08:00

rear endcap out!

front endcap out!

The kids had a snow day today, so no school. About 8 inches of snow fell last night. Temps in the 20's, though. Pretty nice winter day. After work, I went out to the trailer to remove the interior endcaps. I ran the spaceheater for a half hour and got the inside up to around 40 degrees which is perfectly comfortable for working. Endcaps out, a couple of beers enjoyed, great music on the ipod and speakers(Maceo Parker), all in all a very satisfying and relaxing early evening.

Merry Christmas!

Steve Hansen

Rochester, Mn

big 'ol ceiling skins

2008-12-16T18:18:00.000-08:00

I thought my thermometer said 44 degrees, but when I looked closer I saw the decimal point between the 4's.

Just another day in Minnesota, I guess.

I was a bit hesitant about removing the interior ceiling skins by myself since they are about 12 feet long, but I went ahead and did it. Pretty exciting stuff when they come loose.

Objects in the mirror are stranger than they appear. I am my own stalker...

Here's a shot of the ceiling after the panels are out. The insulation is in really great shape. I've only found one mouse skeleton so far (behind the water heater). I will probably see more than enough nasty stuff when I get around to removing the belly pan this Spring.

Next on my list is taking the endcaps out so I can get to the rib that needs patching and so that I can figure out how to make the front endcap into an entertainment center. Right now the fiberglass in drooping in the shelf area.

1 below zero this morning

2008-12-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to watch my 10th grade boy Louie play hockey.

Here he is in the penalty box serving 2 minutes for slashing.

It was just below zero degrees this morning when I drove my girls to school. By the time I got home from work it was a balmy 18 degrees so I decided it was time to get out to the trailer and continue removing internal panels.

Summit beer and Morphine is a great combo. Morphine is a band with drums, bari-sax, and a two string slide bass player that sings. Check out their song "We Used To Meet Every Tuesday."

So I've got all my interior panels out except the ceiling and endcaps. I'm leaving the insulation in until Spring shows up.

The original glass is frosty at 7:00 p.m. and I can see my breath inside the trailer so it's quitting time.

Oh yeah, this morning I bought 4 front row tickets to the Neville Brothers and Dr. John who are sharing the bill Feb 12th here in Rochester, Mn. Sometimes life just hits you right in the face with a good thing! I'm taking my two boys and guitar god buddy Tom Kochie to the concert. My other guitar god buddy Charlie Lacy will be right across the aisle with his whole family and some of the neighbors. Yes, I have two friends that are both guitar gods and I mean real guitar, not "Guitar Hero." Peace...

wood, ribs, and beauty

2008-12-03T06:45:00.000-08:00

Took Jake, my chocolate lab, out for a run to the woodshed yesterday to load out firewood for the week. He loves to help out by carrying sticks to and fro in the yard while his best friend wheelbarrows a half-dozen loads up to our deck and stacks it up by the back door.

I spent a couple hours sitting in the Safari with a couple o' beers and a spaceheater looking at the trailer's ribs and wondering if they will need attention.

Shots of where the vents stacks exit the trailer and you can see the ribs were cut (I'm assuming at the factory).

The sun goes down earlier every night but last night was a beauty, eh?

slow and steady

2008-11-28T17:01:00.000-08:00

rivets, rivets, and more rivets

made the mistake of going to Northern Handyman today to buy more drill bits...

BLACK FRIDAY IS TO BE AVOIDED IN THE FUTURE by me!

anyhow...I took out the fridge vent and the streetside lower interior panel today while enjoying the Ed Bickert Quartet and then some Neville Brothers (Live From Planet Earth)...if you don't have this CD in your collection then you are missing out on a great album!

I am catching glimpses of my frame and no big surprises yet. I continue to read airforum threads and blogs to try and educate myself on Airstream construction and restoration techniques. The "aluminitus" is easy to catch and impossible to get rid of, so I won't fight it.

My wife bought us a new toaster (she loves Black Friday) and remarked that it looks like an Airstream. There is hope for her, yet!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are keeping in mind the true spirit of the holidays.

Spoil your family with quantity and quality time.

aft interior panel removal and my day job

2008-11-25T21:46:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I bought some more drill bits and managed some free time. Time to remove the lower aft interior panels so I can see what's going on...

http://www.area63productions.com/Area63/Blog/Blog.html always lists the music he's listening to while working so I will follow his lead...tonight featured Metallica...Death Magnetic (the new one like old Metallica...) Gov't Mule...Mighty High and Maceo Parker...old stuff with James and a bunch of newer thangs. It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. Tomorrow I chill out with some Charles Mingus and Otis Spann after I work the early shift at the radio station. (see next photo)

my day job at the radio station KNXR

97.5 FM Rochester, Mn

all the hits...

from a long time ago...

not by the original artist...

My buddy Jim Giebel, the noon till two announcer. He is starting to watch hockey on TV just 'cause I like hockey and his wife doesn't. Go, Jim!

SAFETY FIRST, STYLE LAST.

snow storm

2008-11-20T17:12:00.000-08:00

the forecast called for snow today
and I'll be doggone if they weren't right for once

front end with carpet and tile removed
some floor rot up by water intake

and over by curbside window

back of trailer with wheel wells exposed

rear crossmember showing bad rust-through

All in all, progress is slow and steady just like by bass playing which this weekend will take me to LaCrosse, Wisconsin for a couple of nights. The place we are playing at (Piggy's) has jumbo shrimp wrapped in jalepeno bacon by the plateful. Mmm...

demo pictures part two

2008-11-19T06:27:00.000-08:00

that's another demolition picture and a couple shots of I'm not sure what

out with the old, let's have a look at that floor

2008-11-19T05:40:00.000-08:00

homemade dinette

double bed removed

found some beer money!

tub out the door

floor rot...

Today I am showing some shots of the teardown that has been taking place. Last night I got as far as getting the old water heater out, so after I get home from work today, I just need to clean up the mess from the demolition of the past week. The floor is in pretty decent shape with the usual exception of the bathroom area where I'm expecting to have some frame issues (like most people).

inside/outside "before" pics

2008-11-18T05:02:00.000-08:00

BACK

FRONT
CURBSIDE

STREETSIDE

I'm catching up to being current on my first attempt at a blog, so I'm posting some pictures of my Safari in the condition it was when I brought it home. Special thanks go to my daughter Lucy for the continued lending of her digital camera to me. "Thanks, Lucy! I promise you'll get your camera back."

The beginning of a great adventure...

2008-11-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

October 28th 2008

After lusting after this Airstream for a couple years, I finally got lucky and brought this girl home.

I saved my nickels and dimes for a year's worth of blues band gigs and sealed the deal with Pastor Lyle to become the proud owner of this '66 Airstream Safari Double (made in California).

Life is good!