Another project update - the King Continues...

So, work on the king continues, often thwarted by weather and stiffling heat... For Gary, however, this is sort of the ultimate project: when he gets bored of stripping paint, he installs insulation; when he gets bored of that, he can add more framing pieces; when that's old, he can bondo holes and smooth out dents; when he's high on bondo, he can go inside and get a bigger high off of the laquer thinner on the panneling; it NEVER ends!

I just pray to whatever saint presides over travel trailers and interminable projects that it does, someday, start to look more like a place to live and less like modern art in the making...

So here is the insulation he's installing. In some cases, the old insulation came out with the crumbling wall, but on this side (as you can see) he's just supplementing the old insulation. I see warm toasty nights in the forest in our future...

Here is an interior shot. This will someday, in some way, become our boudoir. Hmph. That's the new panneling for the wall which deteriorated.

Here's the section he's completed stripping. We were thinking originally it could be nice to leave it bare metal, but it's really not in good enough condition, and now we're thinking it will probably be better painted (read: stripping all the paint off is a huge pain in the pumkin, which is probably why someone else just painted over the old stuff in the first place).
Inside - Gary is already threatening to quit early and make this his new workshop. Ain't gonna happen. You ever see a woman open a can o' whoop ass on a trailer? Just wait!
Wiring - Gary decided that this was the better way to do it. Of course, it takes longer, requires more tools and is probably unnecessary... But, this is Gary we're talking about here...
I think it might be better to tow it with the truck, though the image of Gary in a leather harness strapped to this thing and pulling it down the road gets me through many difficult nights working on the trailer...
Very Mondrian, wouldn't you say? The framing is all complete on the collapsed wall. And it's straight. Don't look to close - it is. Just trust in Gary.

The front also needed new framing. Heck, the whole trailer was little more than a rotted shell. Great buy. All hail the king!

Everything needs to be rebuilt - including the kitchen sink!

Here's the project site. Actually, we finally got around to getting a "real" cover for ol' Gilbert... That's for the next post, however...

My back yard. SO real Arizona.

Update on the Wendy Project...

That would be, my attempt to get the world to "do the Wendy" with me!

My first attempt was at Antelope Canyon in northern Arizona. This was highly successful due to the fact that it is a) a popular tourist attraction and b) sort of a captive audience. I think half of the folks in this shot didn't even speak enough English to know what was going on- but they had a great time anyway! (Maybe they think 'doing the Wendy' is some sort of new yoga move!)

Antelope Canyon - June 2009

My second was less of a smash - due to there being few people to join me in the remote wilderness of Mt. Lemmon. Okay, not so remote, but not a well traveled weekend. I'm pretty sure this guy would have been doing the Wendy if he only had arms, though.

Then I went rappelling at the Practice Wall up on Mt. Lemmon. SO cool! Surviving that was enough to make everyone feel victorious. I particularly like the extra bit of spark the girl on the right gave her pose! There's a girl who's just waiting to find her own signature move...

Mt. Lemmon - Aug. 2009

Occasionally, I get sent photos of other people doing the Wendy on their own, and I STRONGLY encourage this kind of reckless and crazy behavior. Just make sure you're not smacking anyone in the face while trying...

Angela does her Wendy on the AZ Trail! You go, girl!

Shannon and her 'big sis' work together to create a Wendy in Kohler Andre State Park. I LOVE teamwork! They've definitely perfected the way to do it without striking close friends in the face!

Then those who are more direct in they're imitation:

Me at Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon, Sept. 2009

And Joe Bartels in Salt Creek, also Grand Canyon Sept. 2009. Gotta give the guy credit - he practicaly invented the term "throw a Wendy"...

(at www.hikearizona.com - my favorite online community!)

I love the idea that not only are people thinking of me when they're in amazing places and having an amazing time - but they're having a GREAT time. The Wendy is about fun, the Wendy is about breaking down convention and social barriers. The Wendy is about getting down and celebrating being alive. I mean, come on, how much more togetherness can we all stand before we puke?

Havasu Falls - Sept. 2009

Because I swore off politics on facebook...

I think this just about says it all.

Random Wisdom from People Our Age

Let me preface this by saying I didn't write this. But whoever did was brilliant. And I agree with all of it. Except for #13. My four months working in the Bedding and Bath Department at Sears taught me something after all.

Random Thoughts From People Our Age:

1. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

2. More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can
think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell
my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves
me.

3. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you
realize you're wrong.

4. I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to
have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and
sticks when they've invented the lighter?

5. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're
going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to
be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the
direction from which you came, you have to first do something like
check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to
yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're
crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

6. That's enough, Nickelback.

7. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

8. Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know"
feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose
not to be friends with?

9. Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't
work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically
fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all
know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards
or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

10. There is a great need for sarcasm font.

11. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and
suddenly realize I had no idea what the f** was going on when I first
saw it.

12. I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually
becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting
90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's
laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little
bit20harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the
only one who really, really gets it.

13. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

14. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than
take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

15. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear
your computer history if you die.

16. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to
finish a text.

17. A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the
spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

18. Was learning cursive really necessary?

19. LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

20. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

21. Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron
test is absolutely petrifying.

22. My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads.
Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired
about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us."
Classy, bro.

23. Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart",
all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

24. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod
and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

25. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up
to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

26. Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in'
examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete
idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and
said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

27. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

28. While driving yester day I saw a banana peel in the road and
instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

29. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I
know how to get out of my neighborhood.

30. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the
person died.

31. I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the
shower first and THEN turn on the water.

32. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty,
and you can wear them forever.

33. I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu'
to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an
overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."

34. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

35. Bad decisions make good stories

36. Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find o ut that their
profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got
the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if
I do!

37. Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

38. If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring
would probably just be complet ely invisible.

39. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go
around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly
nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm f rom, this shouldn't
be a problem....

40. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work
when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything
productive for the rest of the day.

41. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't
want to have to restart my collection.

42. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are
going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

43. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me
if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I
swear I did not make any changes to.

44. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

45. I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people
watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but wil l
they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't
watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and
leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

46. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?
Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and
goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone
and run away?

47. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not
seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

48. When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentio ning something she
hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light
internet stalking.

49. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,
then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

50. Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising
speed for pedophiles...

51. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers,
but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

52. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still
not know what time it is.

53. It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

54. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to
answer when they call.

55. Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with=2 0it.

56. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car
keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the
Donkey - but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze
button f rom 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time
every time...

57. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would
happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

58. It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and
the link takes me to a video instead of text.

59. I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they d
rive behind obeys the speed limit.

60. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

61. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or
Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

62. The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw
they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words,
someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think
about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people
eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by
myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard
before dinner.