August 2021 Updates
Good morning campers,
If you have been following us for any amount of time you know that we are currently in Tampa Florida.
We have been here since May, so now is the time to go over everything we have learned about ourselves as well as stuff that has come up with the Airstream.
To start off, I want to take the time to thank everyone who has been interacting with us on our social media as well as the wonderful people who we have had the chance to meet in real life at the campgrounds and such. This community of Rver’s, Campers, and Full-timers is just one of the most supportive and helpful communities Chris and I have ever had the chance of being a part of.
Stay for the end of the post as we will be implementing a new feature. Chris and I have decided that each month we will be sharing our favorite content creators and Instagrammers for the month! This is not a sponsored thing that we are doing, we just genuinely love the idea of sharing our favorites as we feel like this community has helped us learn a lot and we just want to share that love.
Now onto the Updates:
Chris and I feel as though we have missed some things when it comes to Full time living. As you know we redid the inside of our Airstream. Specifically, we redid the entire Kitchen area including the pantry, the bathroom, and the entire back-room area. Noting this, the problems we have come into include The AC system, how we designed the bedroom as well as a few things we wish we had done for the kitchen.
Starting off with the AC unit. While we knew Florida was humid, we were not expecting this humid. Chris thinks that the reason we had water streaming from the Ac unit out the bottom of the Airstream was probably caused by him accidentally. He thinks that he may have accidentally drilled a small hole from having to redo some of the rivets. When we were in Oklahoma City Oklahoma we noticed that there was a stream of water coming from under a panel and dripping down the wall of our pantry. Luckily, we designed the pantry so that there would be nothing falling behind it and getting stuck, so this made it easy to clean up the water and putting something there to catch the water as we were not able to stop and work on it in Oklahoma City. Fast forward to being in Florida, and it got so much worse. The stream was now soaking through beach-sized towels within a few hours. We went to Lowes and then to Home Depot to get some flexible tubing meant for water and we put it on the outlet in the AC unit itself and routed that tubing down behind the fridge and out the bottom of the Airstream where the original was. This fixed the leak and is why Chris thinks he accidentally drilled a hole, somewhere in the original hose.
We also had some leaking in our bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room. These leaks we think are from the awning, as there is nowhere else for them to come from and end up on the same line across that same side of the Airstream. We got Quad Max to fix this problem. Now, while we still have a few drops of water here and there when it heavily rains for an entire day, it is manageable, and we can find the problems and fix them as we go. Chris says this could have been avoided by us completely gutting Airstream from the beginning, but between funds and time, we just did not have that option.
Next is the fact that we have not been able to complete the water project. We have not had time to check the tanks, and we are a little on edge about doing it as we do not know their state. We finished off redoing the entire copper pipe and replaced all the copper (which had holes in it) with PEX Piping. We installed our new water heater, at the time we did not know that the original one was completely busted through, thus putting us back a month for working on everything. Since that water heater was completely busted, the subfloor under it was warped and had mold on it. Chris’ design had to be pushed back as we now had to complete the floor project, and redo that bathroom area. Once that was redone Chris could finish up the water heater itself. With this project, he also wanted to install a side watering spout to be able to have running water come to the outside for an outdoor kitchen, or for my gardening table (the main reason, *insert hysterical evil laugh*) So the Airstream needed to be cut a little so that the water heater could fit. Chris made a new door that could lock (for going down the road) and it has worked out very well. We still need to finish off the heater piping that goes from the propane tanks back to the water heater unit itself, but that won’t be too hard.
As far as tweaks and modifications to our kitchen, we should of (hindsight is always 2020) made the counter longer. We took out the stove and left it out so now there is an empty space that for now just holds the trashcan, but we could have used the extra space it would have given us. We originally kept it empty because we will be in Wyoming in the winter and wanted to have a small pellet stove there. But with us being in Florida now, it should have just been a longer counter putting the sink in the middle of the counter and not closer to the end of it. We live and we learn, and it really is not a big deal, it is just one of those things you had a plan for, and then that plan just is not working out.
Furgus has loves being here. He is so active and absolutely loves sunbathing in the big windows. He has since made his own area of toys in the bedroom in a little nook he has created for himself. We got him a new toy that he seems to enjoy. With the limited space, he can’t run around as he used to with his laser pointer. With this new toy, he can run and tackle the feather as it spins and roll around playing so I think he is happy. You can find the toy we got him here.
My small garden was doing very well! And then the wind came through and knocked off my Giant Coleus plant that I got from the OKC Zoo. The plant has survived for now and I am hoping it will get better. The planter was on our table, but it toppled over, and I am surprised it did not break the pot itself. I am still trying to get some tomatoes this year, but we are not having the best luck because of all the rain. We are getting a lot of Blossom end rot, but other plants seem to be doing well and so this makes me happy.
We have found our Saturday morning breakfast spot. It is this little mom-and-pop style diner called “Mammas” and it has very easily become our favorite place. Try their grits and eggs as well as their Biscuits and gravy! Delicious!
We have also found our favorite theater. While it is in a mall, we like the placement of this one as it has its own upstairs area away from the mall and has its own parking there as well. We have been loving late movies and before the movie, we either stop in the Maggiano’s or this pub called Irish 31. It depends on our time and what we are in the mood for. This AMC theater also has a bar so Chris can have whiskey with the movie after dinner. If we go to Maggiano’s we will get our normal order. (Chris spaghetti and Mine is Eggplant Parmesan) and two takeaway orders (it’s only $5 for a takeaway entrée!). If we go to the pub, I will get their version of a Mule, Chris will get whiskey (probably Proper 12, or Jameson) and he will get Shepherd’s pie and I get Fish and Chips. Either way, our stomachs are full, and we are on the way to relax and see a movie. So far, we have seen Black Widow, Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, and Wrath of Man. On our list to see are quite a few, we love the atmosphere of going to a theater and making it a date night. Don’t worry we follow our state, CDC guidelines and we keep clean!
So as stated at the beginning of this post, Chris and I have decided to feature a few of our favorite followers or influencers we follow on Instagram and such. We will have links to their Instagram next to their names and a small insert about them.
For July, our top 3 (no order) are:
· Jen and Eric from StairsUpHandleIn. They are such a fun and lovely couple; Jen is always posting gorgeous photos of them and their Rig. She has such an eye for design, and they have the cutest pup! She also runs their blog, which you can find here. Their Instagram is breathtaking and so much fun to watch and follow. Their Instagram is: https://www.instagram.com/stairsuphandlein/
· Greg and Tammy from Chasing the Cashes. This couple is hilarious, they make a lot of TickToks, and Chris and I just laugh so much when they pop up on our feed. They are retired, and they travel all over. You can tell family is important to them, and therefore they are our favorite for the past few months. The love and care they have immediately come through no matter what they are posting. Their Instagram is: https://www.instagram.com/chasingthecashes/
· Tonya and Keith from The Traveling Muccis. They have 2 ginger cats, one looks just like Furgus, and they are so adorable! They have been traveling for 3 years. They have a lot of wonderful photography on their feed. Their Instagram is: https://www.instagram.com/thetravelingmuccis/
