BRIANNE DONALDSON
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Rolling a boulder up a long hill with a low incline

3/17/2019

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I did make progress this week, but it really felt slow yesterday. We pulled the support beams out of one side. Then we ran into a half-dozen hurdles. We have the new support beams cut and ready to be installed, but couldn't figure out how to get the bolts in under the existing wall before daylight ran out. Drats and double drats. It wasn't a physically overwhelming day, but it went on and on, and we never really reached the peak of what we set out to do. So it goes sometimes, I guess.

​On the up side, the physical work and problem solving helped me take my mind off the uncertainties of the future, which seem to be looming larger these days. So the "drats" are balanced out by the gratitude of doing the work, of a friend to help, of dog companions, and a lot of other things easy to overlook when mental grey clouds gather. 
I turned these pressure-treated 2x4s . . .
. . . into the special sizes needed for the trailer repair.
The right side front rotten support bean on its way out.
The right side rear rotten support bean leaving as well.
A portion of one interior floor beam also had to be removed, and patched with a new section. A LOT of trial and error went into this one patch. I used Tyvek to add another layer of moisture protection before I'll add insulation later.
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Spring Break, Open Air, Rusty Bolts

3/12/2019

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Some of my spring break afternoons will be spent on The Possum. Today was a big day. Fernando rigged up a tarp over the trailer in case the clouds let loose. Then we removed the pop-out, the front wall and metal siding, entry door, and side window. Bummer (number 42) was that one of the door-side walls will have to be reframed due to water damage (my old friend by now). BUT . . . I'm feeling much closer to getting the foundational beams replaced at the bottom, which will hopefully start soon. 
Overhead tarp and a "before" shot of the pop-out and front end prior to deconstruction.
One way to air out an old trailer. I can see my growth because replacing 80% of this front frame seems like a relatively simple task compared to others now!
In order to access the bottom beam, the door had to come out. The window had to come out as well b/c the interior wall ended up being peanut brittle. Boo!
The bottom of the window frame had basically rotted away. I'll rebuild this section of wall frame later this week I hope.
One of many partial fixes made by previous owner/s that has to be undone: a strange frame by the door to help (I think) support the rotting exterior beam; but it actually just caused the whole entry to tilt downward.
We will be bolting the new exterior wood frame to the metal trailer, so had to remove the old bolts. "Water damage" just starts to sound like an echo after a bit.
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Facing the Front

3/3/2019

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I started dismantling the front of the trailer this week. It was pretty daunting actually. I can see the damage now that I suspected was there. I'm not yet sure how to fix it (smile), but I can see it. Small steps, right?
Pulling off the corner seems to look inside.
Peanut brittle (boo . . . hiss!)
We cut free the pop-out frame. Next week, the front siding comes off. Fingers crossed.
The front wall is removed and I see the rotten wood underneath. Three beams to replace, I think.
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    The Possum

    A story of reviving a travel trailer

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