In camp and all set up. Dog fence is all set up and the pups are VERY happy!
Got all that done yesterday.
Super windy today, so I fixed the rear window on the K5...bad safety switch that I bypassed...Rain-Xed the windows, and aside from other little chores called it a day.
Tomorrow, the workshop gets set up!
Kev
A beautiful day today! Going to finish my coffee and set up the workshop. By the way, the Dogwidgits training collars work great! Gotta love the button that vibrates both collars at once! Thanks Frederic! Perfect alternative for someone on a budget to the very expensive Dogtra collars. Karli has only needed the vibrate to get in line...Paladin had to get the light zap twice, and so far just heeds the vibrate and listens up.
Kev
Hehe, Nice, glad they are working out for you!
Workshop is set up, camp is sprayed with Sevin and watered in...LOTS of chiggers already, which I found out the hard way...and I'm calling it a day.
Its Karli's birthday tomorrow, so we'll be having a doggie birthday party with big grilled burgers for their cake! Party hats and pics of course...lol!
Don't expect a lot of pics from here though. We are back in Muskogee...land of no Version towers, horrible internet, and tornadoes.
Kev
Are the Winds at least Whistling Down the Plains???
Happy Bark! Day Karli!
Our friends that franchised from us do the Georgia faire now.
Kev
Karli loved her little doggie birthday party! Not so crazy about the hat, but loved the 1/2 lb birthday burger! Actually, she stole most of Sampson's too, so she ended up eating almost a pound of grilled ground beef...lol! Still waiting for the effects of that...hopefully outside.
Barnabas and Paladin also had a blast...again, not crazy about the hats. But loved the burgers!
Samson was cool with it all until Karli stole his burger, then stormed off in a huff.
Got her some toys...she loves squeaker toys...and gave Kong squeaker balls to all the pups.
Fun was had by all and many pics were taken!
Will post them as I can. This internet connection is horrid!
Kev
It was super rainy and windy here today, so I decided to drive down to Best Buy and see what kind of temporary solution I could come up with for phone and internet, since there aren't any Verizon towers anywhere near here.
Ended up coming home with a cheap T-Mobile pay as you go phone, and a T-Mobile pay as you go hot spot on the 4G network.
Guess what! We have fast internet again and a phone that works!
So that means I CAN post pictures of the puppy birthday party, coming up next!
Kev
So this was Karli's Birthday Burger!
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FPicture277_zps93f20f34.jpg&hash=35bb741a400d8c104565376247d59568a84d3c6a)
As you can see, she approves!
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FPicture278_zps682ddfc4.jpg&hash=20db450d4fe05b548946a56fad80f5694f064c60)
She REALLY approves!
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FPicture279_zps95649065.jpg&hash=933143204b18293e128fe63ac6e95cea1d33290f)
Here are 3 happy pups with their birthday hats on as best as they'd keep them on...lol!
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Sampson got a couple of bites...
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...Until Karli came over and stole the rest of his burger!
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FPicture284_zps80a96ef2.jpg&hash=b616a79213ad059d3880a0c09463d4df474ac302)
She sure liked her new toys! Sharing? Not so much...
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FPicture289_zpsc7e842e7.jpg&hash=e8c992cf5e736da0286e3d39d2789b03c158eb3a)
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Happy dogs!
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And good times were had by all!
See how HUGE Paladin is getting? He's not even 8 months old yet!
Kev
What a happy family day!
But wait?! Is that an ashtray and lighter I see?
What happened to vaping?
Alas, the battery technology sucks for vaping so far, and all our batteries kept dying. Went back to cigs. Will have to check out batteries again soon to see if there are any that don't poop the bed so soon after buying them. Went through a lot of brands, and they go kaput after a short while.
Kev
Have you finished rockin and rollin? I see the front just past you!
The kids are so big. Everyone looks so happy. Give them a scratch for me. :)
Storm came and went. No biggie. Usually misses Muskogee historically. Just goes around it because of geography.
Scratches given Joan! They are getting big, but I don't think Karli will get much bigger. She's a tiny little thing, but big on spirit and spunk!
Paladin is a moose though. He's getting close to Barnabas in size, and he's not even quite 8 months old yet.
He's a love, but not big on strangers. Gotta watch him. He'll let them pet him, but if they get all in his face and baby talk him all gooey like, he doesn't like it and lunges at them. We've taken to telling people to pet him all he wants, but don't get in his face.
With us, he's ALL about getting in our face, with big sloppy drool kisses!
Kev
Brrrrrrrr!!! Crazy weather today! Its 40 degrees right now, and the high today is only supposed to get to 44! Low of 28 tonight! We actually have the catalytic heater going right now.
Crazy weather!
Kev
Welcome to the club :D
Poor Sampson....
Its was DAMN cold today...in the low 40s and supposed to get down to 28 degrees tonight (what in the world?)...so instead of freezing my butt off in the woodshop, I decided to freeze my butt off working on our Blazer...lol!
First, I sat in the driver's seat and pondered how to get my wipers working. I pulled the horn button, and then pulled the steering wheel. Yep...its not JUST the wiper switch or lever...the signal switch is all cracked to heck where the lever goes into it. And the "box" that holds all the works is shot to heck and broken all up near the ignition switch.
Went inside to warm up, got on the computer, and made some orders to LMC and Rock Auto.
The whole "box" thingy from Rock Auto, including all the hardware and bearings, was only 14 bucks! They also had the best price on the washer pump motor. Ordered!
Then to LMC. Washer lever for tilt wheel, no cruise, no delay (had it, but going to bypass it). Signal switch. Two tools: lock ring press and pivot pin remover (tired of jerry rigging it, and they were cheap). Washer hose. A grommet I need for the pump to reservoir. Ordered!
So now its a waiting game to get my washer/wipers working.
Then drove down to a local "drive shaft shop."
The older gentleman who owns the place...and when I say older, I mean OLDER...had to be at LEAST in his 80s...probably closer to 90.
His shop is his garage. I drove up and he was working on a driveshaft, doing the final prep to paint where he welded it to shorten it.
We talked a bit, and he asked me to remove my driveshaft so he could take a look at it, since his knees are pretty bad. He had me measure how much output yoke showed first, then gave me a spare output yoke to shove in the hole so I wouldn't lose too much fluid from the transfer case.
I had 5 full inches showing from the yoke!
When I pulled it, it fell right out. I had maybe 1/2 inch of splines engaged. Geesh!
He whistled, and then we got to measuring out what I'd need.
He has a WHOLE bunch of driveshafts already done in rows and stacks, but nothing quite the 35 inches I'd need with the right ends and whatnot.
He told me a bit about himself. "I started doing driveshafts back in 1962. Got pretty good at it by 1972. I don't have the equipment to balance them, but got pretty good at eyeballing them. Haven't had one come back since about 1972..."
He had the perfect already done driveshaft with new U-joints and slip yoke the right size and slining, but it was 41 inches long. He recommended he just shorten than one for me, instead of adding a splice to mine. Would have been 60 bucks to lengthen mine if I insisted, but he prefers a one piece drive shaft. So he made me a deal. 100 bucks for the 41 incher shortened to the length I need, but I had to give him my old one when I came to pick it up.
Deal!
So I asked him...So, about a week or so?
He looked at me like I was crazy! "A week?...heck...if I didn't have this one to finish for the kid who's supposed to pick it up pretty soon, I'd have it ready for you tonight!"
"I have a doctor's appointment in the morning...how's tomorrow afternoon sound?"
Sounds great to me! I gave him 60 bucks down, and will give him the rest...and my old drive shaft...tomorrow.
Yeah, I know...I should have shelled out 300 bucks to take it to a reputable shop and have it balanced and all. But this guy came highly recommended by all the local mechanics, who also confirmed that his driveshafts just don't come back as done wrong. Ever.
Nice old guy and quite the character! When I asked him how much slip yoke SHOULD stick out of the transfer case, he told me that normally it would be 3/4-1 inch. But since its lifted and will articulate more, he recommended 1-1 1/2 inches. We played it down the middle when measuring, so it will stick out 1 1/4 inches with the wheels on the ground. That leaves about 4 inches of spline with the new slip yoke making contact at rest. WAY better than what was in there! 1/2" Geesh!
Once I get the driveshaft on there tomorrow, then I'll order the NP208 seals for the transfer case. Both seals for between the transmission and transfer case (leaks in between), and the rear output shaft seal, and the bushing while I'm at it. Front shaft doesn't leak, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Next week I'll be ordering a full spring lift at an incredible price, as well as the sway bar drop kit, and new polyurethane bushings for the sway bar. Once I see how that goes with the steering, I'll check the wheel bearings and TREs for play and fix or replace as necessary. Once that is all done, I'll adjust toe in. If the steering still isn't right...as in not so floaty its scary...I'll buy the double steering stabilizer kit from the same good source. And if that doesn't do it, then I'll just have to live with the float...lol!
Also going to center the steering when installing the kit. Sucks having to do 5 point turns to get into a parking spot to the left, but not have any problems to the right.
Kev
Sounds like you have your work cut out for you..
Got the new drive shaft in...decided to go with 1.75 clearance because of the lift. Replace the rear U-joint on the new driveshaft with a greaseable one, since it was suspect...but its all done!
Getting the ball joints and front wheel bearings inspected on Monday by a local shop, and replaced/adjusted as necessary. Going to order a whole new 4" full spring lift for the Blazer this coming week as well, since it was done so poorly, and I want it done right! Which means doing it myself the right way...lol!
Other than the necessary work on the K5, its catapult building, and more catapult building! Worked all day on them, and will be busy for weeks! The So Cal show is going VERY well!
Kev
Aye, I need to get some driveshaft work done on my truck as well, if nothing else, the carrier bearing vibrated badly at 35-40 mph and then again at anything above 55mph.
Lucky for me, the wheelbase is so short on a K5 there is no carrier bearing.
Got my parts in today from LMC Truck and RockAuto, and it turns out I forgot a part! Apparently the wiper/high/low switch is an additional part to the signal switch!
Ordered it from O'Reilly's, so it will be here in the morning. No biggie though! I'll be too busy building catapults these next few days to do anything on the truck.
Worked on building catapults from 8am this morning until 6pm. LOTS more to go!
Kev
In the words of Officer Bar Brady, "Nothing to see here people! Move it along!"
Nothing but hours and hours of catapult building! Got all the parts to fix the wipers and washer on the K5, but no time to install them!
Busy, busy!
Kev
Happy Easter to you,Patti and the furry kids. I saw this and though of you.
http://www.511tactical.com/tactical-duty-kilt-134990.html
John
Do they have matching undie pants? :laugh:
Don
HAHA!! 5.11 Makes Utilikilts??
This is what I wear..
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1282.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa531%2Fcoachmanm500%2FMobile%2520Uploads%2FKILT-BW_zpsb185bd80.jpg&hash=12c8d9d54fc11e548046da443b8373b897b01206)
Except my buckle has the Scottish Flag..
It started a year or two ago as an April fools joke, but the demand was so high they started doing limited runs of them
hehehe, Go figure.. I met a guy once downtown wearing a utilikilt while I was wearing my Kilt and I said to him I like wearing the real thing.. He didn't talk to me after that.. Lol..
BTW, Jkilbert, I clicked your You-tube link and got a 404 error.. How do I look up your vid channel?
I wear the same Blackwatch myself. Had a few Utilikilts, but when I lost 70lbs they didn't fit anymore, so I sold them on eBay.
Never felt the need to replace them. They were a cool fad, but I'd rather wear pants when I'm not working! Don't have to worry about how I'm sitting that way!
Kev
Worked on catapults from 7am to 6:30pm. Gotta hit the post office tomorrow morning early and expedite ship a butt ton of catapult parts to my guys in So Cal, then get right back to work building!
Gonna be busy as heck for the next few weeks!
Kev
Got everything done I could get done for the So Cal show, and shipped everything off. Today I put a new battery in my Dell laptop, a new keyboard in Patti's Acer laptop, and then spent the rest of the day being "lazy", updating my computer, and totally reloading Patti's. Hers was loaded with so many viruses it was just easier to reinstall a system image than try to fix it.
All done now, and just enjoying the fast 4G internet!
Tomorrow I'll be multitasking. Building more catapults, and getting the wipers and washers working on the Blazer.
Kev
I have wipers and washers now! SWEET!
Also replaced the plastic bucket on the steering column that was all broken up, replaced the dash bezel with the nice woodgrain one, and installed the new signal switch and wiper switch, the washer bottle I got from my friend's parts beast with a new washer pump, and ran the new washer hose to the ports on the cowl that I got from the same 91 parts beast.
I had a couple of issues though. First, with the plastic bucket thingy. It came with all new bearings for the steering column, so I used the pivot pin tool I got from LCM to get to the bearings. Left side came right out, then the tool broke off in the right side! Guess I'm not doing the bearings! Anyhow, I was able to reach 3 of the 4 bolts that was causing my steering column to wobble up and down from the tilt pivot to the wheel, so at least that is nice and tight now. No more wobble!
Then at first the wiper switch would only work on one setting, with the washer running at the same time! I spent 2 hours troubleshooting the wiring and trying to figure out why, and it just started to work normally by itself. Go figure! I only have one speed on the wipers, but they work now. Good enough for me! Washer works perfectly as well.
Then when putting it all back together, the brittle plastic horn ring/signal deselector thingy crumbled into dust where the spring and wire go...dangit! Wanted to get the horn working today!
Ah well. Got the radio trim in place, then the dash bezel, and its coming along!
Buttoned it all up, put my tools away, and it was already almost 5pm. Got started around 8am...geesh!
Took a trip after to see how it felt...nice not having the steering wheel wobble all over the place...and drove down to O'Reilly's for the horn ring deselector thingy. 6 bucks.
Gotta build catapults all day tomorrow, but I might have time to stick the horn thingy in place and see if the horn works. If it doesn't, I won't have time to troubleshoot it for the next couple of days.
Anyhow, went ahead and ordered the cheap carpet type dash cover from LMC, along with the lower kick panel carpets, both in tan. Need a whole new dash since its in such bad shape, but just the coverup is all that's in the budget right now...especially with my lift replacement coming up.
Kev
Nice.. Gonna get that thing looking good...
Dash is looking better!
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FBlazer001_zps2373e227.jpg&hash=dcc90617c1013b7da1ca99675771cf88b863d586)
Slowly but surely!
Kev
Nice, that looks really cool..
By the way, you only have a quarter tank of gas, so....
LOL! I get 18mpg in this thing around town, topping what the Jeep got. As long as I'm easy on the pedal that is. Hard not to stomp it sometimes when this thing has so much power with its 350 LS1 engine!
Just like the RV, keep it easy and the MPG is good. Open the secondaries, and the fuel gauge drops down visibly as you are driving...lol!
Having the 700R overdrive transmission in this thing helps though. Plenty strong enough for a reasonably altered and driven Blazer.
Kev
I showed Stripe this picture Kevin, and we agreed perhaps Sheba might of paid us a visit.
Thanks for that guys! She was the best girl ever. She sure did love her butterflies!
All my trebuchets are done, and there is LOTS more to do this week! Opening day next weekend here in Muskogee, OK, and the boys at our So Cal show are rocking it out. Thank the gods my worker Crystal is going to be here tomorrow evening! Hope she's not expecting more than one day off to set up her camp...lol!
And all the storms, as usual, went right around Muskogee.
Kev
Hey Kevin, how hard is it to get to the light bulbs for the gauges? Remove a couple screws, pull the face plate and pop them out, or is it a surgery?
Depends on your dash. In our motorhome, there are 2 access panels in the top of the dash, so you can reach in and replace the bulbs. In the K5, you have to remove the dash bezel, then the gauge cluster itself to get to the bulbs.
Kev
So Cal stock is all shipped out, then I worked on the K5 for about an hour...repaired the dash enough so you wouldn't see the cracks and valleys through the velour dash cover, contact cemented pet screen material over the holes over the speakers for the same reason, then installed the cover with extra industrial strength Velcro...and installed the new lower carpeted kick panels I got from LMC. Looks WAY better, and Patti was pretty impressed!
Also picked up some new tan floor mats from O'Reilly's while I was out today. The camo is almost history! Just gotta replace the center console with a tan Tuffy Series 2 security console.
Then it was back to work on the catapults. Got all the rest of the parts for the mousetrap catapults done for Patti to assemble, then finished building and wood puttying the ballistae, all 8 of them, then finished cutting out and sanding the last few parts I needed for the 5 trebuchets we need on the table for this coming weekend.
My worker Crystal is a day behind or more, so its a good thing I anticipated that and can finish everything myself if need be by the weekend!
Lots more to do this week. Busy busy!
Kev
Quote from: ClydesdaleKevin on April 29, 2014, 08:33 PM
Depends on your dash. In our motorhome, there are 2 access panels in the top of the dash, so you can reach in and replace the bulbs. In the K5, you have to remove the dash bezel, then the gauge cluster itself to get to the bulbs.
Kev
How much work is it to pull the gauge cluster? I've got an 85 Chevy C10 Suburban that's down to two light bulbs still working in the gauge cluster.
Easy as heck, Redneck. Just unscrew all the bezel screws and pull the bezel, then unscrew the remaining dash cluster screws and it will tilt forward enough to get to the back of the cluster without taking off any wires.
You might have to reach up high in there first and unscrew the speedo cable to get some play to tilt it forward.
Kev
Oh yeah...by the way, some pics of the dash and whatnot in the K5!
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FBlazer014_zps86ddc89e.jpg&hash=fb3c027cb400dc7d3c5669b3981c3228df538d0f)
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Getting there!
Lots more to do. Working on the K5 is like therapy to me. Has nothing to do with catapults. Has nothing to do with RVing and fulltiming it. Its a toy I love working on.
Kev
Nice work Kevin.
Yeah, looking good!
Booth is all set up, stock is all made and stained and up at the booth, marshmallows and whatnot are up there as well, and we are ready to open tomorrow morning!
Patti did an amazing job with the floral vine decorations. The red and white roses with the smaller white "baby's breath" looking vines really nailed it! The booth looks amazing!
My So Cal guys are also fully stocked, so this should be an awesome weekend overall.
Crystal will be opening the booth with me at 9am, and Patti will get there whenever her highness gets there...lol!
Kev
Great opening day in Muskogee! Got another one tomorrow, although typically Sundays here are a little slower, since its the Bible belt.
After faire I went out and got more marshmallows, and enough bourbon for tonight and tomorrow night...since again, its the Bible belt, and liquor stores are closed on Sunday...lol!
Won't have to go out at all tomorrow night after faire. SWEET!
And we decided we are definitely dropping Tuxedo, NY this year. Patti and I will be going to the Great Lakes Medieval Faire in northern Ohio, and sending our worker Crystal as a manager to Sterling, NY, which run at the same time. I'll have my other worker Will with me in Ohio to build stock, and ship what they need to NY just like we are doing now.
Crazy busy! We'll also be doing the Cloisters in NYC in September, a one day super busy show.
Then on to North Carolina.
We'll have a few weeks off after Great Lakes and Sterling ends before NC begins, so we'll have a little vacation, thank the gods!
But all this extra work means we'll have some extra money during our down times to work on the rig and the K5...and have one heck of a nice winter vacation this year...which we'll be changing up!
Kev
Careful, you keep this up and you will have to setup a permanent shop, say in Muskogee (central US), and stop traveling.
Dave
Hey Kevin, what happened to the jeep?
He sold it to get the Blazer.
Quote from: DaveVA78Chieftain on May 04, 2014, 09:20 AM
Careful, you keep this up and you will have to setup a permanent shop, say in Muskogee (central US), and stop traveling.
Dave
Heck no!
Not gonna go too crazy, and sure wouldn't ever want to stop traveling! Love what we do.
Kev
Quote from: moonlitcoyote on May 04, 2014, 09:11 PM
Hey Kevin, what happened to the jeep?
The frame was rusted out so bad I would have had to get a new frame, plus it was a standard, which Patti hated...and it had no AC, which Patti also hated.
Decided to get a way better truck for our needs, always wanted a fullsize Blazer, found one rust free in Arizona for 2500 bucks, sold the Jeep for 4K, and are only now starting to get into the "red" with the Blazer.
Much better vehicle for us with 3 German Shepherds, way easier to work on, and its the ultimate bugout vehicle if the SHTF.
Kev
Thats too bad about the rust, glad you got something that fits you better though. I have wanted a Jeep Wrangler more than anything the last 10 years but just cant afford what people ask for them.
LOL girl! Got lucky and got mine for 1500 bucks, and sold it with full disclosure about the rust for 4K. Bought the K5 Blazer, rust free with new BF Goodrich tires, a fresh LS1 engine, rebuilt 700 overdrive transmission, good 208 transfer case, for 2500.
MAIN reason in my head for selling and upgrading to the K5? More room for THREE German Shepherds. And it has always been my favorite "SUV" before that term even became coined. Patti's favorite reason for the upgrade? Its an automatic, has a nice stereo, has heat AND ice cold AC (after I spent about a grand), and has room for 3 German Shepherds...lol!
Ever seen the back of a Jeep YJ, even without a seat? Now think about fitting 3 German Shepherds in there, and then trying to fit ANYthing else!
Plus sides, the K5 only weighs 800lbs more than the Jeep, and I'm getting better gas mileage. 18 around town versus 16 around town.
Kev
Many parts were cut out today, and my employee and friend drilled those parts all day long.
Much more work tomorrow!
And for the rest of the week, of course.
And then the weekend.
Yep. During a faire, especially with another faire going on that we are supporting, we don't get many days off!
Good thing we have a couple of long vacations a year.
My Tuffy security console is supposed to be here tomorrow though. Probably install it Thursday since UPS doesn't usually show up here until after 4pm.
Kev
hmmp
QuoteMore room for THREE German Shepherds.
I know there was a post somewhere about a year ago that I asked about that!
Glad to hear things are going well Kevin
Dave
Thanks Dave!
Spent all day cutting out and routering parts, while my worker Crystal spent all day at the drill press. Then at 6pm tonight, we went to the picnic that the delightful owners have every year at their house for all of us that work their faire.
A big storm is supposed to hit here tomorrow, so we made sure all the outdoor work was done, and tomorrow we'll be doing all inside work in the workshop tent.
My Tuffy security console came in today for the K5, and I have to say, I'm VERY impressed with the quality and workmanship! I'm going to install it early tomorrow morning if the storm holds off long enough.
Friday is Student Day, but I won't have to be there...lol! Patti and Crystal are going to run the booth, while I stay back at camp and build more catapults.
Kev
Got the Tuffy Security Console installed! Went in pretty easy, and even clears the armrests on the Eddie Bauer seats...barely.
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FDSCF3329_zps515a920e.jpg&hash=a0d998c226bebaf5d17cf1523d94a615bdfb6af7) (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/ClydesdaleKevin/media/Oklahoma%202014/DSCF3329_zps515a920e.jpg.html)
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FDSCF3328_zps176ee807.jpg&hash=69ed413a03c39e6e60a0aaa8563591f94b8dcfb9) (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/ClydesdaleKevin/media/Oklahoma%202014/DSCF3328_zps176ee807.jpg.html)
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FDSCF3321_zps0307eb01.jpg&hash=257b0428fbe55e8e9a864471c1b0f46ca9a20f52) (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/ClydesdaleKevin/media/Oklahoma%202014/DSCF3321_zps0307eb01.jpg.html)
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FDSCF3320_zps717c0f7a.jpg&hash=984c4db6069b9424181efe1d5ce64b85a25b1d00) (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/ClydesdaleKevin/media/Oklahoma%202014/DSCF3320_zps717c0f7a.jpg.html)
The strap that holds the seatbelt up is a nice touch, since mine are floppy and always fall to the floor.
I didn't like the paper thin rubber sheet that came with it to line the bottom of it with, so I had some leftover black egg crate type foam, the stuff that lines gun cases, and lined the bottom with that. Lots of room, and even has a neat little removable tray:
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FDSCF3322_zps9b088875.jpg&hash=7e46315b06ea515ae5635c9c3f9dc84f5988886b) (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/ClydesdaleKevin/media/Oklahoma%202014/DSCF3322_zps9b088875.jpg.html)
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FDSCF3323_zps671ce528.jpg&hash=66051304b81d851be5e9ed1a1608a79004a58f2a) (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/ClydesdaleKevin/media/Oklahoma%202014/DSCF3323_zps671ce528.jpg.html)
Since the stereo hole just drops down right to the carpet, it was pretty useless to me for anything...until I realized I had a lot more of the egg crate foam laying around! 4 layers of it to take up the empty space later, plus a couple of pieces to line the sides and a small rubber piece to cover one sharp edge, and its a prefect place to put your handgun without it getting lost in the big cargo area...and well protected so the finish won't get marred:
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FDSCF3325_zps19ddef97.jpg&hash=af281cf1d4217445df4cebc22a80ba896aeb393c) (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/ClydesdaleKevin/media/Oklahoma%202014/DSCF3325_zps19ddef97.jpg.html)
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FDSCF3324_zps10a5375b.jpg&hash=5dfebb191c13f859758abca7cb5d95a0b6588168) (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/ClydesdaleKevin/media/Oklahoma%202014/DSCF3324_zps10a5375b.jpg.html)
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FDSCF3333_zps7298f43e.jpg&hash=a6aed3b8dd9d86e7b426580a8bb9e373c6f2eca6) (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/ClydesdaleKevin/media/Oklahoma%202014/DSCF3333_zps7298f43e.jpg.html)
And the last picture, a view from the back! While I was at it, I strapped the spare tire down to the floor to where the rear seat used to clip down. I don't want that thing going airborne in case of an accident. Its temporary until I get a spare tire carrier, but at least its held down now:
(https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1114.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk526%2FClydesdaleKevin%2FOklahoma%25202014%2FDSCF3330_zps3b3a1012.jpg&hash=887ca9b079667c29665d653cbcb6b20bf2c8d129) (http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/ClydesdaleKevin/media/Oklahoma%202014/DSCF3330_zps3b3a1012.jpg.html)
Took about an hour to install, then it was back to work on the catapults all day. Got it all done.
Kev
Looks cool.. :)ThmbUp
Groovy.
Awesome weekend overall between the two shows! Took Patti to breakfast at Bizarre Bazaar, then ran errands with her. Dropped her off with the pups and then went out to get materials. OMG was it raining hard! All the mud I had in my wheel wells is gone and it looks like a powerwashed them, it was that bad...lol!
Lots of catapults to build this week, but its last weekend at So Cal coming up, so I won't have to ship anything else out after tomorrow...at least not for a bit!
Kev
Got your thunder boomers this afternoon, wind and some needed rain. Stay safe over there in OK land!
Thanks JD!
Got a lot accomplished today. Shipped out all the stock my guys in So Cal need for final weekend, then finished building and staining 5 Pirate Catapistols. One is for an internet order, and the other 4 are for this coming weekend's Pirate Theme.
Crystal knocked out all the mousetrap pistols we need for next weekend while I was doing the other stuff. Patti's arthritis has been bothering her a LOT with all the wet weather, so she's pretty much been keeping in the house...although she's been doing a lot as well, like laundry and cleaning up after 3 German Shepherds and my messy butt!
Lots more to do the rest of the week! Going to order the stuff to fix the lift and steering on the K5 after this coming weekend.
Kev
Exciting news for us! We were just handed an opportunity to buy 20 acres of land just north of St Johns, AZ, for 7K. Offgrid living of course, but lots of game (elk, mule deer, and whitetail), trees, and the well depth in the area averages around 180 feet. Wish us luck! We are pretty exited about establishing an offgrid homebase, with future plans of a cabin, solar array, etc. Buying it from a friend who owns the 20 acres next to it, also an offgrid solar geek.
Kev
Kool Kev, I had to do some research when you mention elk. There are 2 St. Johns AZ's, one in the desert by Laveen and one up north on 191. The south one is on a Res. The north one is in paradise!
Up north on 191. Awesome country!
Patti and I are very excited about this! Taxes will be less than 200 bucks a year on the 20 acres.
Kev
Elk was the giveaway.
Way to go. Hope you get it. :)clap
Thanks everyone! Its pretty much a done deal, once we figure out the financial part of everything.
Looks like I'll be busting my arse doing THREE faires at the same time to pay for it...Sterling, NY, Great Lakes Medieval Faire in Ohio, AND Tuxedo Park this year. And The Cloisters of course.
As far as the property goes, its accessible with the RV, and we plan on putting a big metal carport big enough to park the RV under. And then a good size cistern, with gutters on the carport to collect rain water that will go into the cistern. Also working on a design for a solar distillery plant to convert grey water back into usable wash water...might be clean enough to use as potable water if I do it right. And of course, eventually a well depending on how deep I'll have to go.
AWESOME weekend in Muskogee...our best so far...and an awesome closing weekend in So Cal.
Things are coming together!
We still plan on doing Renfaires even with the property. But we might change up our routine to closer shows, like AZ of course, Las Vegas, Colorado, and maybe a show or two in the Northwest. We'll keep NC of course, but will eventually probably just send a manager to that show and send them stock.
Kev
OK, Ok. So the home base shop will just be a little bit further west than Muskogee. I tried to warn you! :laugh:
Dave
Hehehe...
Congrats! We've been fulltimers for about 10 years now, and I wouldn't change a thing!
Kev
Well, so much for that statement!
I thought about that. With land you plant seeds, and with seeds you get roots.......
Don't worry folks. Patti and I have thought it over and discussed it in depth, and we are not going to buy property anywhere.
Our primary reason for considering the property was as a retreat, especially if the SHTF. But if the SHTF, what good is a deed or any other piece of paper? Besides, what if we are 2000 miles from our retreat when the SHTF? Kind of pointless, eh?
So our plans instead are to invest that money into the RV and make it even more awesome and usable for boondocking. If the SHTF, we'll just drive it to the nearest unpopulated area suitable to our needs, based on where we happen to be.
So yeah, I still wouldn't trade fulltiming it for anything...lol!
Kev
oh man thats too bad. I was hoping to come visit and get me an elk :)
LOL! We'll be where we'll be as fulltimers. Whatever game is there, we are prepared to harvest it.
Just going to invest that money more wisely in making the rig more awesome for boondocking, invest in the K5 Blazer, and all the other little things one should have for bugout like MREs, lots of bullets, and spare gas containers and spare parts and the like.
And of course lots of dog food!
Kev
And with roots you get carrots, YUM!
Or spuds.
Gee, now I feel bad. Didn't mean to remind you of roots! :)
Dave
I'm like the world biggest Kender. I just don't want roots...lol!
CRAZY busy building catapults over here in Muskogee. Hot and humid, so I'm glad I invested the money into getting the AC in the K5 fixed! Blows ice cold.
We are building stock now to sustain this show, with its 3 day weekend coming up, plus building enough extra stock to supply our next 2 concurrent shows, Great Lakes Medieval Faire in northern Ohio, and Sterling Renaissance Faire in upstate NY. We are going to do Tuxedo, NY one more time, so we'll be leaving a manager in Ohio when we leave before the second to last weekend to go to NY. Also plan on doing the Cloisters in Manhattan before Carolina. Not sure how much time we'll have to work on RV and K5 projects before Carolina, but as always, it will get done.
Kev
As of now, any further work on the K5 or RV except regular maintenance is on hold until probably the middle to the end of August. We have to come up with the funds for 3 shows, make the stock for them, and then do the shows and work our arses off to supply them with stock. The first 2 shows end the first week of August, and our busiest show in Tuxedo, NY ends in September. Once we are down to the one show in mid August, I'll have time to work on stuff.
Then when we go to NC for our last show of the season, I'll have all the time in the world, comparatively. I'm busy as hell there too, but its just one show and that is the show I tend to get everything done at each year. HUGE amounts done. I surprise myself sometimes.
Kev
Awesome day in Muskogee today, despite the rain! Oklahoma folks sure aren't afraid of wet weather! Probably because there is a 50% chance of rain here on any given day...lol! My awesome employee/friend Crystal stained another huge run of catapults after work tonight, so we'll be good for the whole weekend. 2 more days to go!
Kev
Another great day in Muskogee! Patti was home sick...she had some Faire food the end of the day yesterday that wasn't right obviously, and paid for it today. But me and Crystal rocked it out despite the horrible weather forecast for today. And it was nice all day. Tomorrow we gave Crystal the day off, so it will be Patti and I in the booth rocking it out! Hopefully it will be another busy day!
Kev
Quoteso it will be Patti and I in the booth rocking it out!
and here I thought you were marshmellowing it out!
:laugh:
Dave
Slow day yesterday, but we still did pretty well. The Memorial Day service at the Faire was as moving as always.
Taking the day off today while my employee, who had yesterday off, gets to build catapults...yay!
I will have to help my friend Will unload all our stock and tent out of his vehicle when he gets here sometime today...he was my manager at the So Cal show. But other than that, I get a day off. Woo hoo!
Kev
Sorry for my absence, folks! Got REALLY busy making stock for our next 2 shows. (We dropped Tuxedo, NY altogether). Between that, getting everything packed to travel, and waiting out hellacious rain storms, we only just got on the road this morning. Sitting at a rest stop about 50 miles east of Springfield, Missouri for the night. The K5 is in tow behind us. Haven't done anything else to Steev or the RV besides drive it and check the fluids, but we'll get there. Internet connection is back down to 3G. That 4G we had in Muskogee is another reason I haven't been around. Got sucked into Facebook with a good connection! Ah well. Back to it!
On a lighter note, its been over a week since I've smoked a cigarette! Switched back to vaping with a good mod that doesn't leak and the batteries don't die on me. WAY better!
Next destination, Rock Creek, OH, where we'll set up the booth for the Great Lakes Medieval Faire for our managers to run, and then onward for Patti and I to Sterling, NY (upstate) to set up and work that faire.
Busy busy!
Kev
Good to hear things are going well. Dave
You were so close to Gregg Hammond just east of Springfield. Too bad you couldn't have detoured a bit, stopped in to give a hand with his generator or say hi.
Yeah...I thought about visiting Greg on the way through, but we were already past Springfield when the thought came to me.
Got an early start today, and made it to a rest stop right before Effingham, Il. Decided I had driven far enough for the day, so we are pulled in for the night. Patti bought season 6 of True Blood, so we have a date night later tonight.
Kev
Woke up to a beautiful cool and sunny morning! Going to be heading out of this rest stop soon...then its onward to Indiana, and ultimately Rock Creek, OH.
Kev
Hey Kevin, where you at? The last we heard you were at the rest stop at Effingham, IL, and I know how much you love Illinois. Did you make it to Ohio?
Did Kevin drop off the earth again? It has been a week since we last heard from him. Hope he made it to Ohio okay.
Rock Creek, OH is in one of the bad weather regions of late.
I do not know for sure, But he is probably very busy supplying all his agents and himself . And or he has no contact to the web ! Frank
No one has his phone number????
I have noticed he has made a few comments on FaceBook Lately ??
Sorry folks! Here's the latest update, and the conclusion to this chapter.
We made it to Ohio with no mechanical problems...average MPG seems to be right around 7.
We pulled into Heritage Hills RV park in Thompson, Ohio, and paid them for the week we figured it would take to set up. Since our internet service was horrible through Verizon, and even worse on the T Mobile setup, we finally decided to pay for the RV park's wifi service for 9 days...it was 10 bucks for high speed and works well.
So we started setting up the booth and dividing stock between both shows...when we were blindsided by a business shocker...apparently the Sterling Renaissance Festival may not open! They are calling for 300K in donations from the public, last minute, or they might not open their gates.
That puts us in a shaky position at best. If we went on as planned, on our limited funds, we would be taking a huge gamble. What if we drove the remaining 300 miles, handed over to the faire the 1200 plus bucks in faire fees, and they didn't open? We would be out of that money for who knows how long to get a refund, if we got one at all, and then hope we had enough money for gas to get back to the Great Lakes Medieval Faire...fire our poor employees so we could work that show, including our friend Will who was supposed to work Sterling with us. And then hope to have enough money to buy our food and dog food! What to do, what to do?
Our departure date had arrived here at the campground, but we were far from decided about what to do, so we decided to pay for 4 more days and depart on Monday if that was what we decided to do.
And then Barnabas got sick, from his congenital hernia condition, and we had to rush him to the vet. They fixed him up, but he's far from out of the woods yet. In fact, we may have to bring him back to the vet today.
And that, in addition to Sterling not seeming to make much progress on their funding, made the decision for us. We simply can't afford to take that gamble or business risk. It would leave us no backup plan and no safety net. And Barnabas is in no condition to travel just now, as I have to take him out to go potty every 2 hours until he's back to his healthy self.
I notified Will regretfully that we won't be doing Sterling, and hope he comes to visit us here in Rock Creek, OH on his way back to college in Washington State. He is currently visiting relatives in NY and CT.
Then I had to notify our employee Crystal that she wouldn't be managing for us in Great Lakes, but still had a job with us at normal wages. We can't employ her boyfriend at all, but Patti found him a job, so that worked out well.
While all this was going on, we've been working hard at making our booth look nice here at Great Lakes.
Then we had another quandary. There is a HUGE gap after this show ends, which isn't a big money show...and the opening of the Carolina Renaissance Festival in October. Since we dropped Tuxedo and have no intention of trying to go back there, and since we can't risk Sterling, then that would mean we'd have almost a 5 week gap before the start of our next show in NC...and we'd somehow have to save enough money from this small show to not only support ourselves while here, but to have enough to travel to NC, AND feed ourselves and the pups and cat for those 5 weeks with no real income coming in. And it doesn't appear that this show will be all that lucrative...which is why we picked up this show AND Sterling so we would know we were alright financially.
What to do, what to do?
Well, our business associates that franchised from us picked up the Ohio Renaissance Festival, which starts right after this show in lower state Ohio. And runs into October. They picked up that show without clearing it with us first, which violated our agreement with them...but we let it slide for the sake of friendship...even though we were planning on doing that show and leaving a manager in place while we traveled on to North Carolina.
We had another hard decision to make, and we had to take half of that show away from them. They have 2 other faires going on at the same time, Bristol in Wisconsin, and Minnesota...and Dragoncon in Atlanta, GA. They mostly just picked up Southern Ohio so their employee that they use at other shows would have a job. We promised them that we would employ that person for the first half of the show, and they could then employ that person as a manager when we left half way through. So we will be there the first 4 weekends, and they will have the last 4 weekends. It keeps everyone happy and employed, with incomes coming in with no gaps.
So yeah...its been hectic and scary. Uncertain times are always stressful, but we figured it all out.
So today I have to go down to the RV park office and inform them that we will be here for the run of the show...they have a special discount rate for Renfaire campers at this park (there is no camping on site at the Great Lakes Medieval Faire), and I'm going to ask if some of what I already paid can be applied towards that, but we'll see.
Barnabas might need another trip to the vet today as well, which is unsettling. But hopefully he'll be alright.
Financially we will be just fine now, and now have a goodly amount set aside...which we wouldn't have had if we hadn't made the decisions we made.
So yep, we will be in Ohio until the end of September!
Which means, on a lighter note, we can drop in and visit the Jimco Jam, since we are pretty darn close to it, being camped in Thompson, OH right now. Our friends and members here, Tammy and Glenn Pratt, drove up for a visit last week and we had a wonderful time visiting with them. They are awesome people! They showed me on the map just how close Jim and Lydia's property was to us...around 5 miles away, so getting away to visit will be a breeze!
And that concludes this chapter! The next chapter: Northern Ohio, 2014!
Makes my life seems so dull and boring. Glad everything is working out. I'm sending good vibes to Barnabas. Hope he is doing better.
Dan
Thanks Dan! He's doing okay today...plumbing is working slow, but its working so far. It was touch and go for him, and he's still recovering. My sweet old boy!
Dates for the Great Lakes Medieval Festival are July 12th through to August 17th. So we have a bit of time before it starts. We are paid here at the campground until July 3rd...they are booked the 4th of July weekend, so we have to find alternative arrangements unless there is a cancellation for just that weekend. We are first on the waiting list for cancellations, so hopefully there will be one! We also told the owner of the campground we are willing to boondock in one of their many fields for that weekend, but still haven't heard back from them, so we need to make a SOLID alternative plan just in case! More stress, but ah well.
And on a lighter note, 3 weeks cigarette free, and really liking my new vape mods!
Kev