How Small is Too Small?

After writing the previous Celebrating Dad post, I was putting away the photos when I started looking at some of the other old pictures. Trucks were always a part of Dad's business, be it farming, agricultural trucking, or moving household goods.  Hidden in the background of one of those pictures was my introduction to compact recreational vehicles.

Our First RV

Dad built the canopy on his 1954 International half ton, long bed pickup from plywood with a layer of fiberglass for weather proofing.  While we owned a military surplus wall tent, and I faintly remember him setting it up once, I don't recall us ever camping in a tent.  I do remember, however, camping in the pickup.

Dad set it up with boards across the truck at the top of the bed rails creating a 4' x 6' shelf where three of us would sleep when we weren't fussing about who poked whom.  There was an additional shelf at the front of the canopy above the windows where my youngest brother would sleep.  Mom & Dad slept on the bottom between the wheel wells.

I don't remember how we got to where we camped - must have been in the back of the pickup.  I only remember one or two trips in the pickup - something tells me it was pretty high stress for parents who thought a vacation suggested a chance to get some extra sleep.  Amazing what they would do to make sure we were introduced to camping and outdoor skills.

In honor of Father's Day and my Dad, here's some of the other early Dad & truck photos.

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About 1940 - Not sure the make of the truck

1945 - Brand New Dodge

April 1948 - 1947 International K6

About 1950 - 1945 Dodge with Potatoes

October 1962 - 1947 K6 set up for moving household goods

And saving the best for last ...

Dad & his dogs - About 1930

Celebrating Dad

Dad has been gone now for over 25 years but he still influences my life. I know it's not Father's Day yet, but it seems like it's the right time to post this.

The other day, I was welding a set of scissor jack stabilizers on the trailer.  I don't weld often - actually, hardly ever - but every time I drag out the helmet and rod and chipping hammer, and plug in the massive circa WWII GE welder, I think of Dad.  He farmed until after I started grade school and every winter there would be a project in the shop.  I suppose I was five the winter that he built a "lowboy" trailer to haul a bulldozer for a friend. I loved to put on my coveralls (just like his) and go out to chip the slag off his welds.

Dad - 1947

I can't weld nearly as good as he did, but what I know, he taught me.

It's wasn't just welding.  Over the years he taught me to work hard and to treat employees and customers with respect.  I learned that you could do pretty much anything if you spent some time figuring it out before diving in.  I learned service was more important than dollars.  I learned that integrity was priceless.  I learned God does provide.

I've had the opportunity to do a lot of things since he passed away.  Things that he never had the need or opportunity to do, but I know he would have looked over my shoulder and asked why I was doing it the way I was, or commenting about how it turned out.  I think he'd be pretty impressed with the college campus, or the wood strip boats, or the trailer mods, but I know all of these were possible because he taught me.

Thanks, Dad!

Not Sure What to Call It!

Everything about a Scamp, even the "big" 19 foot version, is compact.  The bathroom is a "wet" bath combining shower, sink, and toilet in one small space.  The shower functionality requires a small "tub" formed in the fiberglas floor.  The "tub" creates gymnastic challenges to use the toilet.  Some people have fabricated a wood grate to create a flat floor, giving up headroom for the flat floor.

Since we very rarely use the shower, and since our young grandson is going to join us for a few days in Montana and Idaho, BJ asked me to made something to create a flat floor. Of course, it's not just that simple.  By creating a flat floor, I now have to crouch down to use the mirror to shave.

Given the drain functionality of the "tub", none of the sides are of equal height, and the walls of the "tub" are tapered slightly as well.  Since the body of the trailer is egg shaped, the "tub" isn't square, either.  Close, but not exact.  In order to use some of the space for storage and still be able to stand in the "tub" to see the mirror on the door, I decided to built two bottomless "box" structures.  The floor of the tub is protected by a piece of yoga mat, and then two box structures were built.  They're not tapered, but are radiused on the bottom edges to match the radius in the bottom of the tub.  They're topped by 1/2" baltic birch lids that are keyed to the boxes with cleats on the bottom side of the lids.  Two coats of spar varnish finished them up and then we'll hide it all under a rug.

I'm not sure if this mod is going to be a keeper or not.  By the end of our northwest trek, the answer should be clear.  Meanwhile, I still don't know what to call it!