So our first winter came! We diligently made sure to sweep Serenity’s roof off whenever it would snow, and fire her up so she could run every so often.
So it was the slow season- but I was still trying to solve the problem we had encountered. I researched which battery isolator to get and finally ended up ordering one. During the winter- I was fortunate enough to be able to watch my Dad’s house while he was away- which has a garage bay that was able to fit Serenity in.. We also got very fortunate with a nice warm up in the weather- which melted the snow and ice enough that it was possible to move Serenity there. So with the fates aligned, we took her across town to get a much needed thaw out and to get as much work as we could get done on her. 😀
We have a pretty small house, so we took advantage of having some space to spread out, and got to work.
We had ordered some nice grey blackout curtains from Amazon. We brought Laura’s sewing machine with us and we cut, hemmed, and made curtain pockets- and hence curtains. We hung and re-mounted the curtain rods- and Serenity got her new clean and sleek privacy curtains! We also stitched velcro into the corners of the curtains in the front bed area, and attached velcro in positions on the wall to be able to fasten the curtain in their down positions as well as in their rolled up positions.
Next we stitched up the 2 curtains for the privacy curtain to the bed up front. We had scored a pretty one that was in great condition from Salvation Army. We had ordered a new plastic track slide system from Amazon, and when it arrived it came coiled up in a roll. (Makes sense for shipping, really) We used a heat gun and laid the track along the concrete floor to straighten it out- while being super careful not to melt the plastic. We then cut it to length and installed the track. We then installed curtain hooks and clips we had ordered and hung our new bedroom curtain up- bam!
We used the original cushions from the queen sized bed up front (because they were still in really good condition) as templates. We cut a 3″ memory foam queen sized mattress topper up to match the shape of the cushions, then laid it down on the original cushions. We had ordered microfiber blankets from Amazon, which we took measurements and cut into pieces to wrap the top and sides of all of the cushions. We took a sheet we had that was still in good condition and cut it to be a more durable liner that the microfiber for the bottom of the cushions. Laura used her sewing machine and we made the pockets we would slide the cushion into. (This was our first time doing this type of thing- so don’t judge our upholstery work too much… please) We then slid the cushions in and hand stitched in openings and corners. It was a lot of hand stitching,,,
For the removable center cushion to be able to enter the cab, we wrapped that completely in microfiber blanket- it makes a super awesome and plush cab ceiling! We had a left over strip of memory foam and some extra microfiber blanket- so we just wrapped the strip of foam in microfiber to make a really sweet long pillow that runs along the angle of the camper in the bed nose.
In the end- our bed is one of our favorite parts about traveling in Serenity- it is super soft, and super plush!
Next was a project I had been dreading, not for any good reason- I was just super nervous to fiberglass. (You see- I had only done fiberglass once working in the Northern Enterprises Boat Yard when I was a teenager) Remember how I mentioned the original owner had told us the entry stepped sagged? Well- my 265 lbs stepping in and out on the daily hadn’t done that step any favors- and it was an impending requirement that it be attended to. I had spent quite a bit of time reading up and seeking advice on the best way and product to use when doing the job. (I want to give a huge shout out and thank you to Brian Horn for all the awesome advice!)
In retrospect- I was a genious and bed lined the entry step- hoping the sag wouldn’t become a problem- or I could climb under and add a support bracket, (Which I tried- but wasn’t the best solution) 🤦 So I had to sand off the bed liner before I could do the job. Once that was done we did 2 coats of fiberglass. In retrospect, Laura and I decided we could have gotten away with one coat- so that step, needless to say, is rock solid. 🤷 😀
Afterwards I re-installed the metal trim pieces for the step. Overall- Serenity enjoyed her week stay at the spa. 😉
Geoff Murphy 1/18/2020