Annual Camping trip...

Hello all late as usual two weeks ago we had our annual family camping trip we typically go to Cherrystone campground but three days before we were going the campground was hit by a tornado and tore the place apart! It was very sad two people lost there lives and many injured. Being that Cherrystone campground was closed we made other arrangements and headed out to North Landing Beach Campground. The campground is very nice the sites are large, the bathrooms are very clean, and the beach very quiet for the most part the water is shallow so the kids and Akira (dog) had a blast. Another nice thing is they have a swimming pool as well. The only complaint is at night the mosquito's and other insects are relentless no matter how much fogger, bug spray, bug repellent, dryer sheets, those suckers would not go away but thats all apart of the experience! We also did some kayaking, played washers, cornhole, domino's, rode bicycles, ate lots of good food, drank beer, and enjoyed everyone's company.

Weekend projects...

Well first off its been a while since I've posted anything sorry bout that been a little busy. But over the weekend I was able to work on some projects involving the camp chef expedition. I had a cargo net in the shed that I never used so I folded it and and used some "S" hooks and wire ties it now serves as a hammock for cooking utensils. The other is extra workspace the griddle takes up two burners and a majority of the time it's not being used so I cut down a piece of plywood and used a metal shelf from an old grill to protect the wood from the flames/heat. Bam!

Backyard fire

Having a relaxing night in the backyard by the fire!

New member of the family!

As if we didn't have enough kids already we have added another....a four legged furry kind! Meet Akira she's four years old mix of ???  She is very well behaved and great with all the maniacs I mean the kids. She has never been camping but we think she will have a blast!

New Leisure Components Faucet

Found a replacement faucet for the camper and installed it this past weekend. The nice thing about it was I didn't have to do any modifications at all. It lined up with the existing screw holes! To dispense the city water just push down on the handle. The camper also has a fresh water holding tank in order to get dispense the from that you pull the handle up and push down (it's a pump).

The Garden

The garden is coming along quite nicely so far this year. We've planted a variety of tomatoes (roma, cherry, and big boy) also several types of peppers (bell, jalapeno, chili, and banana), Also there are cucumbers and some herbs (flat leaf parsley and sweet basil).

Magic erasers are really magical

The wife decided to try magic eraser on the side of the camper and with some elbow grease it really makes a difference. Also in the pictures below are the food lion brand but I highly recommend you spend the extra money and get the "compressed" ones they work way faster.

Camper work continued...

Over the weekend I finished the sanding and repainting the frame and stabilizers. Also reattached the propane tank and the battery box.

Ozark Trail Percolator

Found this on clearance at Wally world for $7.00 it holds 8 cups, enamel finish. I will give it a try in the near future!

GOgroove SonaVERSE BX Rechargeable Portable 3.5mm Stereo Speaker

I picked this up from amazon.com awhile back because I was looking for something for something small, and had a rechargeable battery that I could play music pretty much anywhere. It has a 3.5mm jack on it so I can connect my smart phone or tablet to it also has a USB port and a SD memory card slot so a thumb drive or memory card loaded with music can be played. The volume and forward and back are on the front. The battery can last about 3.5 hours. Overall it puts out great quality sound!

Camper work...

In addition to the other projects that my wife and I tackled I decided to figure out what the situation was with the water leak on the SHURflo (model # 150-000-00) faucet. What I found is there is a seem that runs down the center of it and when the city water is hooked up and turned on it spews water out of the seam. According to some of the things read on the inter-webs the model I have has been discontinued. So at this point I'm currently researching what I can replace it with. Also I started on removing some surface rust from the frame along with some decals that were faded and started repainting. That's it for now...

Right above the treads is where the water spews out when connected to city water.

Three day weekend... lots done!

Had a very productive weekend with my wife, we pressure washed the swing set and stained it with Thompson's water seal, and added some sand to the sand box. Also the patio is pressure washed, various plants are planted, the new canopy is up which I treated with the rest of the 303 fabric guard left over. The garden is planted for the most part as well!

Before

After

Water beading up and running off!

Camping Easter weekend... better late than never!

This past weekend we headed over to the eastern shore to camp at Cherrystone campground. Everyone had a great time even though the weather was not the greatest we just kept the fire going and made the best of it. I can't forget all the awesome food we had, no one can say they went hungry. The Passport potty was used for the first time and it worked great! Still have a few wrinkles to iron out like getting the sink fixed in the camper so we can have some running water. Another is working on a better setup for the camp kitchen. I'm thinking of building a chuck box of some sort but not entirely sure.... yet!

Inside the camper king bed end, sofa made into a twin bed (right), dinette made into a full bed (left).

King bed end, TV on top of the stove, passport potty on the floor (left) as well as clothes hamper.

Zero gravity chair very comfy wish I used it more!

Passport potty

Recently I picked up the 8L Passport Potty from Wally world  on clearance. The main reason for getting it was for the kids and the wife to use in the middle of the night without having to go to a bathhouse. It has a 10L/2.6 gal fresh water tank and 8L/2.1 gal holding tank. There is a hand pump to pump fresh water into the bowl and a handle towards the bottom that is pulled to empty the bowl into the holding tank. When its time to empty the top separates from the holding tank so it can be dumped. This weekend will be the first time its going to be used....