With all of the progress being made in Daffodil's restoration, it was time for her to come out of her winter home for awhile so her roof could be put back on. Her winter quarters weren’t tall enough for this job, so she needed to come out of hiding and enjoy a little sunshine.
She didn’t have her ‘face’ on yet but her roof had to go on before she could have her front finished. Here she comes. Forward. . .
And then in reverse – into the driveway where the work will begin soon.
A good friend offered to help my sweetheart. That made my sweetheart very happy because doing this job alone would have been quite difficult. First they had to check the roof piece very carefully. There were a few things that needed adjustment. . .
And then they very carefully picked it up. . .
And put it up on top of Daffodil. That hole in the middle is where the roof vent goes.
Once the roof piece was up on top of the trailer, it took a lot of work to secure it in place. Everything had to be just right and it had to be nailed down before the front ‘skin’ could go on.
It seemed like Daffodil was really starting to' bloom'. You may think I'm silly, but I love the round corners on the front. I began to have the feeling that it really wouldn’t be long and my dreams would become reality.
After the roof was secure and everything was adjusted just right, it was time to put her new front skin in place. I stood and watched with joy as we finally began to see her exterior personality immerge again.
You can see that there is no window opening in the new front skin. After it’s in place and tightly attached to the framework, my sweetheart will cut the window opening through the metal. You have probably noticed that the bottom of the front skin doesn’t match the top. The bottom piece is a tooled, stippled piece of aluminum that is placed there to handle rocks that fly up from road surfaces as she travels. It’s called a rock guard. The old one took a lot of hits over the years and it looked nothing like this beautiful new piece. Next Spring when the weather is dry and warm enough, all of Daffodil’s parts that are gold now will be painted yellow. That’s why I’m not worried about the old roof in contrast to the new front skin for now. While the men were working on the front of the trailer I just
had to go to the back and take another look inside. I hadn’t seen her interior with sunshine peeking through her windows. At the top right of the photo you can see the inside opening for the roof vent that will be matched up with the opening in the metal roof.
And I had to take another look at the little bit of floor my sweetheart had uncovered to show our friends when they came to visit.
So much more has happened since I took these photos just a few days ago. Please come back soon and see what she looks like now. And I’ll let you in on a little secret! I think you will be pleased – and amazed.
And here’s the way she looked from the back as she went down the freeway.
If you’ve been watching her progress you will notice that there is no big back window anymore. That’s a story for another day. She will have her big window again but my sweetheart will need to work for many long hours to get it ready to install. Now, I would like to invite you to step inside and see where I will snuggle down and dream pleasant dreams tonight. I love the way the sun shines through the window and makes shadows on my bed.
She is far from finished inside and the fun of decorating has only just begun. The quilt on the wheel cover in this photo has special meaning to me. It was a wedding gift from a dear lady who used to babysit me when I was a little girl. Many of the fabrics used in this ‘Trip Around The World’ quilt came from dresses and tops I made before I met my husband. These were the colors of that time and I loved them back then. She would be amazed that I still have the quilt and that it’s going to help keep me warm on chilly nights when Daffodil and I go away. I didn't put it on my bed because it's supposed to be hot this weekend.
Remember the window I told you is not there? The big back window? The window opening was cut out of the paneling and all you can see is the metal skin on the back wall. No problem, I said. I have curtains – and I just won’t open them until the window is in place once again!
Do you remember this ‘brand’ sign that was on the front of Daffodil? It looked pretty worn.
Well, look at it now! My sweetheart and I teamed up to restore it to it’s original beauty. There is another one on the back, too.
So, my friends – my secret is out. Daffodil and I have gone a-traveling. It's our first trip out together. When she comes home again there will be tales to tell and much work to continue the restoration. I’ll tell you about our weekend when we return and I’ll make sure you share every step of the journey until her restoration is complete.
