The kitchen was not in good shape. The basics were all there – and they all worked. All of the drawers were missing, the vintage icebox had been removed and the paneling had problems. Someone had put self-stick vinyl squares on the walls on each side of the kitchen. Some of the tiles were missing pieces and some were beginning to come loose.
This is the story of a little vintage trailer named Daffodil and her journey as she started out like a little bud and became a beautiful bloom and lived happily ever after.
Daffodil
14 foot 1967 Williamscraft trailer
Thursday, June 13, 2013
A Hunting Lodge - Ready To Bloom
Before Daffodil began to ‘bloom’, she was our friend’s hunting ‘lodge’. He took her into the mountains every year during hunting season. I don’t know if she ever got used to traveling over rough roads, being in very cold weather and having a couple of guys call her home during those days. When I first saw her she just ‘begged’ for a redo. I could see her real personality under all the stuff and I couldn’t wait to transform her into the beauty she was underneath. When you see the interior you will understand why I couldn’t wait to start making changes. So, my friends, I feel like I should apologize for what you are about to see. It’s not pretty! But it’s real. This is the way it was! For you to appreciate the beauty ahead, you must see what we started with – the good, the bad and the ugly!
The kitchen was not in good shape. The basics were all there – and they all worked. All of the drawers were missing, the vintage icebox had been removed and the paneling had problems. Someone had put self-stick vinyl squares on the walls on each side of the kitchen. Some of the tiles were missing pieces and some were beginning to come loose.
This sign hung between the closet door and a floor-to-ceiling shelf unit! Really? I’m sure you can imagine that I didn’t plan to leave it there. It’s not my style – or my color!
Now, I think this was the worst! I’m sorry – but these drapes had to go. Our friend was so pleased that his good friend’s mother had made them many years before. If you see the pattern on the mattress cushions on the bunk you will understand why she chose the color. The drapes were faded and worn. I couldn’t wait to take them down. And I did! Our friend was very proud of the bunk he had built so his buddy could sleep up there. I think all eight of my grandkids could have jumped and played up and it wouldn’t budge! I knew it had to come down so Daffodil could be open and filled with light. Her beauty couldn’t shine through this way!
All the windows had plastic taped over them to help keep the cold out during hunting trips high in the mountains late in the fall or early winter. You can see the plastic on the little window by the bunk. The hook beside the little window and the hanger on the side wall held the men’s lanterns at night. The mattress below the bunk was full size. It took up so much room and I knew it wasn’t going to stay.
The table beside the bed attached to the wall and folded up when you didn’t need it. It was a cute, little vintage Formica table – and pretty handy. I don’t think I’ll use it. I have another thought! And that light – it had to go!
Around to the left – beside the door – was a cute little cabinet. Nice storage. I don’t know why all the drawers were missing. I’m not worried. My sweetheart is going to take care of it.
Work began right away. Demolition began the next day! My sweetheart did the ‘big’ jobs – and I did what I could handle. You’ll see that soon.
The kitchen was not in good shape. The basics were all there – and they all worked. All of the drawers were missing, the vintage icebox had been removed and the paneling had problems. Someone had put self-stick vinyl squares on the walls on each side of the kitchen. Some of the tiles were missing pieces and some were beginning to come loose.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Daffodil Comes Home And Gets A Bath
The day arrived for us to drive across town to get Daffodil and bring her home. My heart was beating just a bit faster than usual and I had excited butterflies in my stomach. It was hard to believe the day I had waited for was finally here! All of the paperwork was completed and my sweetheart hooked her up to our car.
Within minutes we were ready to go. Ready to take her to her new home. Home – where she would be transformed to a little place of beauty.
Daffodil was very dirty so I decided to give her a bath right after we got home. She had been sitting in the back corner of her previous owner’s property for a long time. Her owner’s wife was horrified that he hadn’t cleaned her up before we picked her up. I was fine with it – I was anxious to bring her home and I didn’t want to wait any longer. I wanted to give her a bath right away! My sweetheart said washing a trailer is a good way to get acquainted with every square inch of her exterior. It was a chore – a chore I absolutely loved doing! No complaints from me. I donned my sweetheart’s rain overalls and a pair of his rubber boots. I was a spectacle in the neighborhood, I’m sure!
The only part I didn’t wash was her roof. I left that to my sweetheart. When I finished she was clean – from stem. . .
To stern. (oops – there’s the reflection of my big, green ladder in the back window!)
She was ‘clean as a whistle’ – and I just stood back and smiled. A lot! I could hardly believe it – I finally had my very own vintage trailer. And she was home. At last!
Next: Scenes from inside – the before pictures.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Planning and Dreaming
Oh, my! It's been w.a.y. too long since I posted here. Daffodil has not had much done to make her the sweet, little place she will be. She spent the winter in the back corner of our yard. Sitting there alone, at times I'm sure she thought she was forgotten. But she wasn't! I often sat in the hot tub and looked at her across the way - studied her and planned and dreamed of making her the 'girl' place of my dreams. 
At times I unlocked her door and just sat inside. Planning and dreaming – and wishing!
She sat there quietly waiting. I’m sure she wondered about her future. Then one day my sweetheart and I decided it as time to move her back to our driveway. Back where we could work on her – get her ready for her ‘new’ life. It wasn’t long before she made a trip around the block and was back where she started out. In the driveway. Ready to go!
And there she sits! My sweetheart’s work schedule has been crazy – he’s been working twelve to fourteen hours a day for way too long. That schedule is changing and we hope he will be able to help me make the changes Daffodil needs before she’s completely redone! So, for now – I dream and plan and wait to start working in earnest to make her the little trailer she longs to be! I have a plan and a dream now. I know what needs to happen so I’ll share more soon – there are photos to show you of the way she was when I brought her home. And there are photos to show her first ‘cleaning’. I’ll be back to share more soon. Honest. I promise - I will!
At times I unlocked her door and just sat inside. Planning and dreaming – and wishing!
She sat there quietly waiting. I’m sure she wondered about her future. Then one day my sweetheart and I decided it as time to move her back to our driveway. Back where we could work on her – get her ready for her ‘new’ life. It wasn’t long before she made a trip around the block and was back where she started out. In the driveway. Ready to go!
And there she sits! My sweetheart’s work schedule has been crazy – he’s been working twelve to fourteen hours a day for way too long. That schedule is changing and we hope he will be able to help me make the changes Daffodil needs before she’s completely redone! So, for now – I dream and plan and wait to start working in earnest to make her the little trailer she longs to be! I have a plan and a dream now. I know what needs to happen so I’ll share more soon – there are photos to show you of the way she was when I brought her home. And there are photos to show her first ‘cleaning’. I’ll be back to share more soon. Honest. I promise - I will!
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Way It All Began
Let's start at the beginning. Here's how it happened:
One Saturday night I did something I wasn't very thrilled about. I went to dinner with my sweetheart! Now don't get me wrong - I love to go to dinner with him. But this was not a lovely dinner in a quiet, romantic place. It was a dinner in a big hall at the county fairgrounds near our home. The dinner was sponsored by a hunting organization and it included an auction afterwards. The hall was big and crowded and noisy and tables lined the outside walls of the hall - tables filled with rifles and knives and all sorts of hunting equipment. Most everything on display was part of a raffle - someone was going to take it all home. There were big things and little things. And things that made me wonder.
To be honest, I was less than thrilled to be there. I was only there because my sweetheart wanted to go and he was happy to take me. The dinner was wonderful - delicious! We sat near the front with some people from our church. I was happy to see them and sit with them. Little did I know what was about to happen!
The conversation around the table pretty much centered on hunting. Strange, don't you think? I pretty much minded my own business, listened and enjoyed every bite of my meal. Until the man across the table asked me a question. At that moment, I didn't have a clue what was about to happen. I didn't know that my life was just about to change and that a dream held in my heart would soon come true! What did he ask? Was I planning to go to hunting camp with my sweetheart again this year? No, I said. I can't! My sweetheart is taking our ten-year-old grandson and our son and his son are going again this year. Since our little cabin-on-wheels only sleeps four, that's pretty much it. There's no place for this grandma to sleep, I said. 'Unless I had my own trailer!'
That's when it happened! Everything changed instantly. Suddenly the dinner tasted better and the whole evening felt like magic. The man who had asked the question is my sweetheart's fishing buddy from church. He told me he had a little hunting trailer he planned to sell in the next couple of months. When I asked about it he told me it was old! 'That's what I'm looking for,' I said. 'You wouldn't want it - it doesn't have a bathroom!' he said. I told him that didn't matter. 'Ever heard of porta-potties? Or campgrounds with restrooms'? I asked a few more questions and I knew his little trailer was worth looking at. I was pretty sure it could be just what I was wanted. He told us he had rebuilt the floor and the walls and he explained things my sweetheart understood. That was good. It was something to be considered. I asked if I could see the trailer. He said yes. Soon.
It wasn't long afterwards that the auction began and all the talking stopped. All eyes were focused on the things up for auction and all ears were carefully listening to the auctioneer. All, that is, except mine. I was aware of the auction and the activity all around me but my heart felt like singing. And smiling. You see, I had been 'shopping' for a little trailer for several weeks. On Craigslist. On vintage trailer sites. Looking in driveways and backyards as we drove around our area. I had read almost every vintage trailer blog and website I could find - I was pretty sure what I wanted. And that evening - with the noise of the auction and the movement of people in a crowded hall at the fairgrounds not far from my home - I was quite certain that my search may be coming to an end. I felt that my dream was about to come true.
The next evening we went to our friend's home to see the trailer. The moment I stepped out into the backyard and looked across at the little trailer I knew this could be the one. A 'tour' inside, complete with explanation of all the parts and pieces and the details of the equipment, confirmed in my heart that this little trailer was what I wanted. The sun had just gone down and it would soon be dark so I quickly took a couple of pictures with my cell phone. Pictures I would look at over and over in the next days.

My sweetheart and I had agreed that we would go home, discuss it and make a decision. That's what we did and it wasn't long before I let our friend know that I wanted to buy his trailer. I could hardly believe it! I was about to get my own, little vintage trailer! And that was just the beginning. The beginning of an adventure - a dream come true!
One Saturday night I did something I wasn't very thrilled about. I went to dinner with my sweetheart! Now don't get me wrong - I love to go to dinner with him. But this was not a lovely dinner in a quiet, romantic place. It was a dinner in a big hall at the county fairgrounds near our home. The dinner was sponsored by a hunting organization and it included an auction afterwards. The hall was big and crowded and noisy and tables lined the outside walls of the hall - tables filled with rifles and knives and all sorts of hunting equipment. Most everything on display was part of a raffle - someone was going to take it all home. There were big things and little things. And things that made me wonder.
To be honest, I was less than thrilled to be there. I was only there because my sweetheart wanted to go and he was happy to take me. The dinner was wonderful - delicious! We sat near the front with some people from our church. I was happy to see them and sit with them. Little did I know what was about to happen!
The conversation around the table pretty much centered on hunting. Strange, don't you think? I pretty much minded my own business, listened and enjoyed every bite of my meal. Until the man across the table asked me a question. At that moment, I didn't have a clue what was about to happen. I didn't know that my life was just about to change and that a dream held in my heart would soon come true! What did he ask? Was I planning to go to hunting camp with my sweetheart again this year? No, I said. I can't! My sweetheart is taking our ten-year-old grandson and our son and his son are going again this year. Since our little cabin-on-wheels only sleeps four, that's pretty much it. There's no place for this grandma to sleep, I said. 'Unless I had my own trailer!'
That's when it happened! Everything changed instantly. Suddenly the dinner tasted better and the whole evening felt like magic. The man who had asked the question is my sweetheart's fishing buddy from church. He told me he had a little hunting trailer he planned to sell in the next couple of months. When I asked about it he told me it was old! 'That's what I'm looking for,' I said. 'You wouldn't want it - it doesn't have a bathroom!' he said. I told him that didn't matter. 'Ever heard of porta-potties? Or campgrounds with restrooms'? I asked a few more questions and I knew his little trailer was worth looking at. I was pretty sure it could be just what I was wanted. He told us he had rebuilt the floor and the walls and he explained things my sweetheart understood. That was good. It was something to be considered. I asked if I could see the trailer. He said yes. Soon.
It wasn't long afterwards that the auction began and all the talking stopped. All eyes were focused on the things up for auction and all ears were carefully listening to the auctioneer. All, that is, except mine. I was aware of the auction and the activity all around me but my heart felt like singing. And smiling. You see, I had been 'shopping' for a little trailer for several weeks. On Craigslist. On vintage trailer sites. Looking in driveways and backyards as we drove around our area. I had read almost every vintage trailer blog and website I could find - I was pretty sure what I wanted. And that evening - with the noise of the auction and the movement of people in a crowded hall at the fairgrounds not far from my home - I was quite certain that my search may be coming to an end. I felt that my dream was about to come true.
The next evening we went to our friend's home to see the trailer. The moment I stepped out into the backyard and looked across at the little trailer I knew this could be the one. A 'tour' inside, complete with explanation of all the parts and pieces and the details of the equipment, confirmed in my heart that this little trailer was what I wanted. The sun had just gone down and it would soon be dark so I quickly took a couple of pictures with my cell phone. Pictures I would look at over and over in the next days.
My sweetheart and I had agreed that we would go home, discuss it and make a decision. That's what we did and it wasn't long before I let our friend know that I wanted to buy his trailer. I could hardly believe it! I was about to get my own, little vintage trailer! And that was just the beginning. The beginning of an adventure - a dream come true!
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