Annie Lee the Argosy Update No. 050

 I think its time for a re-cap of our 

#AnnieLeetheArgosy 

 So.

This 50th update is dedicated to THEN and NOW.

Some of you may remember we purchased Annie Lee at the end of  August, 2019 

in Georgetown, South Carolina [near Pawleys Island.]

 We've camped in her over 30 times since then...

Annie Lee is a 1973 Argosy Airstream...

Airstream made these beauties for just a few years...

- Outside

 

So this is what she looked like when we bought her - and if we're honest... she really did have one of those ten foot paint jobs - when you got up close it was clear she'd seen better days, lol...

 

The first thing Craig tackled was getting the paint off the windows...

We had NO IDEA what color she would eventually be [paint was LOW on our to-do list] but we knew the windows needed to be back to their no-paint original, lol.

We also quickly discovered she needed some substantial frame work...

because - yikes - after seeing this we were very thankful she survived the ten hour drive home... 

 

so THAT was high on our to-do list - and it's been completed and corrected a few times in the last two + years...

She also got new axles for Christmas last year.

 

 --- photo---

 

And what a difference they make!

And quickly, here's some other things that Craig took care of to keep us safe 

[and make things easier on the road - ]

 

New lighting all 'round - looks GREAT.

 

New electrical plug on the outside that is much easier to work with 

than the original pull out cord.

 

Craig has also continued working with the electrical system as we want to have the solar batteries working at their full capacity. 

[Right now ALL of the inside lights are running off solar.]

He's also tweaked the bumper / front tongue storage / spare tire a bit over the past two years - and you can see in the most recent photos that the tire is actually under the tongue... solar battery storage is in the box on the tongue [but that may change this year,] and there's room for a couple of storage boxes behind the tool box on the bumper. [This tool box was on here when we bought her...and while it's not original, 

it IS very nice to have that storage.

 

But the BIGGEST change on the outside was definitely her paint job.

We pondered on this for almost a year - should we do it ourselves? 

Should we pay someone? 

Is it worth what it will cost? 

etc. ETC. ETC.

And in the end, 

I think I've shared that we did, in fact pay someone to do it.

And it turned out so beautiful.

Honda Pilot colors: Lunar Silver on top [a nod to her airstream roots] and Blue Sapphire on the bottom [a nod to the original blue that caught my eye in the advertisement when we bought her.] We love that the blue changes color as the sun moves throughout the day...

Living Area:

 

Now on to some of the fun - decorating - stuff...

Two things: 1 - We wanted to keep it as original as possible, and 

2 - We've camped in her during the updating process

[and changed our ideas as we've used things...]

 

This is the before of the living area... 

 

... and this from the adv.

 

And, anyone who's ever had a vintage camper is not surprised to see that we found this... Craig was able to repair that with some time and effort...

 

While I was busy stitching up the new couch cover and curtains [WITH PLEATS!] 

 

I also painted a bit on that rug to cover up some of the pink in it...lol...

Craig did a great job painting that hassock fan [and fridge] to match the yellow stove and counter tops...

 

We weren't sure about this wall... and in the end hung the TV there.

It's covered with a bit of art when we don't use it...

Oh - and we took out the gas heater and replaced it with this electric fireplace heater... We have no propane in this camper [I just feel safer that way...]

 

On to the kitchen area...

We've done a few things...

[Although I REALLY DO need to get out the rust remover and clean up that stove cover... for now, I just cover it with a big ole wooden cutting board we bought at IKEA more than a few years ago...]

Here's what the other side of the kitchen looked like when we got her...

 

One of the first things I did was put a little 'color' behind the sink area...

I used self-stick wall paper in an aqua blue-green color...

I also added in some stainless spice racks for photo holders... 

These are photos from some of our childhood camping trips...

 

Let's see... after several changes, I think we've finally got the pantry configured to work best for us... I know it looks messy here... but those doors hide all the mess - lol - and this is a wonderful place for our microwave! I also have [L-R] an IKEA garbage holder on the door, canned goods in original built in shelves, plastic drawer unit for other food items, table cloths and paper towels on shelves above the microwave and storage for the toaster oven and coffee pot [and slow cooker!] underneath...

 

I try to put a little seasonal decor on the shelf above the pantry fridge...

and we have vintage canisters to hold coffee, tea, etc.

 

 I LOVE that our fridge matches the oven and counter tops!

Craig and I both have bins to catch our 'everyday' stuff - keys - meds - glasses, etc.

 

Here's what the bed area looked like the first time I saw it -

 

And here's what it mostly looks like today -[We've pulled up the wood flooring and put down new carpet in an effort to keep it more like the original...]

The biggest change, of course is the wall paper on the back wall. 

I just HAD TO DO SOMETHING to break up all of the brown. HA.

[And I love it... a few months later I used the leftover to cover the inside of the living room door - and I love that pop of color there too.]

 

I also made the curtains for this area [although: confession: NO PLEATS -- but matching the pattern was almost as bad as pleating - ha.]

So happy we have the upper and lower tracks for our curtains so they stay tight and close to the wall...

 

And love that we have the original lighting with shelves above each bed... I framed a few prints to put on these...mine is artsy...and

Craig's area has a nod to Smoky Bear as well as a photo of him camping in his younger years... AND the tail-less racoon that has been camping with us since Matt was 5 or 6....

Next up - the bath room.

 

Let's start with the floor - yep.

Again, no surprise.

I could feel the 'spring' in this area before we bought it.

 

This what the bathroom looked like when we first saw it

 and this is what it looks like these days..

we're still working on it...

Things we love: our composting toilet... the original medicine cabinet and mirror... the 'double' closet, and the original tub...

You can see we've built a new open-shelving counter [still debating about the sink for this area] - we've added cute hooks for our bath bags and towels...and we have a shower curtain that matches the other aqua greens in the camper...

[Those are our WBCCI numbers showing on our back shade - we just don't like the idea of sticking them on that new paint job - lol] so this was our solution ...

I'll update you on the bath area when it's complete.

Right now it's functional and we're good with that.

Lastly, I'll share a bit of our 'patio' area - ha...

Our outdoor space...

 

This is what it looked like when we bought her...

She has her original step... but it needs a bit of work...

 

Here's a shot of how she looked the first year we had her and camped in her... 

We knew she looked a little pitiful and couldn't decide on a color... so we just painted big swatches of color behind the door to see if we loved it - ha.

 I was also VERY ambivalent about putting an awning on her...

But I will gladly admit that sitting under our awning is one of my favorite things to do...

You can see here the pop of color the door adds to things..

Here's a more recent view of our outside 'set-up' -

I can't even put into words how much I love the steps Craig built for us. I love how sturdy they are to use - and also [of course!] how I can use them to add just a bit of seasonal decor... [And look at that awesome yellow Coleman cooler! - it replaced the mid-century table I was using there earlier in the year...]  We also have an outdoor table with chairs painted the same yellow as the cooler, fridge, and fan...

I adore the rugs we've used in this are for the past two years...

[You can see them in the photos above -]

But y'all - THEY. ARE. HEAVY. 

- And bulky. And hard to store for traveling...

So here's the most recent change...

I picked up this [very light weight] plastic rug when we were down in Pensacola last month. I can fold it up and tuck it away without any help at all!

It's my favorite - most recent - purchase!

We really do encourage anyone who gets a vintage trailer to camp in it while they are doing the restoration - it's a great way to see how things works best for you!

And of course... our likes and needs change...

So I'm sure there will be things to share about Annie Lee year after year...