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...

 

Annie Lee the Argosy Update No. 031

 The Outside:

Because this is where everyone can see the most work, immediately.

[And this is a LONG post, y'all.

So, buckle up buttercup...]

 

Y'all know we've had our #annieleetheargosy for over 18 months now... and Craig has done a wonderful job getting ALL of the foundation work done [ a story for another time ] and also working / facilitating the beauty and integrity of the outside as well...

I'm support personnel and mainly in charge of the fun stuff. 

 

 But we can't get to the fun stuff without starting at the beginning...

As a reminder, this is what Annie Lee looked like 

when we first brought her home from South Carolina...

The dark blue with white on top really caught our attention...

You might see the paint / exterior better here...  

  

and can see that it was in pretty rough shape...

 painting was low on our 'to-do' list...

 

but those windows, oh my... 

This was one of the first things Craig tackled... 

using citrus strip [I think] , he was able to get that awful [to us] 

blue off easier than we'd first thought possible...

 He competed all of the windows fairly quickly, consider we worked fullx

and traveled a good bit for fun and work during that time...

He also played around with it a bit to see how easy it might be to 

remove the layers of paint on the camper as well... wow!

He tackled the belly pan next...

Two reasons: it needed to be cleaned out 

 and, more importantly, we needed to be able to

 see the frame / plumbing / foundation

 [again, another story for another time] 

to know exactly what needed to be done there...

YUK.

Craig also replaced / made sure all of our running lights 

were in good working order.

The back bar of lights [I'm not sure what it's called] was cracked and while others have repaired that we just took it off and replaced the back lights with 'new' ones before she was painted.... 

Craig also took the time to reconfigure our electric supply spot 

with this nifty adapter....

 In previous campers we've owned we've always had to push the electric cord into a holding area inside the camper...

 This outlet allows for us to plug in easily and then store the cord in our outside box at the end of our camping trip... which is great if it's a bit dirty from the weekend or wet from rain, etc. 

Speaking of outside storage...

When Craig had the first part of the foundation work completed he added a bit of storage to the front and back of Annie Lee... Above is a before photo of the front...

and this is what it looks like now...

The tanks are gone, because I just don't use gas in our campers, 

and a nice box has been added for storage [mostly the batteries for our solar panels]... 

He also made a space for the spare tire underneath... 

You can see that this area also holds extra wood for leveling [if needed.]

Annie Lee had the storage box on the back when we got her...

We added length to the back [to balance what was added to the front] and we now have an area to put extra bins if / when we camp for the long haul...

And it makes a decent shelf for serving watermelon 

in between showers on a cRaZy rainy day... lol.

Okay! 

On to the paint - 

the most obvious thing people see as we travel about...

And you can see from those swatches behind the door that we had ALL THE COLORS swirling through our heads... We also had the ALL the ideas of how to facilitate this going through our heads as well... lol. 

Many people do a great job painting their campers themselves... 

because a paint job can be [very] pricey y'all.

So we bounced around the idea of doing it ourselves... and what type of paint we'd use...

what color, the prep, the priming, the painting, etc. , etc. ETC.

But we didn't have the place to facilitate this... or the time to commit to it...

[or the inclination to do it. ha]

So Craig 'found a guy' [something he is VERY GOOD at doing] who does this for a living [paints /repairs motor homes / campers] and he was willing to give it a go.

Painting an Argosy can be a bit more difficult because each little rivet holding it all together has to be carefully stripped / sanded, sometimes separately...

It's A LOT OF WORK

and they did such a great job!

Since we [and maybe, I just mean "I",] had such a difficult time deciding on a color combo,

 we actually drove through car lots until we found something we loved...

 

In the end, we went with honda pilot colors: lunar silver and steel sapphire...

We wanted the top to give a nod to the airstream heritage and WE LOVE how that sapphire blue changes colors in the sunlight!

She stayed at the 'beauty shop' a few weeks longer than expected 

[those rivets, y'all] and yes, it was a splurge to have someone else do the work...

but, omgoodness, we were happy to see her painted.

 

We love it.

And believe her paint job will probably outlast us...lol...

So with the outside prettied up it was time for me to step up the outside decor game...

 

We camped at several events during October... and for the most part, 

I like for my 'set-up' / decor scheme to be pretty clean and simple 

[although you'll see that I sometimes get side-tracked a bit] ...

So I added just a little bit of 'fall' outside our door...

just a little vine with leaves, berries, and pumpkins...

[purchased on-sale at Hobby Lobby.] 

While we were camping down at The Gulf, I also covered the inside of the door with some leftover wall paper [from the bed area] and I enjoy this pop of color so, so much!!

 

I used the closed camp kitchen as a table to display some decor near our pop-up screen room, including our pumpkins with wonky stars...

Then, HELLO, I went a bit over-the-top [for me!] 

with the Halloween decorations we took along to a couple of trips...

I do love Halloween!

 

But it kinda, sorta, quickly became too much for me...

[Not sure what Halloween with Annie Lee will look like in 2021, 

but it will definitely be less...]

Two things: 

The pumpkin totem was never meant to be carried over 

[we left it at a campground] after it's 2nd trip..] 

and ALL THE STUFF was a very nice protection of lights when we felt like our tongue was practically setting on the curve of a road at Tim's Ford...

so there's that. lol

 

I want Annie Lee to be nice and inviting... 

and THIS just wasn't getting it for me...

 I kept thinking of the cute set-up we had for #lottiescotty

and knew I wanted to have something sweet for #AnnieLeetheArgosy too.

But!

It must not be 'too much' and it's gotta be easy to carry with us!

So.

Hello - 

Craig is SO WONDERFUL to make my dreams come true.

Seriously. 

He built this step after looking at my inspiration picture* [below] 

and I can't put into words how much I love how it looks - 

and how sturdy it is to use! 

 

I re-purposed a rug to say "hello" [more on that in an upcoming post] and added a mid-century table [Hobby Lobby, on sale], birdhouses from home decor in the attic, and finished it off with a pot of dahlias that will go in the yard after a couple of camping trips...

We had already re-painted the chairs we used with Lottie...

 

OH. AND CRAIG AND FRIENDS PUT THE AWNING ON

during our most recent camping trip.

[A working vacay, I say.

and it makes me ~ surprisingly ~ SO HAPPY.]

I'm so glad we had the forethought [back in 2019] to purchase enough rugs [thank you Ollies] to cover the length and width of the awning area... and I'm just so pleased that there is enough room for our table and four chairs underneath...

 

LOVE that our awning allows us to put the bar / post out front, off the camper.

That little rolly cart to the left has replaced our camp kitchen...

I rarely cook outside these days... but still wanted an extra table - it folds up easily and is light weight enough to move around with no problem [from Amazon.]

* Here's my inspiration photo...

We'd seen a step similar to this at an event we'd been to back in 2018...

You can see that this wide step [and table] 

will easily adapt to decor for all seasons....

What can we say?

We've camped the entire time we've been together 

and we're sure enjoying our #AnnieLeetheArgosy ! 

Thanks for joining us on the journey -

[Click on that, or the tag to the right, to learn more about her .]