isabelladangelo (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
isabelladangelo) wrote2008-04-26 08:23 pm
isabelladangelo) wrote2008-04-26 08:23 pm
I haz trailer!!!!
Oh yes, phase two of the Pennsic Trailer Project is totally complete. The trailer is currently sitting in the "visitor" parking space next to my side yard. (It's technically the coop's side yard. I don't *have* a side yard, only what is fenced in and the really big backyard that I don't use. The side yard is all "common area" but it's right next to my house so....)It's 4'11" x 10'8" in total size. However, I can easily extend it out to be 6'3" or 6'4" x 10'8". The edge of the fenders go out about 6'4" I think. I tried to measure it myself but umm...fenders are made out slippery plastic and my mad attempts at measuring the breath of the trailer were just made of fail. So, I measured each of the fenders independently and got 8" for each of 'em. Since they are on the outside of the bed of the trailer, I'm adding them to the totally width plus a bit because there is a slight bit of space between the bed and the fenders. Does that make sense?
Anyways, I have a trailer! Now, to finalize my building plans (I'm doing a flat top Neapolitan house. I was thinking of painting it pink for the fun of it but it looks like, according to most of the paintings and drawings I've seen that the homes were white with maybe some accent colors at a crown molding like line on the outside. More on the whole idea later or just comment and ask). I know I want a "two story" home. It will be about 6'5" on the bottom "floor" and maybe 3'7" on the top "floor". The top floor is more of an attic/storage/possible extra sleeping area. I might make it just a balcony style area to give some more room to the lower floor but I'm not sure yet. 3'7" is just big enough that I can sit down comfortably without hitting my head on the ceiling. However, it's plenty of room for extra baskets, extra garb, extra other stuffs...
One the bottom floor, I want to make a built in bed. The bed will be mostly encased with a bookshelf on one side and a built in "closet" on the other. Beneath the bed will be a lot more storage for baskets and other smallish items. I might make a couple of built in seats above the fenders of the trailer. I don't think I'll have to if I raise the floor up but I'll see. If nothing else, it looks like I can take out the plastic fenders and put on something else to cover the tires.
So, getting the actual trailer was an adventure. Well, not getting there but getting back. Getting there just took forever because everyone and their mother (my mother went to Annapolis btw) was out on the roads today. I mean everyone. I swear, there are these odd portals at various places around the Washington DC/Baltimore area. These portals suddenly produce cars out of thin air and put them on the road. The portals can also make cars disappear suddenly. There is a portal at Quantico, another at Georgia Ave, a third right as you get on to i-66 west, and the fourth is somewhere inbetween RT5 and the Woodrow Wilson bridge. I haven't really been able to track the fourth one down yet.
You can spot these portals by the sudden onset of cars as you go around a curve and there is almost nothing to account for this sudden increase in the amount of cars before you. You were going75 mph the speed limit and now you are suddenly crawling at 15 mph in a matter of seconds. This means you have hit one of those beltway portals. I somehow found both the Woodrow Wilson bridge portal and the Quantico one...on a Saturday no less.
So, five hours after I started, I finally get to the guys house to pick up the trailer. The trailer is awesome. He helped me hitch the trailer up and I went on my way. Well, sorta. I took a detour a bit in Williamsburg. That ended up not being fun.
You see, I was going to try and see if I remembered where the massive Yankee Candle store was. I also decided it was cheaper to get gas there than right outside of Richmond probably so I went and filled up. As I turned the corner after leaving the gas station, and about to go on my way to find the Yankee Candle store (Mom's day and all coming up), I heard a horrible noise. I pulled off as quickly as I could and got out only to see...the hitch was gone. I could see where the hitch should be. I could see the trailer (don't worry, the chains saved the trailer and it was still very much attached). No hitch.
A very sweet lady stopped and helped me look for it. We walked across the street and looked up and down the road attempting to see something that is really a big piece of metal. It's shiny. it should stick out like a sore thumb. Of course, it didn't help that it was beneath the trailer. :-) The very nice lady helped me put the hitch back on, put the trailer back on the hitch, and she rigged the hitch with the chains so I could make it to a service station and buy a new pin. She gave me directions to where all the main auto stores were and I went in search of one of the auto stores.
I pulled into one off of 143 (for those that know the area, right off of 199) and they did have the pin for the hitch. It was all of $2. The service station guy was also really nice and fixed the electrical since that had come loose.
After all this, I decided I just wanted to get home and I'd look online for the Jamestown candle (Mom's favorite Yankee Candle. It smells like bayberry). I left at 3 ish from the service station. I got home at 7. I hit two of the portals again. I really think the Quantico one is the worst of them all....
Anyway, I'm home. Did I mention I had Ginsie in the car the entire way too? Luckily, it didn't get that hot today and I had a couple of bottles of water in the car plus her wooden feast gear bowl.... I kept giving her water to drink while we were stuck on the side of the road and while we were at the service station. She was fine and behaved beautifully but I felt bad because I knew she just wanted to get home too.
So, I'm home now. I have my trailer. Now, to call up on Monday and see if I can park it over in the boat yard....and I can't do that until 7:30 am when someone is there. I wonder if it will be okay all day Monday on the side parking....because I really want to get to work early on Monday....::sigh::
Anyways, I have a trailer! Now, to finalize my building plans (I'm doing a flat top Neapolitan house. I was thinking of painting it pink for the fun of it but it looks like, according to most of the paintings and drawings I've seen that the homes were white with maybe some accent colors at a crown molding like line on the outside. More on the whole idea later or just comment and ask). I know I want a "two story" home. It will be about 6'5" on the bottom "floor" and maybe 3'7" on the top "floor". The top floor is more of an attic/storage/possible extra sleeping area. I might make it just a balcony style area to give some more room to the lower floor but I'm not sure yet. 3'7" is just big enough that I can sit down comfortably without hitting my head on the ceiling. However, it's plenty of room for extra baskets, extra garb, extra other stuffs...
One the bottom floor, I want to make a built in bed. The bed will be mostly encased with a bookshelf on one side and a built in "closet" on the other. Beneath the bed will be a lot more storage for baskets and other smallish items. I might make a couple of built in seats above the fenders of the trailer. I don't think I'll have to if I raise the floor up but I'll see. If nothing else, it looks like I can take out the plastic fenders and put on something else to cover the tires.
So, getting the actual trailer was an adventure. Well, not getting there but getting back. Getting there just took forever because everyone and their mother (my mother went to Annapolis btw) was out on the roads today. I mean everyone. I swear, there are these odd portals at various places around the Washington DC/Baltimore area. These portals suddenly produce cars out of thin air and put them on the road. The portals can also make cars disappear suddenly. There is a portal at Quantico, another at Georgia Ave, a third right as you get on to i-66 west, and the fourth is somewhere inbetween RT5 and the Woodrow Wilson bridge. I haven't really been able to track the fourth one down yet.
You can spot these portals by the sudden onset of cars as you go around a curve and there is almost nothing to account for this sudden increase in the amount of cars before you. You were going
So, five hours after I started, I finally get to the guys house to pick up the trailer. The trailer is awesome. He helped me hitch the trailer up and I went on my way. Well, sorta. I took a detour a bit in Williamsburg. That ended up not being fun.
You see, I was going to try and see if I remembered where the massive Yankee Candle store was. I also decided it was cheaper to get gas there than right outside of Richmond probably so I went and filled up. As I turned the corner after leaving the gas station, and about to go on my way to find the Yankee Candle store (Mom's day and all coming up), I heard a horrible noise. I pulled off as quickly as I could and got out only to see...the hitch was gone. I could see where the hitch should be. I could see the trailer (don't worry, the chains saved the trailer and it was still very much attached). No hitch.
A very sweet lady stopped and helped me look for it. We walked across the street and looked up and down the road attempting to see something that is really a big piece of metal. It's shiny. it should stick out like a sore thumb. Of course, it didn't help that it was beneath the trailer. :-) The very nice lady helped me put the hitch back on, put the trailer back on the hitch, and she rigged the hitch with the chains so I could make it to a service station and buy a new pin. She gave me directions to where all the main auto stores were and I went in search of one of the auto stores.
I pulled into one off of 143 (for those that know the area, right off of 199) and they did have the pin for the hitch. It was all of $2. The service station guy was also really nice and fixed the electrical since that had come loose.
After all this, I decided I just wanted to get home and I'd look online for the Jamestown candle (Mom's favorite Yankee Candle. It smells like bayberry). I left at 3 ish from the service station. I got home at 7. I hit two of the portals again. I really think the Quantico one is the worst of them all....
Anyway, I'm home. Did I mention I had Ginsie in the car the entire way too? Luckily, it didn't get that hot today and I had a couple of bottles of water in the car plus her wooden feast gear bowl.... I kept giving her water to drink while we were stuck on the side of the road and while we were at the service station. She was fine and behaved beautifully but I felt bad because I knew she just wanted to get home too.
So, I'm home now. I have my trailer. Now, to call up on Monday and see if I can park it over in the boat yard....and I can't do that until 7:30 am when someone is there. I wonder if it will be okay all day Monday on the side parking....because I really want to get to work early on Monday....::sigh::