Integrity

While moving some disassembled cabinets out of the Spartan this afternoon, I ran across this bank deposit bag that I found while preparing the trailer to come home. It's story is worth telling here. Decades ago, the owners of this trailer decided it needed a fireplace. So they cut a big old hole in the side of it. Most of that fireplace had fallen over prior to my discovery. I brought various sledgehammers and pick-axes to carefully tear the rest down in order to provide for clearance on the way out. Now, it was mid June in the Texas hill country. To say that it was hot and dry would be the understatement of the year. A friendly guy that had been clearing brush and trash from this property was already moving some soil around for me and offered to work the bottom of this chimney away from the trailer with his backhoe. This was a great help to me, and I explained that I wanted this to be done very carefully in order to avoid dinging up the aluminum skin. So my Pop and I stood aside, tools in hand, and directed the careful placement of the backhoe shovel. He made 4-5 gentle pulls at the chimney, and we spent a few moments moving some debris by hand while the operator waited on us.

I have neglected to tell you yet that the previous owners of this Spartan were what Texas ranch-type folks would call "eclectic". I think there are other names these types could be called, but most Texas ranch-types are too polite for that. What I mean is that the previous owners collected all kinds of bizarre trinkets. They had about a tractor trailer full of old bowling balls, and had boxes full of key chains made by captives at the "Texas Slave Ranch". You can read about that wierdness here- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Slave_Ranch .  This information is relevant because as my Pop and I were moving this debris aside, we saw something unusual resting in the void space of the now opened chimney base. It was this bank bag. And it was full. I saw my Pop's eyes light up with excitement and fear all at once. We knew that we were part owner of this treasure trove. Confederate bank notes! Gold Dubloons! Safe deposit keys! Treasure maps! We also knew that it didn't entirely belong to us. I'm amazed by the quantity and complexity of emotions that can run through your mind when a once in a lifetime opportunity lies in a bank bag fireplace tomb right there in front of you. My Pop and I could feel each other questioning our own and each other's integrity. This was not my property, but I had paid someone to allow me to haul off this trailer and dispose of associated debris. And the property owner bought the place from a deceased person, so it's not like this was exactly her bank bag either. Where does backhoe guy fit into all this? Listen to me trying to justify my greed! One thing was certain. I was not going to share the contents of the bank bag until after I knew what was inside. I looked at my Pop, and then back at backhoe guy. " I think I can get the rest of it by hand.......so we don't tear up the trailer." He knew as well as I that he could pull down more of the chimney without hurting anything, but he was also glad to move on with his life. Now, Pop and I played it cool for a few minutes, just shoveling bricks around until backhoe guy was out of sight. Then we reached down into the open void and gently pulled out the bag. It was full of soft stacks of paper, more than 2 handfulls worth. I pulled out my knife, but Pop slowed me down and said "Try the zipper first, you might want to keep that bag as a momento!" . I worked the zipper back and forth a few times, but couldn't get it to open more than a few inches. Pop  said "Hell, just cut it open already". I cut it open and my Pop and I both craned our necks over the bag to look inside at the same time. It was stacks of paper alright. Someone had ripped up an old teen novel and stacked in there like wads of cash. I burst into laughter, and Pop turned an angry beet red. "Son of a .....". What a cruel joke. Funny, but cruel. I was relieved in a way. I never had to know what I was made of.  I wish I could know what the comedian was thinking when they set this up. I learned a little bit about myself today. I have no idea what I would have done if there was something valuable in that bag. No idea. But if it happened again, I'm pretty sure that I'd run things the same way. First I'd find out if I was rich, and then I'd wrestle with the decision to share!  

This is the side of the trailer where the chimney was. You can see all the debris to the side.

Here's a photo of the Spartan. I removed the front window yesterday in order to remove some larger cabinetry and old appliances that I'll be selling for scrap. 

Domino!

I'm almost ready to pull the trigger on ordering windows. This will be the single most expensive decision that we make, so we're taking it slow. But as I considered what to do in the meantime, I started to wonder if we would ever polish the aluminum skin. If we decide to polish, at least the perimeter of the window openings should be done prior to window installation. So I did a quick sample to help us decide. I just used some cheap polish I had laying around, so I'm sure I could take it a lot further than this if I found a quality product and learned more about how to do it. The jury is out.

Progress comes in tiny bursts

Here is a photo of the fully gutted Spartan from end to end. I spent an hour this afternoon moving the cabinets that may be salvagable into my already tight garage. My goal is to get EVERYTHING out of the trailer so that I can repair the bad spots in the floor and then start our floor planning with a roll of blue tape! I tried graph paper and I tried to learn CAD in an hour, but as you can guess, neither worked. We figured that there was no need to simulate a floorplan if we could just tape it out in real life on the actual floor! My wife is a smart lady. Makes a good sandwich too.

Fasten your seatbelts........

Here are a few videos my pop took on the way home from Centerpoint, Texas.

Here it is in our driveway. I hope my townspeople don't murder me in my sleep. Also, a few photos in various states of disassembly. Spray foam insulation and new windows are the big ticket items here. Every decision sure seems to snowball into 8-10 other decisions. Little by little!

Here are a few photos of the interior prior to moving. On the day that these were taken, the trash was cleared from under the trailer, remaining utilities cut away, bearings replaced and packed with grease, and brush was cleared to allow egress. Fun times with snakes, scorpions, and rat feces.

Warning: Rant ahead

After several months of dealing with red tape and unneccessary beaurocracy, it's done. We have a title. We have a HUD number. So what if the arms of the state lacked the accuracy and proper reporting they so adamantly demanded of me. So what if after I followed their very specific instructions on how to properly acquire a title, they were confused by the information and tax records and certified letters to previous owners of record and ancient bank liens that they so adamantly demanded. I'm not bitter. So what if they still screwed up the paperwork and it cost me another $45 dollars. It's sitting in the driveway. I guess that's what counts. We'll post some adventurous video of the trip home as soon as my recently retired Dad figures out how to work an iphone.