Sunday, November 21, 2010

A story with pictures (Annie)

So, as you know, we've been working on and in the Duck to get her ready for winter habitation.  Pipes and hoses are insulated, trouble lights are hanging in wet bays, Carrot is growing her winter fur, it's all good.  Next step, put some skirting around the Duck to help keep our bottom warm.  Our floors, too.

After a trip to Lowe's for some foam board insulation, I started measuring, cutting and fitting while Roxi did this...

Tow dolly
No glove,  no love


Working with the foam board was pretty darned easy, and it's pliable enough that I could shove and bow it into place, then tape with aluminum tape.

Skirting3
Not bad, eh?

After that was done, Roxi looked at it and said, "Yeesh!  Yuck!  Ugly!  Hate!"  Or words to that effect.  So we started talking about things to put over the blue.  Opaque plastic?  Black plastic?  Hey, how about brown tarp!
Tow dolly
It's so nice, let's see it twice

So off we went to Tractor Supply to buy the same color tarp.  We bought enough to go all the way 'round the Duck, though we haven't actually gone all the way 'round the Duck (IF you know what I'm sayin').

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We didn't cover the exhaust because we want to exercise the engine, same with the generator (absent on picture day).

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Covering the ugly

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This is a cat

Once the tarp was covering all of the blue, we weighted it down with rocks, bricks and wood.

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Roxi, sportin' wood

Then we called it a day, pleased with ourselves and hoping for some good wind breakage.

Three days later, we had wind.  Boy did we have wind!  Constant 30mph winds with 50+mph gusts.  

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What the!






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Sonofa...  (it even blew our license plate swirly!)

It's kind of back together now.

On the 15th, our local propane and propane accessories company came out to deliver this.  

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Screw it, I'm turning up the furnace!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting! I may end up doing something similar to the north side of our house, because water seeps through the foundation and leaves these nasty white fuzzy deposits on the inside. It doesn't seem to be causing any damage but it can't be good.

Stay warm, you all. Around here in Salt Lake City we're getting a special guest visit from some Arctic air that's pushing the temp down well below freezing. Brr.

Kimbopolo said...

She's a regal beauty - even with the brown tarp!

¡Vizcacha! said...

Thanks! [You did mean me, right?]

Roxanne

dirtyduck said...

bah! i hate you! you won the vegan essentials from vegan and so forth!..hm maybe if i dont tell you..you wont let her know you know you won.....

lol congrats! order fun stuff for thanksgiving!

dirtyduck said...

oh forgot to tell ya. they make skirts for ducks too:) so we are both putting skirts on our ducks:) ttysoon

Four Windows with a View said...

I'm regretting my decision to spend another winter here in Seattle. Do you two ever regret your decision to spend another winter in New York? Especially after reading the blogs typed down by the ocean while sitting on the sand, with the sun shining. Know what I mean?

Jeana

Jenny said...

yep, you've got a little somethin' somethin' over at my blog; swing by! i'll get ya the details soon. :)

¡Vizcacha! said...

Dirty Duck, I'm on my way over to see a picture of the skirting you installed on Lilly. Plus, WOOHOO! I WON!

¡Vizcacha! said...

Jeana, regret doesn't really cover it. Currently in favor is despair, which I interchange with despondency. It was more like a decision made for us by Annie's work situation coupled with our house situation.

I know you have your own ways to cope. My doctor told me to start taking a lot of vitamin D, which did help last year, even at a lower dose. People in upstate New York and Seattle need more D than the average bear.

Anonymous said...

we have some incandescent light bulbs if you need any more for heating up your underside. we've turned against them. those kind of light bulbs, not your undersides.
~annie k

Anonymous said...

Sam, we've had a few nights in the 20s but nothing super cold yet.

You may want to look into a paint-on moisture barrier. I don't know but it seems like it might do a better job of sealing the moisture out. Also, if your yard slopes in toward the house and there's inadequate drainage you'll have moisture getting in. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Kim! We do love our Bounder.

Anonymous said...

Thanks annie k, I think we have a few left but will definitely call you if we need more. Our toasty undersides thank you.