So we had a couple days of nice weather after the first storm of the season and construction was very much happening.
Now back when I first started this series I was excited about having a fridge rather than a cooler for my food. Emuna and I have come a long way since then.
We built the wall the door is in, hung the door and cut away the interior sections that were overhanging and taking up most of the available space. We also killed a Sawsall and a square bit - but we effectively doubled my living space and dramatically improved the general condition of life here on what used to be "baked potato island."
All of the insulation has been covered with contact paper so I have walls that look like walls again. Ok, plastic walls with some wrinkles in them. But WAY better than ugly peeling old insulation. After 2 years of cold, cat, patching and general wear and tear - it was a sad state of affairs.
The top had been removed and replaced with a truck canopy, but the original top (minus a 4 foot wide strip in the centre was still inside the truck top. yeah, the shelves were kind of handy, but you definitely felt closed in all the time. Now it's been cut back to the canopy itself and curtains installed over the side windows.
Once all that was done I started to put things back into place and try and get things finished out inside. Then I realised I didn't have anywhere to put the stuff I just took off those handy shelves from the old top. So I kind of had to redo the galley countertop today as well. I raised it up 5 inches to a better working height and plan to install a cutting board that will slide out from under the top. I also put in a shelf behind it for storage of cooking supplies. No more hunting for the olive oil!
The biggest differences are just in the level of comfort and homeness of it all now. It's not a dumpy little mess with a blanket and a slab of plywood for a door anymore. Well, it's a little dumpy still - we worked on the galley today so the cockpit is full of remnants - but inside she's not dumpy anymore. Certainly not a Romney yacht, but definitely something I'm proud to call home.
Tomorrow is clearing the decks day - getting the stuff I don't need here in storage, wood scraps, the remains of the canvas cover that I used to have over the top to hide the mess - all going away as long as the weather cooperates. If not some of it waits to go into storage - but ASAP, it's going away.
It feels like a home here. With a proud little door and a cozy interior and shockingly good sound absorption given the materials. My next plan is running water. Because of the way I set the galley up and the structural changes we made today, the water tank and foot pump for the galley can finally be installed. It may only come out as fast as my foot can pump it, but running water is the next big thing I hear.
I bought the materials to replace the dreaded beam - the last structural issue to be handled before the rigging can go back up. I was given a sheet of 3/4 marine ply for the bulkhead - so that will be the next huge construction mess. With that in place I have just the area under the fridge and the dinette seating to remodel. Not bad for starting with an empty rotting hull 3 years ago I moved into far earlier than I planned.
In other news, I filed my paperwork for Disability and the Assurance Phone programs - now I wait. My SNAP has been recertified for another year and I have an appointment with an optometrist on Tuesday. Still no word on my other doctors and seeing them - but for now, things are moving forward under sail.
This new year is starting sweetly for sure.