Jimro Posted December 30, 2005 Report Share Posted December 30, 2005 Well folks, I'm living in a trailer in Tenino, Washington. Let the trailer trash jokes begin. The trailer in question is a 1995 year model 31 footer with a 14 foot tipout, so there is enough room to live, not a lot of room for gun projects. I took my wifes computer and my computer and made one dual boot computer out of them, so she has her desktop and harddrive and I have mine. All in all we have about 280 square feet of living space and it's just right for the two of us. The only problem is that I made the first mistake in buying a used trailer, and didn't know exactly what to look for. So after fixing all the leaky plumbing I find out that there is a really good chance that there is a siginificant portion of the roof that is dry rotted. How did I find out? Well there was this tinsy tiny little leak from the bathroom ceiling that made a significant puddle on the bathroom floor. If you want to see dry rot gone wild, check out this trailer restoration. http://rvforsaleguide.com/trailer-repair/r...iler-repair.htm Anyways I've sealed everything up pretty tight (Permetex RTV sealant isn't just for engines in my book), and hopefully I'll get time to pull roof apart to check and replace what needs replacing sometime next year. All my reloading gear is at a buddies house, he want's to set up his back room for reloading and I figured he could have my gear since the Air Force will probably not look kindly upon me reloading on base. I finished my BS in Chemistry and am just waiting on paperwork to get down to the recruiting office to get my butt into the Air Force's Officer Training School. I can't wait to get back to work, so please pray that the Air Force has a job for me. Most of my guns are at my older brothers place and with my Aunt, and the worst part is I now live really close to my favorit range, which may only stretch out to 200 but that is plenty for plinking. I have only gone shooting once since we moved in, I must remedy that soon. I think I'll bring my 22 rifle here for plinking and keep the 45 handy for when things go bump in the night. Anyways, now that I have steady internet access expect to see more of me, at least until I ship out for training. Happy New Year, Jimro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoedoh Posted December 30, 2005 Report Share Posted December 30, 2005 Jim, I was wondering where you went. Trailers aren't the end of the world. I've spent four years in one and can't really complain too loudly about it. I think mine's a 14x40? It's like a postage stamp... I feel your pain amigo. Believe me, you'll get good and storing things vertically. Just tell yourself that this is not what you plan to live in from now on and you'll be fine. Once you get up into the officer ranks, the pay will increase and the housing will improve. And more importantly, congratulations on finishing your degree! You will learn to like not having to write all those reports and do all that reading. Very surely, the Air Force will keep you busy enough, but at least you're not in college anymore. And congratulations for making it into OTS!!! You'll make a fine officer. You'll go just as far as you want to. And don't sweat the firearms. There will be plenty of time for that later. Things aren't bad now and they're probably only going to improve as time goes on. Hell man, someday you may even able to afford a new double wide! Cheers! Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest_MorgansBoss_* Posted December 30, 2005 Report Share Posted December 30, 2005 Jimro, if its any help there is a product called KOOL SEAL that is specificly made for trailer roofs. Its a latex "paint-on" material that dries to a thin but somewhat flexible and solid coating. I used to use it to laminate cloth to styrofoam decoy bodies - if anybody is familiar with Herter's expensive burlap covered decoys its the same principle. Anyway, this stuff is easy to use, cleans up with water and is tough as nails. Even resists gasoline once dry. Needs to be above 60 degrees to apply though. There's a similar but thicker one called MULEHIDE for bigger leaks. Its a trowel-on and I swear its nothing more than latex caulk in bulk cans. I have a buddy who has worked for Fleetwood / Prowler industries for years and makes good money on the side replacing trailer roofs. Must be the real crux of them. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flaco Posted December 30, 2005 Report Share Posted December 30, 2005 Happy New Year Jimro--and EVERYONE ELSE--and congratulations on that degree. flaco And STAY DRY! LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swamprat Posted December 30, 2005 Report Share Posted December 30, 2005 You reminded me and the misses of our first home. A 10x55 trailer we drug all over the place when I was in the Marines. If you use the roof coating in 5gal buckets get a roofers mop to apply it with. Works 10 times better than a roller or brush. Also keep your feet on the seams when walking the roof, thats were the rafters are. And try not to fall down in the wet roofing. It will flat ruin a set of clothes (the voice of experience talking). Congrats on your degree and a HAPPY NEW YEAR to you. Swamprat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montea6b Posted December 30, 2005 Report Share Posted December 30, 2005 Ah, the trailer life... I rented one in a North Carolina trailer park for a while when I was in the USMC in the mid '80s. Barracks life was getting old and I wanted to get off base where I would not be inspected once a week and could keep beer in the fridge. 10 years ago I had a 1967 Marlette 12x37 on my 2.5 acres on Whidbey Island. Cost me $6500, and I joked that I could have two houses for the $13,000 that my Toyota truck had cost me the year before! Reminiscing here because today is my 10 year anniversary and the Mrs and I were just talking this morning over coffee how the house and property, (and our lives) have changed. 9 years ago next week I was leading my 9 months pregnant wife across a rain slicked 2x8 crossing a muddy ditch for the septic line at 0400 in the morning on the way to becoming a father for the first time. We now have a pretty nice home, but I'm dealing with the prospect of having to move as the Navy will be booting me out the door on March 1st. Now I'm really rambling... Anyhow Jim, congrats on finishing the degree! I had you pegged for a soldier at Ft Lewis, was that on your old profile? Did you get out for college and get smart? That's what I did, although "getting smart" is debatable! Do I understand that you are waiting on word that you're accepted, or that you've been accepted and are just waiting on additional paperwork? Best of luck in either case! The USAF is a good outfit. Are you looking to get into flight training? Drop me a PM if you are ever headed to a WAC show in Puyallup. Maybe you, me, and RGRWJB can all meet for coffee. First round's on me! Have a safe and Happy New Year, and keep us all posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimro Posted December 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2005 My 8 year contract with the Army ran up in October, so I'm a civilian until I can get that contract signed, just waiting on my school for paperwork. The only time I spent up at Ft. Lewis was for deployment and the occasional FTX for my reserve unit. The funny thing is that now I have a degree, but I sure don't feel smarter. So far the only thing I've done with my education is get my Dad to switch from expensive proton pump inhibitor medication (Protonix) to generic prilosec, which made his wallet and insurance company happy. Gotta love all those uses for a biochem degree. On the other side I'm in great shape to become a pharmacist if I want to go that route. But right now I'm sick of school and ready to go back to work. There are a couple jobs in the Air Force that I'm interested in, Air Commando, Chopper pilot, AF Security, AF Signal (best satellite equipment in the military), so hopefully they will have a job for me. So far the recruiters have said plenty, but I'm not going to count on it until I've signed something. Of course they can't give me a contract until I get that paperwork from school, which opens up again on the 7th....So please keep me and the wife in your prayers for getting into the AF without too much fuss, the recruiters told me that it'll go smooth, but I've been told that before.... Jimro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlunity Posted December 31, 2005 Report Share Posted December 31, 2005 Outstanding Jimro It takes a lot to get the ole sheepskin. Don't worry about the trailer, at one point the Hippy and I would have been very happy to have one ! Good luck with the AF, but if things don't go as they should, try being a science teacher. The jobs are not hard to get with a degree in science and the job is interesting. Karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimro Posted December 31, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2005 Karl, I plan on teaching after I retire from the military, since income wouldn't be a problem it would be a way to sort of pay back the good math and science teachers I had in high school. Just need to find a nice rural school in the middle of nowhere, kinda like I went to. It may be a pie in the sky dream to see kids excited about math, I know it was difficult for me to wrap my head around at the time, but it paid off big in real world applications. Jimro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoedoh Posted December 31, 2005 Report Share Posted December 31, 2005 Double good on you if you can make kids excited about math Jim! I wish my math teachers could have found a way to get me excited about learning algebra. 6.5 years of it (in various forms) and I still struggle with it. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brithunter Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 Hi All, Well I'll be darned as I sit and write this I am ina 30x10ft trailer just outside my parents bungalow. Have been here since June. The guns are in the bungalow and I have riged up a way of doing some reloading in the trailor until I can get a shed built sometime this year finances permitting. The biggest thing just now is the amount of propane gas I am gettign throuhg heating this place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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