Joshua Tree Dreamin'

Now that my kitchen project is almost done, my brain is buzzing with excitement for my next project, which is to re-do my '72 Winnebago Brave!  Back in 2016, just before taking her down the west coast on my Wildbride Retreat tour, I did a super quick reno on it, putting in new flooring, painting most of the walls white and yellow (I had planned on doing wallpaper on the other ones but didn't get it in time before I had to leave), painting the cabinets white, and ripping off the naugahyde on the dash.  I installed the copper pipe curtain rods and made the little white curtains with faux leather hang tabs, and did another copper pipe along the back window to hold books and things in place while we were driving.  It was a fast project, but it really changed how it looked, even though I never actually got around to finishing all the things I wanted to do.  

Fast forward two years and I would love to finally complete this project! 

• I think I'm going to rip out the floors I put in because there are some uneven spots in the subfloor that need to be fixed, and I want to put in a lighter wood. 
• I'm thinking of taking out the upper cabinets above the kitchen sink and stove (that account for quite a bit of storage, so I'm a little hesitant but I know it will open up the space significantly and make it feel way bigger, which is a big deal when it's a 20 ft RV. 
• I'd also love to actually reupholster the bench seats.  So far I've just been "slip-covering" them with blankets and fabric. Having a kid now, I'd like to get some kind of faux caramel leather that's easy to clean and wipe down.
• I'd like to finish the dash and maybe pull up the 70's carpet that's under the driver's and passenger seat up front and replace it with something different.
• I removed one section of the accordion pull down bed in the rear and turned into storage space, so I want to make that work a little better for storage, especially if we remove the upper cabinets in the kitchen.
• And I might replace the table for something more pretty.  

I'm hoping to get out of dodge here in the dead of winter because I do not do well in the grey, wet winters here in the PNW.  Dan's parents live in Joshua Tree, CA and I adore it there, So my goal is to get this ol' girl up and running (well, figuratively speaking, her engine runs fine... for now, fingers crossed!  She is old!) and head down there for an extended period of time.  By then I think Jack will be old enough that he'd have fun playing around on the rocks in Joshua Tree National Park, and of course his grandparents would love to spend time with him too.  And I get some much needed Vitamin D!  So many wins!

And speaking of National Parks, Parks Project sent me this cute Joshua Tree tee and bandana and hat (and a delicious pine scented candle too)!  I couldn't resist putting the bandana on Jack and Dusty.  Having spent lots of time enjoying the beauty of so many of our national parks on multiple RV trips, I'm a big fan of any company that is actively working to protect our national parks and protected natural landscapes here in the US.