Thursday, July 24, 2014

Spray Hose Mod - 07/24/14

Thursday – July 24, 2014
Spray Hose Mod
Chicago, Illinois

My project for today is to replace the faucet and spray hose on the outside shower on the Casita Travel Trailer. We use the outside shower frequently while camping. The problem is the sprayer hose is too long, making it difficult to fit back into the spray-port outlet box.

My solution is to replace the Casita supplied faucet with a Phoenix P1404M-55QCI White 4" Replacement Two-Handle Spray Away Faucet and replace the 60" hose with a Phoenix 9342N40 White 40" Nylon Hose. A Phoenix 9-SA-PT-ADPT Quick Connect Adapter screws on to one end of the hose.

This project is completed in short order. The sprayer hose now fits quite nicely inside the spray-port outlet box.

Tomorrow another adventure begins.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Geneva, Illinois - 07/18/14

Friday – July 18, 2014
Geneva, Illinois

We awoke to the robins communicating with one another through their rich and warbling songs. They are one of the first bird species to begin singing in the morning. Soon, they were followed by the cardinals high-pitch whistle, welcoming us to the beginning of another beautiful day. The bright sunlight reflected off of the morning dew still clinging to the blades of grass carpeting our back yard, creating the illusion of tiny dots of blinking lights. Thus begins our day of exploration.

We began our day in Geneva, Illinois. This is one of our favorite places to visit. Geneva holds a special place in our hearts: we got married in the historic Third Street Courthouse thirty-five years ago. Sharon and I have been on a magical ride together ever since. The courthouse is open to the public and an interesting place to visit.

Geneva Courthouse

Geneva has several historic residences that were built in the nineteenth century. Some of them have been converted to unique shops and restaurants that are showcased on Third Street. Visitors also frequent the multi-faceted business district on State Street.

Historic Homes

Our first stop was to Soup to Nuts, a health food store, located on State Street. We were there to purchase Crio Bru, a brewed drink made from 100% premium cocoa beans. It is sold in a variety of blends in 12-ounce packages. We saw Crio Bru featured on one of the Shark Tank show segments and were intrigued enough to give it a taste test. A Google search showed Soup to Nuts as a distributor of Crio Bru. We purchased the Cavalla and Coca River blends.

Next, we took a tour down memory lane through the Third Street Courthouse. Not much has changed since we got married there 35 years ago, except for the security check station visitors must now pass through to gain entry to the building. A sad reminder of how the world has changed since the catastrophic terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001.

We continued our tour of Third Street, enjoying the view of the magnificent historic structures adorning both sides of the street, sheltered from the sunlight by massive oak trees. Window shoppers were also enjoying the day as they strolled leisurely through the boutique shops, seeking hidden treasures to purchase.

Third Street

We had a late lunch at Chianti's Restaurant on Third Street. This has been one of our favorites for the past twenty years or so. Sharon had the Barbecue Shrimp & Pasta and I had the Linguini with White Clam Sauce. The Barbecue Shrimp dish is quite spicy hot. The wait staff use to warn patrons that ordered this dish that it was EXTREMELY spicy hot. The wait staff no longer warns patrons, since the spiciness has been toned down, but Sharon still enjoyed it. Back in the extremely spicy days, I tried the dish once and that was it for me! I enjoy spicy dishes, but that one was way beyond my spicy threshold.

Chianti's Restaurant

We saunter back onto Third Street to walk off our lunch, only to be lured into Graham's Chocolates. Yep, we sure can’t depart Geneva without dessert! Graham’s is located in one of those magnificent historic homes. They serve a large selection of homemade chocolates and some amazing homemade ice cream. We each purchased an ice cream cone and some chocolates and settled into one of the many large wooden chairs located in front of the home to finish off our treats. We were so comfortable there, shaded from the sunlight form the massive oak trees surrounding us, just people watching and enjoying each other’s company. A fitting end to a wonderful day.

Graham's Chocolates

Tomorrow another adventure begins.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Wet Bath - 07/08/14

Friday – July 11, 2014
Wet Bath
Chicago, Illinois

We have a wet bath in our Casita Travel Trailer, which we find fits our camping lifestyle quite nicely. It is quite small, but is very functional and easy to maintain. We enjoy the larger shower space because it encompasses the entire bathroom, which provides us with more freedom of movement while taking a shower.

Wet baths have a smaller footprint compared to dry baths. This feature allows Casita to offer additional counter space and storage cabinets in their trailers.

We keep a small squeegee in the wet bath. After showering, we use the squeegee and a microfiber towel to finish drying off the bathroom. This cleaning process, combined with an overhead 12-volt power vent fan, helps to clean the wet bath dry.

Mildew or mold can sometimes become a problem in wet baths when camping in high humidity weather conditions. We discovered a product that eliminates that problem: its called Concrobium Mold Control. It eliminates and prevents mold with no bleach or harmful chemicals. The product works as it dries on moldy surfaces, creating an antimicrobial shield that crushes mold spores and remains on the surface to prevent future mold growth. You merely clean your wet bath, then spray this product on the surfaces that are subject to retain moisture and the problem is solved!

We discarded the cheap, plastic shower curtain that came with our Casita and replaced it with a water-resistant fabric shower curtain.

We use Dri-Dek Nonslip Shower Surfaceon our shower floor to facilitate the drying process. It is self-draining with interlocking panels that provide a ventilated surface to promote air circulation and eliminate trapped moisture. We use the 12" x 12" panels and trim them for a custom fit.

We hope this information is helpful to other campers.

Tomorrow another adventure begins!