Dateline: Sunday, Our Living Room
We’ve just returned from ANOTHER birthday party.
Ella just turned 2, and she had her party at Priest Point Park. So many directions to run! So much food! Orion fell backwards off a picnic bench, but he’s okay. Now he’s crashed out. Trish has joined him.
I wake her up and try to negotiate a plan. How about that painting? Maybe we can finish by the time the nap is over. During the week won’t work.
Pretty soon, she’s caught her second wind and is resigned to heading back into the fray to purchase all the supplies.
It’s only two walls and one thin edge, and we estimate a gallon and a pint. It turns out to be WAY more than we need, but let’s not jump ahead too much.
While she’s at Ace hardware I start taping off the ceiling and adjoining walls. Then I get the bright idea to call Philosobitch. He’s just the kind of perfectionist that can help this project along.
We get the first coat done with time and paint to spare. I realize that on a design show, they’d paint some other objects to match and TIE IT ALL TOGETHER. My eye casts all around, and we agree that an old tin-lined trunk is the best candidate.
I purchased this trunk in ’93 in Ann Arbor at a garage sale for $2. It had been through WWII, I think.
It was painted olive drab and had a number of old travel stickers on it. At one point in college I had dabbled a small amount of paint on it, but not enough to really jazz it into new life. I was protective of the old stickers. Not so today.
Lately, it’s been storing: my WLHS yearbooks, Round Table napkin cartoons, my SLR camera and gear, assorted notebooks, and various treasures I rarely need to see. It’s a hassle to get into because it’s also been the subterrarium for Blue’s (the turtle’s) tank.
Furthermore, it’s been an eyesore because it’s been resting ON TOP of mismatched plastic milk crates. To improve the look (I thought), I draped a green vinyl table cloth over the whole deal. Trish would just as soon get rid of the table cloth.
So there we were. The sun was shining. The son was sleeping. The paint was drying. I sprung into action.
Okay, paint this bad boy Sunny Side Up! I paint the whole thing including all the brass hardware except the lock clasps. I even paint the leather handles. Why not?
As it progresses I start thinking: Magic School Bus. This thing needs wheels now more than ever.
Flashback 6 years ~ Philosobitch finds a few sets of casters in the Evergreen dumpster and thinks they’d be perfect for this trunk. They never get mounted. There’s two H’s with 4 heavy duty casters each. Each H has two bolts coming out of the top. The trick is to drill through the wood and tin lining and bolt them on.
Trish bought me a drill for X-mas, and Philosobitch is here to advise. Within a few moments the trunk is on wheels!
In the not too distant future I’ll add a School Bus design.
