April 23  through April 29, 2004

Friday April 23:

A thunderstorm came up after midnight in Canal Campground; I went out to disconnect the electricity. Since the forecast was possible severe thunderstorms, I see no need to replace all our electrical appliances due to damage from a nearby lightning strike!  We do not usually have electricity over night, and do not need it now.  The temperature under the RV at 6AM is 57 degrees.  I brew coffee in the stovetop percolator; we had counted on electricity in the morning and had not brewed any last night.  I'm not going out in the rain to connect it!  Today we move back to Paducah, and will probably do the buffet at Ryans that we skipped while passing through last time.  Tomorrow we plan to see the final day of the quilting show; it's been the big local splash on the TV news here, with emphasis on the amount of BUSINESS it generates locally...  :-)  We depart the campground near the 3PM checkout time, and when we arrive at Peducah's Walmart the sky is threatening....  Claire chooses to cook dinner and save Ryan's for tomorrow night after the quilt show. We hear forecasts of possible severe weather coming in the next day or two....

Saturday April 24:

The day dawns cloudy, and we move out towards the quilt show by driving across the street to the large mall and parking as close as acceptable to the free shuttle bus stop for the convention  center down town.  The town is full of folks visiting for the quilt show, mostly ladies, and many with shopping bags bulging as they stock up on quilting supplies.  On the standing room only bus, we hear of one group being forced to take a hotel in Missouri an hour away as the best option available; we do not mention the Walmart parking lot to them...  :-)  We are soon at the show, and after paying $8 admission each are inside the main room, looking at an amazing array of beautiful quilts hung for display; these are not ordinary bed coverings, they are works of art intended for display!  This prize winner from Illinois is justifiably proud of her effort.

It's called "Lone Star Rising", and although its creator is quite willing to talk about it, I do not know what questions to ask.... later I see from the show book that it is hand quilted, with the center scene an original design, and an adaptation of someone else's design around the border. She took second place in the first time entering category, and won a $1000 prize.  I am later made aware of the many varied techniques quilters use to fabricate their art, from traditional sewn together pieces of solid color cloth, sewn together pieces of purchased cloth with imprinted decorative patterns, cloth painted with images before sewing, even specially treated cloth printed with photographs using ordinary computer ink jet printers.  Many quilts use a combination of these techniques, and then there are machine stitched quilts and hand sewn quilts too....way too many categories for me to keep straight.  It is clear that this is an avocation shared by a great many people, with an industry supplying them, and folks making a living instructing others how to do various techniques, and also those making quilts for sale..... there are both professional and amateur categories at the show, with prizes for both.  One professional prize winner that caught my eye is this one by a French quilter....

 According to an apparently knowledgeable show visitor wearing an identifying lapel badge that I asked, the image is hand painted on cloth, then machine stitched. The back of the quilt is also artistic, and quite revealing of the techniques used. A close up sample of the detailed work is shown below. 

The grey background outside the image is filled with close together squiggly lines of machine stitching following the quilter's "rule" that no stitch lines may cross....  The image from the front is outlined by the choice of bobbin thread color from the front outline stitching.  The whitish bird features may be pieced in or painted....not my area of expertise...  :-)  Another quilt by the same artist teamed with her quilter husband is also attractive....

The Gulls are hand painted, the rest machine quilted.  This use of fabric paints opens up areas of art similar to painting on canvas, and many elaborate quilts show this similarity.  This one is done by an Oregon lady.

The faces are painted, the trek, map and dwellings are appliqued, and it is machine quilted.  In contrast with the many complex images on display, this simple whole cloth all white quilt with silk embroidery won the $12,000 excellence in workmanship prize for the best hand sewn quilt in the show.

I am flabbergasted that someone could hand sew that many stitches with white thread on white cloth and not go blind.....   It's called "Victorian Elegance".  I had to look it up in the book later; perhaps my eyes were dazzled just looking?  :-)  We had the opportunity to vote for our favorite show quilt.  Claire picked this one, as one she might buy if the price were affordable...

It is called "Shadowed Poppies", and is appliqued, pieced and embroidered by a North Carolina lady. It has interesting puffy raised flowers that do not show well in the picture.  Since it is entered in the professional category,  I suspect it is NOT affordable by my sense of affordability.  :-)    I was so bewildered by the many lovely creations I could not pick one favorite...yes, I liked some better than others, but to pick ONE ....I feel for the judges!!  This is their choice for best of show.

It was created by Linda Roy, a doctor from Pittsfield, MA who took over a year to do it as a way of relaxing from the stress of her work.  The prize money is $20,000 which includes purchase of the quilt for the quilter's museum.  Vendors are a big part of this show, displaying equipment for demonstration and supplies for sale.  I am intrigued by the HUGE special purpose sewing machines designed for quilters.

This one is eight feet wide, has rollers to hold the layers of front cloth, back cloth and batting all properly layered and rolled so any part can be worked on by the computer controlled sewing head that is pulled effortlessly over the work, with stitch control that keeps the stitch the same length no matter how fast the sewing head is moved...oh, and it costs over $16,000.  Yes, I asked, and I tried it!   :-)  It really does move effortlessly in any direction, sewing as you go.  I am uninspired to create any works of art, however.....and I shudder to think about keeping such a machine going well, considering the trouble we have getting our old Singer to sew a torn work pants seam without bunching the bobbin thread or tearing the top thread.  I ask, and there are templates a pointer can follow for repetitive regular patterns of stitching, but these machines are not designed to be programmed to do a whole pattern automatically.  I guess that would take the "art" out of it.....  There are smaller machines designed to follow pre-programmed embroidery patterns on smaller pieces of cloth....

These look as lot like regular sewing machines, until you notice the long motor driven base plate and $6000 price tag.  This one has internal computer controls, numerous built in programs for different embroidery patterns, and can also accept programs purchased or downloaded from the Internet to create different embroidered works.   Whew...  :-)  Of course there are the supply vendors too.

What better way to advertise at a quilt show than with a quilt sign?  :-)  We've had about as much fun as two geezers can have in one day, so head back to the RV.  The bus stops at many quilting stores on the way, and folks get on with bulging shopping bags and faces glowing with enthusiasm. This really does seem to be the big fling of the year for many of these ladies; it's a chance to follow their vision and enjoy their passion on a big trip away from home.  Some are exhausted too...like the lady who dropped a roll of greenbacks on the floor of the bus as she departed, but was quickly called back to laboriously bend over to pick it up.  We return to the RV, deciding to go to Ryans at 4PM when we expect it to open.  It is already quite full when we arrive, but we get seated quickly.  The food is good, and PLENTIFUL.  Predictably we eat WAY too much....  Some of the Cajun influence we enjoyed in Texas is not here, but this food is definitely southern; I enjoy the fried shrimp and okra, Claire goes for the steak.  We return to the RV and hear about a tornado watch here, warnings further west in MO, some damage on the ground there.  We decide to go across to Walmart for the night before we must do it in rain.  We select a parking place closer to the store than normal, and decide that our safe area is the Walmart restroom unless we get other guidance from store employees.  It looks as though the storms are weakening as they move east, but the rain is still heavy with strong winds.  The shower leaks again; that's GOTTA be fixed, and soon!  :-(

Sunday April 25:

We decide to go back to Canal Campground, as their written rules do not prohibit washing of vehicles nor vehicle maintenance, and we saw someone washing his trailer there on our last visit.  The fastest route is via I-24, and we get a good view of the down river side of Kentucky Dam.

This dam forms Kentucky lake from the backed up waters of the Tennessee River, and the lock on the left allows vessels to pass along the Tennessee river to and from the Ohio river that it joins about 20 miles away.  A short but wide unlocked canal  connects Kentucky Lake to Lake Barkley, formed from the dammed up waters of the Cumberland River.  Thus both lakes are at the same water level, and barge traffic passes between them.  There are numerous bulk cargo terminals near the dam, with rail lines and piles of various sizes of crushed stone, and bituminous coal awaiting transfer to appropriate transport vehicles.  Canal campground is on the north side of the canal, at the east end, and we can see barges passing close to the little cove we look out on.  We intend to ask on the way in whether our planned activities are OK, but there is nobody in the gatehouse when we arrive after 5PM, and I expect there will be nobody here until 1PM Monday.  We took the same site we had two days ago, and found fewer folks here....   That is fewer to complain!  :-)

Monday April 26:

We found the gate house closed until 1:00PM, and decided to "just do it";  wash the roof seams using 20 mule team borax in water, rinsing with our hose connected to the campsite water faucet, preparatory to re-sealing all the seams . I first brushed the seams with a soft bristle brush with the borax, and lots of dirt came off. I then found that the seams cleaned better when scrubbed hard with a towel rag using hard fingertip pressure on blackened seams. Most heavy black dirt came off, some stubborn dark stain remained. After trying, I decided not to rub that stain with mineral spirits on a rag; the mineral spirits dissolved the top layer of the old sealer and removed the stain, but I am not pleased with the thought of mineral spirits getting on the rubber roof.... EDPM rubber deteriorates rapidly when contacted by petroleum oils or grease.   After rinsing the rubbed seams with the hose as I worked, I then brushed the whole roof with borax solution and rinsed.  Campground officials had no complaint as they came around monitoring for site occupancy; they waved cheerfully at me on the roof with the hose.  :-) Claire paid for three nights shortly after 1PM.  This proved to be an exhausting day.  Work did not end until near dusk, but I wanted all washing finished so it could dry overnight and be ready for sealing tomorrow.

Tuesday April 27:

I awoke VERY late; Claire and Purry were already outside for a morning walk.  Today is sealing day, and I must confess to some anxiety as I contemplate in the back of my mind the possibility of a two part mix job gone bad.....  it could be quite a mess if it does not cure, or is not easily manageable and drips all over the RV after I apply it.  The material, which came highly recommended by knowledgeable folks on the Internet RV newsgroups, is Proguard Liquid Roof, around $75 a gallon kit delivered from www.ProGuardCoatings.com . It comes in a gallon paint can with a cylindrical plastic bottle of hardener.  I vacillated between mixing up one or two quarts at once, and carefully marked the hardener bottle in 1/4 contents increments using a tape measure; the level of the liquid could be seen through the translucent bottle wall by shining a flashlight through it. I stirred the paint can contents with an electric drill and the kit provided stirrer.  Seeing how thick the rubber material in the paint can was, and the difficulty of obtaining an accurate level measurement in the can by dipsticking it with a coat hanger (it takes a LONG time for it to level in the can to get a good measurement), then measuring the depth with a tape measure, I decided to mix up 2 qts (half the gallon can).  There will be less percentage measurement inaccuracy using a larger amount.  After initial stirring, we then poured half (a bit less it turns out after it settles) into a 3 lb coffee can.  A bit less than half the catalyst goes in while Claire runs the stirrer, then at least three minutes of mixing is needed to assure a uniform distribution of catalyst.   Gosh, this stuff is THICK, almost a goo!  Up to the roof for a trial; the material spreads well, but is VERY thick; almost must be "shoveled" on with the natural bristle brush, and "pushed" around on the surface to cover both sides of the seal joint, encapsulating the old sealant.  The stiffness of natural bristle is necessary for this job. The material is extremely sticky; it sticks thickly to everything it touches, and EXTREME care must be used to keep it from contaminating everything you work with. If you accidently contact it, CLEAN IT UP IMMEDIATELY or it will be everywhere!  I'm happy we bought the kit for $5 extra; the stirring device sent with it is ideal, much better than the bent welding rod I would have used.  I also would not have thought of the natural bristle brush had one not been sent.  I bought two more natural bristle "chip" brushes at Walmart for under $1 each.  I expected to throw them out, but the tools all cleaned well in mineral spirits.  The material is said to keep refrigerated or frozen for weeks after mixing, as it does not cure under 55 degrees F.  I misinterpreted the directions, expecting about 7 hours pot life; this is my fault, as the directions said clearly but obscurely that working time is 4 to 6 hours depending on temperature. The temperature this day is ideal, mid 70's, sunny and low humidity.  After 4 hours the material was noticeably thicker and harder to apply, so I then put a significant amount in a glass jar with good sealing top and froze it.  I was able to finish without using the frozen material, but did hurry application at the end, and did not take the time to cover the stained molding at the side roof seam as well as I would have liked on the passenger side.  In retrospect I would freeze half the material right after mixing, plan on 3 hour pot life, and not have to rush at the end.  This material is bright white and covers dark stains completely, although you MUST pick your weather carefully; preparation instructions do call for surface to be clean, dirt free, and dry, with at least 10 hours over 50 degrees before any rain. The finished job looks VERY nice in comparison to the Pro Shield caulking gun product I used to seal a leak in Florida!  

This picture shows the horns on the drivers side front corner of the roof, which had been sealed with the caulking tube product a month or so ago, then covered over with the new product. The new product has cured for two days.  You can see the product levels nicely, and does not run freely like paint. It sticks to the brush after initial drips stop, and drips as you work should be few with careful application; these can be cleaned with mineral spirits if found within a few days.  One caution; leaves, insects....ANYTHING flying in the breeze will stick to this stuff like glue, and in our well tree shaded campsite, these did in places!   Late in the evening we decided to stay here another day to give the material more time to cure before driving with it, especially as the temperature is expected to go below 50 tonight.  I welcome the opportunity to give my geezer body time to recover too...  :-)  

Wednesday April 28:

The temperature was below 50 since 10:30 PM last night as measured outside with the remote reading thermometer.  It is 45 at 6AM.  Arose late and went on roof  [we do not seem to recover from two days of hard labor like we used to :-) ]. The material seems to adhere well to all surfaces, even in the partially cured state.  We tried removing tree detritus stuck to the material, and it tore the partially cured membrane, so we decided to leave the stuff to rot out....

We'll see how that works out, but not much of the dirt can be seen from below, so who really cares. We have not gotten any complaints from the birds yet.  :-)  Perhaps a touch up after complete cure using the frozen material will be the answer....IF we get the right weather at the right time in the next two weeks.  Otherwise we do expect completely water tight, if somewhat leaf covered, seams, and the liquid roof has a 15 year service life guarantee.  I'll take that!  I'll also take this day of mainly REST!

Thursday April 29:

It was warm last night, 61 under the RV at 6:30 AM, so I expect the roof is much better cured today.  We will leave near 3PM today to allow cure to progress as much as possible.  The way it adhered yesterday, there should be no problem.  The membrane tore before it became detached from the surface, and it is VERY rubbery, so should allow for flexing of the coach while in motion.  I'm happy!  This is a good product for the purpose.  Today we leave here, and must now decide WHERE to spend tonight...  :-)  We decided to go to Elizabethtown 155 miles away, and to change oil here before we go. Checkout time is 3PM, and that leaves us enough time to do it and shower afterward too.  :-) It is better to change 200 miles early than to find another place, then lie under the RV in a truck parking place trying to do it....  :-(   Claire did another load of laundry while we waited, too. We passed into eastern time on the way to Elizabethtown, and drove off of the mapsource data in the GPS too.  THAT must be taken care of before we go again!  We arrived way before dark, even though it was after 7PM local time.  Dinner was squash soup with lamb, prepared before we left the campground (using THEIR electricity), and I was ready for early bed afterwards.  It was not yet dark, but this has been a FULL day.  The Walmart lot is not quiet; Elizabethtown is another small town loud muffler place.  :-)  Around dusk a semi cozies up to us, sticking out of the marked parking slots fore and aft into the driving lanes, and leaves his engine run.  :-((  If this persists we must move.  In an hour he moved to park lengthwise 100 feet from us, and his engine noise is tolerable.  I'm not sure if Walmart security asked him to move, or he just found space open to do so.

PLANS: See end of next week's log.