Upgrading the winter campsite has been an ongoing event that began in October with all the major components in place in late May. The plan started out with a reasonably short list of things to do that make life more comfortable while in camp over the winter.

The first addition was the shed. Just about all the annual lease lots have a shed of one type or other for storage and hobby space. We chose a 10×10 wood shed with two windows and double doors which was delivered and assembled 11/26. The shed was bare bones and needed some dressing up to be functional for Peg and I. Through December I painted the floor, installed shelves, with Dee’s help installed a 30 amp breaker box with two circuits and plenty of outlets, built a workbench, installed a solar powered vent fan and had the Dish people mount a receiver antenna. The shed has turned out very nicely.

While waiting for the shed to arrive gave me time to order a Weber grill. Some assembly required. The new grill stays in place and the Q will return to the traveling role it has had all along. Of course the new grill could not sit on the desert gravel which lead to the big paver project.

The big paver project started out like all good diy projects. A simple 3×5 pad for the grill placed at the back end of the existing pad. This was the spot the Q was in so it was natural to locate the new grill there. Actually the existing pad is seven pavers wide. Immediately the work grew from 15 pavers to 21. You see where this is going, right?

The pad installation went pretty well, hard work with quite a few learning steps however the completed project looked good. The problem that occurred was the grill was really too big for this area and after some discussion it was decided it would be better placed at the back side of the Montana where the living room slide out ends. Of course, this spot needed pavers. And who wants to walk on desert gravel to get to the grill? Why not create a walkway that goes all the way to the end of the Montana then add the pad for the grill? Well the upshot is that more and more pavers were added until we had boxed in the shed spot and paved toward the street 4 feet. It did end up well. The grill is good and after the shed was built I installed led lights on the shed to brighten the area. All the pavers in front of the shed made a good spot for the patio table and chairs. So the great paver project came to a hard won conclusion.

Then came Scout’s knee injury and subsequent surgery. As a bonus, Covid-19 blossomed up. All this caused our travel plans to change. Stay at home time led to creative thinking and as Scout was recovering there was time to work on doing next season’s project. Peg and I had kicked around putting up a gazebo. As luck would have it, Costco put them on sale a few weeks ago and it seemed time to go ahead.

Naturally, the Gazebo had to be well anchored to the ground due to the winds we get here. There was just enough room for a 10×10 gazebo in front of the shed. We framed the perimeter with 4×4 pressure treated lumber level with the existing pad filling the interior with pavers which looks really good. The gazebo arrived Wednesday and Thursday was assembly day. I was very fortunate to have the help of Jeff from across the street, Dee, Payton and Peg in erecting the gazebo. Jeff, Dee and Payton did incredible work and I am forever in their debt. Thanks.

While there are still some little things to do we are done for this extended season. Scout gets his release from the surgeon and we will heading out of the heat quickly thereafter. The images attached show an empty lot similar to where we started from in October then a few images of the winter camp as it is today.

Enjoy.