The concrete was supposed to cure for four or five days, but in three days the movers showed up with the first half. They pulled in the wrong way and I had to send their semi with half a house down to the fire station where they could turn around and pull in the right way. The living room windows had to face north where the view was spectacular, and the other end of the house is windowless to face south, keeping it cooler. This thing was designed to be at a lake or vacation property, perfect for our site. By noon they showed up with the other half and left them both "rough set" (or parked) close to where they would be set up. It was very strange to have a big house all of a sudden. Bush still hadn't sent anyone to help the Katrina victims, but the reporters were at the Superdome, interviewing panicked folks. Funny how reporters got in, but not any federal emergency response. I will always associate getting my house with Katrina victims losing theirs.
By mid September, the movers came back and "married" the halves, hooked up the plumbing, and tied it down to the foundation. The next hurdle was digging a trench for the power conduit through what seemed like solid rock. Clacy came out to inspect, and told me I had to put in a retaining wall, or we'd have a collapse next to the house. Not a problem. I picked up rocks and boulders and Steve and I had it done in two days, a perfect fieldstone retaining wall. Clacy was impressed and I had new callouses. The electricians got the power on, Clacy hooked up the septic line, and started to work on the skirting. Steve was busy doing the refinance so we could pay all these contractors, which were charging us plenty. Mobile homes are weird for finance. There's only one insurance company for them, and only certain ones qualify for lending. Luckily our 1979 Guerden Stattler did. Daryl came and built a "bridge" over the "moat", and we were moving in! Another friend, Chris, who was moving away stayed with us a few days and removed the front door and entryway, leaving the living room much bigger and nicer, and we weren't going to use that door anyway. He rigged up a temporary back porch with lumber and stairs from the old decks, left his pickup truck and Jag XJS with us, and I took him to the airport.
I tore out the shag carpets and the bare floors underneath were a hideous patchwork of chipboard and linoleum. Steve wrassled the huge chunks of carpet and padding into the van and took it all away to the dump. I painted the paneling with light colored latex, and painted the kitchen and bathrooms with oil base. It turned out great, and the dark interior became light and bright. We moved all the furniture in from the garage, couch, lazy boys, TV, stereo, bed, the whole enchilada. It was exhausting and my back was killing me. Daryl and Steve installed the woodstove and chimney next, and then Daryl built the back porch.
We were ready for inspection, to finish the loan process. But the skirting wasn't on yet, just the frame, so we again waited for Clacy. My Dad brought my Mom, old and frail, for me to take care of while he went to his ship's reunion in San Diego. Dad served in the Navy in WWII on the USS Collingsworth, a troop carrier that delivered Marines to fight in the Pacific. He was gone for a week, and Mom slept on the hide a bed in the living room sofa. Unfortunately, a hobo spider did too.
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