Atfore

A downside to the amazing new bathroom is that we must move the water heater from port to starboard, as it were. Bath v2.0 places the toilet smack dab in the site of the current water heater. So, what to do? Easy, move it. This is from the same woman who insists on the floating kitchen counter.

Step 1: Find a water heater

That was the easy part. There were a couple of posts in various Airstream forums indicating that the Atwood 6 gallon water heater was a pretty good replacement for the the Bowen. The dimensions were a bit off but not by much. Most importantly, they have an electronic ignition model. No more singed eyebrows from relighting crufty old pilot lights!

The real issue was that the early Bowen water heaters have a cover that approaches art. The aluminum is formed to create this perfect sculpture.

The Atwood, on the other hand, had a completely unremarkable stamp-metal mass produced cover. Ick, not on my Airstream! The challenge: to both find the heater and figure out how to retrofit the perfect cover.

But first…The demolition!

Utica reservoir.

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This is where we have been coming as a group of family and friends for close to 15 years. The lake was covered with snow on my first trip to Utica. My son wandered off in search of a missing dog. We found him crouched under a log, crying that the dog ( a husky) had ‘gone back to the wolves’.

Since then, we spend summer evenings on the rocks sipping vodka tonics with friends. Evenings in the Airstreams playing cards or debating the political future of the country.

I may have just returned, but its time to go back.