Robert and I aren’t huge TV watchers, especially when we moved into our Alfa. Our motor coach came with four TVs: one in the basement, one above the driver’s seat, one in the galley, and one in the bedroom. Since our Alfa is a 2003, all the TVs are the old, heavy tube models. The first thing we did when we got our motor coach was remove the TV from the basement. We figured we would never want to watch TV outside because we want to enjoy outside without the distraction of TV.
Shortly after we moved in and became full-timers, the monster TV above the driver’s seat stopped working. We couldn’t figure out what was going on with it. Power was going to it, but it would not turn on. It seems as though it was simply worn out. We thought having TVs so close together, one in the front and a few steps away one in the galley, so we set our sights in converting the front TV space into storage.
In January, when we were in Missouri, Robert and my Dad worked on pulling that monster TV out of the front. Those things are bulky and HEAVY! We were so glad to deliver that monstrosity to the recycle center. Now we were left with a big hole, where we debated on how to build shelving. Since the opening is angled down and none of us are wonderful carpenters, we simply opted to add more insulation in the space and place bead board on the walls of the opening to have a more finished look. We could always add the shelves and any doors we wanted to later once we decided on a design. Right now we use the space to store our photography backpacks so they are easily accessible to grab and go on our day trips in the Jeep.
The galley TV is in a nice built-in box next to the kitchen cabinets. Ever since moving in, we have talked about getting a flat screen on an arm so that we have the flexibility of angling it any way we wanted. Besides, the speakers on the original 13 inch set were on the side and by having it in the built-in box, the sound was quite muffled. We set out to shop for a 22-24 inch replacement to serve as a “door” to the TV opening. We took our time in shopping, because as long as the little 13 inch set was working, we decided the replacement project wasn’t a huge priority.
We went to Marshfield, MO to visit Robert’s sister and her family in January. We met up at his brother-in-law’s Pawn Shop for our visit. He happened to have a 26-inch TV in the brand we were going to eventually buy. The set was practically new, with the original box and all the paperwork. The price was great. We thought it may be a bit big and interfere with opening our kitchen cabinet, but we went ahead and got it anyway. It turned out that the size was just fine. We were so glad that we waited, because we were much happier buying what we were looking for from a family shop, besides we got a little bigger set that worked out beautifully. Robert installed the arm and we use the space behind the TV for the DVD player and other storage. We were happy to deliver the 13-inch set to Goodwill. Now that the TV is “out of the box” so to speak, we can hear it so much better. I guess we enjoy having more storage more than having TVs clutter up our space.
As far as the bedroom TV, we have no plans for it at the moment. Since it is working fine and it’s wedged in a very specific holder just made for it, we’ll just keep it the way it is, at least for now. We only use antenna service to catch local channels if we get reception, but mostly we’ll watch movies to fall asleep by, so nothing fancy is really needed.
