We've now been on several outings in The Van, and the "bugs" are rising to the surface. But other than the latest bug, which is the need to add a second drain in the shower pan (which falls under the jurisdiction of Husband) ... I see them as opportunities. Another project! For a few more hours, or days, I have a purpose and a mission!
The shower drain issue first became evident when we were in Utah, boondocking* on a dirt road somewhere near the town of Toquerville. We were parked on a bit of a slant and the shower pan overflowed during my shower. A recessed shower pan in a van floor is a challenge because the total depth of the floor, including vinyl flooring, subfloor, and insulation, is about 1.75 inches thick. This translates to a very shallow shower pan, so level parking and efficient drainage are key.
Sometimes level parking, as much as we try, isn't always possible, so then fast and free-flowing drainage becomes even more important and our one little drain isn't quite up to the task. So Lucky Husband has a job. Yay ....? (Note: 2nd drain has since been added.)
I, on the other hand, LOVE projects (not to be confused with chores, which I dislike). I love designing, planning, executing, and admiring the results afterwards. Let me show you a few I've done since my last blog update, on my own, ofttimes using power tools.
Sun shades. No power tools this time ..... unless you count a sewing machine. I follow a YouTube video called "From She to Me", by Debbie who also travels in a van with her husband. Debbie is always doing little mods (modifications) to her van and is not the least bit intimidated by tools, mechanics, or pulling things apart and then putting them back together. Add to that, she cooks and sews. (I'm not sure what her husband does, other than hold the camera.) She made sun shades for her van so I made sun shades for my van. If Debbie can do it, I can too.
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| Held on by magnets |
I ordered the screening from sailrite.com (like Debbie did) and found the edging tape on Amazon. We had shades like these for our motorhome which kept some of the sunlight and heat from coming though the cab windows, which are not tinted like the other windows.
I also installed clips to hold our broom under the sofa, clips to hold the long-handled squeegee, and more clips to hold the wand that unfurls our ....... (drumroll) ...... awning! Yes! Here's the story .....
Months ago, Husband researched awnings and decided on a Thule model. We found it on Amazon and ordered it. A few days later, Amazon informed us it had shipped and gave a delivery date, but the shipping details were suspiciously vague. A few weeks later when that date arrived, Amazon emailed saying that it had NOT shipped and do we still want it?
Yes, we did.
Repeat the several-weeks-long process of vague shipment details, stated delivery date, and same inquiring email.
Finally we said No. Cancel order.
Husband contacted a dealer about 150 miles away who said they were getting the same runaround from Thule, so they had stopped selling that brand. (Note: I blame Covid. Thule, a Swedish company, has a good reputation for quality products.) This dealer did have Fiamma brand awnings which are very nice. Husband called them back and left a phone message saying we'd like one of their Fiammas.
A few hours after that phone call, a long box showed up on our driveway. Inside was a Thule awning. From Amazon.
We opened the box to discover it was a different Thule model, which comes with brackets that do not fit our van .... in fact, this particular model is not even sold in this hemisphere! I contacted Amazon to tell them that we did not order this awning. Their answer: We can keep it or dispose of it. No charge. (This is a $1200 awning.)
Now this would be a dilemma for anyone who doesn't have the resources to make custom mounting brackets. (Insert Brilliant Machinist Husband here. Ha!) So the end result is we have a beautiful awning that fits our van and the total cost was about $15. (score, score, SCORE!)
Back to my own little mods, which now pale after that last story.
I sleep on the side of the bed (in the van) that is against the back doors and needed a place to stick my phone, earbuds, and other necessities. So I designed and made a wooden, felt-lined box attached to a board that slides under the mattress. I call it my nightstand.
I pull it out when I change the bedding, then stick it back in.
Also, I made another wooden box/shelf for holding small items .... along with key hooks, which I attached to one of our cabinets.
Mind you, these involved:
1. a table saw
2. a power sander
3. clamps, and
4. a power drill
No help from Husband. In fact, he wasn't even home. (Probably golfing.) "I am woman, hear me roar ..."
I hung more hooks because we can never have enough. And husband completed the trim pieces inside.
All that's left before the van is deemed FINISHED are three outside lights. (Mods, by the way, do not count. May they live on forevermore.)
So back to those "bugs" .....
It would be an understatement to say the weather has been hot. As you may recall, we installed an evaporative cooler in the van ceiling. But apparently it requires not being parked in the blazing afternoon sun. A few days ago we had to park in an unfortunate shadeless position, with the rear of the van getting the full brunt. Husband, using one of those temperature-measuring laser gun thingies, (you point it at something and it tells you how hot it is.) measured the temp of the metal on the inside of our rear doors. 120 degrees! (Hmmm. I personally insulated those doors.) Anyway, too much for our little ceiling cooler. Soooooo, I'm now trying to design a way to shield portions of the van exterior (where the awning isn't) that may be exposed to a solar onslaught. (Note: We since purchased a second detachable and movable awning to cover in-the-hot-sun areas where the main awning doesn't reach.)
Another project! My sanity will happily endure yet another day.
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*Boondocking -- RV camping without plugging into electricity or hooking up to water. Being completely off-grid and self-contained.
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