Survived the holidays yet again ... and other residual ramblings

As a young mom, I was really good at doing Christmas.  I budgeted all year for the extra spending.  I usually started my gift planning around September, involving a secret, highly-guarded, constantly-updated list of gifts for our kids.  It was my job to keep it all balanced so that, when opening presents, no one ran out ahead of the others.  Sometimes Husband would spring a last minute gift-idea for one of the kids and I would scramble to provide something comparable for the others so it all remained *even*.  Plus there had to be a balance between the inevitable new sweater or socks .... and the fun stuff.  No one teaches these skills when you first decide to become a parent and many dads wouldn't have paid attention anyway.  

I shopped, decorated the house and tree, played the music, baked the cookies, planned the food, mailed the cards and letters, and wrapped mountains of packages.  Christmas was like a giant pageant with me as the director, producer, caterer, and set/costume designer.  And I loved it all because those wonderful and priceless childhood memories will always be our gift to our kids.  

But that phase of life ends.  

And here we are, alone in the desert.  

This year the realization hit that if we don't want to spend Christmas alone .... then we can no longer spend Christmas at home.  This is because all of our kids now have kids, and we engrained in them years ago, that a kid's Christmas is best at home.  So that's where they need to be, with their own tree and their own stuff and their own memory-making traditions.  We were the ones who chose to move away.  So we are the ones who now must do the traveling.  

Side Note:  One of the many motivations for building our van was to better enable foisting ourselves upon our adult-children by making our visits easier on everyone.  We can park in any of their driveways and sleep in our own bed.  (In #Vanlife, this is called "mooch-docking".)  It's a win-win for everyone .... assuming you like your relatives.  

That said ...... whoever decided to plunk Christmas right down into the dead of winter (instead of .... say .... balmy May or maybe June) wasn't thinking it through, because in our case, in every direction from our home, are mountain passes.  And that's where it tends to snow .... a lot ....  

Husband poo-poos my concerns.  Unlike me, he loves driving in snow.  Even better if everyone else would stay out of his way.  I must admit, so far we've had no issues driving through said passes.  A few concerns a time or two, but nothing scary.  He bought new beefy tires for our non-4WD van and on the chance we ever DID get stuck, we'd have plenty of heat, water, food, and all the comforts.  I think Husband would actually enjoy getting stuck for a while, just to show the world that we've GOT this.  We carry chains and a shovel (to appease me) but have rarely come close to needing either.  However, both this year and last, we had to cut our holiday visit a little short to get home ahead of incoming weather.  It is our new normal.  

But new normals aren't necessarily bad.  They're just different.  Christmas is easier than it used to be .... even when it snows.  And our kids are very welcoming and our grandkids are award-winningly delightful.  

Plus I don't need to make a list anymore.  Another win .... sort of.    

#vanlife

Last week we rolled in from our longest van trip to date.  Three weeks.  And I'm telling you ..... after three RVs .... namely: one small trailer, one monster motorhome, and one small toy hauler .... we have found IT.    Now, granted, if a person (or two persons to be exact) is planning to live full time on wheels for over two years ..... a monster motorhome is the way to go.  But we found we didn't necessarily like, for various reasons, living in one.  (Except those few weeks in Palm Springs were preeeettty sweet.)  

Husband was leery at first about spending too many consecutive days in a 23 foot van, fearing claustrophobia.  Learning our limits is still in progress.   

The trip:

We started out heading north into our neighboring state of Washington which does a bang-up job of islands, mountains, national parks, water, and ferries.  And although wildfires were still a-blazin', we managed to avoid most smoke .... at first.  

May I just say, if you have not been on a ferry going to the San Juan Islands of NW Washington, you are missing out.  We have done it more times on bicycles, which is MUCH cheaper than in a car.  This time we needed a reservation for the ferry and were left with the only time available .... 6:15 a.m.  Taking a vehicle longer than 22 ft. on the ferry sends the price into orbit (>$200).   'Tis sobering until you realize that you are taking your lodging across with you, eliminating the need for a hotel room (which are also pricey there).  We stayed there two nights, thus making the cost reasonable.  Our ultra-early departure (we had to be at the ferry terminal before daylight) seemed unfortunate until the sunrise happened.  Now we recommend it, because .... wow.  

One of my favorite spots in the PNW is on the far side of the largest island of the San Juans .... called Roche Harbor, which is where we put our kayak to use.  Roche Harbor floats in a fairyland of green forested hills, flower gardens, artists' booths, restaurants, and even a small historic hotel.  Not to mention the boats.    (New England, move over.)

The next highlight of our travels was an oft-overlooked little National Park just south of the Canada border, called North Cascades.  (Have you heard of it??  I had not until last year and I LIVE A DAY'S DRIVE AWAY.)  Many of the best parts can be seen from your car.  We did a 3.5 mile hike up to a view point overlooking Diablo Lake, then discovered the best view (shown in next picture) was from a pull-out, further up the road.  Totally stunning and the color of the water LOOKED JUST LIKE THIS.  (Something to do with glacial silt.)  

However, if you go there, plan around the weather.  We rode our motorcycle through it last year on an unfortunately rainy day, and much of the scenery was obscured in the clouds and fog.  Hence, we HAD to go back this year.  Really ..... no need to go all the way to Banff in Canada until you've been here.  Have I mentioned how much I love to visit (parts of) Washington??  Except for the coast, it beats Oregon, in my opinion. 

I will pause here briefly to mention one of the best parts of #vanlife.  (The hashtag matters.  Don't ask me why.)  We use an app called iOverlander which shows out-of-the-way campsites, all found and shared by other campers.  It connects to google maps to make them easy to locate, complete with reviews.  We have stayed in some wonderful spots, usually free, including:  

By the water in Anacortes (up to 72 hours allowed) about a mile from the ferry terminal, where we spent the night listening to the seagulls.  

Somewhere close to the Canadian border, out in the woods overlooking the mountains.  

(North Cascade NP is seen off in the distance.  We would've have stayed longer in this spot if we had cell reception for our zoom church service .... since the next morning was Sunday.  So instead, we drove to and attended church via our iPad, at a park next to the Grand Coulee Dam.)

.... And next to a river along a remote road near Coeur d'Alene, 

etc, etc.

It's totally legit.  No itinerary needed.  No reservations.  We just consult the app and figure out where we want to spend the next night or two as we go along.  It's doable when you are completely self-contained with your own water, power, and most important ... bathroom. 

We touched briefly into Montana then back through the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho and discovered that Ketchum, Idaho, (an upscale town by Sun Valley) has an amazing network of paved bike paths throughout and beyond the town.  We hauled our folding bikes out of the van and went for a ride.  

Interspersed along the way, we got some much-needed family time with siblings, after which we planned to head east towards the Tetons and maybe Yellowstone.  But the smoke stopped us.  So we rerouted to Wallowa Lake in NE Oregon, where the smoke promptly followed.  We scrapped our plan to do more kayaking or to ride the tram up the mountain (too hazy) but did a little biking and a rousing game of miniature golf where Yours Truly (non-golfer) sunk the last hole and won a free game.  Ha!  And Husband discovered a prime fishing spot (perhaps his new favorite) on the Wallowa river.  

We had heard the smoke was bad at home, so we stayed away until it was supposed to improve and then drove home, returning right after there had been a good soaking rain that everyone talked about the next day.  

Thoughts:

Any future traveling in Oregon, Washington, Idaho (and thereabouts) this time of year, should probably be towards the coast where it rains more.  Otherwise plan on smoke.  Or maybe wait until October.  It is the new normal.  

Idaho keeps its beauty hidden.  To find it, you must abandon I-84 and go north. 

Husband never felt claustrophobic.  (I think fishing-therapy played a part.)  We're ready to go farther.  Alaska.  Next year.  

Maybe next time we will take either the bikes or the kayak.  It all fit, but the van garage was crammed full.  

The dog was thrilled to get home.  

We love our van.  

 

Better by the dozen

Just a few months ago, we arrived at a total of twelve grand-twigs on our family tree.   This may be it for us, concerning this newest generation.  Or not.  As far as the end goes, the "fat lady" has not sung yet, although I did have a certain hymn stuck in my head this morning which I avoided humming out loud for fear it would never leave, but I digress ....  

Our even dozen grandkids, who all came from spectacular parents, are on a new level of spectacular and if you don't want to hear about them, you're excused to go check Facebook.  I'm ranking them by age and thus, will start with .....

#1 is a gentle young man who lives in a small, yet secure sphere.  He does not speak because of a mystery called autism and I cannot wait to someday learn about the myriad of secrets locked inside of him.  I have no doubt they'll be profound.  

#2 has no secrets locked inside as she is quite willing to express every thought whether asked for or not.  We've stockpiled years of laughter over her many uninhibited verbal-isms.  She too has autism and she finds noise, and sometimes people in general, very off-putting, but at the same time, can enjoy being the center of attention.  If grandmas are allowed to have favorites, she'd be in my top tier.  

#3 just got his driver's license this year and I'd trust him to drive me anywhere.  (I'm not sure I could have said that about my own kids at that age.)  He somehow evolved from a square-peg-in-a-round-hole kid to someone who is smart, mature, pleasant, helpful, and he leaves a wake of impressed people behind him.  I know this because they tell me. 

#4 has not stopped smiling since he was born.  Nor has he stopped collecting things, and I'm always lagging behind on what the current collection consists of .... from anything related to dinosaurs, to rocks, to coins, to ......  He is a true entrepreneur and would be thrilled if, instead of receiving a typical kid toy for his birthday, he received stock market shares.  I'm not kidding.  And after a visit to our house, if anyone accidentally leaves something behind, it'll be him.  

#5 is getting precariously close to teenage-hood and her delightful personality is showing more since she actually started talking to me.  It took a weeklong trip of hiking in Utah canyons together.  She's becoming her mother's worst fear, which is .... pretty ..... since *pretty* is often more challenging to raise than is *average*.  Especially through the teen years.  She also inherited her mom's artistic talent and anyone who sees her drawings does a double-take.  

#6 is our freckled tomboy and I unabashedly take full credit for it, since that used to be me.  She is determined to never be outdone by her older brothers and I've yet to see her admit to being afraid of anything.    If a chore can be ignored or put off till tomorrow, she will take full advantage and then giggle her way out of it.  

#7 can pull off the most woe-is-me face when describing, in full detail, all the injustices in her little world .... which are usually brought on by a younger sibling.  She cannot tell a story without dancing, prancing, and twirling for added emphasis.  She loves anything and everything girl-related and even though she has yet to start first grade, reads amazingly well.  If you are deserving, she will grace you with a genuine hand-colored picture for your forever enjoyment.

#8 ...... if you recall the cartoon characters, "Pinky and the Brain" .... she is the Brain, in pigtails.  Just know that behind that beguiling little face lurks deep thoughts, some of which may seem quite curious at best, or a bit morbid at worst.  Like her older sister, she has mastered the twirling and dancing and will also color a picture of flowers or unicorns (always in pink) to give as her highest token of esteem.  

#9 is the quintessential "snips and snails and puppy dog tails" who careens through his day with the typical forethought of any three-year-old boy.  Fortunately, in addition to his dutiful parents, he has his two older sisters who are not only very quick to jump in and speak for him, but to both mother him and complain about him almost simultaneously.  He is the first one to get a bump or scrape and will then bellow at full volume if you even suggest taking a look at it.  But his dimpled cheeks and enormous blue eyes win over any situation.

#10 just turned one about a month ago, so we are all still making our introductions.  He has luscious dark brown hair, deep sparkly-blue eyes, and would have the most kissy-poochy mouth if it wasn't always wet with drool.  The next time we see him, he'll probably be walking and thank goodness for that, because he's about as heavy as a sack full of lead.   But be warned ..... do not take him more than a few steps away from his mama, or he will let you hear about it.

#11 and #12 came as a packaged deal and we have even more to learn about them.  One of each gender and I don't remember which one emerged a minute or two before the other.  They must have ridden a lot of roller coasters in heaven before they were born because their new little lives have been full of ups and downs.  And thankfully, the ups are winning the race.  They're still learning that nighttime is for sleeping, and better yet, to be done in sync with each other, so as to give their tired parents relief.  But they've already melted far more hearts than this tiny pair would seem capable.  

So there you have it.  We're fairly sure that somehow, we won the tree lottery.  We love each one of these twigs which will someday become leafy branches with twigs of their own.  And if you're cringing at how *sappy* that sounds ..... that makes two of us.  

Ebikes, baby!

Note:  Auto-correct is NOT happy about the word "ebike" and is fiercely fighting me each time I type it.  If you are also unfamiliar with it, it means electric bikes.  And we got some!  

In our previous life, Husband and I both rode regular bikes and had some glorious biking adventures.  We rode tandems and single bikes, hybrids and road bikes.  That all abruptly ended about 7-8 years ago with the acquisition of a motorcycle .... truly a happy event as far as the legs and Tush were concerned.   

Then, with the advance of lithium batteries, e b i k e s (take THAT, auto-correct!) exploded onto the scene with a plethora of different makes and models.  Back in the day (dang, that sounds old)  there used to be a manageable number of bike manufacturers .... Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, etc., and local shops sold many of them.  However, over months of researching e b i k e s, I kept encountering more and more brands.  And I'm talking dozens!  Test-riding them all was impossible.  Heck, without criss-crossing the USA and Canada, it was impossible to even SEE most of them before purchasing.  

About a year ago, a friend loaned us his Rad bike for a while, which is probably the most widely-known brand, and are only sold online.  But in the end, Husband chose the high-quality components of a Tern, and I wanted a lighter, low-step (think of the old girl-style bikes) and got a Magnum.  (I'll bet you never heard of either name.  See what I mean??)  We purchased both at local shops and both fold in half for easier packing into ..... you guessed it .... our van.  

In fact, the van was our main reason for getting e b i k e s.  We can travel to wherever, park, set up camp, and then ride the bikes to ... say ... go eat or explore, without having to undo all that setting up to drive somewhere.  Flawless plan, right?  

We figure it's best to carry them inside our vehicle, rather than on a rack, to avoid the sad possibility of them disappearing into the night.  And, as a nod to one of my previous posts about my delight in van mods, I installed straps in the van "garage" to keep the two folded bikes upright and separated, so they don't attack each other during transit.  

Speaking of mods ... on my bike I've added a front basket, different seat, and a mirror.  Husband tries to hold onto a semblance of his former youthful-biking-coolness but alas, I'm afraid, due to the big basket attached to his rear fender (for holding either groceries or dog) he will probably fall short of that goal.  I don't care how I look because, for me, this bike is not about appearances, it's about utility.   (Wouldn't matter anyway .....)  At least there are no more dreaded clip-in shoes (the cause of my two minor, previous-life bike crashes) nor any padded spandex whatsoever. 

My e b i k e (as do most) has two amazing features.  The first one is a throttle which I seldom use because the second feature -- "Peddle Assist" -- pretty much does it all.  I have the option of riding without engaging either of those features (nobody does that), or push a button and WHOOSH .... hills become a non-issue.  I still do enough peddling to get a respectable workout without rendering myself useless for the rest of the day.  (For those of you who know and care-- most of the time I'm in PA levels 1 or 2.)  The downside of this operation is that the battery must be recharged now and then, and for that, one must have the presence of mind to remember to do it.  Supposedly I should be able get well over 50 miles per charge, depending on how much peddling I do, but that remains to be tested.  One thing's for sure, you do NOT want to be caught mid-ride with a depleted battery because that would leave you with nothing but some seriously heavy slogging* to get home.  (*Impromptu term for manually pedaling an over 50-lb bike.)

My way of mentally dealing with the sticker-shock of a new bike is to ride it.  And that I have.  Well ... some.  The countryside where I live is decidedly dull and colorless and almost everywhere looks the same except for an occasional (and sometimes startlingly) massive canyon.  Not to mention, this time of year it's usually too hot to ride after nine a.m.  So far the Tush's limit is about 18 miles, but I have hopes that'll improve because there's a Dairy Queen in town that would entail a 30 mile round trip, give or take.  

This is at the Alvord Desert in SE Oregon which was on our Must Return list.  We first went there five years ago and I wrote about it here.  It was the perfect place (for me) to get used to a new type of bike because there is literally nothing (NOTHING!) you can run into.  The larger of those two specks in the distance is Husband on his bike, and the tiny speck is our dog in hot pursuit.  (Didn't have the basket yet.)

So time will tell.  All our former-life bikes are gone except for one (not mine) that hosts a thick layer of dust.   And hopefully this blasted heat wave will JUST STOP IT!  

STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!

......... (See previous semi-grumpy post.)

Somethin's burnin'

Where we used to live, until about three years ago, I never could see a reason to have a 72 hour kit.  (I know, I know.  Raised eyebrows.  Shocked faces.  Gasps.)  A better idea, in my opinion, would be to keep a few necessary items at one of our kids' homes, who lived nearby.  Everything else we might need was available at any number of local shops, grocery stores, or pharmacies.  In our Former Life, the only realistic disaster was maybe a house fire or ...... hmmmm.  Flood?  No.  Nuclear attack?  Pshaw.  We never did get around to leaving anything at anyone's house, nonetheless, the intent was there.  And (a very pertinent point) it rained a lot where we used to live.  I'll explain why I bring this up.  

We now live in the desert where it's very dry 3-4 months of the year.  Every year, the news ominously reports, is drier than the last, not to mention this heat wave from you-know-where.  Wild fires can spring up in an instant, especially in remote areas.  So a single lighted match or cigarette causes great consternation.  We are shamed into keeping our trees trimmed up and brush cleared with frequent reminders of potential calamity should we fail to comply.   Thunderstorms, unless accompanied by a fair amount of rain, are no longer innocent summer entertainment.  July 4th fireworks bring a lot of angst.  Alerts pop up on my phone with evacuation updates.

It's a different world over here.  (I fantasize about lawn sprinklers mounted on our roof.  Couldn't hurt, right?)  To put it briefly, I miss the rain.  

About ten days ago as we were driving back from town, we saw a mega plume of smoke coming from what looked like the area where we live.  (Fortunately it wasn't, although it WAS less than seven miles away and moving closer.)  

For the next couple of days, our local Facebook group was abuzz and cars were gathering along roads where there were viewpoints.  Husband and I sat on our patio and watched the fire-fighting planes flying to dump their load of red retardant then back to the local airport to refill.  

A helicopter heading back to refill the bag at the end of the cable with (we assume) water.

They named it the Grandview Fire.  Husband took the above two photos.  He sent them to a couple of local news stations and they were shown on TV.  

Our mountain view disappeared into the smokey haze ... which happens regularly here in the summer.  But by the third day, the haze disappeared and we began to read news reports that, thankfully, the level of containment was growing and the fire had topped out at just over 6,000 acres. The firemen were winning.  (No homes were lost.)

We live on a 10,000+ acre peninsula of land, surrounded on the west, north, and east by vast canyons with rivers running along the base of each.  I've come to really appreciate these natural firebreaks and this latest fire was on the other side of one of those canyons.  I also appreciate that our local fire department has never lost one house in our community to a wild fire .... thus far.   About twelve years ago, there was a wild fire close to where our home now sits, in fact there are a few charred stumps remaining on our property.  Someone apparently had lost control of their burn pile.  One neighbor said she saw an ember float up into a nearby tree which then erupted like a torch.   This fire burned about ten acres and, as the neighbors tell it, the firemen camped close by for a week, just to be sure it was out.  It burned mostly public land where, years later, it still looks ugly and scarred because no one is allowed to cut down the dead trees ..... (a moment to pause and, yet again, wonder about government bureaucrats).

So I now have a plan.  If we ever have to evacuate, Husband and I will each drive one of our cars, and I have a list of items that will go into each vehicle.  Instead of 72 hour kits, we have a 72+++ hour van that already contains a majority of the stuff we might need.  I also ..... get this(!) ..... organized (mostly) our 45-year-old monster nest of random family photos into albums.  Yes, it's true.  I'm awarding myself Big Points for this latest project that I completed a few days ago, because it's been nagging me for years.  (So, to my posterity, next time you come to visit, you will find all the albums in the den, awaiting your viewing pleasure.)  And rest assured, said albums are on the evacuation list.  I just hope we never have to use it.

Working out the bugs, AKA, projects are my sanity

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.  

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.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Boondocking -- RV camping without plugging into electricity or hooking up to water.  Being completely off-grid and self-contained.  

 

It's Done (for the most part)

 So, do I wait until it's 100% ... down-to-the-last-detail .... finished?  Or just go ahead and show the 99% complete version?  Since the vast majority of friends and fam have already seen it, I guess it doesn't really matter.  And this blog is due for another post.

So here goes ...... The Almost Finished Van!  (Note:  See this post for the finishing touches.)

But first.  

In our defense, the outside stuff (namely, the exterior lights, of which there will be three) must wait for the awning, which is on backorder.  

That said .....

The newest addition is the bug screen at the door.  You just push through at the center and the sewn-in magnets cause it to close on its own ..... sort of ...... with a little help.  Atop the van are solar panels totaling 630 watts.

Under the lower cabinet on the left, we keep the trash, kitchen storage, and next to the bed is our closet.  That same cabinet also contains our 30 gallon fresh water tank, fillable from the back of the cabinet, just inside the slider door.  Under the bed is a small sliding door to access the garage.

That table moves in multiple directions.  Its top is from the same butcher block used for our countertop.  The sofa includes seat belts for two, and the driver and passenger seats up front (not in view) swivel to face backwards to create our "living room".  The dog sleeps under the sofa.

The mirrors are acrylic.  The tile backsplash is very realistic peel n' stick tiles.  (Light weight is important.)  In the ceiling above the bed is an evaporative cooler, which requires much less power than a regular air conditioner.  Hopefully it'll do the trick.  Under the passenger seat in the cab is our heater that is fueled by the diesel from the van's tank.  It keeps us plenty warm in cold weather.

The walls are covered either with shiplap or vinyl-upholstered panels.  The ceiling is tongue-and-groove cedar.

The "garage".  It includes an outdoor shower.  Lots of electrical and plumbing guts behind those panels, including 560 amp hour lithium batteries (that Husband built himself, saving $$$), a 3000 watt inverter, and a 2.5 gallon water heater.  We can plug into an outside power source, but probably will never need to.  

The grandkids named it Eddie VAN Halen ...... which likely won't stick because nicknames don't last long around here (sad to say, because I come from a family with a rich history of embarrassing/endearing nicknames).  To us, it's just The Van.

As I said in a previous post, there are a bazillion ideas and how-tos for building a DIY camper van on YouTube, so a lot of what we did was copied from other vans.  But the one feature that is original (thought up by moi) is our shower.  (And it works perfectly ..... except for once when we were parked on a slant and the shower pan overflowed a little.  A lesson learned about being level.)  Vans like ours, if they have a bathroom at all, have what's called a "wet bath".  This means the toilet resides in the shower and will get wet along with you.  This is a necessity since there's only 84 square feet of space and a separate shower would mean giving up something rather important, like the kitchen ....  You just have to remember to remove the TP roll first, obviously.  Afterwards, a little squeegee-ing and you're good to go ..... figuratively and (I suppose) literally .....    

What you see when you first open the bathroom doors.  The shower walls are formica.  The curtain pulls out for privacy and/or showers.  And that toilet flushes into a 14 gallon black tank.  (No composting or porta-potties here.)

For showers, we fold back the rug and insert these plastic strips which hold the curtain in place.  Husband hand-crafted that teak grate with neither nails or screws.  (He's rather proud of it.)  Below that is a fiberglass shower pan (also handmade by Husband) with a drain that sends all water to an 18 gallon tank under the van.  (Note:  A second drain hole has since been added to the shower to prevent any overflowing if we're on a slight slant.)

The shower curtain holds together with magnets.  It's quite roomy in there.

The van has become my new Happy Place.  It'll be where I mentally go when sitting in the dentist's chair, or in any other place of potential dread.  When I disappear at home, Husband knows where to find me.  A few days ago, I even took it out BY MYSELF and camped in the woods for one night ...... ALONE.  I don't have to hitch or tow anything and it's easy to park ..... in other words, no man needed.  I can do this whenever I want .....  (No need to worry about the Husband being left behind.  At the time, he was hours away, happily standing in a river, holding a fishing pole.) 

Surrounded by the Stupids

Don't get me wrong.  There are great people where we live.  We have some of the best neighbors we've ever had .... and I mean The Best.  If we aren't here to haul our empty trashcan back up our driveway after the garbage collector has come by, there is no stopping Best Neighbors from doing it for us.  Last week we were planning to be out of town so I asked if they'd just move it up by our trailer, only a few steps from the road ..... but no .... they took it all the way up to our house.  And there's no talking them out of it.  If we need help with anything, they're here in a flash.  And we try to reciprocate.  

Other neighbors come by unannounced to help clear our driveway after a deep snowfall.  Another neighbor stopped by after it had snowed to check on us because they hadn't seen our car tracks in a couple of days.  Wonderful, caring people.

But unfortunately there are also the Stupids, meaning random brain-dead idiots who either live here or drive in to spread their *joy*.  Public land, where there aren't enough eyes per square mile to keep watch over things, seems to attract them and they take full advantage.  

The Stupids dump or leave their trash, without a thought as to who will have to clean it up.  And I'm not just talking about average litter, but major dumping ..... furniture, cars, used paraphernalia, and the remains of lustful, drunken nights.  Either they're narcissistic, or lazy, or simply scum ..... or all three.  

I have one neighbor whose trash enjoys entangling itself across my property whenever it's windy and the prevailing wind seems to always come from their direction.  I have to go out every few weeks and gather it up, except for the plastic shopping bags stuck in the trees that I cannot reach.  No, I haven't spoken to them yet and yes, I need to.  They also let their dogs roam freely which usually isn't a problem, but it freaks out our dog.  They're somewhat new and needless to say, I dearly miss the sweet neighbor who used to live there who managed to keep her trash and dogs contained.

The Stupids also drive crazily.  Now maybe it's my imagination that it's particularly bad out here, but I am literally more fearful to drive on local highways here than where I used to live where there were more cars!  The accidents here where the roads are less crowded are frequent and inexplicable.  Pulling out in front of a truck in broad daylight in light traffic ..... how do you explain that?  And many of the accidents are fatal. 

I just read on Facebook that the Stupids were out target shooting on local public land and a woman, who was out walking her dog, noticed bullets flying past her and she had to hit the ground and shout that she was there!!  This will probably lead to all shooting on public land being prohibited which means the responsible gun owners will go elsewhere, leaving only the Stupids who don't care about rules or anything else.  Hence, they will win ... again.  

There are rants aplenty in local Facebook groups, but I doubt the Stupids read it, so it's all preaching to the choir.  Sad to say, my opinion of people has declined in the last few years.  I never saw this amount of trash when we lived in the burbs.  I never had to walk along my road to pick up garbage, including multiple whiskey bottles tossed out of cars.  I don't remember seeing so many paint marks on the roads, marking the pattern of the latest crash.  In town, there are too many eyes ready to report anything amiss, so it's not as easy to flaunt stupidity.  

I like living in the country.  I like the privacy and space.  I like the clean air.  I'm grateful I'm not in the city, and the hideous mess that many of them have become.  (Particularly Portland, Oregon, my childhood home.  We recently drove through there on the freeway, and it's a jaw-dropping heartbreak to see what that once beautiful city has become.   That, in my opinion, is the result of the Government Stupids in league with the Street Stupids, while ignoring the good people footing the bill.)  The Stupids ruin it for everyone.  

So I try, between trash cleanups, to not get too angry and focus on the good people.  Like most of our neighbors ..... the people who help keep public land and roads clean and safe.  The people who basically care about others.  ..... the people who aren't stupid.  

 

Van project update*

*Note the total honesty and transparency in this post's title, so as to avoid being accused of trying to lure you into reading my blog with a salacious headline like ..... "On The Brink!", or ..... "Almost DIED!" .... or "The Dog Threw Up!!!!!" ..... then doing the ol' bait-n-switch to the same-old-same-old that is our life lately.   

Because the truth is ....  we are best described as Boring-R-Us.  No traveling.  No grave illnesses .... (that we know of, knock on wood).  No grand epiphanies.  Besides getting progressively older and fatter, we just work on a van. 

So ..... the update --

We have a floor!  

Walls!  

Some outlets!

Wiring!!!!!  (This one gets special recognition because it has been the Mt. Everest of endless slogging along, holding up a LOT of the more interesting parts of this build.  Who knew that this much wire would go into 84 square feet???

The tanks (all four of them) are permanently installed!

Husband made, out of fiberglass, a custom shower pan.  It took the better part of a week to make, and turned out perfectly.  I will explain why it sits in our hallway, later.  

Going clockwise, starting at the left -- the kitchen galley with our fresh water tank at the base of it.  (The last third of that cabinet will be our closet.)  Then in the rear is the bed area.  (That glow is our portable light)  Then, coming around on the right next to the bed, is the fridge/microwave cabinet.  Then the bathroom, with the shower pan in the hall.  Further clockwise will be the sofa & table.   The weird silver stuff on the walls/ceiling is insulation & vapor barrier.  Upper cabinets yet to come.

The guts, AKA the Mother Ship.   This is in the back, under where the bed will go.  Van people call it the garage.  Lots of storage space in there for bikes, kayak, camp chairs, etc.

I am sewing insulated window covers and five of the nine are looking like they won't need to be ripped apart and reworked for the umpteenth time.  I, the experienced seamstress, went into this smugly, as I observed other DIY van window covers on YouTube.  Pshaw, thought I.  I will show them how it's done.  But .... alas .... I have been thoroughly humbled and now, the price of the professionally sewn ones on Etsy (upwards to $1500 for a set) seems entirely reasonable.

Our fridge is no longer on back order and will soon be on its way!  

Let's see .... what else .....  the water heater and pump are installed.  I'm sure I'm forgetting some of it ...

Oh!  Our flarespaces are painted!  Explanation:  If you ever notice a Sprinter van with odd bulges where the rear side widows would go, these are brilliant inventions that allow anyone over 5-1/2 ft tall to sleep sideways comfortably in a van.  They essentially widen the van where the bed will go.  (Otherwise the bed would have to be front to back, taking up too much valuable space.)  Did that make sense?   The flarespaces must be painted by the customer to match their particular van color.  To save time, we paid a guy to paint ours and they look even better than the van's paint job.  (He'd love to paint Husband's race car and wanted to "show what he could do".)   Our's will have windows in them, which said windows are currently on back order, so they (the flarespaces) wait patiently on one of our guest beds.  

When the windows finally arrive, two massive holes will be cut in the sides of our van to facilitate the installation.  T'will be a terrifying/exciting day, to say the least.  Here's a picture from online:  (Note-- this picture only works in the web version, and probably not on your phone.  If you're REALLY interested, you can go here.)

As usual, Husband is the Daily Super Hero.  I come up with the wants and ideas, and he figures out how to make them.  He works long into the night after I've gone to bed and then in the mornings, I go down to the shop to see what Santa made.  Amazon has transformed many days into Christmas, as the boxes arrive en masse.  A sink!  Faucet!  Multiple unrecognizable fittings and metal thingies.  Then shower curtains!  A rug!  (That one was a little premature, but Amazon only had two of my color left.)  More unrecognizable fittings and metal thingies.  Then drawer pulls!  A shower head!  And then more Husband-ordered stuff .... and on it goes.  Things pile up around the house as it all waits its turn to be installed.  

So that's it.  We love it.  But we are self-admitted geeks.  You may not be.  I get that.  Our friendship will not suffer if you don't share in our geekiness ..... maybe.  No promises.