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.  

 

Time flies

So what have we been doing? (asks hardly anyone)

1. Patiently waiting out covid.

2. Staying home A LOT.  (Not really minding it.)

3. Same old, same old.

4. Building our camper van (AKA tiny home on wheels) ..... Yes!

Okay, so, now that we're on the subject ..... 

We picked up our Sprinter van in late October.  It's an empty "cargo" style, with nothing behind the driver and passenger seat.  

And the fun begins.  Sort of.

We began with some of the insulation, then cutting holes in the roof for an air conditioner and a fan, which are installed.

(Note:  When I say "we" ...  just know, it's more likely "he".  I am primarily the gopher.)

To date: 

~The subfloor is down, including insulation below it.

~The heater is installed .... and it works!  This nifty little thing will be fueled by the same diesel that fuels the vehicle.  

~The black tank is in place.  

Not glamorous, but will be highly appreciated in the middle of the night, if you know what I mean.

~The roof is mostly insulated.

~The brackets to hold the solar panels on the roof are made by Brilliant Machinist Husband and waiting to be anodized (colored black for appearance) .... after which the solar panels will move permanently onto the roof.

~The paneling is varnished, ready for the ceiling.  (It's cedar and how pretty is THIS?!)

 ~The skeletal framework of the kitchen cabinet, which will hold our sink, cooktop, drawers, and our closet, is built.  Husband is using something called 80/20, which is like an aluminum erector set.  It will be strong and light weight.  All the cabinets and inner walls in the van will be framed in this.  The fronts and sides will be wood.  (Yet to be installed.)

~Framework for the upper cabinets is done, also yet to be installed.

~Wooden panel upon which the Mother Ship of electrical components will be mounted, is painted and in.

~There's a lovely piece of unfinished butcher block countertop waiting in our garage. (Black Friday sale!)

~Also acquired and waiting for installation -- one toilet, one fresh water tank, one gray water tank.  A dozen other things are sitting in our Amazon cart, and the fridge is (stupid covid) on back order.

Other than that, it's still a largely empty looking van and to my dismay, a long way from when I can start picking out decorative pillows.  

But oh, the planning.  

We have spent hours and hours AND HOURS discussing, brainstorming, figuring out .....  Typical conversation:     

    Me: When can we install the A?  (Meaning anything noticeable, interesting, or pretty)

    Him:  After we install the B.  (Something boring, like a wire or cable)

    But before that, we have to install C and D. (Similarly boring)

    And we can't install D until we install A.

    Me:  <sigh>

There is no manual for this.

Too often we are held up by some part that we then have to order and wait for.  (Amazon is a vital part of this build so please don't talk to me about Jeff Bezos' politics.  I don't want to know.)

Needless to say, it's a slow process.  Thank goodness we are not pioneers in this.  Many have blazed this trail already and have kindly shared their valuable knowledge on YouTube.  (I don't want to hear about YouTube's politics either.  Closing eyes, covering ears, and humming.)  Whoever the first intrepid soul was to built his van into a tiny home, definitely deserves a plaque in some hallowed hall somewhere.  

Making sure his solar panel brackets will fit.  

So there you go.  Unless you're interested in "vanlife" (it's a thing) I probably lost you a few paragraphs ago.  But to us, it's terribly exciting.  We've been planning this for a long time and we're dreaming of the road trips ahead .... Alaska, east coast, back to Utah's canyons .... again ... (the attraction will not die), and much more.  Our daughter calls it the "visiting-the-grandkids-van", which will likely be its main purpose.  

  

  

Winnie the Poop (dedicated to anyone who loves a dog)

I grew up around dachshunds but never owned one.  After we officially entered the "empty nester" stage, my thoughts ventured to a puppy ..... which defies ALL good sense and logic... possibly bordering on insanity.    

I tried "rescuing" a beagle-dachshund mix which, after a few months, didn't work out.  A year later, I tried a chihuahua-dachshund mix (also a rescue) which didn't work out either.  (Seeing a theme here?)  I won't go into the reasons for my failures but they were legit and different with each, and I did my best to find good homes for them.  I then swore off dogs forever.

Several years later and after moving into our current home, in spite of my fear of a third failure, I began to feel it again .....   

This time I wanted an actual full-on dachshund.   (Any dachshund owner who might be reading this, gets it.)  I had tried the rescue route.  I mean, I really tried.  Finding a non-mixed version of this breed at a rescue shelter is very unlikely and with my fence-less yard, I wouldn't qualify anyway.

I eventually found what appeared to be a reputable (and affordable) breeder up near Seattle.  After several email exchanges and waiting till the proper age of eight weeks when it's safe to separate puppy from mother, we drove north to get this ...........  

See??  Prepare to be dragged against your will into dachshund-obsession with me.

Meet Winnie.

She weighed all of four pounds and spent much of the six-hour drive home burrowed between my neck and the headrest.  (Dachshunds are burrowers.  Even now, if you lean forward on the sofa at our house, you will soon find a small dog wedged behind your back.)

Admit it, this is CUTE.

All too aware of my apprehensions, Dear Supportive Husband assured me that Winnie is OUR dog, and that he would help.  And he did.  In fact, today they are BFFs.  HE is the one who wants to bring her along wherever we go.  But as it usually goes, I make sure she's fed, vaccinated, bathed, bedding washed, nails trimmed, walked, and all poop cleaned up.  He plays with her.  Therefore, he's her favorite.  And I'm okay with that.

On the motorcycle.  (Her seat is the backpack, shown below.)

... and on the kayak, in her life jacket with the handy grab handle.  We've never needed it, since she avoids water anyway. 

One evening recently, when Husband was out of town for a few days, Winnie heard a noise outside.  (She ALWAYS thinks she hears noises, which 99.9% of the time, is only me clearing my throat .... or something equally benign.)  Noises send her careening out her doggie-door to confront any intruders.  This time though, she thought it might be HIM and so she went to wait by the door in the laundry room where he always emerges.  That night though, he didn't.

Naturally I texted him this picture.  

Squirrel alert, in the camper.

Nowadays, when we go out in public, she attracts the same baby-talk-goobers that I used to be.  (Still am.)  Winnie adores the attention and would happily go home with any of them and not look back.  She quickly learned that Home Depot employees are potential dog-biscuit-carriers and greets them all with great expectation.  If they don't deliver, she can lay on the guilt like nobody's business.  (See laundry room picture above.)  And you should see her at the Dairy Queen window after experiencing her first "pup cup".  (It's a thing.  I didn't make it up.)  Now she thinks ice cream will magically appear at every drive-through, including banks and toll booths.

I have become one of those people who must resist the urge to foist my pet on others and feel I owe apologies to all those dog owners who had to endure my own goobering over their pet in years past.  All the same, I cannot help but love when people love my dog, and wonder about the heartlessness of those who don't.

Winnie lays claim to any blanket she finds.  She also LOVES wiffle balls, especially the one out of reach under the sofa .... and will whine pathetically till somebody gives in and retrieves it.  (In the video below, the string tied to the ball makes it much easier to get it out from under furniture.)

Dachshunds are smart.  It amazes us how much and how quickly she learns, even unintentionally.  Example: We are in and out of the house all the time, but she KNOWS when we are actually planning to go somewhere when she sees me pick up my purse.  At that point, she hovers and frets so that, if we are THAT heartless to leave her home alone, we WILL feel the guilt.  

(Had to toss this one in.)  Toenail clipping.  She's not a fan.

Her first trip to the beach.  

~~ Warning-- cliches and sappy ending ahead ~~

She's a nuisance (aren't we all sometimes?) and a joy.  In a few weeks, it'll be two years since she burrowed into our hearts.  The third time did indeed prove to be the charm.