Picture Perfect

 Spent the day taking photos of this delightful young child of God getting ready for her baptism.  She didn't mind the photo shoot one little bit.

We just went over to the Sterling Lake and took pictures in different areas around the walking path.  What a fun spot they have in their cute little town.

I'm so very pleased with all of our grandchildr

en.  

On the Road Again,

 Time for another trip out to Kansas for a special baptism day.  We had to get their early to take pictures and make the program.  The van isn't complete yet, but it's ready to go, and gets the job done.

It seems the rain never stops this year, and we are once again on the road in the rain.  But I'm happy to be there.

 

Are you ready for the tour?  It's not complete yet, but it has everything in it that we need with the exception of the water plumbed.  That is something I don' feel comfortable doing and haven't been able to get Dean excited to help me with much of anything, with the exception of the electrical which I could not have done without him.  

Notice the solar reading light in the window getting charged for the nights possible use.  And we love having our map on the phone/Garmin in front of us.

Just a 2024 Cargo Van that could use a good paint job, topped with 400 watts of solar.

I have used every spare inch of space.  There is a hanging shelf on the back doors and wire bins to hold the clothes.  It will look much better if I hide that, so I will make thin cupboards around it.

At the bottom of the bed, we have hung a lace curtain.  It gives us enough privacy we can dress on the bed while guests are in the front of the van.  This is on the passenger side of the van, and is our vanity.  It has a little shelf above the fridge where the water sits, and can easily be used to fill the sink for dishes, for drinking water or to wash your face first thing in the morning.  

The Ikea buckets hold bathroom drawer supplies like makeup and brushes, lotion and other needed items.  The fire alarm and carbon dioxide monitors hang out of sight in the cubby and in the back are necessities like curling irons, razors and a vanity mirror.  The power isn't working yet on this side of the van, so I ran an extension cord from the inverter making power easily accessible.  Dean cut off the TV and internet cable that were just hanging loose in this area, so those two comforts are gone for good.  I wanted plumbing and have a 35 gallon tank under the bed, but that is likely to never happen.  There is a couple of wire racks hanging under the bed as well, where we store our wet weather clothes and shoes, and on the upper shelf we have games and crafts.  I plan on living in this thing.

The cupboards are unique as I used a dresser with an upper part.  I cut it off and extended it so that we could put the sink in.  There is just barely enough room for the hose to go underneath and drain.  It currently drains into a 5 gallon water jug, but hopefully will soon get converted to draining outside of the van with a lever outside.  I plan on putting a piece of molding over the top of the bottom mess so that it can hide the junk but be lifted up for easy access.  On the very top is storage for bags, spices, Voss plastic bottles of food, and a small size jar of peanut butter.  What else is needed?  The shelves above the sink hold all necessary items for quick access, like pills, salt and pepper, as well as other things that just need to be readily available. 

The bottom part of the dresser takes more space than I should have given it but I wanted something pretty to look at.  It has a silverware drawer, as well as space for all cooking items like plates, cups, containers, and pans.  The dutch oven is stored underneath, and the heater and water tank are immediately under the sink.  There are eye hooks to thread bungees on to keep everything from sliding around.  The drawers still come open even with a magnet inside, so the bottom I keep in place with a dowel through the handles and the top I have a long screw that keeps those drawers locked in place.

On the wall opposite the kitchen is the bench/bed.  We built it when Nikki was still around and thought she might go with us.  It slides out into a full size bed, and with feet underneath our bed, it allows the sleeper to stretch fully out.  Under the pillow portion, is the toilet.  It is not part of the bed, but the comforter is long enough to put over the top of it and hid it a bit.  I made a cushion that goes on top of the seat so it can be sat on as a chair, but at night we just leave it uncovered for ease of access.  Underneath the bench are 3 pull out shelves that store pantry items in water bottles so we have a little of many items.  They are kept from sliding with an eye screw and a hook.  The inverter is under the foot of the bed, not easily accessed but as easy as I could make it.

Dean installed my seat swivel but has yet to install his.  I have a small chest of drawers, probably meant to hold 8.5x11" sheets of paper, that we use to store everything else, including office supplies, dog supplies, junk drawer supplies, and simple tools and fixing supplies.  The fire extinguisher is attached to the side of the van.  There is a pop up table where I use my computer or watch tv from the swivel chair.  Between the seats should be kept clear but we seldom get that done on our trips with our dog.  There is a cubby on the step going out the sliding door where one pair of shoes each are stored.

Welcome to the garage.  On the right is the propane tank, and a 35 gallon water tank for storage (yet unused).  Laundry supplies go above the propane and a shelf holding crafts and games goes the length of the bed.  In the center are items we need to grab from either side.  At the back on the top shelf if the shower.  It holds all items necessary for showers, including the tote and a shower curtain which I hope to someday install in the entrance on the side.  The curtain hangs on a curtain rod that is installed in a circle and a shower head planned to be above the door so that it can be used inside or outside.  The curtain fits inside the tote where there is enough room to easily stand.  It will be dumped outside and not have a drain.  Extra water and dry food storage in a Lifetime cooler fit in the middle on the floor.  The left side stores: chairs, coats, tools, car supplies, fishing rod and fishing box.  Shovel, rake and extension cords hang on the left wall with hitch ball and other large necessary items.

 What more could a girl want?

Candice Wants to Go Camping in Her Vehicle Now Too

 With all of my excitement Candice must have caught some, because she asked us to help her convert her SUV into a camper.  That, I must confess, sounded like a challenge.  She wouldn't have any spare room, and sleeping would be a challenge but we were up for the task, and even Dean got on board when it came to actually building it.  I was more of the designer, and Candice and Dean did most of the work.  The make a pretty handy pair.

We wanted a pull out shelf where she could mix the food, and do the prep work, then replacing it with a portable stove.  The cookware and stove could be stored there.  The mattress could be put in place and left, and their clothing bags could easily be put on the floor space behind the driver and passenger seat .  We had a plan, and we went to town to put it together.

 We used good plywood and made sure it would support two bodies, and a mattress.  It is easily put in and taken out, so that they can put it in when needed.  The only thing I was worried about was the head space from the person lying in the bed to the ceiling.  I was afraid it would be very claustrophobic.

We cut some nice foam to make it totally comfortable and I know they are excited to try it out.  I hope they love it, and that they will actually use it. 

 

Nasty Eye is Making Progress

 I'll spare you the images, but my RA eye is getting better.  It is still inflamed with blood vessels going everywhere but the pie shape bloodshot is gone and the pain is better.  I am hopeful that I will be able to overcome it completely.

Salem Canyon Park, UT

 Taylor and Candice put together a fun get away to heal my broken heart and see if Dean could handle a low key get together up Salem Canyon.  What a perfect get away.  We each drove separately and we loved spending time together.  

The kids fished, and we were able to take our camp chairs and sit next to them where we could enjoy each other and visit.  We were grateful for the van where we had coats and blankets, but in the end, the rain cut the trip short. 

But it's amazing how we think things are ruined but instead the kids were very happy just moving inside out of the rain, and hanging out.  It wasn't big enough for all the adults so it didn't last long, but the attitudes were good and I really appreciated the chance to try again.  

I do love spending time with the kids, and it is never too often.  We are both so proud of what wonderful adults they have all turned out to be, and love spending as much time with them as possible.  This small group turned out to be a good idea, and although it was tough on Dean, he managed to handle it as well as could be expected.

Oregon Bucket List

 What a crazy bucket list trip.  We went through the coast, viewed either near or far all of the lighthouses but somehow I feel so empty.  Some how I feel incomplete.

Dean was happy to get back home, but it was not an immediate recovery.  Just being home wasn't enough.  It took weeks to see any sign of improvement.  

The kids were well aware of my disappointment in not being able to spend more time.  They were equally aware that Dean had given it his all to let me experience some of the locations I longed to go.

We were quite a pair.  Me having looked forward to being able to leave, to travel, to enjoy my surrounds for well over 10 years.

He spent at least that same amount of time, looking forward to retiring and being able to putter around the yard and do the things he wanted to do there.  

We had not planned for this great divide we found ourselves in.