While we aren't doing a traditional vardo—rather obvious by the choice of the T.A.R.D.I.S. as our door, don't you think?—the art on traditional vardos is beautiful.
From Vardos of the United Kingdom:
Picture Gallery
Bow Top Interiors
Bow Top Exteriors
From Flickr:
Gypsy Caravans
Romany Gypsy Bowtop Wagon Caravans
Other Sites:
Gypsy Vans by Roth: Gallery
The Gypsy Caravan Company
Monday, May 16, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Cat-astrophe
Unfortunately, our plans to panel the camper before Memorial Day weekend have been derailed, thanks to Ender.
Ender Conner is Kyro's Bengal. Ender is one of the best cats ever, but he has one tiny little bad habit that finally caught up with him. He loves chewing on rubber. If you ever look at Kyro's bike, Ender is the reason the handles are covered in duct tape, not a rubbery grip. He will steal your toothbrush if it isn't solid plastic, and he noms on items "normal" cats would ignore.
Last week, he stopped eating & drinking for several days. We took him to the cat hospital to find out what was wrong, worried that it could be too late. Initial diagnosis was a urinary tract issue of some kind. After running a contrast test to determine if there was blockage, they couldn't find anything unusual. After exploratory surgery, they couldn't find anything unusual. Finally, he had a bowel movement, in which they found—you guessed it!—a tiny piece of what used to be rubber.
By Monday, Ender was almost back to normal, if a bit annoyed by his fashionable new Elizabethan collar, but our caravan fund was not. Truth be told, I'd rather have Ender alive and healthy than a geek caravan without a cat, but it is a little disheartening to start saving for the camper all over again. (Mom & Dad, if you're reading this, we still have the PayPal fund set up to help us out!)
Ender Conner is Kyro's Bengal. Ender is one of the best cats ever, but he has one tiny little bad habit that finally caught up with him. He loves chewing on rubber. If you ever look at Kyro's bike, Ender is the reason the handles are covered in duct tape, not a rubbery grip. He will steal your toothbrush if it isn't solid plastic, and he noms on items "normal" cats would ignore.
Last week, he stopped eating & drinking for several days. We took him to the cat hospital to find out what was wrong, worried that it could be too late. Initial diagnosis was a urinary tract issue of some kind. After running a contrast test to determine if there was blockage, they couldn't find anything unusual. After exploratory surgery, they couldn't find anything unusual. Finally, he had a bowel movement, in which they found—you guessed it!—a tiny piece of what used to be rubber.
By Monday, Ender was almost back to normal, if a bit annoyed by his fashionable new Elizabethan collar, but our caravan fund was not. Truth be told, I'd rather have Ender alive and healthy than a geek caravan without a cat, but it is a little disheartening to start saving for the camper all over again. (Mom & Dad, if you're reading this, we still have the PayPal fund set up to help us out!)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
New Year's Renovations
Instead of resolutions for the new year, we have a list of renovations for turning our Boler into a vardo. In no particular order:
While we wait for consistent weather (it snowed today although it was in the 60s for the past week or two) before working on the outside, I'm going to start planning interior color schemes and the like. All I know is that I have to include plaid and green somehow...
- Paneling the outside
- New flooring
- T.A.R.D.I.S. door
- R2-D2 dome
- Roof AC unit
- Permanent ice chest on the outside
- Marine battery
- Small generator
- Remove the propane stove
- Repaint cabinet doors & sides
- Curtains
- New door handles & latches
- Replace the existing mirrors
- Replace the current wooden pegs with something a little more us
- Curtains
- Cushions
- Border/trim
- Geeky details as we come across them
While we wait for consistent weather (it snowed today although it was in the 60s for the past week or two) before working on the outside, I'm going to start planning interior color schemes and the like. All I know is that I have to include plaid and green somehow...
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Merry Christmas, Caravan
One of the things I've wanted to do to the interior from the beginning was paint the night sky on the ceiling. There's a coffee shop just down the street from us that has a really pretty mural of clouds and constellations that I adore, part of my inspiration. Kryo's Christmas present to me is going to be even better than that: the Death Star Planetarium. I can either have a starry sky or the Star Wars galaxy dancing across the ceiling, no painting skills required! Plus, it'll make an awesome decoration when not in use.
We also received a gift card to Home Depot from Jet's family, to be put towards renovations. I have no idea how much it's worth, but it'll be useful none the less. Shopping trips to Home Depot are always fun.
We also received a gift card to Home Depot from Jet's family, to be put towards renovations. I have no idea how much it's worth, but it'll be useful none the less. Shopping trips to Home Depot are always fun.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Our First Outing
This past weekend, we took our camper on its first trip: Myschievia. Hippie camper, hippie/burner camping. It seemed fitting. And we met a lot of people who stopped to look because of the art & the general cuteness.
It was so nice not having to put up a tent in the dark (we didn't arrive until almost eleven o'clock), and to be able to get a full night's sleep every night. We could shut out music from the sound camps (both burns I've been to so far, we've been next-door neighbors to Resurrection, which is full of DJs) and block sunlight in the mornings. The bed was even fairly comfortable, considering it essentially was cushions on boards. Much faster to set up than an air mattress!
I'm glad we used it before we started modifications, because we now have an idea of what we need to do to make the space livable (i.e., not cramped & cluttered) when it's in use. Use the existing cabinets more efficiently. Hanging closet organizer for packing clothing. Have one dedicated spot for Kyro to put his phone. Smaller space heater. We're also thinking about removing the propane stove to have more counter space, and adding a permanent chest, ice or otherwise, to the outside for food storage.
One of my favorite things about it: protection from all sorts of weather. Days were warm, evenings were cold, and Monday morning we woke up to rain. The only leak we noticed was water dripping in through the vent above the stove. For a camper that's older than we are, I'm impressed.
I love it so much already, as it currently is. I can't wait until we finish the caravan project!
It was so nice not having to put up a tent in the dark (we didn't arrive until almost eleven o'clock), and to be able to get a full night's sleep every night. We could shut out music from the sound camps (both burns I've been to so far, we've been next-door neighbors to Resurrection, which is full of DJs) and block sunlight in the mornings. The bed was even fairly comfortable, considering it essentially was cushions on boards. Much faster to set up than an air mattress!
I'm glad we used it before we started modifications, because we now have an idea of what we need to do to make the space livable (i.e., not cramped & cluttered) when it's in use. Use the existing cabinets more efficiently. Hanging closet organizer for packing clothing. Have one dedicated spot for Kyro to put his phone. Smaller space heater. We're also thinking about removing the propane stove to have more counter space, and adding a permanent chest, ice or otherwise, to the outside for food storage.
One of my favorite things about it: protection from all sorts of weather. Days were warm, evenings were cold, and Monday morning we woke up to rain. The only leak we noticed was water dripping in through the vent above the stove. For a camper that's older than we are, I'm impressed.
I love it so much already, as it currently is. I can't wait until we finish the caravan project!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
And we have a winner!
Our new base for the caravan is a thirteen-foot Boler travel trailer. It's absolutely adorable. If you can get past the hippie paint job on the outside, courtesy of its previous owners.
It's a fiberglass camper, with a bench at the front end and a dining area that converts into a bed at the other. Tiny little kitchen area—just a sink & stove top—and a narrow closet. Such great potential for decorating. I know I want to recover the existing cushions and replace the curtains with something a little more "us," meaning probably greens and not-so-garish plaid.
The beauty of this trailer? I don't have to clean out little gecko ghost bodies before we can use it! Also, it's very lightweight, meaning we can lift and move it by hand if needed. (That's how we managed to get it the rest of the way into Kryo's covered parking spot.)
The "before" photo set can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54525421@N02/sets/72157624964943027/
It's a fiberglass camper, with a bench at the front end and a dining area that converts into a bed at the other. Tiny little kitchen area—just a sink & stove top—and a narrow closet. Such great potential for decorating. I know I want to recover the existing cushions and replace the curtains with something a little more "us," meaning probably greens and not-so-garish plaid.
The beauty of this trailer? I don't have to clean out little gecko ghost bodies before we can use it! Also, it's very lightweight, meaning we can lift and move it by hand if needed. (That's how we managed to get it the rest of the way into Kryo's covered parking spot.)
The "before" photo set can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54525421@N02/sets/72157624964943027/
Monday, July 19, 2010
All's Quiet on the Vardo Front
There hasn't been any work on the vardo since the last week of May, and with good reason: being used twice in one week was too much activity for the lift system. It died a painful death two days before we were scheduled to leave for Flipside. 2 AM the day of found me in the third Walmart of the night buying a tent (I never thought it would take that much effort to buy a simple tent!).
After a long discussion, we've settled on two options for the Apache. We can either repair the lift system and pray it works for every event we take it to, or search for a different camper to use as a vardo base. Considering how much stress Kyro went through while working on the lifts the first time, going through that again everytime we have a malfunction is not a pleasant prospect. And as much as I love the Apache, my attachment to it is almost entirely due to the fact that my dream of having a vardo is finally starting to take shape. I would much rather love my vardo than hate it every time I looked at the finished product.
So, the search is on for a replacement camper. Something one-piece that doesn't require ancient lift systems to operate would be nice.
After a long discussion, we've settled on two options for the Apache. We can either repair the lift system and pray it works for every event we take it to, or search for a different camper to use as a vardo base. Considering how much stress Kyro went through while working on the lifts the first time, going through that again everytime we have a malfunction is not a pleasant prospect. And as much as I love the Apache, my attachment to it is almost entirely due to the fact that my dream of having a vardo is finally starting to take shape. I would much rather love my vardo than hate it every time I looked at the finished product.
So, the search is on for a replacement camper. Something one-piece that doesn't require ancient lift systems to operate would be nice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)