Tadpole Entered Into 2013 Calendar Contest

I entered Tadpole into a contest to be in a 2013 calendar. If you have a Facebook account please consider taking a moment to vote for him. He's currently in 8th place with two votes - the number one spot has only seven votes so it won't take much to get him up there.

Click Here To Vote

Dickens On The Strand

I had so much fun at Dickens On The Strand. Finally had a chance to meet some folks who I've only gotten to talk to via Facebook and everyone was lovely.

It's interesting the turns life takes when you give it a chance to breathe. I can't say it enough that the decisions I made after the lows of last year have been the best decisions I have ever made. Looking back I can see how the break down was really just my body's way of rebooting the system because something was buggy.

In any case, it was a great weekend. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. The event put us up in a fabulous hotel with a terrific view of the Gulf of Mexico, the pub we were based out of was so gracious and they had fabulous pizza and the crowd was fun. It was nice to hear so many wonderful comments being made to Randy about the band.

Hat Restoration

A friend gave me a hat for Dickens On The Strand. It was in rough shape so I decided to see if I could spruce it up a little. I sort of amazed myself with how it turned out and I'm rather proud of my first ever hat restoration. Here are the before and after pictures:

Before

after

Texas Impressions

So I've been in Texas for about a week and a half now and I thought I would share my thoughts (go figure since this is my blog and all). Texas is nice - you can't ask for more from the weather in November. I just heard on the news yesterday that Houston is going to have one of the warmest winters on record - something you won't hear me complaining about. While the nights can be a little chilly, the days are fabulous. Most days have been in the 70s and there have even been a couple of 80 degree days!

The Road To Texas

On the road behind Randy's rig.

We made it from Maryland to Louisiana over the past week. Randy and I bought some two way radios because trying to text or talk on the phone while driving is a pain and it's a much more immediate way of communicating a problem that requires a stop. Since Randy is driving his 36' RV and is also towing a car AND generally in the lead the radios make for an easy way for us to know when the other needs something.

Crazy Few Months

It's been a while since I wrote an update here and since I'm currently taking a break from preparing the Inn for travel I thought I'd get something up here.

Northern Renaissance Festivals have finally ended for the season so I'm preparing the Inn for a long trip South. Finally headed to Texas (wanted to be there by the beginning of October but due to the BF's obligations that was postponed) in a few days.

It's going to be a long journey since I'm caravanning with a 36' motorhome that will be towing a car. It might be a nice break for The Inn since I tend to drive with a lead foot. We're also making several stops along the way. North Carolina is our first stop to visit with the BF's folks and take in a play. Then we're off to Louisiana for some teaching gigs as well as the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. It will be nice to see some familiar faces and meet new friends there. After that we're on our way to Texas for the Texas Renaissance Festival and then Dickens on the Strand - both of these events sound like a hootload of fun.

Once we hit Texas we'll be staying with some friends and eventually purchasing some homesteading land (hopefully).

My life since I took to the road in April has been more interesting, more fun, more challenging (in some ways) and more fulfilling than I could have dreamed. It's brought me love, light and laughter which my life was sincerely missing. The challenges have all been growing experiences and my stress on the road has been about a tenth of what it used to be so I'm definitely meeting the future with open arms and seeing the world with wonder.

Here's hoping everyone had a terrific Halloween and that all of my friends survived Hurricane Sandy with minimal interruption to their daily lives. I'm hoping once spring comes back around to be able to get out to some van runs with The Inn (and I might be able to show her too since the fuzz patrol can stay in the RV) and hopefully make it to The 2013 Van Nats.

I'll update again soon!

Trip to Iowa - In Pictures

I'm feeling rather lazy so won't be typing much for this post. We spent close to a total of 45 hours in the car round trip and had a great time.

The first Iowa rest area we used - also the last.

A Beautiful Gift

My guy surprised me with this gorgeous necklace from The Brass Dragon. I love the dainty little dragon hugging that sparkly blue crystal. When I say surprise - I mean I was totally surprised, I hadn't even indicated that I wanted this and now I see why Carol was "trying new pieces on" me a couple of weeks ago.

Rovers in Ocean City

Saturday the fella and I headed down to Ocean City, MD to catch The Rovers at Shenanigan's Irish Pub & Grille. It was a fabulous time. I took a few pics but they came out pretty bad between the poor lighting and my alcohol intake.

A Disclaimer I Shouldn't Have To Make But Will

This blog is the sole property of me and I only speak for myself when I post here. All content is solely attributed to me unless otherwise stated.

Although it is safe to assume I speak also for Dandy, Dot, Tadpole, Anchovy, Barracuda, Gobie, Mischief and Mayhem.

Last Weekend at MDRF

Just a short update to say that this will be our last weekend at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. I've been trying to cram in seeing as many of my friends as I can while I'm here.

If you haven't seen The Rogues this season, come on out to the festival. It's Celtic Weekend so there's lots of terrific tuneage floating around.

I'm not sure where we'll be moving The Rig and WPI after this weekend. The fella still has a couple shows to do in PA so we'll probably be in the area at least for the next month or so ... after that - Texas is in my future. The air is already cooled enough here that I'm wearing a jacket and it's definitely warning me to get out of this cold climate before too long.

I'll be looking for homesteading land in Texas so if anyone has any inside line on that be sure to let me know. =)

In other news - life is grand. The fella and I have been happy and busy. We're a funny twosome since he's sort of meticulous and I'm sort of ... well, not. But, it's working for us and that's the only thing that counts.

The cats are still doing great. 5 of them have moved out of the WPI and into "The Rig" (the fella's 30 ft+ motorhome) and I'm in The Rig more often than not these days. Definitely an interesting change from the close quarters of the WPI (which I still adore and miss some days)

Unfortunately, with the fella working this weekend I won't make it to Keystone but I will plan on another van run soon since I can show it without the fuzz patrol hogging the inside.

Scenes From New Hampshire

Finally downloaded the pics from my phone. These are pics from Mark's house as well as Theater in the Wood.

Md to IN to MD

I am amazed at the speed with which this year is passing. I guess the saying is true that time really does fly when you're having fun.

Last Thursday saw me heading towards Columbus, Indiana for the Scottish Festival. The Rogues were playing so I came along to keep Randy company - not that I was very good at that since Wednesday night while we were doing laundry I started getting a sore throat. Sure enough it turned into full blown Bronchitis (which I'm still battling).

The festival was a lot of fun. I picked up a new silver charm because there was enough going on to merit a keepsake :)

Maryland Renaissance Festival

I love the MD faire, there is no question about that. In most years I have purchased a season pass. Most years I would only go one day each weekend. This year I've done two weeks straight (5 days) and I'm pooped. This past weekend was 3 straight days. The humidity has been insane, the rain has been heavy and being scrutinized by everyone has taxed me.

On top of all of that, my little Miss Mouse passed away sometime the night before last. I took the tank out to feed her and change the bedding and I found her in her little nest, curled up and cold. Definitely not a good way to start yesterday.

RIP little friend :(

Busy, Busy

Wow, I didn't realize it's been so long since I've updated here.

One thing I've learned since I hit the road to live in the Inn full-time is that life's direction is mostly unexpected and that I'm really just along for the ride, floating where ever the tide pushes me and making the most of it as I go. The ability to adapt and survive is one of our best attributes as humans. In my short time on the road I've learned that life won't steer me wrong as long as I listen. Every day I'm amazed at the difference in my life from a year ago this time.

Long Time, No Update

Good grief it's been a busy couple of weeks for me. I left Maine Thursday a week ago to head toward CT to the Super Somer van run and just made it into MD yesterday. I stopped and spent time in 6 states in that week and a half so prepare for a long update.

The van run was a blast. Brian from My Time My Way showed up which was a very pleasant unexpected surprise.

Just a Quick Yop

First lookit this great vinyl window decal Dave of vannin.com made for me! Awesome!

Second, I'm hitting the road again. This week is busy, busy. I'll be hitting 5 states in a week and a half. This weekend is the Super Somer van run in CT. Should be a great time. I'll take lots of pics - I hope.

Land of Blueberries

I could literally eat myself to death on the pretty little berries here. A couple days ago Stacy and I went out and picked two giant bowls full of blueberries. Yesterday they cleared the field so it wouldn't be overgrown but there are still tons of berries back there.

This morning I went and picked another huge bowl since I have a couple friends who requested some frozen berries if I was willing to pick them. Picking the is sort of fun with the blueberry rake. Pain in the ass to clean them after but easier than picking by hand.

I just really liked this tiny little spider web.

Meet the Wayward Pussy Crew

Thunderstorm In Maine - In Pictures

This storm blew through Maine yesterday evening ...

Your Turn!

I've always known my cats were against me sleeping. I always assumed it was some masterful ploy by them to keep me malleable but I'm starting to wonder if this isn't some sort of watch-keeping.

I've always wondered why my cats would wake me up and then as soon as I'm UP they go to sleep. Definitely a wonky practice on their part but I'm wondering if, in groups of feral cats, they "keep watch"

I could just be nuts because it's 5am and I'm awake and now they are all asleep like it was my imagination that randomly started tipping things off the counter.

Attempt Number 12,986

Not really, but it seems that way. Once again I'm going to attempt to quit smoking. A friend of mine posted on facebook that he was having trouble because he had no support from his friends. I've been kicking around the idea of quitting for a long time so why not now?

I'm 13 hours smoke free as of this posting.

Cherry's Blueberry Bread Recipe

I spent this morning with a friend picking wild blackberries and blueberries. So yummy. After cleaning up the blueberries I started wondering what to do with them. Sure, I could just leave them in a container and pick at them but I was in the mood to bake. I could do muffins - everyone does muffins, I could do pancakes except I don't like pancakes. I was staring at the back of a Jiffy Baking Mix box and there it was - a recipe for banana bread. Surely I can modify the recipe slightly and come up with something not only edible but also tasty.

Cool Stairs

This pic was posted to facebook by The Owner-Builder Network and since I can't send an image directly to Pinterest from FB I had to upload it somewhere so I thought I would share it.

When I finally build my tiny house these will lead to the loft bed.

The Chemise Color Debacle Continues and Other Crafts

Pretty sure it's still going to be on the day-glo side when it dries. I even added some green to the dye to tone it down because red wasn't doing it. Looks like I'm going to just dye it a chocolate brown or maybe bleach the color out of it. I'll wait to fully pass judgement until it dries.

Meanwhile I also dyed some other shirts and took pics of my process.

Dyed Clothing

It occurred to me that I forgot to post the pictures of the finished product when I tie dyed the shirts so here they are. I made one for the 4th of July, 1 for the irish festival, also dyed a pair of cream shorts green to hide a stain. The second shirt from the left was one that had a stain on it already so I colored that too and then one just because I liked the colors.

I'm definitely going to do more in the future. - maybe I'll start selling them.

Today I'm planning to dye a rather bright orange renaissance chemise to a more usable color. I'm aiming for a rusty red, darker orange or just brown if all else fails. I got the chemise for a steal (anyone who buys renaissance garb will tell you it isn't cheap) since the color is almost an 80s kill your eyes orange which is definitely a color they didn't wear back then. It's a full length chemise so I definitely want to start using it especially for warmer faire days.

Southwest Slow Cooked Chicken

That's what we're having for dinner tonight. I was originally going to use this recipe but realized that I didn't have a couple of the ingredients they called for so I made up my own out of stuff I found in Dave's pantry. So my recipe is as follows:

2 quartered chicken pieces - I'm using two quartered legs and thighs. I left the skin on for the cooking to add extra chicken flavor. The skin will be removed!

2 packages of chipotle marinade

2 chicken bullion cubes (would have preferred liquid stock)

1 small can of green chiles

1 tsp chopped garlic

Salt and pepper to taste.

All of this went into the slow cooker and will cook for the next 5 hours or so. When it's done remove the skin and throw it away and then pull the chicken apart with a fork.

It smelled good so let's hope it tastes good. Will update later with the results.

Update - It was pretty darned tasty on a tortilla with some lettuce, cheese and spicy ranch dressing.

Cat Proofing the Windows

You might be a van dweller if you have reclaimed lattice bungeed to your windows to keep your pets in.

August ... Already?

Every day the van looks more and more gypsyesque. Photo bomb by Gobie.

Good googly moogly! Where is the time going?.

I can't believe I'm headed into my 5th month of living in the van. Van dwelling has been (so far) a wonderful experience. I've gotten to meet some great people who will probably be at the top of my friend list forever. I've driven 1,805 miles. I've experienced and recovered from 6 cat escapes. Attended two van runs. Got through my first breakdown by overheating. Slept better than I have in years. Laughed more than I have in years...

And I'm sure a bunch of stuff I'm failing to drag to the front of my memory.

Sunday Morning Ritual

Picture from Post Secret

Every Sunday I wake up, make some strong tea and sit down to read Post Secret

What lazy morning ritual do you have?

You Might Be A Van-Dweller If

You're greeted by a meowing orange cat living decoration every time you open the door.

WPI.com Stickers

My friend Astro just bought a vinyl sticker maker and he's been practicing how to use it. I'm more than happy to offer waywardpussyinn.com as a guinea pig name for stickers.

Awwww The Inn is Now a .com

So I went ahead and purchased waywardpussyinn.com - for now it just redirects to this blog. Maybe 'll have to look into having a professional template made. Anyone know any really good site builders?

Threaded Comments Coding

It took me a few days to get threaded comments to work on my Blogger blog. Of course, if you don't have a custom template it's as easy as checking a couple settings. You should always make a backup of your template before attempting any changes to coding - just in case you mess it up.

Just a Short Update

I'm still chillin' in Maine. I've been on a DIY and crafting kick for the past couple of days. Hopefully I'll be able to finish up and post pics of my DIY needle felting mat as well as a nifty - or what I hope will be nifty little Halloween Mason Jar Needle Felted craft.

I'm curious how many crafters we have reading here. Maybe some of you would be interested in a Rubbertramp craft swap around the end of winter? Leave a comment here if you can and if you have trouble with the blogger comments you can always drop me an email via the social media buttons over -----there ---->

If there's enough interest I'll set up a page where we can all work out the details as well as a theme :)

Oh and in other good news - I finally figured out the coding to get threaded comments to work. It took a lot of hours and a lot of cursing at the screen but it works. I don't particularly like the look of it but I'll fix that some other day. I'm just glad I'm getting to use this theme and not having to work to personalize another.

Ugh Blogger

I'm waving my fist in the air though no one except the kitties can see me.

Blogger did not like the last template I used - there was no way for me to get threaded comments. I tried several different coding options and still nothing so I can only assume the original writer of the theme broke some fundamentally necessary bits.

So here's what I have in the meantime. I'll work on sprucing up a new template soon but today I'm beat and tired of looking at code.

On the bright side I now have threaded comments which will make my life MUCH easier.

LOVE Maine's Summer Weather

It's 72 degrees and breezy in Dresden, ME today that means I can shut off the AC, open the doors/ windows and let the fresh air fly without worrying about roasting the kitties.

I Agree With Most of This

The only thing I don't agree with is "Life is short" since life is the longest damned thing any of us, as individuals, will ever do.

Dot Escapes The Van

I knew it was bound to happen, it was just a matter of time. Yesterday while sitting at a rest area in Connecticut Dot squeezed out one of the small triangle windows. I looked up from texting on my phone to see her standing outside of the van on the driver's side door. As quickly and quietly as I could I got out of the van and walked around that side.

A note about Dot, she's my barely 5 pound, skittish little lady. She lives with me because she was too skittish to adopt out and she rarely comes to me unless I'm laying in bed. She's gotten better but it's not like she'll come running if I call her.

I was panicked. What the hell am I going to do? When she saw me she jumped off the van and ran towards the picnic tables (about 5 feet away from where I was parked). There was a crowd of folks standing in the lot stretching their legs who saw all of this and started heading my way to help round her up. I had to tell them that I was thankful that they wanted to help but that them coming near her would only chase her farther away since she won't even come to me and with that I got back in the van while keeping an eye on her to see where she was going to head. To my surprise she came back over to the van yowling and looking for a way to get back in the window she jumped out of.

I got back out and left the passenger door open (no small feat to leave a door open to get one cat in and keep 5 others from jumping out) and walked around the van hoping she would run from me and into the open door. Cat brains don't work like that - she knew how she got out and wouldn't accept any other way of getting back in. After three rounds of chase the cat where she and I did circles around the van I finally opened the drivers side door and tried one more time. Thankfully she decided to jump in and I ran over and shut the door to cheers from the crowd that was watching. I'm so glad she understands the van is "home" and didn't decide to take off into the woods.

She's actually been sort of clingy with me since the incident and I guess maybe she figures I ain't so bad compared to the loud trucks that were pulling into and out of the rest area!

*This post was edited on Aug. 5, 2020 for a racial microaggression. I learn every day.

Driving, Festivals and More

Yes, that's me in some of those pics on stage holding a drum for Randy of The Rogues! And, yes, I shook my ass the whole time!

This past week was so awesome I'm having a heard time finding a place to start. I rolled out of Maine late Sunday night headed toward Maryland. The entire trip was problem free until I got to Maryland and then the van started stalling at red lights and just generally being cranky. I managed to make it into Glen Burnie and Jen and Eds driveway. Three things I noticed about MD upon stopping for gas just off Pulaski Highway:

1. It's loud. The noise was a bit overwhelming after being rural for the past couple months.
2. It smells bad.
3. THE HEAT!

RIP Jon Lord

Thanks for all the tunes!

Leaving Maryland - Again

I get back on the road in an hour or so. I'm sad to be leaving all of my friends - both new and old. I have a lot to update but it won't be happening tonight.

The short version is - I had a blast at The Annapolis Irish Festival and this whole week was definitely needed. More details to follow once I get back to Maine and rested completely.

Cabbage and Cornbeef

No, I'm eating that but it beat saying "meat and potatoes" since it's finally come time for the whole reason I'm in town - The Annapolis Irish Festival.

Tonight is the early concert at the fairgrounds. Awesome bands like The Rovers, Rogues, and Albannach - how can I resist. And best of all: it's free if you get through the gate before 6pm.

Tomorrow is the actual festival. I'm so excited, good friends, great music, awesome food and beer! I foresee a hangover in my future.

Being back in MD for this week has been utterly relaxing. It's nice for a change to know exactly where anything I could possibly want can be found, to not get lost and to know where I can find a friend if I need one.

Two night ago my friends took me to a newish bar in town called the Mutiny Pirate Bar and Island Grille. Fun atmosphere (with the exception of the trivia deejay who was an absolute asshole so I would say avoid going on Wednesdays), great rum (lots of different kinds) and terrific food. I ordered The Henry Morgan - Rum Brined Slow Roasted Pulled Pork, Spiced Rum Barbecue Sauce, Cole Slaw. It was fabbulous with the exception of the cole slaw which was a bit funky for my taste but the pulled pork was to die for. I found a new rum that I like and suggested one they didn't have. I'll definitely visit again next time I'm in town.

I'm not sure that I'll post again before leaving out of here Sunday (it's looking to be a busy few days) so I want to send a HUGE thanks to my friends Jen and Ed for letting me crash their driveway and plug in so the cats could have some A/C!

Made it to MD

I have no idea how long the trip actually took me. I left around 9pm on Sunday. Stopped for a nap at a pitch black picnic area in CT and then continued driving yesterday morning around 7. Made it to MD at 5:30pm.

I had to stop for gas just outside of Baltimore off Pulaski Hwy and it struck me - it's so noisy here. Between rush hour traffic and the police helicopter buzzing directly over my head I have to say I was a bit overwhelmed.

Also since I left before it could set in - the heat and humidity here are suffocating. That quickly I forgot what MD summers are all about.

Parked at a friend's house - they weren't home so I helped myself to some electricity to cool off the poor cats. When I stopped driving it was pushing 110 degrees in the van. The cats were all sprawled out and panting - it was rather sad. Once the air kicked on and dropped the interior by 20 degrees (aided by the sun going down) everyone perked back up and then passed out.

I also got to catch up on Sunday's True Blood! Woot!

Heading Back to Maryland

Tomorrow night I'll be leaving Maine to head back to Maryland for the Annapolis Irish Festival next weekend. I'm planning to do the 11+ hour drive over two day and am hoping to avoid as much of the heat that has been plaguing the south as I can. Thus I'll be doing night driving. I figure the end of a holiday weekend on a Sunday when everyone has to be at work bright and early Monday morning - I should have the roads to myself. Well, me and the truckers.

Since April I have traveled 817 miles. Not too shabby. I still hate driving to be honest. My stomach has been in knots for a couple days knowing I have a long drive ahead of me. Hopefully I'll have better luck staying in touch with folks with the new phone (yes, I still need to get the number out to everyone)

From MD the plan is to come back to ME for three weeks before starting renfest season, horror convention season and trying to squeeze in another van run. For most of August through October I'll be in MD, DE, PA & NJ

I'll update again soon!

Tracking Visitors

So it's no secret I have a visitor counter that tells me where folks are referred from. I use it so I can make sure I'm linking back to folks who are linking to me.

In the past month I've had some odd Google search hits. This one is from yesterday:

2 Jul

08:09:05 PM

Chrome 20.0 Win7 1366x768

Thailand

Cat Telecom Public Company Ltd  cherrywanders.blogspot.com/2012/05/back-on-road.html  www.google.com — pussy on the road #1

What this says is that someone in Thailand visited my blog via a Google search for "pussy on the road" the "#1" means I am the number one search hit for that search term.

Pussy on the road ... fitting.

Last week I had a blog hit from someone in Singapore (I think) that was from a search term "chili powder on pussy" or some such shiznit.

I'm a Crafty Biznitch

Not sure whether I'm bored or just wanted to feel productive today. A huge rain storm just blew through Maine a bit ago so while I wait for my shirts to set I decided to make a holder for my cell phone when it's plugged in. I think I stumbled a how to or a picture of this a few days ago (I can't remember) but it looked easy enough. Given the small space in the van I tend to have wires running everywhere. From my netbook to the outlet and my tv (I use it as a monitor). Also from my cell phone to the outlet when it's plugged in.

Dying Clothing

My paint project drop cloth. It's starting to look like  work of art on it's own.

 Today I decided to tie-dye some shirts and in the process re-dye two pieces of clothing that were stained. Tie-dying is the perfect way to bring new life to something you love that has a stain.

New Themes and Travel

So after a lot of searching and then a lot of rewriting I have a new blog template. I loved the base theme but wanted something a little more personal so I've been working on changing the photos for the header image (still have one more to do) and adding social network icons both to the sidebar as well as the post footers. It took me a long time to do since I the only experience I have with html and css is via blog templates (livejournal and here) but it's easy enough to do as long as you have patience and a search engine.

With the new theme I can post bigger pictures (yay) and I attempted to go back through and change the photo sizes for most of the picture filled posts of the past.

I'm gearing up for a 12+ hour drive back down to MD from Maine. Here's secret fact #2573 about me - I hate driving. Yes, it would be odd that I would pick this lifestyle and hate driving. Actually I hate the other people on the road not necessarily driving itself. I'll be doing mostly night driving over a couple of days to get back south.

I'm excited to see everyone I've been missing over the past couple months. I haven't decided if I'm, staying at a park or am going to find someone's house I can plug in at. I'm going to NEED shade. Even though I have the A/C 100 degree heat will be too much for the A/C to keep up with since I only drop about 12 degrees below ambient temps. The van baking in 100 degree full sun could easily jump to over 120 degrees - the A/C won't work for that without shade. Then I can drop 12 degrees below ambient ahded temps which won't be so bad.

Dave and I have both been sick here at the house so I haven't made headway in getting my screens installed. I'll probably be looking to do that ASAFP in MD when I get there since they will help cool the interior off immensely - especially when I am not plugged in to use the A/C.

Meh. I'm babbling - I don't feel well in general and my neck has been killing me for a couple days.

Happy Canada day to all my Northernly friends.

Themes - They are A Changin'

While I love my current blog theme - I really dislike the fact that I can't get the share buttons on posts. So I've decided to change the theme - please pardon this page if it looks funky over the next day or so.

A Day of Skies

Woman’s Survival Garden Seized and Destroyed by Authorities

Clicky clicky

Complete insanity!

Fresh Maine Strawberries

Dave's neighbors went strawberry picking today and brought me over some. They taste as fabulous as they look (my picture doesn't really do them justice) They said next time they go picking they would take me with them. Sounds tasty and fun!

 Just finished baking the cakes. I have a secret recipe that I have to make box cake fabulous. I also put a divot in the tops to hold a scoop of ice cream. Will post a pic of the finished product once I make one to eat.

Some Projects Completed!

As of today I have a back up cam and a new stereo on the Wayward Pussy Inn. Huzzah! I won't back into any other buildings and I can listen to MY music!

It started out looking rather rough this afternoon:

WPI Upgrades and Illness

The WPI is going to be getting a bunch of upgrades over the next couple of weeks.

Currently on order is a new lower radiator hose and a new EGR valve. But today I purchased a new stereo unit since the current one will not play CDs and the volume knob works when it wants to. I also have the screen to install and Dave gave me a back up camera that will eventually be going in.

Whoa - welcome to 2012. Poor little '80s van has no idea what's coming.

In other news - I have been sick as shit. The past couple of days have brought extreme lower intestinal upset. I'm used to being a bit of a IBS person but now I'm wondering if Crohn's disease isn't the issue. Last night was so bad I didn't really sleep and spent most of the night curled up in a ball of pain. Today I'm running a fever and just feeling generally dumpy. I feel bad for Dave since this makes me a rather unpleasant person to be around (also doesn't help that I'm about to have a visit from the bloody painters)

Mish-Mosh of Stuff

The weather here in Maine has finally stopped being wet! We had another day of rain early in the week which showed the van was still leaking. Turns out it wasn't the vent this time but the old TV antenna fin. Dave was kind enough to pull it off and reseal it so hopefully leaking is a thing of the past. To be on the safe side we're going to reseal EVERYTHING that's poking out of the roof.

My friend Nate sent me these awesome screen doors for the side barn doors of the van. This will be so handy in keeping the cats in while allowing fresh air flow so I won't have to run the A/C so much since the new vent fan does wonders in keeping air moving.

Dandy of course had to check out the screens. He approves

Maple Grove Cemetery

Dave and I wandered through the small cemetery across the street from his house last night.

 

The Sun Does Exist!

Holy rain, Batman. It has rained every day since I arrived in Maine. Not sure if that is some sort of omen but ... good grief.

Woke up this morning and it's warm and the sun is doing its thing! Huzzah!

You Might Be A Vandweller If:

The cheaprvliving.com forums have a great topic going right now.

Some of the funniest answers so far:

If the Wal Mart store knows you by your first name
-xj700

If you have ever pooped in a bucket inside your vehicle.
-VanTrekker

 

Hole in the Bucket

There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, a hole.
Then fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, fix it. 

The van has sprung a leak from the new roof vent. Nothing too major and I caught it before it could do any damage. Not to mention that the new cargo carrier that Tequila gave me was hanging underneath where the leak ran to. The carrier was filled with my skirts and soaked up any water before it hit and could cause damage to the floor. I ended up strapping my ice bucket/ trash can to a bungee to catch the little bit of water that was dripping in before the WPI got tarped (again). If the leak would have gone another three inches back I could have just opened the toilet for it to drip into, heh.

How to catch a leak in a van.

Made it to Maine

 Just a short update.

Spent the night before last as well as yesterday morning making my way from NY to ME. it was a pleasant drive - no overheating to speak of so that's a plus.

It's so pretty up here. The sky is a different kind of blue than I'm used to seeing in polluted central MD. And the company ain't so bad either!

Staying with a vannin' friend with plans to figure out why the Wayward Pussy Inn is overheating and possibly getting these fuel sending units I've been toting around finally put in and maybe, just maybe, having a working gas gauge.

I haven't taken any pics yet - but I will!

Back on the Road

I'll be back on the road in about 2 hours or so heading from NY to ME. There's a lot of great sights I put on my list to see while I'm in Maine - King's house is high on my list, the three story outhouse, the desert, and a bunch of other stuff - this should be a good leg of my journey.

Interlake RV Park

This place is very pretty and clean. The cats are loving the fact that squirrels and chipmunks are running all over the place. The weather is beautiful since there's a breeze actually coming through the trees today. When I got here Monday it was humid, hot and dead calm. Not yesterday though. Yesterday brought thunder storms that included nickel sized hail. but at least it dropped the temperature by almost 20 degrees. It rained through most of the night. I'm up early today to get a head start on doing laundry. I tried to do it yesterday but there were some folks in there using most of the machines so this morning I'm going to go up as soon as they open the building in a half hour or so. I'll be leaving here around 6 tonight and making my way towards Dresden, ME. The next few days are set to be fairly cool with the next 10 days showing 60's & 70's - I can deal with that! Here's a few pics from the RV park. Click any picture to see the full sized version.

Things That Make Me Laugh Hysterically

This has GOT to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I don't do many animated movies and I likely won't see Madagascar 3 but this clip is HILARIOUS.

Lost On The High Seas - Pictures

Lost 5/25, a set on Flickr.

Lost on the High Seas Van in Greenwich, NY