It’s been busy here in Howley-land. For the last several months, Pat has been going gangbusters working on the van, taking advantage of the warm weather and longer days. When he wasn’t out working in the garage or driveway, he was spending hours at a time studying scary-looking schematics of solar and electrical systems. Full […]
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It was the lure of unlimited hot water that entranced us. The dream of having a full size, recirculating shower in our van is what Pat called a “game changer.” (If you want to see the real van lifers who designed and installed this plumbing brilliance in their van, then check out Snow and Curt’s […]
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Well, it finally happened – a day I have been dreading for months. It was the day that Pat took a saw and cut holes in our shiny, new van. When you buy a van with the intent to build it into a camping vehicle, you expect that you’re going to have to cut holes […]
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Good news! Pat SOLD the plus-sized composting toilet we bought before we examined the dimensions. It’s a little embarrassing to admit that we allowed our excitement to buy a toilet to hijack our common sense, but lesson learned: we will definitely read the small print from now on. Nevertheless, congratulations to Pat, who posted advertisements […]
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Pat is scaring me. He has been watching YouTube videos of van people who build their own campervan batteries. “A lot of people are doing it,” he nonchalantly says, as if it would be no different than making homemade yeast from raisins after watching a Facebook video. His furrowed brow means he’s serious. He really […]
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If you want to truly feel humbled, try researching toilets. Not the shiny porcelain ones that flush using old-fashioned water and plumbing. I’m not talking about loos that you can easily buy at Lowe’s. I mean toilets that we can install in our campervan. Pat and I have been reading blog posts, studying reviews, and […]
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When Pat and I started watching scores of YouTube videos about building and living in a campervan, I was delighted to see that quite a few #vanlifers travel in their tiny homes with pets. Our absolute favorite #vanlife YouTubers are Snow and Curt (check them out at thechilldaze.com). Not only did they build a van […]
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For almost two years, my husband, Pat, and I have been talking about buying a cargo van and converting it into a campervan when he retired at the end of 2020. Our plan was to travel with our dog, Maya, all over the U.S and Canada, Alaska, and maybe even Mexico (when we are able […]
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Yes. 2020 was a bummer, but not a bust. That’s why I’m not going to focus on the sickness, injuries, and isolation that characterized much of my year. Despite everything, I accomplished a lot and I have much to be grateful for. Here are some of the notables: I FINALLY buckled down and sent queries […]
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I met Jen Collins in 2018 when she attended one of my CCAC writing classes. A few months later, she contacted me and we met for coffee,which is when I learned that she had been diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer and was seriously considering writing a memoir about her experience. I was thrilled […]
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