Having recently returned from our first long-haul trip of 3,000 miles to spend Thanksgiving with family in Florida, it is official: Pat and I sleep better in the Paddy Wagon than we do our own bed. I know it sounds crazy, especially for someone like me, who, according to the results of my DNA spit […]
Category: The Paddy Wagon Tales
The Paddy Wagon is ALMOST DONE!
A few days ago, Pat expressed disappointment that it was taking him so long to finish the campervan. I was aghast. “Are you kidding?” “Why? How long did you think it was going to take?” “YEARS,” I admitted. My incredulity was not a reflection on his efficiency, but rather the fact that I can’t believe […]
Harvest Hosting across Michigan
Ready or not, here we come! That was our rallying cry when we decided to take a few days before and after our niece’s first anniversary celebration in Michigan to try out our new and improving Ford Transit campervan. Pat has been working hard installing cabinets, electrical outlets, walls, and the second butcher block countertop. […]
COMPOSTING TOILET: DID IT WORK?
A recap of our first trip in the campervan Review #1 I’ve had some time to think about our first camping trip in the Paddy Wagon a few weeks ago, which, overall, was a wonderful adventure. But now I want to devote a few blog posts to review in detail some of the systems and […]
Our first camping trip in the Paddy Wagon – expectations vs reality?
Yes! We recently returned home after spending 4 nights and 5 days camping in THE PADDY WAGON and I’m here to report an honest assessment of our experience. First I’ll start with my EXPECTATIONS: I expected to be uncomfortable. I expected there would be a lot of inconveniences. I (secretly) expected that after a few […]
SWEET VICTORY!
A MESSAGE FROM MY HUSBAND… Don’t miss out! For context, please read my last blog post: The Paddy Wagon’s “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” – Ann K Howley
The Paddy Wagon’s “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”
A few minutes ago, the drone of a whirring drill, which I had been hearing for the last few hours, suddenly stopped. A minute later, Pat burst into the house, and I could tell he was upset. “How’s it going?” I asked. “NOT GOOD,” he replied, emphasizing each word like they belonged in two separate […]
Let there be light… on a 2022 book tour?
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 […]
Showering with a gallon of water or less?
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 […]
The point of no return
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 […]