Photography, Travel

Clementine

Way, way back in the olden days – somewhere around November 2018 – I was at the tail end of my travels in Europe. My plan had been to return to my beloved Chico, California, get a job and save up so I could travel some more. I’d hoped to go back to South America.
But this was not to be. First, the Paradise fire had started and, naturally, most of Paradise moved down to Chico. Jobs would be scarce. And second, the friend I was going to rent a room from made a long-delayed decision to move away from Chico.
So, I contacted my sister in Salem, Oregon and asked if I could rent a room from her for about a year. I figured that would be sufficient time to save up enough money to hit the road again. Unfortunately, getting a job there proved to be difficult, too. It wasn’t until the following May that I got one – at my brother-in-law’s office. I think he either had pity on me or just wanted me out of the house! It’s a tax/accounting office and since I’ve done secretarial work for years I knew I’d learn the ropes fairly quickly.
Great – I was finally on track.
Then Covid hit.
I won’t bore you with the details (everyone’s gone through their own Covid issues), but I stayed at my sister’s house until the end of August of this year. Waaaaaaayyyyyy longer than I’d originally intended.
But earlier this year I started making plans for my eventual departure by buying a van.
The van needed plenty of work and I certainly hope she’s had all the major work she’s going to need for a while. Knock on wood.
So, having spewed all that out, I’ll now share with you my process of transforming my 2011 Chevy Express work van into my home.

Pretty, ain’t she?
She was really dirty. And that tool box weighed a TON!

Adding the floor. I used chipboard after having tried plywood which turned out to be too warped.
Adding insulation around the wheel wells and on the walls.
I went nuts on framing the thing. I wanted to be sure I’d have plenty of places that I could screw various things into. In other words, I wanted to keep my options for placement open. I used 1 x 4’s and they weren’t terribly heavy. They were way lighter than the tool box had been so I wasn’t too worried about the weight. I’ve got to say it was an experience using self-tapping screws! Sort of a full-body experience. You really have to lean in (I did, anyway!) to get through the metal ribs of the van. Once you do, you have to back off quickly – you don’t want to go all the way through to the outside! Overall, it felt good to get the hang of it.

In go the walls.
I built boxes around the wheel wells for the frame/base of my bed.

That ceiling was HAAAAARRRRD to put in. I used broomsticks as third and fourth arms to hold it up while driving the self-tapping screws up through the ceiling ribs. It’s very imperfect but considering how hard it was to install, I’m okay with it!
Before starting on the bed, I built myself a little closet.

Bed frame

I’ve got to say, I’m pretty proud of this bookshelf. There were lots of angles to consider when building it and I think it turned out well.
The image on the left is the side of the nightstand that I bought at a thrift store. It’s not very obvious in the picture, but I had to round off the back edge of it so it would butt up close to the wall. It worked out pretty well.

So, once I got the nightstand in I installed a shelf that I got from Habitat for Humanity. I originally painted it the same reddish color but decided to repaint it green. I wanted it a bit more bright and cheery. I also painted over my design on the drawer of the nightstand. It was just too overwhelming for me. I wanted a calm space and it was just too ‘in your face.’ I also bought the cabinet doors separately at Habitat and they fit nicely. On top of the cabinet I utilized a couple of old brackets I’ve had for years to hold in boxes of my art supplies. At the back, on the wall, I pasted some old wallpaper I’ve also had forever. Under the cabinet is a cooler (not a fridge) that I can keep cool using the 12 volt battery through the van’s cigarette lighter.

Up at the top of this side edge of the van, I installed a scrap of wood to cover up the ugly wiring. Then I glued bits of wood from cigar boxes onto it. As tiny a space as it is, I wanted to sort of separate the “kitchen” from the “bedroom.” I don’t think I’m fooling anyone, but it turned out okay. I couldn’t cover the entire space with the wood so I covered the rest of the wiring with pretty fabrics I’ve bought here and there. I bought the fabric on the right in Peru.

So, I guess from here on out, I’ll show you the finished project. By the way, sorry for the font changing size weirdly and any other strangeness in this post. WordPress has made major changes since last time I posted anything and it’s been baffling, to say the least.

As you can see, I added a rug. I bought it at a yard sale and cut it to shape. I was amazed at how well it fit. I also made the window panels for privacy. I just used pieces of fabric (from the thrift store, of course) and sewed in magnets around the edges.

And of course, I had to add the necessary stickers.

I’ve named her Clementine for a couple reasons. My grandfather’s name was Clem. I always felt so comfortable around him and safe. But, you’re supposed to give your boat (and she is a boat!) a female name, right? Hence Clementine, which is a name I’ve always liked anyway. So, here she be….

…..home sweet home.

19 thoughts on “Clementine”

  3. Wow! Fantastic job! I am so glad you are going to be back traveling again, and I can’t wait to ‘follow’ you to the new places you will go! Good luck, and safe travels by beautiful cousin!

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  6. Great story! I’ve seen the pictures here and there but this post really puts it all together. I hope you and Clementine can get back on the road before tooo long. ♥️

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  8. I got to witness a small part of your journey 🚌What you did with the Van 😮 Your early bird 🐦 hours at the office 💻 and your WILL to make your dream happen was very inspiring🦋. I wish you safe, fun, interesting and happy travels. I am glad I got to meet you ❤️

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  9. I stand before you ” in awe!” I was before when you were heading off around Europe on your own – I was terrified something would happen. It didnt. We were supposed to meet when you came to the UK but we could not make it happen, however, I am still so impressed by your positive nature and the fact that you are using every inch of your life to make it rewarding. Good for you. Looking forward to your blog. Happy Travels

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    1. Thank you! I’m so happy to hear from you. I do wish we could have met when I was there. I’m glad, at least, that we’re keeping in touch. Hopefully, there’ll be a ‘next time ’round’ and we can meet then. Thank you again for your kind words. Cheers, my friend.

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  10. Wow! I’m sooo impressed Janice. What a great job you did, it came out beautiful! Did you know that our grandfather, Sam Kirby was a carpenter? And my Mom, your aunt Helen could draw ,and painted the inside of our whole house multiple times, she loved painting. Happy travels to you! Keep us posted.
    Love, cuz Barbara.

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    1. Thanks, cousin! I did know that about your mom, but I wasn’t aware of it about our grandfather. My dad was quite the carpenter, too. I remember watching him do various projects and I do think some of it rubbed off on me, thankfully! It certainly has come in handy. I do hope to see you again some time next year. Fingers crossed!

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  11. Pingback: Yellowstone – ziggyseamstress

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