Nomadland!

Not long ago, several of us who are van dwellers
got jobs as extras in the Oscar-winning movie,
Nomadland. 

It was fun experience,
and I was proud to be a part of it.

Those of us who worked in the movie were asked
not to talk about it or post photos until it came out.
So I've been pretty quiet.

But when I saw the movie,
I was SO happy to see my face got a
HUGE full screen shot! 

I have to admit,
I love this photo!

New Van Bed!

For my 69th birthday, Joe built a bed in my new van!

I'm SO happy!
Now I can escape every now and then ~
~ Hooray!

Here are photos of the process:

First, a piece of plywood over the carpet makes the floor

Cost was about $40.

Scraps of 2 x 2 from a construction site
Cost: FREE

I did buy 3 new bins. My old ones were shot.
These are deeper so I can pack more clothes.
Got these at Walmart on sale for $8 each = $24

Joe started by making the leg/braces out of 2 x 2

A closer look at the finished leg/braces

I cut out the old seat belts in the back
Haven't yet figure out how to remove this piece.

Next, Joe measured to be sure the leg/braces

were wide enough. And I wanted about an inch space at the top.

I don't use lids on the bins - 

I have found it easier just to slide them in and out

and let the bed be the lid.

Perfect fit!

Screwing the braces/legs to the plywood floor

All four braces/legs are in. 
The last section holds more than one bin.

Next, piecing the top.
We are just using scrap plywood,
but you COULD buy a whole piece.
It's just awful expensive right now.

I asked Joe to round the corner near the passenger seat.

In the future, I will be turning that passenger seat around,

but right now I need it for my mom to sit in.

Almost done!

Putting in the last piece.

There is a space in the front where Joe will put wood,

to make the floor completely flat.

I will go to Goodwill, nab some old clean yoga mats,

and cut them to fit. Then, I put a rug on top.

This gives me a LOT of insulation.

I really never got cold in my other van,

and this is the way I did the floor.

Here I am trying out my bed.
Bins are underneath.
Joe is working on filling in that little front piece.

I'm sooooo happy!

Come back in a few days to see how I organize the space.

Next month, I'm going to pay Joe to put in my kitchen.

It will be in the hatchback, just like my other van,

with a few small changes.

Life is so good!

Annie

Becoming More Stealthy

I followed the lead of one of the ladies on the Women's RTR site today and made my van a bit more stealthy.

I went to Joann's fabric store, took advantage of their 50% sale, and bought a yard and 21 inches of 72 inch black felt. I found a can of Scotch spray adhesive in the hugely discounted section.

I brought all my goodies "home" to the lot where I'm boondocked on the Oregon coast.

I laid out my reflectix window covers on the ground, sprayed them with the adhesive, then glued them to the felt.  After they were good and stuck, I cut around the edges and voila!

My once silver window coverings now look like black tinted windows.

I'm VERY happy with the results and it was easy as pie.
Took me about 20 minutes to finish all four windows.

I did have an "adventure" when I thought I'd put reflectix TAPE around the edges to hold it all together. But when I put that piece in the window, the silver tape GLARED. So I ripped it off.

Cost was about $15 and I've got lots of adhesive and about a yard of felt left. I bought way too much felt.

My reflectix window covering on top of the felt piece

The felt before I more carefully trimmed it

From the outside. See the tiny bit of reflectix in the upper right corner? I should patch that.

The back windows are awesomely blacked out now.

*** UPDATE!
This did not work and I ended up ripping the felt off and simply putting reflectix in the windows. I never had another issue just using reflectix.

Bathing on the Run

Bathing and hair washing is one issue van dwellers have to face and figure out. I've shown you my system for taking a bath in a previous post. But if I'm not boondocked, I often will use Starbucks or some other public bathroom where the main door can be locked (important) to clean up.

Here is what I take along:

I start with a pretty cloth bag. This one is new looking and holds a LOT!  To others, it could just be my purse, and in fact, I keep my change purse in here when I go into Starbucks, along with my laptop and cord, so they don't suspect anything.

I carry a microfiber washcloth in a ziplock bag.  When I get back to my van, I hang it on my main door bungie to dry out. The microfiber dries quickly.

I carry a microfiber towel.  

It is super absorbent and dries very quickly 

when hung up in the van on my bungie.

I've tried terrycloth towels, but they take forever to dry 

unless you're in nice hot weather.

This is the brand of microfiber towel I bought. A little spendy, but worth every cent. I've had trouble with microfiber towels not being absorbent enough.  This one is great!  I love it! I carry it with me on the Camino when backpacking also.
Small, but powerful!

I picked up this men's shaving kit at Goodwill, brand new, for $2.99.

It holds all my necessities, 

such as deodorant, toothbrush and paste,

soap (in a plastic travel soapdish),

face cream, etc.

The yellow thing is a scrubber washcloth 

I bought at an asian store. 

I love that thing!

I also carry a small empty plastic cup for pouring water over my head.

I put a clean pair of panties and bra, if needed,

into the bag.

I wear my clean clothes including socks, into the facility.

I just saunter into Starbucks,

order a coffee,

then ask for the bathroom code.

I go in and enjoy their nice hot water.

I wash my hair first,

in the sink.

Using the cup I get my head wet,

soap up with my DOVE soap

(my hairdresser said it will help my hair grow in thicker)

then rinse using my cup.

Then I just take a bath from the top down,

using my soapy washcloth,

then rinsing.

I take off my shoes and stand on 2 paper towels.

Feet go into the sink last

(I'm flexible).

Then I wash out my cloth real good

and put it back into the plastic bag.

It can hang out to dry when I'm back at the van.

All of this takes less than 7-8 minutes,

and that's no longer than some folks use the bathroom

for a BM, so I don't worry too much about it.

I do tend to get into Starbucks early,

around 5:30 am when they open,

so they're usually not busy at all.

That's it!

Bathing on the Run.

By the way, you CAN check out various places for showers.

YMCA will often have cheap shower hours.

At Tillamook, showers at YMCA are only $1.

Some tourist town hotels will offer showers.

Up in Washington, I found showers for $3 and $5.

Public swimming pools will have showers.

Community Centers sometimes have showers.

And then there's always the gym...

Planet Fitness is inexpensive to join

if they have facilities in your area.

Truck stops will have showers,

but they can be spendy at $12-$15.

The nice thing is there's no time limit.

Your senior center might know of a place,

as may a local church.

Go check out what's available near you.

And remember, it never hurts to ask.

How I Organize my Toyota Sienna

NOTE:  Since this post, I've reorganized and cleaned out yet again. I'll post photos of that reorganization later in April, 2019.

***

In the past year I've organized and reorganized my 2002 Toyota Sienna a few times.  Each time it gets a little better, and a little easier to live out of. 

Here are some photos of the inside of my van:

I turned my passenger seat around

I have lots of space!

 This is my office.  It is a sturdy woven plastic picnic basket. I think I paid about $3.99 for it at Goodwill.

Inside, I keep my iPads, books I'm reading, pens, pencils, tape, correction fluid, pencil sharpener, and pretty much everything I'd keep in a desk.

During the day if I'm driving, 

this "office" lives in the passenger seat.

Inside the white bag are all my cords.

Under my bed I have 3 cubby holes that hold large storage bins.

Two of the bins hold clothing.

One holds art supplies and first aid.

In front of Bin #1,  which holds my jeans and shirts,

I keep another small basket that I picked up at Goodwill.

Inside that basket, 

I keep items I use nearly every day;

lotion, make-up bag with fingernail files, clippers, 

a bit of makeup, nose spray, foot powder, q-tips, etc.

In front of Clothing Bin #2, which holds panties, bras,

swimsuit, hair dryer, towels and washclothes (2 each),

is a small cloth bag.  Inside that is my jetboil, for the mornings I don't want to drag out my table and coleman stove for coffee.  I also keep my DoTerra essential oils in that bag so I can get to them easily.

Also fitting in that space, is my pee pot.

I bought a snap-lock container for my pee pot. 

I keep it in a cloth basket with packages of baby wipes.

The wipes, by the way, are from Walmart.

They are plush and fragrance free

and only cost $5 for 3 large packages.

The pee pot is as tall as a regular cereal container, but half as long.

It's "just the right size" to use and avoid spillage. 

The two of those fit perfectly side by side in front of the clothing bin.

Cubby #3 holds my art supplies and my first aid box.

One half-sized bin holds all my watercolor supplies.

One holds all of my first aid supplies along with a few other items

that haven't found a home, 

like my wind up radio and wind up flashlight.

Sitting sideways is a box that holds my acrylic paints.

One of the boxes, you'll notice, does not have a lid. 

There wasn't enough space to get it in with the lid,

but it sits so close to the bottom of the bed,

that it really doesn't need a lid.

All my acrylics fit nicely in this snap-lock box I picked up at Joann's.

Behind the acrylics are two small wooden boxes.
One holds my ritual supplies, like incense, charcoal, censor, etc.
One holds my tarot cards.
The backside of my kitchen is my headboard.
On the left of my headboard, I hung part of a shoe holder.
It keeps my carbon monoxide detector right next to my head.
It also holds things I use every day,
or may need quickly,
like toilet paper, nose spray, ibuprofen and Gaviscon.

Beneath that you see my purple shower bag,

and under it is my small propane tank that I use for my Buddy Heater,
when I need it.

To the passenger side of my bed I put a small container

that holds my night lights.

These are simply solar lights that you stick out in your yard.

I got them at Walmart, 10 for $10.

To use them as night lights, you simply unscrew them

from the pointy sticks.

I turn them upside down and charge them each day.

They burn for a couple of hours.

Under the night lights is a little bin that holds my scissors

needles, and other sharp things.

I decided to bring my guitar with me again this winter.

During the day when I'm driving or hanging out, 

it lives on the bed.

I keep my solar panel and yoga mat on the driver side of my bed.

They fit nicely between the sliding door and the bed.

Under the passenger seat, I keep a few books and files,

along with my yoga strap and level and house slippers.

The passenger seat in my van is turned around facing the rear.

So "behind" it I keep my extra battery

and a bucket I use to do laundry.

I keep my dirty clothes in the bucket until it is full,

and then either go to a laundromat or

wash them in the bucket

with my plunger washing machine (see previous post).

You can see my buddy heater in this photo.

It lives beween the two front seats when I'm not using it.

I don't usually keep ice,

but I keep an ice chest for extra food storage,

like salads, eggs, and yogurt.

It lives on top of the battery until I'm parked,

at which point I take it out and keep it in the shade.

In the back of the van is my kitchen. 

There is an entire blog post on that with photos if you're interested.

Last, I paid $49 for Eclipse shades for the front window.

These are made specifically for your van and I am in love with them.

They save me from having to deal with those stupid sunshades 

you have to fold up and figure out a home for. 

They were simple to install.

My cousin has had them in their car for 7 years and she suggested them.

They just pull closed and fasten with super strong velcro.

When you open them, they are hardly noticeable.

Here are some photos from the website:

Easy to open and close.

From the inside.

From the outside

From the inside when open, hardly noticeable

Well, I guess that's it.

All my extras are kept in the Thule cartop carrier up top; tent, archause, chair, levelers, washing machine, shade tent, extra table, tools, bungies.

I love my van.
The only thing I'd like more is to be able
to stand up inside and cook.
That will be my next change...

Please feel free to add comments or questions.

Happy Trails!

Annie