Cento di questi giorni!

If you are thinking, "oh my goodness, when do we move from posts about prep and actually start this epic journey?" then we are on the same exact page, my friend!  After weeks months of work, we are truly on the cusp of the great adventure.  But since there are still at least 2 dozen unchecked items on the to-do list this morning, let's just settle in with our coffee and enjoy all the progress thus far.

This thrift store find makes me so happy! Max has been saving maps since before we met and I had fun covering the doors with some from European hiking trails, a topo of Mt Everest, and intertwining roads in the US.  

It can fit dozens of canning jars of various sizes and holds them in with short lengths of wire stretched between eye hooks.  Old socks make perfect cushioning for the inevitable washboard roads we will rattle down.  

I am no seamstress but find sewing to be a favorite creative outlet.  No two sets of curtains match.

Pay no attention to the shorter orange panel! The material was so slippery and challenging for my skill level.  But it is from a fantastic flowy skirt my grandmother used to wear, and which I grabbed out of her closet as a keepsake when she died over 20 years ago.  It is lovely to have this constant reminder of her in such a cheery spot in our tiny home.

This shower curtain is even better than it looks for 2 reasons.  First, the one that was in there was poop-mud brown and cheap polyester so my eyes are doing cartwheels not to have to look at it ever again.  Second, this is fabric one of my sisters bought many years ago to use in her RV when her family full timed around the country and I am thrilled to get to use it in my little space.

Okay, I admit it.  We were fried, tapped out, delirious, over it.  And I wanted to know what the heck we were going to do with the front of the fridge/freezer.  So amidst our ridiculous giggles and silliness, we masking taped vintage 1960's gift wrap onto each surface - and had the nerve to feel pleased with ourselves that the bright blue really added that special something.  I am cracking up just remembering lol.  So, yeah, it is temporary.  But it was fun memories in the making so it's all good.

Accidentally packed Max down under the bunks.  Amazed that he was able to crawl in there and fill that space with hundreds of things we'll probably realize we don't need but will be over the moon to have with us if we do.

We needed some way of reinforcing the connection between the solar rack and the roof.  Since we are avoiding going into stores when we can, Max declared it was time to get in Baja mode and just twist and bend scraps of metal until they turned into something cool and helpful.  

Our generous friend, Chuck, saved us by coming and helping lift the racks of panels up to the roof.

I feel like installing solar panels should mean it is warm and sunny out.  I had so many layers on I would have bounced had I accidentally stepped off the side of the roof.

These were a beast to bolt down and wire up, especially since Max had to actually hang off the sides to reach the drill in places.  He earned the right to drink tall beers on wobbly ladders.