Showing posts with label Boler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boler. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
More Power for Tilly
Long term plans for Tilly have always included the ability to recharge our computers and other devices and perhaps run a small appliance or two. To this end, we bought a basic power inverter along with some heavy duty cables to to hook it to the battery. Installation was accomplished last month in anticipation of a camping trip starting this weekend. No pictures as it was simply attaching yet another box under the counter. Now we wait for solar panels to go on sale....
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Spring has Sprung
It is April 1st and that means it's almost camping season for us. As the weather has gotten warmer and the snow has melted I have been dying to get Tilley out of the garage for a clean up and to figure out what to do next. Money will be tighter this year as we're working on taking our girls to the UK in the fall, so any work on Tilley will have to involve little money and lots of creativity.
Next year when we're not travelling out of the country, I hope we can get Tilley's exterior painted. But for this year....hmmm... I'll have to get back to you.
Until then, here is the pillow from Ikea I want to purchase for Tilley.
Next year when we're not travelling out of the country, I hope we can get Tilley's exterior painted. But for this year....hmmm... I'll have to get back to you.
Until then, here is the pillow from Ikea I want to purchase for Tilley.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Special Anniversary Post
Our Wedding Anniversary is tomorrow, November 2nd, and it also marks our second year with Tilley.
Sense would dictate that I would post something not today, but on the big day, or at least about the big day. Of course sometimes I don't make sense, but read on and I guarantee it will all make sense in the end....did that make any sense....any way....
I'm posting now because our special friends have made today their Wedding day!
What, you may ask, has this got to do with our work on Tilley. Well, Brynn put a little idea in Shane's head and he made us a little steampunk something .....
We're also celebrating another wonderful Tilley related event today. An article published in the Steampunk Chronicle about the beginning of our beautiful relationship with Tilley. You can read it HERE
It's been a wonderful and auspicious day for our friends, ourselves and our fabulous Tilley!
Sense would dictate that I would post something not today, but on the big day, or at least about the big day. Of course sometimes I don't make sense, but read on and I guarantee it will all make sense in the end....did that make any sense....any way....
I'm posting now because our special friends have made today their Wedding day!
 |
| Congratulations to Shane and Brynn! |
What, you may ask, has this got to do with our work on Tilley. Well, Brynn put a little idea in Shane's head and he made us a little steampunk something .....
Say hello to our little friend. Shane knit us a Squid! Our squid was slated to go into our steampunk library, but they gave him to us while camping, and we love him so much hanging around in Tilley that he is staying there to protect our trailer from invaders....and air kraken!
It's been a wonderful and auspicious day for our friends, ourselves and our fabulous Tilley!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Electrifying Tilley (2)
What follows involves a little temporal jumping around and I hope to add some more photos later.
The push was on this weekend past to get the electrics in Tilley finished up for an impending camping trip. As detailed in previous posts, when we first got her, Tilley's electrics were in a state with 12v AC and 12v DC trailer circuits, 12v DC running lights and even a 110vAC circuit all going into a single un-fused connector box with a terminal block pop riveted to its lid. That has all changed with the running lights on their own panel, the 12v DC trailer circuits on their own fused panel connected to the deep cycle battery and the 110 v AC on hold until further notice.
Locating the battery box was a bit of an interesting exercise. I have seen many Bolers with tongue mounted batteries and others with batteries located in the front stowage area. I was not too keen on this as we already have a 30lb propane cylinder up front so I was reluctant to add more weight there. Under the sink would have been ideal as there is good ventilation there and I had hoped room for the battery where the Frankenstein's monster of an AC transformer was located. Sadly there wasn't quite enough room for a 27 series battery box and as it turns out, the last thing you want to do is put a wet cell battery near where sparks might be generated by the electrics. In the end, I put it in the rear left storage compartment. with flex cable running to the electrical panel. The weight is more or less over the axle and is about the same as the weight of the original water tank so handling should not be affected. Now the rear side storage bins are pretty much sealed which raises the problem of ventilation. I was reluctant to cut more louvre holes in the trailer. so I went looking for other solutions.
I didn't really find anything helpful in the travel trailer sites so I did some thinking about other types of vehicle that needed ventilation. Boats! I thought - tight enclosed spaces with lots of nasty fumes to get rid of. Now where to find boat stuff? Years ago, my father took a good chunk of a lifetime to build a motor sailor out of white oak and marine plywood. In doing so, he spent a lot of money at a local boat supply company. With little hope it was still in business, I went on line and found it still was.
The Chandlery. is the Naughty French Postcard of my Boler modding world. While I had been doing most of my shopping at the automotive supply store, this store sells the same things in greater variety and sometimes at less than 1/3 the cost. One does have to be to careful stay away from some of the much more expensive marine grade equipment like salt water rated electrics, but then there are treasures like this:
A purpose designed vent in chrome plated brass - for $12. One small hole, a fitting, some hose and a little epoxy putty later and the battery box now has its own built in venting system to the outside world.
The main job on the books for this weekend past was to get the lights wired up. Again as mentioned in previous posts, the wiring to the pantry side especially was interesting. with wires changing colours and gauge as they went from fuse panel to fixture. I did a quick total of what was already on the circuit, rounded that up to 10 amps and did the standard double for safety. The 18 gauge wire that wasn't buried was barely rated for the job. Knowing that I will want to add canopy lights, a 12v socket and other goodies in the future, the existing wire had to go. Blue Seas systems has a handy little tool to calculate wiring requirements based on load, wire length, operating temperature and other factors. Based on paranoia and the assumption I might want to put some heavy loads on the awning side of Tilley - maybe a sound system or something similar, I bumped up the maximum possible load to 30 amps (or only about 3 hours of use before the battery goes completely flat!) and came up with 12 gauge wire. So that is what went in. There are many advantages to getting a professional to do the work, like the trailer socket described earlier, but one of the advantages in doing it yourself is that you can up the specification without worrying about profit margins.
Of course, no desire to do the right thing goes unpunished so to actually replace the wiring required removing the two rear seats. This almost put me off until I discovered the woefully inadequate piece of 20 gauge wire that made up part of the previous magical colour changing wiring system. Another joyful discovery was that to make the wire bins fit in the pantry, they had been cut with a hacksaw or more properly hacked with a cut saw. Getting the one bin in and out to re-wire and install the terminal block was a bit of work and involved a little coarse language. A longer term solution will be required. The last job remaining before our trip is to hook up one more light - some epoxy putty to affix the cable run for this is setting up as I write.
Future projects will be the solar panel, an inverter and a battery isolator so I can charge Tilley's battery from the car. Then there are those solar powered ventilation fans from the Chandlery, and the 25 LED mast head light that would make a nifty TARDIS like homing beacon for Tilley and....
Till next time.
The push was on this weekend past to get the electrics in Tilley finished up for an impending camping trip. As detailed in previous posts, when we first got her, Tilley's electrics were in a state with 12v AC and 12v DC trailer circuits, 12v DC running lights and even a 110vAC circuit all going into a single un-fused connector box with a terminal block pop riveted to its lid. That has all changed with the running lights on their own panel, the 12v DC trailer circuits on their own fused panel connected to the deep cycle battery and the 110 v AC on hold until further notice.
Locating the battery box was a bit of an interesting exercise. I have seen many Bolers with tongue mounted batteries and others with batteries located in the front stowage area. I was not too keen on this as we already have a 30lb propane cylinder up front so I was reluctant to add more weight there. Under the sink would have been ideal as there is good ventilation there and I had hoped room for the battery where the Frankenstein's monster of an AC transformer was located. Sadly there wasn't quite enough room for a 27 series battery box and as it turns out, the last thing you want to do is put a wet cell battery near where sparks might be generated by the electrics. In the end, I put it in the rear left storage compartment. with flex cable running to the electrical panel. The weight is more or less over the axle and is about the same as the weight of the original water tank so handling should not be affected. Now the rear side storage bins are pretty much sealed which raises the problem of ventilation. I was reluctant to cut more louvre holes in the trailer. so I went looking for other solutions.
I didn't really find anything helpful in the travel trailer sites so I did some thinking about other types of vehicle that needed ventilation. Boats! I thought - tight enclosed spaces with lots of nasty fumes to get rid of. Now where to find boat stuff? Years ago, my father took a good chunk of a lifetime to build a motor sailor out of white oak and marine plywood. In doing so, he spent a lot of money at a local boat supply company. With little hope it was still in business, I went on line and found it still was.
The Chandlery. is the Naughty French Postcard of my Boler modding world. While I had been doing most of my shopping at the automotive supply store, this store sells the same things in greater variety and sometimes at less than 1/3 the cost. One does have to be to careful stay away from some of the much more expensive marine grade equipment like salt water rated electrics, but then there are treasures like this:
A purpose designed vent in chrome plated brass - for $12. One small hole, a fitting, some hose and a little epoxy putty later and the battery box now has its own built in venting system to the outside world.
The main job on the books for this weekend past was to get the lights wired up. Again as mentioned in previous posts, the wiring to the pantry side especially was interesting. with wires changing colours and gauge as they went from fuse panel to fixture. I did a quick total of what was already on the circuit, rounded that up to 10 amps and did the standard double for safety. The 18 gauge wire that wasn't buried was barely rated for the job. Knowing that I will want to add canopy lights, a 12v socket and other goodies in the future, the existing wire had to go. Blue Seas systems has a handy little tool to calculate wiring requirements based on load, wire length, operating temperature and other factors. Based on paranoia and the assumption I might want to put some heavy loads on the awning side of Tilley - maybe a sound system or something similar, I bumped up the maximum possible load to 30 amps (or only about 3 hours of use before the battery goes completely flat!) and came up with 12 gauge wire. So that is what went in. There are many advantages to getting a professional to do the work, like the trailer socket described earlier, but one of the advantages in doing it yourself is that you can up the specification without worrying about profit margins.
Of course, no desire to do the right thing goes unpunished so to actually replace the wiring required removing the two rear seats. This almost put me off until I discovered the woefully inadequate piece of 20 gauge wire that made up part of the previous magical colour changing wiring system. Another joyful discovery was that to make the wire bins fit in the pantry, they had been cut with a hacksaw or more properly hacked with a cut saw. Getting the one bin in and out to re-wire and install the terminal block was a bit of work and involved a little coarse language. A longer term solution will be required. The last job remaining before our trip is to hook up one more light - some epoxy putty to affix the cable run for this is setting up as I write.
Future projects will be the solar panel, an inverter and a battery isolator so I can charge Tilley's battery from the car. Then there are those solar powered ventilation fans from the Chandlery, and the 25 LED mast head light that would make a nifty TARDIS like homing beacon for Tilley and....
Till next time.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Electrifying Tilley
This past week Pat was able to get the car in to the lovely gentlemen at a Ziebart garage near us. They installed a brand new brake and lighting electrical wiring system for pulling Tilley. This weekend Pat decided to test it and make sure everything was connected and working properly and working between the car and Tilley. Of course things are never easy. There was a mess up between what was supposed to be blinking or glowing and what actually was. He had to take the brake light and side light wiring apart to find out why this was happening.
Luckily it was a simple case of right wire in the wrong place and it had nothing to do with the work we had just paid for. He was able to get it fixed very quickly once the mystery was solved. Then he moved on to the next thing needed in order to get Tilley electrically self-sufficient.
As Tilley is very small, she is currently covered in tools, wire and other bits and pieces Pat needs to put the electrical puzzle together.
Tools and meter sitting inside one of the seats as there is no room anywhere else to put them.
Pat was able to make a lot of progress this weekend. He took out more old wiring and old lights that we won't be using. He also rewired a lot and added a brand new fuse box.
New fuse box....so shiny!
Pat looking like a pretzel as he works on installing the new fuse box and cleaning up the mess of old and dangerous wiring that was in Tilley when we bought her.
Whether house or trailer, we seem to have a knack for getting old places with lots of spirit and potential, but that were muddled with to the point of being a death trap. I'm sure Tilley smiles (in her own way) every time Pat enters in with his tools, knowing she is getting the love and attention she deserves.... and I smile knowing that we won't be sleeping in a death trap.
Luckily it was a simple case of right wire in the wrong place and it had nothing to do with the work we had just paid for. He was able to get it fixed very quickly once the mystery was solved. Then he moved on to the next thing needed in order to get Tilley electrically self-sufficient.
As Tilley is very small, she is currently covered in tools, wire and other bits and pieces Pat needs to put the electrical puzzle together.
Pat was able to make a lot of progress this weekend. He took out more old wiring and old lights that we won't be using. He also rewired a lot and added a brand new fuse box.
Whether house or trailer, we seem to have a knack for getting old places with lots of spirit and potential, but that were muddled with to the point of being a death trap. I'm sure Tilley smiles (in her own way) every time Pat enters in with his tools, knowing she is getting the love and attention she deserves.... and I smile knowing that we won't be sleeping in a death trap.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Power for Tilley - It has Begun
In my last post in April I mentioned that Pat would be getting down to business within a couple of weeks. Well the old saying "life is what happens when you're busy making plans" came to pass. Life took over and poor Tilley had to wait until this past weekend to continue getting her electrical makeover. During 'life', Pat did do a lot of research to find out where he could purchase the right battery for us, as well as all the bits he would need to get our beautiful brass lamps (that we ordered and received in January) installed.
He found he was able to get our battery and a charger at our local Canadian Tire.
Luckily we have quite a huge Canadian Tire store near us and they had everything he needed for installing the lamps as well.
Gratuitous photo of Pat enjoying a break and his lunch while checking to see how well wifi works in Tilley...
After Pat's well deserved break, he went back to work installing our new lamps. He made an interesting discovery: (the story from Pat himself)
"I wanted to test the new lights using the existing 12 volt AC wiring. The wires started off as yellow and brown at the panel but by the time I got to the cupboard - they had become two white wires - not very helfpul for DC.
Based on the design I had thought that the tin can supplying 12 volt AC was original equipment so I was reluctant to take it out. However, the outer sheathing protecting the insulated supply wires had come off and I have no plans to use 12 volt ac in the future so I thought it best to remove the transformer carefully and put it away with the other original parts we have changed. The can was held to its moutning bracket with wood screws. When I removed these, there was a loud clunk from inside the can. When I opened the can I found a larger donut shaped transformer mounted in the can with a bit of broomstick with some insulating foam wrapped around it. This was obviously not original manufacture and not original Boler as born out by the "Transformer for residential track light" sticker I found inside the can. Needless to say the can was removed and will end up in the bin - after I figure out if the copper is worth selling :) "
Unfortunately he had cleaned it up by the time he told me and I was unable to get a photo of the crazy muddle he found. I did however get photos of the wonderful end result...
The next stage will be to finish the wiring and connect it all to the battery, as well as to make a space to house the battery. I'm very much looking forward to reading, eating and perhaps playing a game or two in the evenings by the light of our new lamps.
He found he was able to get our battery and a charger at our local Canadian Tire.
Luckily we have quite a huge Canadian Tire store near us and they had everything he needed for installing the lamps as well.
"I wanted to test the new lights using the existing 12 volt AC wiring. The wires started off as yellow and brown at the panel but by the time I got to the cupboard - they had become two white wires - not very helfpul for DC.
Based on the design I had thought that the tin can supplying 12 volt AC was original equipment so I was reluctant to take it out. However, the outer sheathing protecting the insulated supply wires had come off and I have no plans to use 12 volt ac in the future so I thought it best to remove the transformer carefully and put it away with the other original parts we have changed. The can was held to its moutning bracket with wood screws. When I removed these, there was a loud clunk from inside the can. When I opened the can I found a larger donut shaped transformer mounted in the can with a bit of broomstick with some insulating foam wrapped around it. This was obviously not original manufacture and not original Boler as born out by the "Transformer for residential track light" sticker I found inside the can. Needless to say the can was removed and will end up in the bin - after I figure out if the copper is worth selling :) "
Unfortunately he had cleaned it up by the time he told me and I was unable to get a photo of the crazy muddle he found. I did however get photos of the wonderful end result...
When closed this way they are very tight and won't move when travelling.
They easily open up and the head swivels to point where you need the light.
Aren't they gorgeous!
The next stage will be to finish the wiring and connect it all to the battery, as well as to make a space to house the battery. I'm very much looking forward to reading, eating and perhaps playing a game or two in the evenings by the light of our new lamps.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Power for Tilley
Earlier, we decided on a 12 V battery as one of the power sources for Tilley. While Pat intends to wire her so we can plug her in at various camping spots, we don't want to rely on this all the time. Also, we want to be self-sufficient and more environmentally friendly with our energy use. To this end, we did some investigation on the use of solar power for trailers.
We looked around a little here and there, but didn't see anything useful, portable or that wasn't wildly expensive. Then a few weeks ago we decided to go and gawk at the mammoth RV cousins of our little Tilley at our local RV show. There we found the goliaths and krakens of the RV world. Huge monstrosities that could house a small village in each one.
Then, tucked away in a little spot between two of these behemoths, was a little table that caught Pat's eye. The poster said "Go Solar RVing". We stopped dead in our tracks and went to speak to the lady standing there. What we found was exactly what we were looking for! They have just what their card says... thin, flexible, light weight solar panels...and they don't cost an arm and a leg! We had a lovely chat with the lady, who was soon joined by her husband. They were both delightful and not your usual pushy sales people. They were very knowledgeable about their panels and solar power in general. The other wonderful thing we found out was that although the panels are manufactured in the US, the couple live and sell the panels in Canada. Their website GoSolarRVing.com has all the information you need to choose the best panel(s) for your trailer, cottage, even your tent. However you prefer to live in the great outdoors.
Pat will be finishing the wiring and installing the interior lights in the next couple of weeks. After that, we will have to decide on the type of panel we want. We're torn between their folding panels
and their rollable panels
Either way, we can't wait to get one and save money, help the environment and just generally make Tilley even more self-sufficient and amazing!
We looked around a little here and there, but didn't see anything useful, portable or that wasn't wildly expensive. Then a few weeks ago we decided to go and gawk at the mammoth RV cousins of our little Tilley at our local RV show. There we found the goliaths and krakens of the RV world. Huge monstrosities that could house a small village in each one.
Then, tucked away in a little spot between two of these behemoths, was a little table that caught Pat's eye. The poster said "Go Solar RVing". We stopped dead in our tracks and went to speak to the lady standing there. What we found was exactly what we were looking for! They have just what their card says... thin, flexible, light weight solar panels...and they don't cost an arm and a leg! We had a lovely chat with the lady, who was soon joined by her husband. They were both delightful and not your usual pushy sales people. They were very knowledgeable about their panels and solar power in general. The other wonderful thing we found out was that although the panels are manufactured in the US, the couple live and sell the panels in Canada. Their website GoSolarRVing.com has all the information you need to choose the best panel(s) for your trailer, cottage, even your tent. However you prefer to live in the great outdoors.
Pat will be finishing the wiring and installing the interior lights in the next couple of weeks. After that, we will have to decide on the type of panel we want. We're torn between their folding panels
Either way, we can't wait to get one and save money, help the environment and just generally make Tilley even more self-sufficient and amazing!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
New Pretties for Tilley
Back to more of the design aspect of our work on Tilley...
I was out at our local Canadian Tire to get a few things for a renovation of our back room - sandpaper, wood filler, stain blocker, the basics. I happened to notice that they were having a huge sale on all of their winter things....and....they were unloading all their new spring items!
Last year when we were looking for general houseware items for Tilley I was looking online for some nice dishware. I was also looking at every possible store in our area that would carry the same thing - unbreakable but stylish dishware. The online pieces were beautiful but expensive and by the time we were looking in stores, most of their stock was already sold. We would find something we like, but they would only have one or two pieces left. Most annoying.
As I noticed that the Canadian Tire spring stock was being unpacked, I also noticed that the spring outdoor dishware was being unpacked.....and "Oh Glory Be" I found it!
If you look a little farther back in our posts, you will see that we had decided on green for our glassware and dishware and had found ourselves some lovely cups and goblets. Well now we have dishware to go with them! I absolutely love the Victorian style botanical pattern and perfect green. When I first saw them I was thinking "nuts they're porcelain" and I had to actually walk up close and tap them to see what they were. I was incredibly pleased to find they are melamine. I purchased four of each so we can accommodate guests as well. I am very much looking forward to using them this season!
I was out at our local Canadian Tire to get a few things for a renovation of our back room - sandpaper, wood filler, stain blocker, the basics. I happened to notice that they were having a huge sale on all of their winter things....and....they were unloading all their new spring items!
Last year when we were looking for general houseware items for Tilley I was looking online for some nice dishware. I was also looking at every possible store in our area that would carry the same thing - unbreakable but stylish dishware. The online pieces were beautiful but expensive and by the time we were looking in stores, most of their stock was already sold. We would find something we like, but they would only have one or two pieces left. Most annoying.
As I noticed that the Canadian Tire spring stock was being unpacked, I also noticed that the spring outdoor dishware was being unpacked.....and "Oh Glory Be" I found it!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Intermission
Pat has started working on Tilley's electrics. He even took some nice photos to share with everyone. Then I asked him to clear off the card....of course forgetting about the photos. Sorry! So until he can retrieve them so we can show you what he's been up to, I would like to share with you a couple of Canadian sites dedicated to the Boler:
The first is Bolerama The site is dedicated to the preservation of Boler trailers. It was established in 1999 by Linda Vanderwiel in Saskatoon. There is a great history page. It has an interview with the father of the Boler, Ray Olecko. It also provides a forum, a page of rallies across Canada, photos, tips and even manuals!
Another site is Boler Life Here you can find how to's and information to restore and repair your Boler with lots of before and after photos. You can even buy Boler decals.
There are also two Facebook Groups for Boler lovers : The Boler (US based) and I own a Boler (Canada based)
Some of the restoration work people have done really shows the love owners have for their Bolers.
Check out the beautiful exterior work on this Boler owned by Mark Bergen.
There are a lot of people who like to restore their Boler to match their fabulous antique car!
(photo and owned by Beverly Wayne Armstrong)
Cheers to all you Boler fans out there!
The first is Bolerama The site is dedicated to the preservation of Boler trailers. It was established in 1999 by Linda Vanderwiel in Saskatoon. There is a great history page. It has an interview with the father of the Boler, Ray Olecko. It also provides a forum, a page of rallies across Canada, photos, tips and even manuals!
Another site is Boler Life Here you can find how to's and information to restore and repair your Boler with lots of before and after photos. You can even buy Boler decals.
There are also two Facebook Groups for Boler lovers : The Boler (US based) and I own a Boler (Canada based)
Some of the restoration work people have done really shows the love owners have for their Bolers.
Check out the beautiful exterior work on this Boler owned by Mark Bergen.
Cheers to all you Boler fans out there!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Coming Soon...
In our October 24, 2010 post "....And the Votes are In!", I mentioned that we had decided on the light fixtures and had ordered them. Well, just before Christmas they arrived. They are more beautiful in person than online, and heavier too.
Now that the holidays are over, it is time to get back to work on Tilley. During the next few cold months the goal is to work on the electrical components - incorporate a 12v battery, redo quite a bit of the wiring, add in the lights we had custom made, as well as replace the old and broken tail lights with new LED ones.
For more details I now pass you to the mechanical/electrical minded half of us - Pat - who will post The Manly Explanation of what we'll be doing next.
Now that the holidays are over, it is time to get back to work on Tilley. During the next few cold months the goal is to work on the electrical components - incorporate a 12v battery, redo quite a bit of the wiring, add in the lights we had custom made, as well as replace the old and broken tail lights with new LED ones.
For more details I now pass you to the mechanical/electrical minded half of us - Pat - who will post The Manly Explanation of what we'll be doing next.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Sweet Surprise!
Yesterday, November 2nd, was our official, legal wedding day. In 1990 we tied the knot and became our new selves of "Pat and Lee Ann". I say that because whenever anyone refers to us it is never Pat, or Lee Ann, or the Gillilands (which would be silly anyway since I kept my maiden name), but always Pat and Lee Ann. It's not that we are glued at the hip, but we were friends with similar interests before we got married and we still enjoy doing fun things together.
Of course, this year being our 20th Anniversary, and as you all already know, we bought Tilley as our gift to each other. Our fun thing to do together for the next 20, or 30, or 40 years.
We have been putting all our anniversary gift funds into making her our steampunk haven for two. As well, yesterday was a week day and we both had to work and do regular every day taking care of business chores. So I was of the impression that we would be having a quiet evening watching something interesting on the television with the girls. Well, I was greatly mistaken.
My lovely husband set up a little surprise for me. Here is a hint...
The candle is sushi shaped, one of our favourtie foods (which you can see in the photo, as well as umeboshi). Some lovely ladies at a now closed Japanese grocery store gave us the candle for an anniversary a few years earlier.
Have you guessed?!
He made some of my favourite Japanese dishes and set up a romantic dinner for two in Tilley.
Here's to many more wonderful future anniversary dinners in Tilley (whether in the garage or on the road).
Happy Anniversary Honey!
Of course, this year being our 20th Anniversary, and as you all already know, we bought Tilley as our gift to each other. Our fun thing to do together for the next 20, or 30, or 40 years.
We have been putting all our anniversary gift funds into making her our steampunk haven for two. As well, yesterday was a week day and we both had to work and do regular every day taking care of business chores. So I was of the impression that we would be having a quiet evening watching something interesting on the television with the girls. Well, I was greatly mistaken.
My lovely husband set up a little surprise for me. Here is a hint...
Have you guessed?!
He made some of my favourite Japanese dishes and set up a romantic dinner for two in Tilley.
As Tilley is now parked in our garage and it's November in Canada, he even warmed her up before he surprised me. We had a wonderful, quiet, special meal in our lovely santuary. We spoke only of us related topics. It was fantastic!
Here's to many more wonderful future anniversary dinners in Tilley (whether in the garage or on the road).
Happy Anniversary Honey!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Have Tilley Will Travel
Last week we finally had time to take Tilley on a long journey for an entire week. We took her to our friends' campground, Raven's Knoll. It was great to finally take a break from fixing and decorating and actually live in her. One word to describe the experience - Sumptuous!
Evening photo of our set up. We decided, as it is quite hot in our area right now, to not cook inside but to cook outdoors on our three burner stove. Notice the kettle on top ready for tea.
On the inside we were ready for comfort. Every person who came by wanted to see her insides and we proudly showed her off. Many people were talking of looking for a Tilley of their own after visiting ours.
Here is our eating area during the day, notice the lovely pillows on the benches, you'll see them again soon. The books on the table will hopefully one day be set on a self above the window behind them.
In the evening, the same space is transformed into our incredibly decadent sleeping area. The pillows you see in the first photo are feather and the covers come off. Just add bamboo pillow cases and Voila! they do double duty.
You can see the cushions that go from bench to bed, but on top is a feather mattress. On top of that is the softest, warmest blanket we have ever owned. The pillows, covers, mattress and blanket all come from a little shop called Quiltsetc
On the inside we were ready for comfort. Every person who came by wanted to see her insides and we proudly showed her off. Many people were talking of looking for a Tilley of their own after visiting ours.
In the evening, the same space is transformed into our incredibly decadent sleeping area. The pillows you see in the first photo are feather and the covers come off. Just add bamboo pillow cases and Voila! they do double duty.
You can see the cushions that go from bench to bed, but on top is a feather mattress. On top of that is the softest, warmest blanket we have ever owned. The pillows, covers, mattress and blanket all come from a little shop called Quiltsetc
Best sleep we have ever had camping...ever!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Odds & Ends
In just one week since having Tilley home we have been very busy.
Last weekend we took her out for her first sleepover. We have friends with land and they invited everyone for a weekend there. It's currently quite rough camping, but they were kind enough to hack out some flat land for us to park Tilley near the entrance...and so we did.
It was wonderful spending time with our friends in the great outdoors, and even better sleeping inside Tilley on our new feather mattress. It was wonderful!
This weekend Pat and I (but mostly Pat) added a few odds and ends to Tilley. First off, to add some extra comfort for future trips, I used some recycled stuffing, some second hand and dollar store purchases and a little sewing and voila...
Decorative and comfortable pillows. I will be adding a few more as the right materials come together. As the look we are going for is gentlemen's club,steampunk, posh, cozy....how's that for descriptive...you can rest assured that there will be no frills or lace involved.
Pat used his birthday money (gift card from Lee Valley) to purchase a number of bits and decoration pieces. One such piece we have dubbed moustachio. One of the finest looking of all time....
It is cherry wood. This is before staining.
And after staining....
....and in its destined place of honour.
I have saved the best for last. Pat bought some very important pieces that are lovely and practical as well.
First a puzzle....
Why would anyone put a hole in the center of a cupboard door???
Pat working hard on his secret project....
Teaser of instrument in cupboard door....and finally....
The cupboard doors with instruments installed. There is a hygrometer, a clock and a barometer. All very practical when in the great outdoors. Every explorer should have them.
There is more to come, but still in the planning stages. There is work to do on the electrics and also the propane cooker. As well, our refrigerator may not actually work so we will need to decide on whether to fix it, replace it, or use it to store our clothes.
....Until next time.
Last weekend we took her out for her first sleepover. We have friends with land and they invited everyone for a weekend there. It's currently quite rough camping, but they were kind enough to hack out some flat land for us to park Tilley near the entrance...and so we did.
This weekend Pat and I (but mostly Pat) added a few odds and ends to Tilley. First off, to add some extra comfort for future trips, I used some recycled stuffing, some second hand and dollar store purchases and a little sewing and voila...
Decorative and comfortable pillows. I will be adding a few more as the right materials come together. As the look we are going for is gentlemen's club,steampunk, posh, cozy....how's that for descriptive...you can rest assured that there will be no frills or lace involved.
Pat used his birthday money (gift card from Lee Valley) to purchase a number of bits and decoration pieces. One such piece we have dubbed moustachio. One of the finest looking of all time....
....and in its destined place of honour.
I have saved the best for last. Pat bought some very important pieces that are lovely and practical as well.
First a puzzle....
There is more to come, but still in the planning stages. There is work to do on the electrics and also the propane cooker. As well, our refrigerator may not actually work so we will need to decide on whether to fix it, replace it, or use it to store our clothes.
....Until next time.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Behold the Magic of the Guru!
We have our dear Tilley back! It was a long wait, but well worth it.
First, let us revisit the sad and pathetic condition in which we dropped her off at the guru's home....
Cream of Blah and peeling off the walls - not very cozy or plush in my opinion....
But now....
In this one you can see a copper horn that Pat had made a long while back and left at the guru's home. The guru repurposed it into a decorative way to hide the wires going to the top cupboards.
Yes, you are seeing it correctly - upholstered wainscotting - the man is brilliant!
The colour is actually called Oxford Oxblood and it looks like distressed leather, like an antique men's club chair.
The pièce de résistance! Part of the Steampunk Canada logo is forever a part of our Tilley...I almost cried!
Here we have put in the new handles, the current curtains and the cushions. The newly painted cooktop matches wonderfully with the copper horn.
And one last picture with cushions, curtains and the guru's fabulous work!
We highly recommend Brad McDonald for any interior upholstery work. He listened to what we wanted and added his creative flair. Make sure you have lots of time to leave it with him, but it's well worth the wait!
First, let us revisit the sad and pathetic condition in which we dropped her off at the guru's home....
Cream of Blah and peeling off the walls - not very cozy or plush in my opinion....
But now....
The colour is actually called Oxford Oxblood and it looks like distressed leather, like an antique men's club chair.
We highly recommend Brad McDonald for any interior upholstery work. He listened to what we wanted and added his creative flair. Make sure you have lots of time to leave it with him, but it's well worth the wait!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Teaser.....
We will be picking up Tilley from the guru tomorrow....yes you heard right....tomorrow!
The first part (and a big one) will be done. We will be one step closer to our steampunk dream trailer for two.
You can trust that there will be many photos posted when we have her back in our hot little hands.
Not being able to wait on buying luxury items for her (read us), we bought a feather bed. It squishes into a zippered case that will fit nicely under one of the benches. At night, after we set up the bed and bench cushions, the feather bed will go on top of those and under the sheets to give us a cozy, soft, luxurious sleep....aaaahhhh I can just imagine it now......Oh, sorry about that....
The big reveal will happen in the next day or two... until then a little ditty (on film ) from Tilley
http://www.nme.com/video/Vesta Tilley doing Burlington Bertie
The first part (and a big one) will be done. We will be one step closer to our steampunk dream trailer for two.
You can trust that there will be many photos posted when we have her back in our hot little hands.
Not being able to wait on buying luxury items for her (read us), we bought a feather bed. It squishes into a zippered case that will fit nicely under one of the benches. At night, after we set up the bed and bench cushions, the feather bed will go on top of those and under the sheets to give us a cozy, soft, luxurious sleep....aaaahhhh I can just imagine it now......Oh, sorry about that....
The big reveal will happen in the next day or two... until then a little ditty (on film ) from Tilley
http://www.nme.com/video/Vesta Tilley doing Burlington Bertie
Monday, May 17, 2010
Inspiration!
This past weekend we attended the Steampunk World's Fair. While there we were able to meet Jake von Slatt and tour his steampunked bus. It was a great place to get ideas for Tilley.
Here are a few things we liked the most
We liked his shelves. There are many books we would like to take for reading on rainy days.
We liked the embellishments. Making the space cozy and rich with pillows, trims and Victorian style pieces like the clock and globe.
Lastly, while we most definitely have no space for a bathroom, we liked the homey feel of the space and the wonderful lighting fixtures.
For a more detailed account of Jake's project, go here Jake's School Bus Conversion
We hope to have Tilley back from the guru in about 2 weeks. Once we have her back we can finally take our design ideas out of our heads and start putting them into reality.
Here are a few things we liked the most
For a more detailed account of Jake's project, go here Jake's School Bus Conversion
We hope to have Tilley back from the guru in about 2 weeks. Once we have her back we can finally take our design ideas out of our heads and start putting them into reality.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The Waiting Game
You know that anxious feeling you get when you have ordered something special online, or it's the night before Christmas, or your parents just promised to drive out on Saturday to get you your very own puppy, well that is how I have been feeling. It has been a few weeks now since we dropped off Tilley at the guru's house to have her interior done and we are still waiting. We know the demolition is done, we know the wiring and the leaks have been dealt with, we know the material has arrived and we know that he is working steadily on making her perfect. What we don't know is when she'll be ready. It's making me crazy! Not postal crazy mind you, but cranky, anxious, want to call him every day and ask "Is she done yet?" "Is she done yet?" crazy. It's not a pretty picture.
So to try and tame my impatient beast I decided to start thinking ahead to when we have Tilley back home. I like to do something I call imaginary retail therapy. How does that work? Well...as Inigo Montoya would say "Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up". It is very much like window shopping, but with a plan in mind and more information gathering.
There are things we know we will need for Tilley after her makeover. Practical things like storage boxes, dishes, cutlery and so on and so on... The easiest way to do imaginary retail therapy is online. You can easily Google items of interest and see what pretties magically appear. Like these lovely storage solutions:
Or how about...
Restoration Hardware storage solution A little pricey, but so beautiful.
The other thing I have been searching for are plates (dishes in general) that are non-breakable and practical, but fit with the steampunk look. This is a little harder. I would like to get melamine or similar but not in crazy summer colours like bright orange or lime green - not that I don't love these colours but not for Tilley.
This I do love!
The Bongenre website is amazing! Bongenre Elegant Melamine Who knew you could purchase such lovely melamine dishware.
So to conclude - the therapy continues (with a little occasional dark chocolate thrown in) to help me relax until our Tilley is home again.
So to try and tame my impatient beast I decided to start thinking ahead to when we have Tilley back home. I like to do something I call imaginary retail therapy. How does that work? Well...as Inigo Montoya would say "Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up". It is very much like window shopping, but with a plan in mind and more information gathering.
There are things we know we will need for Tilley after her makeover. Practical things like storage boxes, dishes, cutlery and so on and so on... The easiest way to do imaginary retail therapy is online. You can easily Google items of interest and see what pretties magically appear. Like these lovely storage solutions:
Restoration Hardware storage solution A little pricey, but so beautiful.
The other thing I have been searching for are plates (dishes in general) that are non-breakable and practical, but fit with the steampunk look. This is a little harder. I would like to get melamine or similar but not in crazy summer colours like bright orange or lime green - not that I don't love these colours but not for Tilley.
This I do love!
So to conclude - the therapy continues (with a little occasional dark chocolate thrown in) to help me relax until our Tilley is home again.
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