Fire Mountain 2011

Snow? In May?

May 27-30, 2011 

What is this white stuff drifting from the sky and why is it where we are, in the coast range of Northern California, and in May, no less?

Getting to our friends' gathering took a bit more care and savvy driving than usual this year. The Tin Pickle and the Blue Behemoth seem to be a good pair for getting us nearly anywhere we want to go.

Casini Ranch AirForums Rally 2011

April 15-17, 2011

Our first Airstream rally, at Casini Ranch on the Russian River, brought us into contact with many of the experienced Airstreamers we'd been swapping ideas with on airforums.com. Seeing that much aluminum in one place made us feel right at home.

wall-o'-luminum

Death Valley 2011

April 7-10, 2011

Camping at the edge

We squeezed out a long weekend and took a mad dash trip to Death Valley. It took all of Thursday to drive down and all of Sunday to drive back, but we had two glorious days in one of the most spectacular places we've been.

We chose a campsite at the edge of Furnace Creek campground with an unfettered view of the eastern side of the valley.

Kitchen Window Frame

Replacing the kitchen window frame had to be done. No one would argue with that.

The finished window frame holds the blinds in place.

Before

The old plastic one was brittle and cracked. We wanted a frame that would hold blinds against the wall and would match the Airstream's rounded legacy and our commitment to a natural wood interior. It was only pure stubbornness on my part that pushed me to try to remake the original plastic shape, but in wood. I learned a lot, mostly about the inflexibility of birch and the advantages of having the right router bits.

Burning Man Festival 2010

August 30 - September 6, 2010

The gate line at dawn

We arrived at the gate at dawn with the Tin Pickle in tow, heading for a rendezvous. We were joining up with a group of friends we had not yet met: other posters from Airforums, people who love both Airstreams and Burning Man enough to put them together in the same place.

An unusual flower garden

 Burning Man combines amazing creativity, challenging self sufficiency, strong community involvement and a festive spirit. Oh, and there's fire there too...lots of fire.

Every year is different - a different over all theme, different art, different weather (variations on heat and dust), different amazing mobile creations.

Temporary Bunk Bed

The lower bunk is a standard twin

This was a quick two day project that made it possible for the four of us to sleep out of the dust at Burning Man. We knew we would eventually need eating space inside as well as sleeping space for two extras. But for the time being, a quick and dirty plywood bunk bed would fit the bill.


The materials are mainly 1/2" plywood and cheap 2x2's. The 2x2's served as corner connectors any time two pieces of plywood intersected at right angles.

A slant on the end walls allowed maximum height at the hall edge of the bed, while still cutting both ends out of a single piece of plywood. The pieces of plywood that became the sleeping platforms were strengthened by a 2x2 running under each long edge, with a side piece at least 6 inches high on each side for stiffness.

Lopez Island

August 2 - 14, 2010

Secluded camping

  "Why did you buy an Airstream?" we are often asked. The Tin Pickle has given us far more pleasure than we ever planned or hoped for, but the underlying reason why we have it at all starts with Lopez Island.

This visit marks the first time we have slept on the land we've owned and walked on for over 25 years. The change of location feels different, but our home among the trees is cozy and restful.