A Good Night’s Sleep

My bedroom is done.

Well, “bedroom” is probably an exaggeration.

But the bed platform in my van is built and with a few minor adjustments will soon accommodate a twin-size futon so I can stretch out and rest my weary bones after long days of nomading. (Yes, that’s a thing.)

I had planned for the bed to be the first project of my van build, which it was. I had also planned to install a full-size futon, but decided I could use some extra cabin space so I switched to a twin.

But the bed was critical. It’s the one thing I could not manage without; everything else can be MacGyvered — improvised, without building. For example: 

• My “kitchen.” I have a single-burner butane stove and a table to rest it on outside the van while I make coffee and oatmeal in the morning and hot meals at other times. (No building needed right now to make this work.)
• My “refrigerator.” I have two coolers waiting for ice: one seven quarts for small bottles of water (I have a lot left over from the opening of my photo show), the other 28 quarts for fresh food and bulkier items. (No building needed right now.)
• My “office.” I can use a simple folding table to hold my laptop, and a small storage bench next to it to sit on, so I can write stories sand blog entries, and also read my online news sources, like the New York Times. I will work with wifi hotspots — on my phone when I have the data available, or with other data devices from Verizon or AT&T when needed. (No building needed.)
• My “dresser and closet.” I have two large clear plastic bins to hold clean clothes in the garage under my bed, and a bag to gather dirty laundry. Not fancy, but effective. (No building.)

I plan to add an electrical system, perhaps later this summer, to power a 12-volt vent fan over my bed, 12-volt lights for nighttime, and an inverter to charge the batteries for my cameras and computer and to run other electronics. For example, I’ll need 110 to run my photo printer now and then.

Yes, I’m taking my Epson photo printer. Of course I am. But that story might need to wait for another post.