What's in a Wagon?

More specifically, what will be in my wagon?
       I want to share my compilation of equipment, built-in furniture, and other items that I have thought of so far. It is interesting to think about what will go inside, and how much will actually fit!
       Commonly, a vardo (gypsy wagon) will have a raised pull-out bed with space for a child to sleep underneath, a wood-burning stove for heating and cooking, cabinets and drawers for dishes, food, clothing, and knick-knacks, bench seating, maybe a pull-out or foldable table, and a whole lot of charm!
       My wagon will have all this (including the charm I hope!) plus some extras, like a composting toilet, solar panels, a removable basin for washing dishes, and a charging station for a wireless tablet so I can keep writing while traveling. The bed will take up a significant portion of the back of the wagon. I have worked and re-worked my designs, but that bed just doesn't get any smaller while maintaining it's comfort level. At one point I considered a hammock, but I don't know that I could sleep in one of those every night for a year!
       The over-all length of the wagon will be around 9 feet, so even a twin bed, which is 3.25 feet wide, would take up a third of the length. Hopefully, with a pull-out bed, it will be two feet wide when closed, and four feet wide when pulled out at night. It might look something like this:

Photo from: http://imgfave.com/view/2074661

       Another important item will be a stove. I haven't yet decided which option will be best, but here is what I have found so far. 

A small wood stove: 

Photo from: small-scale.net

A Rocket stove and camp stove oven:

Photo from: livingprepared.blogspot.com

A BioLite camp stove:

Photo from: secure.huckberry.com

       The basin for washing with storage below might look something like this:

Photo from: picasaweb.google.com

       In the front of the wagon beside the door, there will be an enclosed space, probably with an accordion door, for a composting toilet. There are several designs available, but I need to learn more about how they operate before deciding which one would be best. I don't really care for how they look, which is why it would be hidden behind a screen, but I know I will want a bathroom in the wagon, and these seem like the best option - or something like them.

Photo from: http://blog.enn.com/?attachment_id=2203

The wagon will have storage space built in everywhere possible, inside and out, with shelving, drawers, and cupboards. There are many possible arrangements for this storage; here are some examples:

Photo from: flickr.com

Photo from: gypsyvanners.com.au

Along with storage boxes on the outside, I will likely have Jerry cans, or another type of water storage for the horses and for myself. The Jerry cans seem good because they are small enough that I could carry them to a water source and back.

Photo from: pangaea-expeditions.com

       There are still so many items to consider, such as lanterns, to have plastic or aluminum dishes, what kind of tablet, and how many solar panels on the roof. I will continue to add to this list as I consider what else will be needed during a year-long wagon adventure!

       Here's one last photo showing the beautiful exterior of a vardo, along with its practical and decorative storage:

Photo from: craftyaspirations.blogspot.com

Old Wagons, New Life

        I ran across an old covered wagon for sale in someone's yard yesterday. Though it is not the type of wagon I am looking for, as I am hoping to stick with the shape, size, and style of a gypsy vardo, it was still exciting to see an old wagon like this one in person.
       The wheels were huge, the rear ones around three feet across, and the body of the wagon appeared to be between 12 and 15 feet long, not including the pole for hooking up the horses. However, the wagon was surprisingly narrow, maybe four feet wide; and the bows bending over the top were fairly low, I thought.
       Though this wagon is old and in need of lots of TLC to bring it back to life, I could see a rustic beauty in it. At one point it must have held someone's belongings; maybe their whole life fit in that wagon. I hope this wagon finds a home with someone who can give it new life.

Wolf Teeth

I learned about wolf teeth in horses just a few months ago. Who knew? Wolf teeth in horses.

A horses wolf teeth are vestiges of premolars from prehistoric horses. They are located behind the incisors and in front of the other premolars, usually only in the upper jaw. I learned about wolf teeth when I was told my young horse, Leo, was going to need to have his removed.

Veterinarians often recommend these teeth be removed in riding horses because they are positioned in such a way that the bit could catch on the teeth, hurting the horses mouth. Because the teeth no longer have a use in our modern horses, the removal does not cause any issues. Also, the procedure can be done on location and only takes about twenty minutes - so it is relatively low cost and quite safe!

Here is an image of where the wolf teeth are located in a horse's mouth:

This image is borrowed from: http://www.kbrhorse.net/hea/float.html 

And for those who don't mind the sight of blood...unlike myself - here is a photo of Leo's pulled wolf teeth, demonstrating how small they are (for a horse):

Leo has recovered very successfully from this small procedure and is chewing on everything, per his usual self. :)

Learning to "Pony"

As Leo passed by the 18-month mark, it was time to teach him something new. 

"Ponying", which there does not seem to be an online definition for, means to lead a horse while riding another. This is a good skill for both horse and rider to have when out on the trail, whether for catching a loose horse or for bringing along a pack horse for long trips. 

It took only four or five sessions of leading Leo from another horse before he began to understand what we were asking him to do. I found out he can be quite stubborn; the trick is to be more stubborn than him. (And, of course, reward him for his good behavior!) For awhile, he didn't want to go when the riding horse went forward, and he didn't want to stop when the riding horse stopped, but he got it eventually. 

We started this training in mid-December, and by early January, he was easily following the lead of the riding horse (her name is Jackie-O). 

 

On a Friday afternoon in January, we took Leo on his first trail ride, being ponied, of course. Seeing him take in all the new sights and smells with ease was exciting! He didn't bat an eye at bicycles flying past, he picked his way through rocky terrain, and he wanted to say hello to every passing pedestrian.

 

Just as an aside, in case anyone is curious: though my trainer is pictured handling Leo, I also spent lots of time working with him. I just happened to be the one taking all the pictures!

Leonardo

Just wanted to share my favorite picture of my baby horse Leo!

Wooden Wagon Model (In Progress)

Quite a few months ago I started work on a wooden wagon model so that I could see what my living quarters might actually look like. I decided to use a 1" to 1' ratio so that the model would be big enough to add some details if I was so inclined, but not so big as to be cumbersome.
Going to the craft store to stock up on supplies was quite fun; almost like I was preparing for the trip itself!

I purchased popsicle sticks, balsa wood, a hot glue gun and extra hot glue sticks, metal wire, and, on a later craft store expedition, wooden wheels, dowels, tiny hinges and other small hardware, as well as a mat for use as a cutting surface. In addition to my purchased items, I have used scrap cloth, sewing needles, and thread to make the mattress and cushions for my wagon. (The cushions are still in progress.)

The project has been ongoing, with large breaks for school work, but progress continues to be made! I have also learned a fair amount about modeling during this project. For one thing, using a hand-saw is hard work! Also, not having the proper tools causes one to become very creative; or at times, very annoyed.

As I was building I tried to imagine living in a real wagon, and therefore what would be a most useful set-up. Where could I put in storage, how might a small pull-out table fit in, what should be seating and what should be counter space?

Alright, enough with the explanation, let's get to the pictures!

Unfortunately, I do not have any images from the very beginning process, but that part is not nearly as interesting anyway. In the second image above, I added popsicle sticks as a support for the mattress.

These two pictures show the unfinished mattress sitting in its frame. I will add more photos of the finished mattress when I have the seat cushions done as well. 

In this last image the wire frame for the wagon cover is not yet secured, but I wanted to show how it looks with the framing because I thought it was pretty cool.

Getting the Word Out!

I am constantly trying to find ways to let more people - hopefully interested people - know about my trip and this blog. A few weeks ago I saw an ad for Vistaprint (you all have probably seen Vistaprint's ad for 250 free business cards a dozen times if you spend any time browsing the web) and I thought I'd try it out for advertising my blog.

But of course, I had a terrible time resisting all of their offers for other items I could buy with the same image as the business cards. There was so much cool stuff! In fact, I had so much trouble resisting that I ended up with a car magnet also. So much for being a completely free purchase...

However, I was excited for my things to arrive in the mail, and when they did a week or two later, I was thrilled with how they looked! There is certainly something satisfying about seeing your name and the name of your precious piece of work on a card (and a magnet) for all to see!

Here is how the business cards turned out:

And here is the car magnet:

So now if you see a little blue VW Golf with a harvest brown decal on the driver side ( I only got one as I was really trying not to go overboard!) cruising around town, it is probably me!