Freedom is Calling - Page 15 of 25 - Blog about following the call of freedom

Mosquitero

EW May 12, 2024

It was quite some nerve wrecking work to close all the gaps in our mosquito screen that should prevent biting insects getting inside our van.

I really got a great appreciation for crafters who know their materials. It is not easy to get good results without knowing the exact properties of the materials used, especially when one wants too many functions of the final piece.

It will be a compromise

We had to settle for some tradeoffs regarding the convenience of getting in and out of the car. A string of magnets is now helping to keep the Mosquito screen entrance shut.

You can watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z5joXkkPl80

That’s it for now. More to come.

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A steep Training Curve

GEF May 12, 2024

From zero to hero in a couple of weeks? Not really.

When we started out with Big Paul half a year ago, we knew how to drive the van. How to create and establish everything we wanted and needed inside the car turned out to be another story.

Two amateurs on a steep training curve!

Meanwhile, we are quite happy with what we have achieved so far. And with the generous help of our friends we could finish the particular building steps much faster.

What is taking so darn long now and is challenging our nerves are the details. It’s a step by step approach to the dogged nature of different materials that oftentimes collide with our creative ideas.

Now things are getting tricky

People who turn a van into a camper, usually first build a frame inside. The frame provides a stable structure with right angles wherever you need to lock something into position.

We didn’t want to do that because we wanted to keep Big Paul’s original truck design. The van will be our mobile hotel only when we travel. Other than that, it’s just a big car with a practical loading space.

Also, a frame would have taken up space we didn’t want to lose on the bed and our seating facility.
This meant, we had to cope with the curves and different materials of the vehicle body.

The real challenge was the mosquito screen on the side door. Our dear friend Gudrun helped us with the sewing, as you can see in our previous video clip.

Now, the refinement of the installation was the tricky bit.

Our challenge: The screen has to be removable, because we are only going to use it when we stay in mosquito infested areas. For this purpose, it has to be fast and easy to put on and the material must be as impervious as possible.

Since we want to use it as a door, it also must be easy to open and cross and to close tightly again.

We decided to use velcro and magnets. Well, we don’t seem to be disinclined to work …

This week’s video shows some aspects (see my partner’s blog post).

Having experience with various sorts of blood-sucking critters in different countries, we know that a screen like this will never keep all of them out. This is when the good old fly swatter will come into play.

Blue magic on the high grounds

After all, travel time is coming closer, but the month of May is also a great time to spend in the Bavarian Alps. So many beautiful flowers are welcoming us with their colors and scents.

Most of all, I don’t want to miss the season of my favorite blue flower, the Enzian (stemless gentian). This flower loves the high grounds with their rougher climate and grows where intensive farming is scarce. So, you have to travel and climb a bit, if you want to see it.

This flower has the brightest, most impressive and absolutely magic blue I have ever seen on a plant and I always look forward to walk across the mountain meadows to enjoy it every year.

That’s it for now. More to come.

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Does it work?

EW May 5, 2024

We did itty-bitty detail work on Big Paul this week. This ended in a life test of our lounging bed.

You can watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KzjLPdbMUlA

What next?

Now it’s time to think about the equipment for our trip to come: water cans, washbowls, telescope bars, tarps, ropes, pegs … there are so many things needed for camping. I was able to buy some at the hardware store, others will come by mail.

I’m getting quite excited, because there is just one more module for the interior left to be crafted …

That’s it for now. More to come.

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Here He comes – get the Hell out!

GEF May 5, 2024

It happened in Nova Scotia.

The signs in the National Park said:

“You are responsible for your own safety. Don’t …”, and then a whole plethora of things we were supposed to not even think of.

Most importantly – it was mating season. The season of the powerful moose.

The information posts illustrated in dramatic language how dangerous it was to get close to a male.
These gigantic, forceful guys were now in hot pursuit of the females and ready, willing and able to wipe everything and everybody out of the way. No matter what.

Also the signs said it was very rare to catch a glimpse of them, anyway.
Still, they were very shy and avoided humans the best they could.

You've got to get away from the crowds

Nevertheless, tourists came streaming in, well-armed with all sorts of cameras: „Where’s the moose? Where’s the moose? Have you seen one? Where are they? Gotta catch them.“

It was late afternoon and we were still hoping that all these loud and invasive people would finally give up and head back home for dinner. Then we would have this beautiful, quiet, autumnal park for ourselves.

Fortunately, we could sneak away from the crowd a little bit.
It didn’t take long and we were all alone, just roaming about, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

The chance of the quiet ones

We turned around a corner – and there she was.

A big brown female moose, absolutely relaxed, eating her way through the grass and herbs.
She ignored us completely and we could slowly and quietly get a little closer and take a lot of photos.

She was a wonderful model on camera, so easy-going and serene. And the warm sunlight was just perfect on her.

We looked at each other – well, if there was a female …
There had to be a male somewhere close.

In the end we are all hunters-gatherers

Well, I think, these are the situations when you have this archaic impulse. At least, if you are easily tempted by the chance for an adventure. After all, we humans are hunters and gatherers by nature, right?!

Okay, we were ready to go after an exciting prey. So we started to sneak through the bushes on tiptoe, keenly looking around.

Sh... - something important was missing

Suddenly I heard my partner curse – he had just taken his final photo with his single-lens reflex camera.

No more than 36 pictures on one photographic film back then. And there was no other film left.

I was lucky though, I had a small digital camera. No interchangeable lenses, a very primitive setup, but better than nothing.
However, I had another problem: The batteries were almost empty.

Then we heard a crack in the woods. And another one.
And then – He appeared on the stage.

Huge, powerful, majestic. So cool.
I admired his monstrous antlers. What an impressive sight!
But with this tiny camera without a tele lens and maybe only one or two possible shots left before the batteries would die, I had to take a risk.

What had the instructions said when meeting a moose in season?
Take on a submissive posture, don’t look straight but lower your gaze. Retreat at once in an uninterrupted fashion, slowly and quietly.

Thrill of the hunt

I did exactly that – except that I very slowly moved forward instead of backwards to bring myself in a good shooting position.

The moose looked at me for a little while, shook his head in a kind of demonstration and I could hear my partner still cursing quietly in the background.

He had the tele lens, but no film. I had only a primitive snapshot camera and almost empty batteries.

What the heck! I waited for Him to come a little closer – and then the sunlight just sent a sparkle to his eye.

I pushed the trigger. Bam!
The moose looked at me pounding and started to grunt: „Ooof, ooof, ooof…“
This was the final alarm signal.
According to the park instructions this meant: „Get the hell out of here, or …“

Submissive posture, reverse gear, quick retreat.
And then run. Back to the path and back to the car. Jumping, laughing, rejoycing: „I got him! I got him!“

Hunter‘s luck, hunter’s pride!
It’s not the best shot ever. Not the best resolution. It’s just small. But one of my absolute favorites.

Because every picture strikes a memory and tells a story. This one in particular.
Hopefully, our new adventures with Big Paul will bring a lot of new photos and a lot of new stories!

I guess, I’m still a passionate hunter-gatherer…

That’s it for now. More to come.

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