We arrived in Seattle in May, 2008, rented the basement of a friend's home and began an eleven month experience of building a dream -- a Gypsy style vardo built to accommodate Environmental Illness. Six months prior to our Seattle arrival my husband Pete and I lived in our car, parked in beach parking lots, friends' driveways or on our cousins' front lawn, and learned what it took to survive on the fringes of contemporary society's definitions of 'proper and legal housing.' We were homeless by those standards and definitions and sickened by the products most people used without thought; but we were not without faith, and powerful imaginations! It was an amazing initiation at sixty and fifty-eight years of age.
On April 6, 2009 we pulled a beautiful golden wagon 8 feet wide and 14 feet long (on a 12 ' trailer with a 2' porch) made with much aloha and many guidance from dozens of guardian angels into our first landing spot "On the Ledge at Tahuya". The photos here and connections to links on our original blog Vardo For Two are a birthday gift a celebration of gratitude for the golden wagon of a home we built and continue to live in eight years later. We name her her, because of course, she has mothered us these eight years.
- We built the golden wagon home a punana a nest.
- We searched for community ka wahi noho like o ka poe/family 'ohana and found we needed to learn much more about ourselves to be family.
- We remember that we must ask permission before place was 'available' to us.
- We learned to listen for the answers, and proceed with respect.
- We practice digesting the culture of ka po'e kanaka the Hawaiian culture, invest in what it takes to understand it, defend and commit to Hawaiian cultural practices and language arts.
- Slowly we have rooted to keia 'aina this place the community of South Whidbey Island integrating and weaving the Hawaiian culture into our daily spiritual and physical life (there is no separation).
- We are humbled, and give ourselves breaks when it's one of those times of mess making mistakes.
Now, we recap, makawalu unfurl from the what we've learned and prepare for the second-half of life from Vardo For Two.
Nana keia! Take a look.
Trailer and Subflooring/Foundation
TRAILER
It's an IRON EAGLE single axle 12 foot trailer with a break-away braking system, made in Oregon. Pete chose it because it has a load capacity that will give us approximately 3,500 lbs of actual vardo weight, and a single axle will allow us more maneuverability.
It's an IRON EAGLE single axle 12 foot trailer with a break-away braking system, made in Oregon. Pete chose it because it has a load capacity that will give us approximately 3,500 lbs of actual vardo weight, and a single axle will allow us more maneuverability.
Walls and Roof
Link here to see the barn where Pete learned to bolt-it-together and make it last. The fence is 42 years old (and bolted together). The barn is 100 'x 65 ' and the beams were steel brackets and bolts holding the roof up. The work of restoring the barn was done in the mid-70's.
Link to this post for narrative.
Link to this post for thinking/sensitivity process at this point.
Link to this post for thoughts about cost for simplicity.
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| http://vardofortwo.blogspot.com/2009/03/building-vardo-we-have-cozy-roof.html |
Inside
Close-up and final touches
Ahhh. First morning on The Ledge in Tahuya. We slept deep and sweet the first night! Mahalo nui Na Akua.
Go here to see how and where we journeyed.
Go here to see how and where we journeyed.
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