Building the CarBed in the Mercury

As my MCS kicked up, I knew I needed to get out of buildings,
and get into the forest or someplace that had clean air.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon directing Joe as he built the carbed in my Mercury Tracer. Having taken out the front passenger seat last week, I wanted to build a bed that would have storage underneath to carry my felting supplies, and that would be accessible, but not necessarily READILY accessible. This is where I'll store fiber and tools that I only need to get to once a week or when I'm starting a new project.

The first thing I did was to fit 3 plastic bins into the space, 

one deep, and two shallow. 

The bins are this type:

At first, they would not fit. Oh NO!  

But when I removed their lids, 

I was happy to find out they fit like a glove! 

Next step was the bed itself. Joe had in his storage an old folding closet door. It was the perfect width and had hinges down the middle. I really wanted something I could open up easily to get to my supplies when needed, so this seemed like a good idea.  We put the two back seatbacks in the down position and slid the door into the car through the trunk. With just a few cuts to fit around the seatback I wanted left in the UP position, it would be perfect!

 We measured and cut and measured and cut 

until the board fit.

As you can see, there was Portland's July rain to deal with. We kept having to run under cover, but eventually we got the board to fit. We also made at least one mistake. You can see a cutout we made, then had to repair when I realized it could be left in for more legroom. Good thing Joe's a carpenter!

The bed now fits on top of the boxes - 

Joe put a couple of 2x4 legs up in front, 

and a brace between them. 

He wired the legs to the frame, 

using the bolts that held the original front seat in place. 

Open and get out supplies

Closed position

It's possible to take the bins completely out also. 

Not easy, but manageable. 

The large bin comes out first, 

then the two smaller ones. 

The small bin on the bottom will hold supplies 

I rarely need to access.

Next, I needed some insulation from the cold coming up from underneath. I was sure I took photos of the padding, but apparently my phone didn't store the photos. So here is a photo from the internet of what I used. It's a blue Walmart camping pad. Cost is about $6. 

I had Joe screw this to the top of the bed on the DRIVER's side, using washers so it wouldn't tear. It's stiff and didn't want to stay in place easily. Now it's attached along one side. We put in three points of attachment. This way I can lift the lid without having the pad go flying off.

Next, I needed a foam mattress. Having purchased a lot of foam for cakes and toys, I knew it was going to be expensive. Last week, I checked at Joann's, where prices are generally affordable, and was horrified to see their couch-sized foam pad was $80. Kowabunga!

I wasn't sure what I'd do about that. Then, while looking at camp stoves at Fred Meyer, I passed their hardware section and of all things, they had camping foam pads, 4 inches thick, for $19.   I was a happy girl!

Last night, I went to buy my foam pad. They had 3. Two were filthy and one was slightly damaged. I asked to speak to the manager and showed him the damaged pad, which had a 1 inch divit in it. He gave me a 10% discount. Hooray!  Getting the pad into my tiny car was, well, interesting, but I managed to get it home where I got my handy-dandy electric carving knife out.  

You can buy an electric knife at charity or Goodwill shops. I think I paid $2.99 for mine. People don't use them much, but they cut foam like butter and I love mine!  With Emma's help taking photos, I marked the foam with a sharpie pen, and began making cuts.

Good Lord, I'm fat! I need to walk off this belly!

I cut the foam to fit tight between the frame 

and the back seatback which is staying UP. 

This way it won't shift. 

 I made a cut around the console 

so I can still shift and use the cupholder 

when I am driving.

And that's it! 

Voila!

Could I have done it without Joe? Probably. The tools we used were a skillsaw, a jigsaw, a screwdriver and a chisel (to move one of the hinges up when we cut off the end of the door). But it sure was nice to have his help! So if you're a gal and doing this, I suggest you grab some guy whose legs aren't painted on and see if he'll help you. It'll make things go much faster if you have someone with experience working with you.

I now have a bed in my little Mercury Tracer! 

I plan on going camping this weekend to try it out

and see if any kinks need to be adjusted. 

I'll take photos and report back.

Until then, I'm working on a felted SunMan face 

to try to get the sun to shine in rainy Portland. 

Here he is. 

Still need to firm him up, 

but I'm liking him!

I'm off to take Emma out for the day.

Until next time, 

Love, 

Annie

Getting to the Top

Getting to the top of a long climb is always so satisfying!

I think that's why I love long treks.

There are so many goals to set,

and when you reach them,

you feel so much better,

emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

Here are a few photos of me

upon reaching the top -

Some are from 2006 and others from 2009.

It's good for me to see how out of shape I was in the beginning,

and how much better I looked and felt at the end 

of the 3 months of simply walking.

Exercise does not have to be strenuous to work.

Some great memories!

Oh wait! That's not me!

Getting to the top of the Pyranees was a great achievement for me! 

The walk, while grueling, was ethereal. 

And reaching the top felt like a great accomplishment.

At the top, beginning the descent.

The descent was worse than the ascent!

At the top of Alto Perdon

Alto Perdon is out of Pamplona. It's not so much the length of this climb, but the steepness that is difficult.  By now, however, I'm beginning to lose weight and feel less winded.

This next photo is of me in the ruins of San Anton.  This is not at the top of a hill, but me at the top of my game. After only 3 weeks of walking, I've lost a lot of weight, and am feeling healthy and fit again!

Me at San Anton

Close to Monjarin is the Crux de Ferro. At the top of this hill is a cross, where you leave stones and wishes. I missed this on my first Camino, so this little climb was important to me in 2009.

The next hill was from Monjarin into Molinaseca. The scenery was fantastic!

Next, the dreaded climb into O'Cebreiro! This is a deal breaker for many pilgrims. Beginning in Vega del Valcarce, the scenery was beautiful and the walking easy.The track was smooth, winding past villages that seemed to have fallen out of a history book:

And then, the trail became a bit more rocky

And then it became downright "stony and steep!"

Up... up... UP  we went!

My thighs burned.

It was a matter of walking 10 steps, then resting... walking 10 steps, then resting.

Then, when I thought I couldn't make one more step

TA DA!  I made it to Galicia!

A few weeks more of walking, and reaching Santiago was the biggest thrill of all! Here I am coming out of the Pilgrim's Office where I received my Compostela for walking the Camino. Can you tell I'm pleased?

I'm also 20 pounds lighter! I no longer ache in the mornings and I don't get winded.  I guess my point to this post is that a person does not have to go on a special diet or take pills to lose weight. Just get up and MOVE!

Here I am a few months before my walk. 

It's embarrassing how out of shape I'd gotten:

Here is me after returning home from my last trek:

Quite a difference, right?

The sad truth is I'm back to about the weight I was in the first photo. No excuses except menopause and inactivity. This is a MAJOR reason for planning my next walk, which hopefully will begin May 2012, if the world doesn't end    

I'm ready to get back into shape!

Are you?

For now, I'm walking in Forest Park and the Arboretum. 

Oregon offers many wonderful hiking trails 

for anyone who has the desire.

My point is... if I can do it, you can do it!

It's simple.

Get off your duff and walk!

* * *

Note:  If you are interested in walking the Camino Santiago, 

but are not quite ready to go it alone, 

consider joining Annie

on one of our small, affordable Camino walks. 

For more information see our website 

at this link: AnnieWalkers Camino

Who's The Guy With the Swollen Lipped Dog?

I had never heard of San Roque until I walked the Camino.

I first saw his name in Seville 

when we passed by the Calle San Roque 

and Joe made this funny pose.

I just thought he was being silly. Then he said, "Don't you remember the guy with the dog with the swollen lips you saw in Santiago?

I said "You mean the dog with the hamburger in his mouth?"

We both laughed as we recalled the conversation 

when I saw this statue at the Pilgrim's Museum in Santiago. 

Joe, growing up Catholic, knew who San Roque was. 

I had never heard of him!

I continued to see San Roch in paintings and statuary all along the Camino.

So who is this guy with the dog. 

And what IS that in his mouth?  

Here is what I discovered with a quick internet search.

Who Is St. Roch?

He is Saint Roch, a confessor who was born around 1295 and whose death is commemorated on 16 August. He is specially invoked by the Catholic faithful against the Bubonic Plague and other infectious diseases.


Like so many saints, Roch was not a real person, his biography is a reprocessed version of an older story about someone else. Most of the traditional information about him, still believed by some, comes from Church legends like the Legenda Aurea, which do not represent reliable history.

According to his Acta and his vita in Legenda Aurea, he was born at Montpellier, about 1295, the son of the Governor of that city, born of an Italian mother. According the same source he showed marked sanctity from an early age - for example suckling his mother in time to her religious fasting regime.

Around the age of 20, on the death of his parents, he distributed all his worldly goods among the poor and set out as a mendicant pilgrim. Arriving in Italy during an epidemic of plague, he helped tend the sick in the public hospitals at Acquapendente, Cesena and Rome, and is said to have effected miraculous cures. At Rome he cured the cardinal of Angleria (the pope's brother) by making the mark of the cross on his forehead. He cured cattle using the same technique.

At Piacenza he fell ill with the plague himself - the first signs of which were buboes appearing in the groin. He was expelled from the town; and withdrew into the forest, where he made himself a hut, which was supplied with water by a spring that miraculously appeared. He would have starved had not a dog belonging to a man named Gothard brought him bread every day. Gothard, following his hunting dog that carried the bread, discovered Saint Roch and became his follower. Thanks to this series of miracles Roch survived and recovered his health. On his return incognito to Montpellier Roch was arrested as a spy by order of his own uncle and thrown into prison, where he languished five years and died on 16 August 1327. Only when he was dead did the townspeople recognised him (by a birthmark). Soon, he was credited with continuing to work miracle cures against the pestilence, and he was soon canonised. Almost identical stories were related about numerous other saints.

Saint Roche is the Patron Saint of: plague cholera epidemics relief from pestilence skin diseases skin rashes knee problems diseased cattle dogs falsely accused people invalids surgeons bachelors tile makers

As San Rocco he became a patron saint of the city of Potenza, Italy. When the Council of Constance was threatened with plague in 1414, public processions and prayers for the intercession of Roch were ordered.
His cult spread through Spain, France, Belgium, Italy and Germany, when he was often interpolated into the roster of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, whose veneration spread in the wake of the Black Death. He is known by different names in different places: As well as Roch, he is Rochus (Latin), Rocco (Italian), and Roque (Occitan, Spanish and Portuguese):; Rock (English) and Rollock (in Scotland)
At Ferrara in 1439, the cessation of the Black Death was attributed to St. Roch. For centuries the people of the Languedoc lived in fear of recurrences of the Black Death and later the Plague. This explains why St Roch was always such a favourite here.

Today, the Bubonic plague and similar diseases that killed so many in Medieval and Renaissance times have been brought under control by medical advances. But people still appeal to St Roch for his miraculous intercession, including AIDS suffers among the devout.

Roch's statues in Languedoc churches and displayed on house sides are readily identifiable. Here are the things to look for:

• He is represented in the garb of a bearded pilgrim, often with a pilgrim's hat and staff, and sometimes with misleading sea shells of St Jacques de Compostella. 
• He hoists his pilgrim's garb to reveal a modest wound on his thigh (rather than on his less modest groin which would be more medically accurate as this is where buboes first appear). Often he points at the buboe to identify himself more clearly.
• He is accompanied by a dog carrying a loaf - generally depicted as a bread bun - in its mouth.

So.. San Roque is sometimes confused with St. James.

He is definitely a pilgrim. And.. he has that little dog

.

The dog the followed ME on MY Camino didn't bring bread.. 

he was begging bread!

And wound, well it was on my neck.

I guess I don't qualify yet for Sainthood!

 * * * 

Note:  If you are interested in walking the Camino Santiago, 

but are not quite ready to go it alone, 

consider joining Annie

on one of our small, affordable Camino walks. 

For more information see our website 

at this link: AnnieWalkers Camino