ZOOM!...

...goes the van, with its fancy new decals! At least, it sort of looks like it's zooming, even when it's just standing quietly in the driveway. We ordered the fun decals from an internet site (http://www.decalzone.com/, for those of you suddenly needing to decorate your own cars), and applied them by ourselves. They're just big stickers, really. The little turtle is our favorite: the perfect Humble Gumby mascot!

Working Under Pressure

Van progress was slowed for a few weeks by THE WINDOW PROBLEM. We wanted to have two new windows installed - one in the door on the passenger side, one in the wall on the driver side. We found only one glass place willing to cut holes in our van for us. The windows would have to be ordered from the dealership. We ordered the window for the door and had it installed first, to make sure the window and the installer were both what we hoped. The glass man - let's call him Norbert - said we should leave the van with him for a few days, as he wasn't sure how long the installation would take. We drove to glass place in separate cars (a 1 1/2 hour or so drive), dropped off the van right before the shop's closing time, and drove home. At 7:30 the next morning, our phone rang - Norbert! The van was ready! We went to Manchester to retrieve the van, and then we ordered Window Number 2. Sandeep called the glass place and very politely asked if Norbert could install the window while we waited, to save us an extra trip. Norbert: "I cannot work under this pressure! I don't want the job!" Sandeep: "Umm....maybe I'll call back later?" We eventually came to an agreement. Norbert would, in fact, do the job, and we would not pressure him. We drove to Manchester again, dropped off the van as casually as possible, sauntered away in a non-pressuring manner, and waited for a week or so very patiently. We did eventually, cautiously, call to see if the van was ready. Norbert's co-worker: "It's been ready. Didn't Norbert call you?"

So, now our little Sprinter is home with us again, with two lovely new windows. One window even opens (and closes!). We have covered the interior with silvery bubble-wrap-type insulation, and, today, we installed a solar-powered roof vent!

Humble Gumby Shakes His Can!

Faced with the task of spray-painting the scratched and scuffed spots inside the Sprinter, Sandeep went into his workshop and reappeared in this outfit - the perfect Humble Gumby painting suit!

We removed the plastic-like wall panels - to be saved for later, when we will probably want to transform our self-built motorhome back into a cargo van to sell it - and painted the scratched spots to prevent rusting.

Our Van Cleans Up Well!

Our little Sprinter came with a plywood wall separating the cab from the cargo area, and plywood bins and metal poles in the cargo area - as well as lots of dirt and stone dust, everywhere! Sandeep removed the wall and other additions, and Jess scrubbed the interior of the van with a sponge and toothbrush. Our van may now be cleaner than our house!

Humble Gumby Construction Has a New Project...

For those of you who don't know, Humble Gumby is what we named the bumbling construction team that we are when we work on our house. Our slogan is "We try..." The Gumby we were thinking of is not the bendy green cartoon boy, but a silly Monty Python character - and we are very, very humble.

So, we were thinking of travelling this summer. We talked about driving across the country, and then we thought about buying a small motorhome for the trip. Then we looked at motorhomes, both on the internet and in person. They don't really come in "small" and they are all decorated and furnished like unattractive motel rooms and they get less than 10 miles to the gallon - eek! The only models we liked were built inside a European-style Sprinter van, with a fuel efficient diesel engine, but they were too expensive for our plans. We said, "Wouldn't it be funny if we built our own motorhome!" Then we found a British website, home of the Self-Build Motor Caravanners Club, and we were inspired.

Now here we are, with our very own used Freightliner Sprinter van - purchased through eBay! - sitting in our driveway. In its former life, it lived in New Jersey and transported countertops.