Randall's Blog

So the latest project I have been working on is a small camper to fit on my utility trailer. I wanted to make a "teardrop trailer" type design because I think they are kinda cool. I decided to make one that would slip on and off the utility trailer I already have rather than buy a new trailer to build it on. After looking at lots of photos and designs on-line I started my project. The base is made of plywood and 5/4 lumber.

Plywood covers the base and is the floor of the camper.

The space under the floor has room for two water tanks and some storage.

I found a company that makes water tanks that were the right size (7in tall) and ordered one 30 gal. freshwater tank and one 30 gal. holding tank. Here is some of the plumbing details for each.

Following the classic teardrop design, there is a sink and counter with storage in the back.

Unlike the classic teardrop design, I decided to make the front more box-like to add some room. To make the front more aerodynamic I decided to make it rounded. This made things a bit more complex. Lots of custom cuts and shapes...

The exterior is covered in a fiberglass-reinforced plastic. I used stock storm windows on the side and for the door.

I installed a standard vent with a fan on the top.

The rear cover was a challenge and turned out to be pretty heavy. Lowell helped out.

The door was made out of 3/4 in plywood and the window.

Finally, Lowell helped me put a 135 watt solar panel on the roof.

I really struggled to get it ready for Solarfest and it wasn't really finished when we put a futon mattress in it and took off for VT.

Debbie & I had a good time and I finished some things when we arrived, like hooking up the solar charge controller, inverter etc. to the battery. It rained a bit on Friday night which was good as this let me know where the trailer leaked. Fortunately, it didn't rain any more and we had a sunny two days at Solarfest.

Solarfest was fun, a good mix of music, workshops, vendors and food. Debbie ran into an old friend from college.

The light show Friday night was great and the sunset Saturday night was amazing. Bill McKibben spoke Saturday afternoon.

Sorry I haven't written much lately - lots of issues to deal with recently including losing my job. Don't want to go into the ugly details here but it was disappointing. Unemployment line here I come...

Some photos taken in the last two months:

The Moon and Venus

Ducks at Five Rivers

Our roses

Me with Rebecca & Chris

Had a nice visit with Dave and Kathie last month. I hadn't been out to Ohio in quite a while.

This is what happens when you go outside to take photos after your camera has been in the cold AC air inside. I spent some time trying to get the lens clear but decided to just go with it and the effect was interesting.

The garden started out fine but I planted too early and a lot of plants died due to adverse weather.

Still the garden looks OK now.

We have been eating a lot of chard and it's really good.

We have a new little face around the house. Her name is Ninji or cookie or something, we can't seem to decide. She is three and is very bright and lively. She loves to have her face scratched. She is already intimidating the Meep - not hard to do, though.

The Meep is spending less time under my mom's bed and more time on it.

My latest project is a small camper that will fit on my utility trailer. Still in progress. More photos later.

Smudgey: Glowing in moonbeam

A shaft of moonlight spotlights your white fur
as you nudged yourself closer and closer
to daddy - becoming interwoven curls.

You always enjoyed human company,
But, Mr. Meep not so much
Alas he was smitten by your moxie and self confident charm

You rebuffed his advances, but were never that mean.

Your white landscape broken only by blue eyes and little pink bits,
Always wanting to be with us
Meeting strangers at the door,
You were always so cute and funny, never a bore.

Greeting us each morning with your sweet meow hello,
And ending the day in the warm moonbeam glow.

We will never forget you,
forever in our hearts,
Sweet little Princess Smudgey.

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As seen on the NY Times web site:

I was living in Spokane WA on May 18th 1980. We had been hearing about Mount St Helens for a while but the news that Sunday was ominous. Ash was coming our way and we didn't know what to expect. All the really incredible damage took place close to the mountain. Many people were warned away in the weeks before the big blast so it could have been worse. Indeed, the ash we got was minimal but even in Spokane it was pretty dramatic. The sky turned quite dark and street lights came on as the ash started to fall late in the morning.

The mountain exploded early in the morning and the ash took several hours to arrive in Spokane so we had some time to prepare. I covered my beloved beetle, Felix.

The sky did lighten a bit and I even went out to collect some ash (which I still have).

Local officials really had no idea how to react. People had all kinds of crazy ideas about what the ash would do. In the end it was not that bad where we were. Some places got a lot more and that could take down gutters and cause other damage. It was heavy - it's volcanic glass, very finely pulverized.

In the summer of 1998 I visited the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and that was pretty cool. It's still really barren around the mountain. In the foreground below there was a pretty hefty tree, snapped off like a matchstick by the force of the blast.

April started off with a party for Ali - he turned 30! He denies it but his mom was there and she agreed that it was the big 3-0!

The next day Ali's mom, brother and family stopped over.

The deck seems to have come through the winter quite well. There was no issue with the floating deck design - it stayed level and flat.

I made some soil blocks this year to start seeds in the greenhouse. They seem to be working so far but I haven't transplanted anything yet.

Our magnolia tree still looks beautiful even if it's missing some parts.

My latest project is setting up a telescope pier in my yard. I had something like this in Epping - a base made from an old chimney. I attended the NorthEast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) and picked up a new equatorial mount for my telescope. I also picked up an imaging Newtonian but more about that later.

The first step was to make some adapter plates so I could attach my new mount to the pier. They sell these things but they are expensive and I did buy all those machines last year... I wound up using some aluminum plates that I salvaged from an ancient sequencing machine. The woodworking tools actually did a good job on the aluminum.

I decided to put the pier just behind the deck. It isn't the ideal location in terms of trees but it's convenient. I dug down about 3.5-4 feet and got some rebar and cement mix. Some old steel fencing added to the structure.

I used the plastic case from one of the old water filter canisters to make a form. I also found some slate that was at the back of the yard and brought it to the pier location to make a base.

I ran an extension cord over to the pier and set up a 12v power supply. I also made a wooden platform at the top. You can see the adapter plates in place here.

Here is the new mount in place.

I can't let it get wet and don't want to take it off and on all the time - which would defeat the whole idea of having it in a fixed location - so I had to make a little house for the whole set up.

Can't wait to try it out!

Congratulations to Rebecca & Ali on their new house! They are now proud homeowners in Ayer MA:

Here Smudgey is helping Debbie study for finals:

The Meep is still hiding under beds - we believe he must have been abused to be so afraid. He does come out to see Smudgey but she has little patience for him...