Her aim was to spend her free time satisfying her insatiable wanderlust and photographing the beauty of America. Initially an experiment in nomadic living, it has become a way of life for her now that she finds hard to beat. “I feel much more connected with the art of living now,” she says, “It’s nice, because wherever I go, I’m at home, and my neighbors are usually some of the nicest people around.” Her small home on wheels allows Sharon and her dog Harley to explore a continuous trail of new and beautiful places and brings a greater portion of the world into their everyday life.

The 20’ Airstream is just the right size for this solo woman and her dog. “I hardly know I’m pulling it,” she says, “and it’s much better on gas mileage than most other travel trailers. It’s really a breeze to tow and because it’s small, I can often get into some of the more rustic campsites. I love this model for the large galley with tons of counter space, storage and double sinks. I love that the bathroom and kitchen are on one end, and the lounging areas are on the other. I love that I have a real separate shower, not a wet bath…and I especially love the huge windows next to the dinette and the panoramic windows that surround the bed. The distance from the bed to the bathroom door is about five steps. One more step and you are at the kitchen sink.”

In the beginning, she admits it was a little daunting not knowing about plumbing, electrical systems, or anything related to a house on wheels. Now it’s old hat. She couldn’t dream of a better way to live, and feels her choice of small-space-living is a good way to de-clutter life, not just by minimizing the meaningless stuff that has a way of locking people down, but also by experiencing new places and people. She can’t help but live in the moment and enjoy life. She’s been at it for almost four years now (with no intention of stopping soon) and feels like she has only just begun to tap into the beauty our continent has to offer.

From the very beginning, Sharon has been documenting her travels on her personally-designed website www.TheSilverSnail.com. Not your standard blog, it’s a continuing graphic narrative of the places she visits, illustrated with stunning photographs. “I’m not trying to sell a product or advertising,” Sharon states. “If I am trying to sell anything, it is to embrace life and its beauty, enjoy yourself, and keep discovering. Now more than ever, technology is allowing us to explore the art of living creatively and living well.” And having a small house on wheels is just the thing to make it possible.

Sandblasting is a general term used to describe the act of propelling very fine bits of material (play sand in this case) at high-velocity to clean a surface. A sandblasting setup usually consists of three different parts: the abrasive itself, an air compressor (seen below), and a blaster nozzle. By launching small bits of abrasive at the surface at a high speed, all imperfections are knocked loose and can then be easily washed off, creating an incredibly smooth surface upon which to lay the new layer of paint. Before we can do that though (which will come much later, I imagine) we need to prime. Why? Primer spray (in this case we used Krylon grey primer) stops rust and prevents corrosion.

So last week Crystal started sandblasting the tongue of the trailer. We were a bit naive and I say this only to prepare others for sandblasting. It is a long, tedious process and if you don’t have the right tools (which I am not entirely convinced we are not in this category) it can be somewhat painstaking. The key ingredient to sandblasting is, of course, the sand. But running a very, very, close second is the compressed air. Now, our air compressor which is decades old and is only a 30 Gallon, 120/240 Volt, 5.3 CFM model, could only hold enough compression for about 5-6 minutes of intense sandblasting. Then we had to wait 2-3 minutes for the air to build back up. At that point we could then go back to blasting. Now, as one might hope, the blasting is not a large scale process. In fact, because the nozzle is only 1/8 inch in diameter you can only blast about 1/4 of an inch at a time. So in 5 minutes you could cover about a 8 square inch area, if lucky. Considering our trailer is roughly 34,560 sq. inches it is not easy to understand why after about 17 collective hours of sandblasting we only managed to do about 1/3 of the trailer, including the tongue area.

I have to admit that it was a bit discouraging. But when we stopped to think of the purchase price of the trailer, the extra sq. ft. it offered us, and the time we had to do the job (remember, we aren’t moving in tomorrow), it didn’t seem quite so bad. By about 5pm we had primed the sandblasted part and were enjoying a cold one on the back porch.

Please don’t let me discourage you. Sandblasting is a highly effective method of cleaning. The process can be used effectively on steel, iron, copper, brass, aluminum and glass. It can be used to clean up fabricated parts, structural steel, castings, pipes (inside and out) pipe fittings, auto body parts and machine parts. It is fairly affordable and with a little dedication and elbow grease can, in fact, be a manageable DIY project!

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Bigger does not always mean better. Progress does not always mean forgetting our roots in order to forge a new future. Blogger, photojournalist, and hobby farmer Andrew Odom has spent much of the last few years rediscovering the lost art of living, growing, and being truly happy. Visit him online, find him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.

Need to be on site for the entire build to test nontoxic materials for tolerance. Vardo will have compost toilet, outdoor shower on porch, simple sink setup inside with grey water tank and hose hookup, very small hot water tank, wired with shielded wiring for both 12 volt and 110, curved metal or very thin ceramic roof, tile floors, either dragon board or very low terpene wood walls.

If wood walls, they will be tongue and groove. Denim or wool insulation, a breathable wall system to minimize mold, and good ventilation including built in fans. No plywood, formaldehyde, laminates, styrofoam, vinyl, urethane, fiberglass, etc. Possibly some other features adapted from small rv’s I’ve seen. Take a look at Portland Alternative Dwellings’ Don Vardo for an example of a beautiful simple vardo.

I need to keep costs down as I have set aside funds but am planning to be frugal where possible. If someone has time and interest, please write me with your fees for such a project, previous experience etc., where you live, if you have land where we can build and a good metal shed to store construction materials, your schedule, and any other relevanr information.

Prefer southeast, Texas, or possibly southwest for the build, ie a climate that is warm and sunny, and hoping to start late spring. Don’t want to build up north. If you want to travel to live on site for the build I can possibly find us a spot. I’ve been told it can take 400-500 hours for the total build. Both some experience in carpentry/construction and patience, as well as willingness to work with all nontoxic materials, is important. Thanks!

Please email jenbooks13@hotmail.com if interested.

This is a cool little teardrop, built like a piece of furniture and with a price tag to go with it. Thank you Ben for spotting this.

William Landivar, 60, of Boulder Creek, has constructed a one-of-a-kind teardrop trailer that is a sight to be seen. Made of rich mahogany and white oak wood, the teardrop is 15 feet long and 7 feet wide and weighs 1,700 pounds.

Photos by Lucjan Szewczyk/Press-Banner

His modern teardrop, which he calls the Aero Madera or Flying Wood, is sleek and aerodynamic.

The inside is just as impressive, with leather and carpeted interior, a refrigerator and freezer, a two-burner gas stove, a sink and a television with surround sound.

Read more: Press-Banner – Ridin in luxury

Retro Traveler designs several retro trailers including teardrops and all are fine quality retro trailers. My favorite is the original model the RT1200. It has everything you need in a very small retro style trailer.

Following is a description from the Retro Traveler Website. I have tried to get in contact with them but have not received a response yet. So don’t have any pricing or that type of information.

The 1200 features sleeping space for two, a complete galley with cooktop and refrigerator, full showerbath and of course, some fantastic retro styling. All of this wrapped in a maintenance-free anodized aluminum exterior that never needs polishing. Weight is under 1400 lbs – so towing is a breeze with just about any car.

Hand crafted of select maple hardwood and clear maple plywood finished in lacquer and Danish oil, the interior absolutely glows.  Coupled with the timeless look of satin finished aluminum, we think you’ll agree this is the ultimate compact trailer.

As you enter, the efficient galley is directly across the cabin.  Notice the sleek black AC/DC refrigerator, polished counter edging and upper cabinets with task lighting below. Satin nickel cabinet pulls, self closing hinges, AC and DC outlets are all standard features.

Ready for this?  A FULL BATH.  In a 12′ trailer!  Note the integrated medicine cabinet with mirror door, GFI outlet, separate stainless lav sink (no toothbrushing in the kitchen sink) and the soft glow of the satin finish aluminum wall surfaces.  Storage below the lav is spacious.  The porcelain toilet and black water tank is opposite the vanity.  A draw curtain is included to divide the bath from the living area.

Aft, you’ll find a spacious sofabed stretching full-width across the trailer.  By day, a comfortable seating and conversation area that converts easily to a cozy bed for two.  An operable window and fantastic vent keep a cool breeze moving over the bed for comfortable sleeping.  A large, fixed picture window provides a grand view of your campsite.

A full hanging height wardrobe with separate upper storage locker complete the interior.  Thoughful touches like robe hooks and a key hanger inside the door are not overlooked.

Our quality workmanship does not end at the door.  Many manufacturers of Teardrops and larger trailers alike chose to install a prefabricated, low quality entry door. Our custom, curved top door with generous window and solid maple hardwood casing is just another way we separate ourselves from the crowd. Stainless hinge and fasteners and genuine automotive weatherstripping  means weather resistance now and for years to come.

To learn more and see Retro Travelers other models be sure and visit their website. http://www.trailerworks.biz

by Kent Griswold (Tiny House Blog)

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