Shower?

Not the baby shower or wedding shower sort - I really don't like those.  But a good long hot shower is pretty darn special sometimes. 

Our trailer is quite nice but the shower stall is pretty small - ie, soap up the walls, turn around a few times and you are pretty much soaped down yourself and ready to rinse off.  I'm not complaining - because it works.  However, having a little space to stretch your arms a bit is also pretty nice. So that got us thinking, what can we do to have a shower with a little more space.

One of our neighbors up there who is living off the grid came up with an outdoor bathtub:

Nice contained fire pit, stump and some shimming on the right hand side.  Door on top to keep the heat in while the fire heats your water. 



Yes, that tub sits on the fire.  Once the water is warm, lift off the door and you are good to go.  I imagine it could be a bit awkward though when guests unexpectedly show up.  (Note: when I look at this picture it makes me think the bather should be wearing cowboy boots and hat.)

We figured a bath might be nice but I sure as heck wouldn't want to be second to bath EVER and I am pretty sure neither would Dan.  So he came up with the summertime outdoor shower:

Double doors, nice spa like floor for drainage and a rubber mat for the tender tootsies.  That black barrel on the right is our water holding tank.  Within that tank is a pump and two sets of hoses.  One hose circulates the water and one supplies the shower head.

Side view:



Four x eight feet (almost). Enough room to have a party in there - if you are into that sort of thing. 

The interior really is the best though:



A nice recycled CD rack to keep your soap, shampoo and face cloth on.  Hooks just inside the doors for your towels and clothes.  Seriously does it get any better than this?  Well, actually, yes.  We used the sun to heat the water last year, and that worked well when it was smoking hot.  Didn't work quite as well on a average day of about 25 degrees though.  Of course Dan thinks there is room for improvement everywhere and once again he was right (yup, I said it, he was right).  Off to the Co-op he went and came home with a heater that we will submerse in the barrel and we should be able to use this from May through September or at the very least June through August! 

It is pretty skookum.  The adjustable shower head helps for the shorter folk like me too:



(Just lean your head to the left as I cannot figure out how to rotate the picture.)

Google earth has some of the ladies who have been by a little concerned.  I however think it is better to smell good than worry about the satellites circling above! Besides, it's not like we are lounging in a bath tub for all the world to see :-)

I know, I know - it's been more than a year

And what a year it has been.  I am very sad to say that Brooke, who has been so often mentioned on this blog, passed away September 24, 2012.  She who had her humans wrapped around her paw is now only with us in memories.  She taught me (well, both Dan and I) a lot but most importantly she taught us patience and understanding due to her quirky ways with the world.  I am still missing our beach trips, park adventures and tracking classes.  She was a great companion and we miss her dearly.

Now, for some updates that don't make me so sad.

We had quite a productive year at the property.  We managed to get a roof over the fire pit, build a pump house, build an outdoor shower and gain a pack rat.  Of course none of this was easy and the pack rat was not invited - but I'm working on his eviction. 

The roof over the fire pit was a must as we spend nearly every waking minute outside when we are up there.  Here's what we started with and please note the weather in this picture - it is NOT raining.

So, the frame is good to go despite the one board that is winged out and not lined up.  That's okay though because you only really notice it if it is pointed out to you.  We went from what you saw above to this:

All in the pouring rain!  What really sucked about the whole job is not the fact that it stopped raining shortly after the work was done.  No, not at all.  The worst part was that I was the "helper".  As a helper, I stood out in the rain holding each roof panel up while Dan worked underneath screwing around the whole thing  together.  He was pretty much dry at the end of the job.  I, on the other hand, was soaking wet.  You see, the plan required me stand below the panel and hold it up on the frame until a few screws were installed.  Sounds like fun right?  Well, I guess so, if you like the feeling of a river running down your arms, to your arms pits and then down your torso.  Go ahead, put your arms up in the air slightly in front of you and pretend you are holding a metal sheet with a river running down it.  You get the idea now don't you!

Once the roof was up someone decided we should close in the ends up at the top.  Frame it up a bit better, make it sturdier he said.  This is the point where you picture me smiling and nodding on the outside and rolling my eyes on the inside because the first part of this project wasn't exactly fun for me.  Now that it is done though, I am glad he suggested it. 

We recycled old fence panels from our house on the coast.  The black panel on the left is what made me 'glad'.  I went out and bought a string of solar lights to go around (most of) the frame and that is the solar panel.  Now not only do we having a roof over our head so we can enjoy a fire in the rain, we also have mood lighting.



And, courtesy of some friends and a few cocktails, we have even named the joint:



I have to post again at another time as I cannot find the pictures of the outdoor shower and words alone do not do it justice.  It really is a rockin' redneck shower!