Pirate Camp Winter Season 2022-23

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Ga Merin Mateys... Word form Brian last evening was that they were past Demming NM and not stopping..

Thanks for letting us know. The weather they are driving into looks horrible. Especially for towing...

.
Myself and Jess are here at Center camp... for those that are not Facebook friendly, here is a link to the post here on VLF to the Van Aid schpeeel... the location is the same as last year, but .. please.. encourage eveyone to read the doc linked below... c u soon

https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/...road-feb-2-to-feb-16.47973/page-2#post-587225
Good going!
 
Our eastward travelers have had to stop in Van Horn Tx due to weather conditions. Best to be safe!!
 
Our eastward travelers have had to stop in Van Horn Tx due to weather conditions. Best to be safe!!
Black ice conditions warnings! They will need to have a late, leisurely breakfast and linger over coffee ☕️.
 
Many of the group moved to Plomosa Rd to attend van aide. A few of us remained and today during the high winds Randy aka Random Painted Hwy and I
took care of securing a clam tent getting ready to fly off while the owner was gone. So glad it’s died down outside now.
 
I got back from Vegas early Saturday morning, and last night started getting sick. Last time I went to Vegas I ended up with Covid. I haven't tested yet as last time it took 4 days to show positive. I'm staying home till I know I'm safe to be around people.
 
Van Aid is truly intense this year for Pirate Camp............There was a shortage of willing volunteer Carpenters

Some projects seemed daunting........There's also a shortage of $$$..........and of course the on-demand weekend Drive-Thur service requests............with some encouragement several stepped up...........New friends all around

We've forced some neighbors to join our ban of misfits............HANDY folks out here.............
and it's a SmallDamnWorld out here sometimes

JASON is quite the showman...........From "Herding Cats" to Singing on stage and doing the KING TUT ?

The WIND today was ferocious........Jannine was my assistant for a DC-DC install............later a JBWeld the radiator tank.............nice addition to the pirates ( at half-the-volume of the Captain).......

John and Dianne have a built out Promaster......John did the build......NICE........while Dianne's working remotely via Starlink....John's out tackling all kinds of "walk and caulk" jobs......I gotta have my jobs come close to the house

Mark W got his minivan finally.............With solar panel caulk/glued to the roof.............I had to cut the brackets and cut the roof rack to remove the panel

Film at Eleven............................Arrrrrrrrrgh
 
Sitting out the wind storms in Yuma. Too windy for driving north. I am also seeing some reports on Facebook of smoke on Plomosa road from a wildfire over by Ehrenberg. Guess I will be be staying where I am for at least a few more days, if not longer, instead of heading to Van Aid to pitch in on those carpentry tasks.
 
Damm…
I always miss the kool stuff Jason singing with King Tut! Miss you guys sorry I have been a party pooper!
 
Damm…
I always miss the kool stuff Jason singing with King Tut! Miss you guys sorry I have been a party pooper!
To be clear I only danced the King Tut... I sang a song of my own.. .;) Come up on the evening of the 15th and there will be a reprise...

:)
 
To be clear I only danced the King Tut... I sang a song of my own.. .;) Come up on the evening of the 15th and there will be a reprise...

:)
You promise! Actually meant to come over more often but the wind is kicking my butt. We had a guy in another Class A stop and asked if He could camp here for a few days in our spot, told him we had a vacancy!
 
Time for an update

The first project was a simple bed installed in a Pacifica

Starr bed.jpg


The floor slopes quite a bit so the legs are different lengths............Starr is happy

Tom had a broken roof rack on a classic bus..........................

tom bus 2.jpgTom bus.jpg

It took 5 guys to lift/pry the rack straight and add a heavy piece of angle found in the donate pile........Just a couple bolts...........He'll have a WELDER look at it later

And Dianne wanted to remount a glass shelf in her van...........an Altar

Dianne glass shelf 1.jpg

I cut a fancy mounting strip on Ben's table saw

Dianne glass shelf 2.jpg

After mounting the bracket with screws and wood glue..............The tempered glass gets "caulked" in place and braced while curing

And the Becky vanBecky 1.jpg

Beckys diesel heat has been leaking..............stinky van.....everything has to go

becky 2.jpg
After removing the carpet and pad and cleaning the floor...........we added only a few nailers with adhesive and some insulation

becky 3.jpg

Next a new plywood floor got stapled to the nailers......a single piece of vinyl got cut and laid in a bed of mastic

becky 4.jpg

and finally the finished vinyl..........finished off the doorway with a (no trim) waterfall edge........the board is a clamp till it dries..............Many thanks to KEN who worked the whole project...................

Debbie afghan.jpg

And Paulette finished and gave Debbie a beautiful Granny Square Afghan

Arrrrrrrgh
 
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You know me...not a fan of the cheap diesel heaters....add that leaker to the list of 'whys'...

Props to all the workers out there this year! Ya'll doing good work!
 
Good that it is warming up a bit so that managing without a diesel heater is not quite so uncomfortable.
 
It's a different crowd than last year..................

The drum circles go on non-stop for HOURS !!!!!!!!!

TOO many schoolie folks here only to party

Grifters trying to make money out here............

And nasty attitudes from SOME people............DEMANDING help............"I was here first".........

I've never faced some of the UNgratefulness of people asking for help.......I don't understand

I've walked away from some people.......I don't need it !

And other people (including BigMouthForumMembers) Complaining about the event on FaceBook......"I could run it Better" ..............Then Step-Up next time !

ONE WEEK to Go !................................Arrrrrrrgh
 
That evolution into it being an event for partying started last year. Same thing happened to the original camping on dispersed land at the RTRs. It is not about the leader or the location. These events are magnets for people whose primary goal is not of a higher calling for helping others but instead simply looking for a good time party. They are your basic bar hopping, festival going, crowd craving those emotional needs of being inebriated and entertained. They did not come to work or contribute, they want life to be a party 24/7.

Pirate Camp works best the way it is, a small group with a kind leader and a few helpers. You do a great job of that Doug. Do not let the bad taste of that “party hardy” crowd that showed up stop you from the joy of working on projects that help people. If you do not like what is going on there retreat and move elsewhere along Plomosa Rd to do your good work so you can function in a supportive, peaceful atmosphere instead of a toxic one.
 
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Dang. No good deed goes unpunished.

I know you do good work and have a heart of gold...but yeah, sometimes the rewards may not be worth the effort.
 
@#$%^&.
I recently described you to an old friend as a guy who has found a brilliant way to do a good deed without getting caught up in the bv||$h1t. I guess the bv||$h1t will find you. I swear there's something in the water these days. It's the Year Decade of Living Dangerously Behaving Execrably. Hang in there and may the next stop be fabulous!
 
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