Hi all,
This is Hershey… the love of my life. I never had genetic testing done on him but based on looks and the fact that he was born blind and deaf, I assumed he was probably a double-merle mini Australian Shepherd. He was my whole world for 14 years. I had planned on building the van and then traveling with him. We had done a cross country trip a couple of years ago and he did great. He was so adventurous! He loved exploring new smells and new things to feel and taste. He absolutely loved the wind. He would stand still with his head high and his nose pointing into the breeze and smell all the good things. I would watch his fur move in the wind and I knew he was content. He knew exactly how to get to all of the neighbors favorite flowers and other exciting plants. He wouldn’t damage them. He just wanted to smell them. He loved the ocean too. He wasn’t afraid. He would walk right into the water, up to his belly and feel the waves rising and falling on his little legs. Rather than scare him, the waves fascinated him. He would feel them and then turn towards them to try to figure them out. He really was an explorer.
So why the van, and how did I get here to this forum?
By the time I was old enough to chew on a crayon I knew I was a visual artist, and that’s what I wanted to do… make art. When I was a teenager I read about Georgia O’Keefe and I saw an old black and white picture of her standing next to what looked like an old bread truck. She converted it into a mobile art studio. I thought that was amazing, and I wanted to do that too someday. I applied to art school but didn’t get in, so I took a job in construction. When you live in an expensive area you just have to take whatever job you can to survive. Fast forward a number of years and I earned an art adjacent degree, and along came the opportunity to adopt Hershey.
I still wanted to convert a van into a mobile art studio and travel someday, but I didn’t think that was the right thing with Hershey. He was born blind and deaf because of an irresponsible breeder, so I wanted to protect him and do everything I possibly could to give him a life that would make up for some of that. I bought a house with a large backyard for him, and we stayed put for ten more years. But then, after our cross-country trip a couple of years ago, I thought that it just might be ok to travel with him. I spent time researching vans, learning and planning and then finally made the decision. I found a Sprinter, arranged financing and got the ball rolling at the dealership. Then my worst nightmare happened and Hershey died. There’s a lot to it, but I will refrain here.
I was devastated. Still am. I was good to join Hershey, but I had already paid for (half financed) this van. Not that financial stuff matters once you’re gone, but here was this giant green van in my backyard staring at me day after miserable day. I couldn’t look out any of the back windows of the house without seeing this glowing green blob begging me for a wrench. I had also filed a complaint with the California Veterinary Medical Board and I at least wanted to stick around long enough to see that through. Hershey absolutely deserves accountability. So, as the biggest and most expensive distraction I’ve ever had in my life, I started working on this van. Her name is Wicked Wanda. She is a good witch, and she’s green.
I will share some pics of my sweet little angel Hershey here on this thread. I absolutely love seeing the pics of everyone else’s furry and feathered family members too. I also started a thread in the ‘Sprinter RV’s & Conversions Write-Ups’ under ‘Wicked Wanda,’ where I’ll be posting updates on her progress.
I also want to say how awesome this forum is. There are so many brilliant, skilled, knowledgeable and creative people who share their experience here. As a woman it can be close to impossible to connect with likeminded people to learn from and pass inspiration back and forth. I just don’t fit in anywhere, but here, hidden behind a computer screen, I’ve been able to just blend in and it’s been good.
-Kris
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