Tiny Home Tuesday ~ The Rhino, a Container Home

I don't usually t'eef whole blog posts, but in this case I'm going to do just that. The explanations far outweigh anything I could come up with on this very cool re-use of a shipping container. 

Though a little more modern than my taste - the inside, not the outside! - it is a great example of the possible options with containers as homes. A 20 foot container is usually about $2000.00, give or take depending on where you find one and might cost around $35,000 by the time all the work is done. Or a whole lot less or more, depending on how the materials and labor are sourced. 

The photos and info below were posted on Tiny House Listings by Steven.

Rhino Cubes range in size from 160 square feet up to 640 square feet, depending on the plan. Each unit can be purchased in an “on-grid” or “off-grid” configuration. For those looking to minimize their environmental footprint on the earth, the off-grid solution comes equipped with solar appliances, a composting toilet, self-contained water tanks and various energy-efficient heating options.

Rhino Cubed’s most recent build is affectionately named “Nola,” after one of the last five remaining northern white rhinos on the planet. The real Nola, age 41, resides at the San Diego Zoo. Nola the Cube is just as tough and resilient as the live Rhino. She is a 24-foot container with a full size shower and complete kitchen. She boasts closed-cell foam insulation, providing R54 on the roof and R22 on the walls – exceeding the most stringent American requirements for wind, heat and cold. Unlike many tiny homes today, she is also built to code.

You can visit Nola (the Cube) in person at the Tiny House Jamboree in Colorado Springs, August 7-9, 2015. (that would be a great jamboree to see!)

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There is more to read about the owners of Rhino Cubed on the above site and/or you can also just go right to the Rhino Cubed site itself for more detailed information.

If your interest is stoked and you want to know more, there are a lot of people writing about shipping container transformations. An article posted on the Dwell site called How to Buy a Shipping Container gives some basic 'what to look for' ideas. Container Home Plans has more with 23 actual owners/builders saying what they wished they'd known before they started their buy and build. I learned a few things here, which usually happens when you go to the source. 

Have a tip top tin-can of a Tuesday. Do something truly thinkanddoable. 

Simple Sunday ~ Past & Present

Betwixt and between

Finding a home ground of hope

 Don't get your feet wet

Shooting Photos Because Shooting Randomly With Anything Else is Silly

Yesterday we headed up to the Sebring area to do a few things. One was to check out my brother's little piece o' dirt. It now has a shed/cabin on it so it is not just dirt. There is a mango tree and a struggling banana. There is dirt brought in to raise its level and crushed concrete to provide a secure entrance. So now what do I call it?

Bee? Why bees? What's wrong with you, Bug a Bug?

We sowed some grass seed and mulched a bit. Then we realized it was about 228 degrees out there. Fahrenheit. 

It was time to get out of the sun and over to the main event, dropping me off at the Turtle. 

Coolest truck award

He headed down a ramp before we could pull up beside him

After a weird lunch - it happens - we got to the Turtle. And to make a not very long story even shorter, found out there was a leak in the gas tank. And a very busy automotive department. I think it is really important that my gas tank doesn't leak and I'm not even a trained automotive engineer.

Jonny took this photo, I was inside making deals with vehicle gods

I wanted to make sure they had plenty of time to check it out. Even it if is only a loose clamp or a split hose (knockin' on wood), ample time to take care of it right makes me feel better. Because sleeping in a bomb just seems weird.

I really want to check out this market one day.

These guys have a different market.

After a talk with Nikki who oversees my motorhome life, and Jim, the new guy at Camper Corral ("I've heard about you." oh sheeeeeet "You're very popular around here." And you just won the diplomat of the year award, Jim the New Guy).

It was even too hot to want to eat a Hawaiian Shave Ice.

Unfortunately, this was not a stunt pilot.
It was a crop duster, making sure the sugar cane was...dusted.
Put that aside and it was an amazing aerial show as we drove down the road.

Now it was decision time. Get a motel and wait? Or go back to Pompano with my brother, who I had just convinced, before the Great Gas Tank Debacle, NOT to drive back, but rather spend the first camping night with me - relax drink some wine and watch the Blue Moon rise from national park dark before heading back in the morning without feeling like he'd been run over by a truck. 

Hey Joe!

A decision made, I'd go back to come back. My most accommodating brother saying 'Whatever you want to do, sis' - which is code for Please stop pounding your forehead on the truck, the carwash asks questions about blood. 

We headed back down the road, rewinding the trip we'd just made a few hours earlier. 

This bird has a split tail but it was the best I could get while riding along.
There is just one area on the route where a LOT of them are flying.
Can anyone identify it?

It would have been a perfect day to tangle with a gator,
but I didn't want to end up on international news as a gator hater.

Most of these photos were taken on the way to Sebring. On the way home 1) I was busy pouting 2) There was a crazy thunderstorm on and off most of the way back.

12 miles of orange groves. I guess bears really like oranges?

We did stop for some peaches and they were really really good!

Old Central Florida. Oak trees and cows.

Ok, no more bears. We're safe now. I hope they can read signs.

I have NO idea what this car was about, but it looked like
some folks had had a good time painting it. 

Word is, Monday or Tuesday the Turtle will get a look see. Anyone who has ever owned a vehicle with an unknown problem knows exactly what I'm feeling right now, that balancing act on the metaphorical scale of Universal Hope - realizing there is something wrong and hoping it is going to be in my favor. Will I have to take a hammer to the piggy bank? Where the hell is that piggy bank? Or will it be the turning of a screw and have a good trip? Stay tuned!

Have a stay serene Saturday. Do something sensible.