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PHOENIX RISING, a WordPress Photo Blog and Web Journal by Ray Bangs
| ABOUT ME | SERVICES OFFERED | PHOTO GALLERY | WORKS PORTFOLIO | CONTACT ME

this old house


Photos 1 - 45 out of 45 | Back to Albums
Bus #5 - this beauty '72 is getting chopped--the nose is sawed off and all the windows are gone... The 72 model is a weird mutt of a year... this bus was pretty straight but that patina (fancy name for weathered and rusty) is slightly pitted, so no bueno.... my mother's first reaction upon her recent visit, "there must be some kind of zoning against this!" quatro cacti My second bus, nearly restored -- 1971 vw westfalia camper -- my road darling, "Betty" -- I've tripped approx 35,000 miles with this van!@Never hardly a hiccup... She's getting a groovy paint job this year
doesn't look like much from the outside yet, but at least the low-water desert landscaping is starting to kick in. the big ocotillo cactus looks rough, but is just taking a break for a few months of "winter" -- good side view of the 88 chevy 4x4 I bought from California Dept of Corrections -- yes, that was an old prison truck! -- got the tall topper for $125 off CL... lots of tlc, and truck's good. Recently cracked exhaust gasket... argh!@ Bus #4 - the electric bus project, about 70% complete... Body work done, and base coat. This beauty, yet unnamed (to be on first road trip) is powered by Advance DC electric motor (FB1-4001A) that gets to 65mph+, then with waste-vegetable-oil converted diesel generator charging the two big batteries... Not including the solar trickle charge, I CAN GET 250-300 MILES PER GALLON OF WASTE RESTAURANT FRYER OIL -- to Alaska and back, or across the country and back, on four or five buckets of McDonalds grease! -- take that you eco-freakos... Recycling, trash, compost, and free artsy sink with bus parts... looking at my boat, I sure wishing fishing in arizona was like fishing in the midwest...
colorful indian corn, I put it up in memory of grandpa gunder clover patch, an irish blessing to my grandma jane welcome to the loveshack... beware of dogs that just might lick your face off
entry way, the only bike I ride these days... asia pictures, saltillo tile and wainscot-- doesn't even look like the same place from when we moved in... autographed Greg Lemond poster, dog leashes, and boundary rope -- this is a nifty dog trick where I can put this candy-cane-striped rope out and they will not cross... they don't run crazy anyway, but a little 3' rope works nice at the doorway or stretch out a 50' of striped rope when taking a roadtrip nap at a wayside, or in the park, or camping and they'll stay within the boundary. They are not yet 100% reliable at it, but at least 90% -- they're really still puppies... photo collage from year spent "researching" my california guidebook, frame decorated by beach rocks, sea glass, and shells from Pismo Beach.
southeast asia photos temple of foos bob's favorite spot -- notice her "cracked" eye, mostly blue, but with a streak of green-brown... freaky
side of the kitchen wine rack and plants amaryllis from holland, gift from my mother
bob and boom looking back through the kitchen... photo collage and beer coaster collection from europe, junk mail shredder (for composter), and crock pot, yeah
my grains, beans, and granola... the white canister is DE (diatomaceous earth- fossilized algae shells in food grade powder) good for internal cleansing, and less flies in dog crap veggie steamer, tea kettle, bagel toaster, smoothie blender, and cooking wine.... fresh grapefruit from the neighbor's tree is best I've ever had... all the essentials... cool little fishing bird carving from kids in Cambodia...
i love these plants... a smart $50 spent on the ceramic H2O dispenser and stand plus several refillable jugs (5gal for $1) ... photo of supai in the background -- i'm leading a trip there first week of june 2009, wanna go? plants can't help but love a sunny window in arizona... closeup of handmade window-sill...
i thought this was a nice pattern for the top rail of the wainscot, a nice organic feel... closeup of saltillo tile and wainscot work... very nice, if i say so myself... free tools (through auction deals and horsetrades) and homemade workbench...
my portable vehicle maintenance cart... Last spring, i bought over two dozen various sizes and styles of a/v carts from a public auction. I sold most of them to make 3x my money back, and then kept a few for nifty little uses... to the right behind the cart, there's the free jetski I scored in a killer swap... lots of projects... how about the model of the geodesic dome made out of drinking straws and pipe cleaner! radial arm saw was part of a killer deal, I bought a whole moving truck full of tools when a high school wood shop upgraded their tools... that chop saw built a church, among other stuff... lumber
$100 for the washer and dryer -- $5 belt, a screwdriver, a vacuum cleaner, some elbrow grease... nice little laundry cabinet up now, and hw heater is insulted... working on my beer cap christmas tree adding the light, and having to reglue some of the caps
my beer cap Christmas tree... bob gets comfy on memory foam mattress, homemade furniture bathroom 1, pretty basic, plan to add a towel cabinet...
boom hangs out in the office my computer workstation... sure looks fancy and to put it blunty, it kicks ass, but the whole thing was less than a grand from dell outlet... Ira's room when he's not on tour, or the guest bedroom, or the photography studio...
bathroom 2 view of half of rather huge closet. Plan to go some custom shelving and cabinetry this year... here's the google street view... this is a little crazy, imagine what the non-public satellites can do... yes, you are being watched, everybody's a movie star...
   
Photos 1 - 45 out of 45 | Back to Albums
Description: my buddy and i are fixing up an old house in a great little golf course neighborhood in west phoenix. eventually, i'll try to post some before and after pics. most of these are a couple years old now.
Location: west phoenix, az