We Painted Dently

Summer made it obvious what the last winter's snow, ice, and salty roads had done to our trusty(ish) van Dently. He needed his rust removed and new rust stop spray paint reapplied. We were considering what color the stripes ought to be this time when inspiration struck. We would be traveling to Utah and thought: Why not a covered wagon?

[Just a quick note: "Art cars" are a common south Minneapolis phenomenon. We're just embracing our new culture here people.]

I liked the idea of traveling from the paternal ancestral home to the maternal ancestral home in a wagon (with air conditioning) but I also liked the wagon because of our new Minnesota hero, Laura Ingalls Wilder. Whenever things get hard in the north, I like to remember Mrs. Wilder and my own progenitors who braved snow and bugs and blizzards in one room dugouts. If they could do it, then I can do it. Our mini-van reminds me of that.

Plus it's fun!

We started with making a template for the oxen. Then spraying it on the hood.

 

 

Viola! Cows.

 

Then David mostly free handed the boards.

 

And painted the canvas on.

 

Putting on the final touches and taking off the paint on the windows.

 

Almost finished.

 

I need to get pictures of the extra we painted. Long underwear, a fish, some pots, and a lantern all hang off the sides of our Prairie Schooner, Dently.