I made a couple more slight modifications to my Jeep during the past week. Having two dogs makes it difficult to take the whole family anywhere–the kids take up most of the back seat, and the rear cargo area can become very cramped if we need to carry any gear along with the pups. I built a platform out of plywood and reinforced it with 2×2 lumber. It fits over the rear cargo area and allows the dogs to lie on top while leaving room for gear below. There’s a 2×4 lip along the front to prevent the dogs from flying forward during braking maneuvers.

Torrey on the platform before I added a lip to catch flying dogs

Boulder and Torrey on the finished platform

Traci has had a vinyl cutter for months but hadn’t set it up or used it until this week. We tested it out by cutting a udink.org sticker for the Jeep. It came out nicely, but I think the vinyl she has isn’t suited for outdoor use–it’s already beginning to peel off the back window. I’ll have to get some outdoor vinyl and re-cut the sticker. I’m looking forward to being able to make any cut-vinyl pattern that I want!

New vinyl sticker on the Jeep