renovated

The Oregon Coast: Manzanita and Wheeler

Where we last left the much-belated blog update, we were boondocking on a stormy cliff just north of Garibaldi. Not a typical Sunday morning in the old life! We keep talking about how funny it is that we’ve gotten used to not knowing where we are every morning when we wake up!

It was Valentine’s Day, and we spent it the best possible way—walking around and admiring the tinier towns on our way up the coast. We eventually made it to Manzanita, one of my favorite towns on the Oregon coast. We had lunch at a super-tasty Mexican restaurant called Left Coast Siesta. They are best known for their well-stocked hot sauce bar and display of over 500 hot sauce bottles, but I love going there for their enormous, yummy burritos.

He was commemorating Valentine’s Day with the heart, but he also loved the burrito. After lunch, we walked down the beach with Scout in the blustery wind and rain.

I was delighted to find the beach covered in Valentine’s love notes written in the sand! Some were sweet, and some were hilarious.

We packed the wet dog back into the Turtle and backtracked a bit to reach our RV site, just south of Wheeler. As we checked in, the manager saw our rig and said that due to our small size, we were welcome to stay in the tent camping sites if we wanted. And of course we did!

The tent camping sites followed a winding road into the trees, and there was not a single soul around. We had the whole place to ourselves, but still had water and electric hook-ups so Andy could work. The best part was that since we were so isolated and there was no traffic or other foreseeable dangers around, we got to see how Gracie would do on her own outside.

It was the best day she’d had in months! We were also so pleased to see how well she did. I thought with her first taste of freedom, she’d be gone for a whole day before coming back as she remembered her outdoor kitty roots, but she stuck right with us. She followed along on walks with Scout up all around the tent sites, and came running every time she was called. She would even race off with Scout when we’d throw the frisbee for him, and then follow him back after he caught it.

FREEDOM!

The other great part about this spot was that we were a quick 20 minute walk from Wheeler, so one night we walked into town and had some fish and chips and a few beers at the Tsunami Bar and Grill. Our bartender Justin was stellar! He gave us excellent suggestions on beer and food, and was friendly and attentive the whole time. Thanks Justin! (It’s been a while since we were there, so if I got your name wrong, I apologize!)

Additionally, due to our isolation, we could work on projects all day. While we did have some rain, a few days were clear enough to work outside and get the Turtle in ship shape. And as we saw how great Gracie continued to respond when called, she got to spend whole days outside. She’s like a whole new cat now!

Spoiler alert: We’re going to be back in this same spot in a few days! I’ll continue the expedient updates so we will soon be caught up to present day in Seaside, but in the meantime, here’s a picture of Scout trying to get us to play fetch with an enormous stick.

We Made It!

We’re here!

On Sunday we arrived at Pacific City, Oregon for the first leg of our exciting new life.

It was a bittersweet farewell from Portland, which was to be expected after living there for a combined 17 years! Portland holds a very special place in both our hearts, and it would take nothing more than a thrilling new adventure to convince us to leave such a unique and beautiful city.

January 30th was both the last Saturday of the month and my birthday, so shortly after noon we left our cozy slice of Sauvie Island and headed to my sister’s house in Washington. There we got to hang out with two of my three sisters, along with their husbands and all 8 combined kids! I was in sister/auntie heaven. The following morning, after a delicious pancake breakfast for me and a (requested) leftover pot roast breakfast for Andy, we said our tearful goodbyes and hit the road.

About a week earlier , we had purchased a Groupon for the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, and stopped there on our way to the coast. If you’re ever in the McMinnville area, I assert that it’s worth the seemingly-high ticket price to check the place out! You can easily spend at least 3 hours there, and more if you see a show in the theater or go to the water park. They have a waterslide that starts at the top of a Boeing 747! (Check it out at http://evergreenmuseum.org)

In the interest of time we didn’t do the water park, but we got to walk inside the Spruce Goose, take a tour inside a B-17, and see an SR-71 right up close.

We arrived in Pacific City just in time for the wild hail storm hitting the coast, and checked into the park. The following morning we were lucky enough to get a bright and sunny start to our stay here! Andy had work to do, but over his lunch break we took Scout down to the water for some border collie beach fun! He was grinning from ear to ear, bounding down the beach and back, jumping up to spring off our legs, and then would bolt away for another lap. It was hilarious!

The rocky coastline makes for a dramatic backdrop! It’s also a lot of fun to climb around on. Scout made it to the top and back five times before we made it halfway up. This really is the happiest I can ever remember seeing this dog. He was having such a nice time he even let me catch a few photos of him.

We have a nice little spot for our tiny house right in the middle of the park. It’s a clean and friendly place, and as a extra bonus, the grounds are home to dozens of wild bunnies!

We also have a great pool and spacious hot tub, which we have been taking full advantage of. Our new schedule allows us pool time before breakfast, during lunch, and after Andy finishes working. Andy gets so excited about pool time that his new work uniform consists of a warm hat, sweater, hiking boots. . . and swim trunks.

On our second day here, we opted to stay in the hot tub for the entire duration of Andy’s lunch break, so afterwards Scout and I took a trip down to the beach by ourselves. The sky was mostly overcast and the wind was incredible! It was stunning and invigorating.

The waves were crashing and pounding on the horizon, and they whipped up the frothiest sea foam I’ve ever seen! A wave would push mounds of foam on to the sand, and then the wind would push it in peaks sideways down the beach. When I tried to pick it up in handfuls, it would vanish instantly in a wisp of airy bubbles. It was magical.

We endlessly marvel at how unbelievable it is that after working so hard over the last year, our vision has finally become a reality. It was incredibly hard work, but our dream to make our lives more about quality time together outside is now our real life! We’ll keep you posted on the goings on of the upcoming week, but so far it has been made up of relaxation, lots of laughing, and especially much more time for days like this:

The Final Countdown

If you just got the song stuck in your head after reading this title—you’re welcome. 🙂

Image source

This will be a brief update, but a necessary one, due to the fact that we are very close to our launch date and want to keep everyone apprised of where we’re at. We’re so excited to get this show on the road, and that our lives (as well as the blog) are about to get way more action-packed!

As of today, we’re merely 5 days away from beginning the big adventure. (squeal!) Andy has 3 more days of work in the office, and at the beginning of February will be working remotely and cutting his hours back to 3 days a week. When you get rid of the cost of housing, water, sewer, garbage, additional car insurance, and electricity, it turns out working 40 hours a week is no longer necessary. When we came up with this crazy plan, our primary focus was to spend less time in traffic and office buildings and more quality time together, being active outdoors and sharing new experiences. So every week now we’ll have four full off-grid days to get lost in the woods and play outside.

I will continue to work remotely on my artwork, eventually adjusting my deliverables to cater more to downloadable pieces for simplicity. I don’t want to have to seek out a printer in every town we pass through, or worry about leaving the forest and rushing to a post office to ship my work by a deadline. So this will be a nice excuse to push myself to think in a different direction and expand my portfolio. I’ll also be gleaning my inspiration from our travels, so it will be fun to see my work becoming a road map of where we’ve been! And the very best part is that our new offices will soon be located in coffee shops on the beach and lodges in the woods. Unbelievable!

Already our new lifestyle has afforded us valuable paper hat-making time. Andy gets full credit for the jaunty feather.

This new schedule has also allowed us time to relax with friends! Scout’s a natural.

So on January 31st, the Turtle will be able to be spotted heading west toward Pacific City, where we’ll spend a week and a half dipping our toes into the new lifestyle. Andy especially loves Pacific City. It’s a great little town with a beautiful coastline, a great big sand dune that people sled and snowboard down, the cozy and delicious Pelican Brewery, and neat spots to hike around on the rocky ledges with great views of the ocean.

Image Source

From there, we’ll head north up the Oregon coast, taking our sweet time and stopping to check out places of interest. I made a Google map to mark our route, and dropped pins on the map to indicate restaurants, attractions, and RV sites with hookups. I’ve been ordering brochures and doing lots of research on places we’ll want to see, and with the map pre-pinned we’ll be able to decide to either stop or not as we drive along.

As we traverse the Olympic Peninsula, we’re planning on hitting every waterfall listed on the “Magical Misty Tour” brochure. There are a lot of them!

After we reach Port Townsend, we’ll make our way to Seattle. Both of us have lived in Seattle and we have loads of friends and family to visit, as well as restaurants where we’ll grab some old favorite bites. So— Seattle people, you’ll be hearing from us soon! I’ll make a reservation for us all at Annapurna.

Let’s Refurbish a Van – Part 2: Exterior Paint

Hello everyone! I hope your New Year has been off to a great start!

We’ve been spending much of our time lately getting ready to hit the road—we have just a little more than two weeks before we leave! While we’re as excited as can be to start the adventure, it’s also a bittersweet process as we fill up our social calendar to say our goodbyes. So for now I’m going to pretend I have plenty of time to discuss that aspect of the journey, and instead we’ll go into how we made a brown Turtle blue!

Shortly after we bought the Turtle, we began dreaming up plans for change. Right away, Andy was envisioning the rack and its sky boxes, beefy new bumper, and fancy new tires. For my part, I could hardly wait to cover it from top to toe in an exciting new color! So while Andy created scale model paper pieces of the roof and the racks he wanted to attach, we yelled out colors and mentally tried them on for size. The moment we imagined the Turtle in a bright Crayola blue, we were sold.

Just to get a reference point, we looked into having it done professionally. Needless to say, it was a lot. There is a lot of surface area on this vehicle! So Andy did some research (those words will be seen frequently on this blog) and decided our best bet was to buy some boat paint and do it ourselves. As we looked further into the process, we were really happy with the plan to use marine grade paint. Unlike car paint, we could paint it with a brush instead of a spray can or gun. And unlike other paints that could potentially be applied with a brush, it is made to be super durable in the elements. When Andy found a brand he liked, we looked at their color options and found, to my delight, the absolutely exact shade of blue I had been dreaming of! It was meant to be.

We sanded down the entire Turtle with wet/dry sandpaper, and primed it with white //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=blueturtlecro-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0017KKKDO&asins=B0017KKKDO&linkId=fc0af2f1af67f4d14ae20361bec4c6d2&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff“>Interlux Pre-Kote primer. The Interlux paints we used ran between $40 and $50 a quart, but compared to the cost of having the job done, it’s a great deal.

Then it was time for the serious business of painting an RV. Neither of us had any experience here, but thankfully Andy’s love of research saved the day again. The method most commonly used to paint boats is called “Rolling and Tipping.” One person uses a small roller to apply a thin layer of the top coat in small sections, then the other person follows behind and quickly but carefully uses a high quality brush to smooth out the bubbles. It’s important to make each section small in order to be able to blend it all together smoothly before the previous section dries.

For our project, we used a badger hair brush and //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=blueturtlecro-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B001BWF718&asins=B001BWF718&linkId=d2af3fdcae720aa23812e2cc28f381b9&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066C0&bg_color=FFFFFF“>Interlux Brightside paint in Sapphire Blue.

Before we began painting, I was incredibly nervous that I would make mistakes and the Turtle would look like a bad kindergarten arts and crafts project. But as we neared completion of the three coats it required to cover the Turtle, I think we both gave up on the need for perfection, as it was astonishing enough that we were just two people and we were painting an RV! The paint goes on super smoothly, and it’s pretty incredible to watch as the brush glides over the bubbles and melts the texture into a glassy sheen. If you look closely at the surface, you can see light striations in the paint, but overall we are extraordinarily proud of ourselves! It took weeks to sand, prime, and paint three coats, but in the end we spent far less than we would have if we would have had it professionally done.

In addition to the blue, we painted the top of the Turtle with Interlux Brightside White, and the bottom with Rustoleum flat black. Though it adds visual interest, the primary reasons were practical. The white top will keep us cooler when the sun is beating down, and the black hides mud and dirt and camouflages hatch doors. We have small cans of all three colors on board, so if the Turtle gets scratched or dinged, we can easily mend it ourselves. We found that taping off the layers still resulted in leaks and a super uneven line, so I just used a small brush to freehand the transitions. So don’t look too closely there. 🙂

I’ll share some lessons we learned for those of you who are thinking of tackling a similar project. But first, some process photos!

It was a bunch of work, but our sense of ownership and accomplishment is a great payoff. Here are a few things we learned throughout the painting process:

It’s best to paint on a cool, overcast day. Otherwise, the paint dries quickly after rolling, and by the time you begin tipping it’s impossible to blend sections well.
We had better results when tipping if we lightly dipped the very end of the brush in mineral spirits.
It’s easier to blend the sections if you tip into the previous section.
Edge around windows first so you can move more quickly over the main surface. We started by edging as we went, and it made for a more frantic painting session.
Relax and be realistic. We wanted so badly for our very first vehicle paint job to be as perfect as those we saw in YouTube videos, but as we painted we realized that we’re beginners, and that’s OK. Sometimes bugs land on the paint. Sometimes the paint streaks a little. Sometimes you have to sneeze and the paint dries some while you look into the sun waiting for the sneeze, and then by the time you start tipping again the paint has dried a bit and it smudges, and then you dip the brush into mineral spirits to help it blend better, but you use too much and the now-wetter paint drips down the side and on to your shoes and driveway. After the job is done, those little details aren’t as glaring as they seem when your face is right up against the vehicle.

I’ll check with Andy to get his input about our learning process, and update the list. But that’s what I can think of so far. If we can do it, anyone can! And the results are amazingly satisfying.

Scout and Gracie: First Class Co-Pilots

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope it was as relaxing and refreshing for you as it was for Andy and me. We drove the Turtle and spent Christmas day with two of my three sisters in Battle Ground, playing games and eating (and eating and eating, oof!) and playing with all 8 nieces and nephews who were present. We missed you others! We then urban camped in Portland so we could spend the rest of the weekend with friends, playing games and bowling. It was great.

I was so thrilled to receive a few requests for this next post—not only because it’s exciting that the blog is really keeping us connected to our family and friends, as we’d hoped—but also because the request was to highlight Scout and Gracie! I love to talk about these two; they’re the very best animals of all time. Aside from yours, of course.

If you find it absurd that we have a dog and a cat in a little 21′ Class C RV, you’re in the majority. Especially considering Scout is a Border Collie with all the sheep-herding energy that entails, and Gracie is what you get when you cross a panther with a circus clown. But we knew that sacrificing their beloved back yard would pay off when they realized that every time we open the door, they get a new back yard with exciting new smells and lots more time in the day to play!

We’ll start with the bigger success story. Scout has been loving the new life. I’ve been working from the Turtle most days, which means I’m available to take him out for more frisbee time and walks. Gracie, on the other hand, has had a harder time. While we’re on the island, she’s confined to the Turtle since we’re right next to a road where some people drive by at 45 mph. Better safe than sorry for now. Their very different personalities have dictated much of how we have dealt with their needs in this transition.

So this is Scout in his natural state—begging for frisbee time.

He absolutely hates having his picture taken, so it’s really difficult to capture his sweetly relaxed moments. The moment he sees you raising the camera up toward him, he darts away! We’re not sure why this is, though we think it has something to do with clicker training, as he has a panic reaction to snaps, beeps, and clicks. Every now and then, he’ll bolt into his den, cowering and fearful, and after some detective work we’ll realize it was because we were clipping our nails, or chewing gum. . . you never know with this guy!

We got Scout when he was 2 years old (he’s 4 now), and he’d already had three owners, so we have a lot of unanswered behavior questions. Consequently, we are just happy when we can sneak up on him and grab a half-blurry photo as he exits the room! The only exception is when we hold the frisbee in front of him. Frisbee trumps all fear for Scout. So you can guarantee that in any picture of him where he looks like a proper dog, there is a frisbee being held behind the camera.

When we have no Bribe Frisbee, we end up with far more photos that look like this one:

Or they’re like this one, where he is slinking out of the shot like a feral African wolf:

Or just the back of his head.

But when he’s not avoiding photos, he’s just a loving, hilarious, playful, awkward, sensitive, strange dog. He’s the best adventure companion, and is up for anything!

And then we have Gracie. I call Gracie the Gateway Cat, because even people who insist they have no positive feelings about cats have to admit that they love this weird girl. She is curious, and lovey, and adventuresome, and bizarre, and is essentially the Dennis the Menace of the animal kingdom.

She’s always getting herself into trouble! The world is her playground. She’s also earned herself the nickname “The Anti-Project.” Any time we begin a project, Gracie is there to interfere in some way.

When you’re trying to change a lightbulb:

When you’re trying to do the dishes:

When you’re trying to change the bobbin:

When you’re trying to carefully measure and cut fabric:

You can imagine that with this much energy, we’ve had to work out a few modifications to make indoor life tolerable for Gracie. I bought a number of toys to keep her active, and we play much more together than we did when she played outside all day at the old house. I will also admit here that we bought her a tiny harness! I agree that it looks absurd to take a cat out on a leash, but on those days when she sits at the door and yells and yells about it, we’ve just got to let her out. We connect her leash to a thin length of paracord, and it seems to tide her over until we travel somewhere she can run off leash.

Gracie is either operating at 100% or 1%, and when she’s done causing trouble, she sleeps like a log! The adorable positions she finds herself in are so sweet.

We just love our strange pack. Enjoy the new year with yours! Ok, got to go to take Scout out for a frisbee break now! 🙂

The Very Beginning

The question we hear most often is, “How did this plan come about, anyway?”

The story goes like this:

Andy and I had been living in our little house in John’s Landing for a few years, and loved the space, the neighborhood and all our good friends there. We were lucky in that we were right on the bike trail that gets us all around Portland, we had walkable access to restaurants we loved, good coffee options, and our favorite tap room that allows dogs! (If you’re ever in John’s Landing, check out NW Growlers; everyone there is so friendly and there are loads of dogs to play with. Also, a sweet little pig named Q-bert who doesn’t seem to mind that Scout is obsessed with him.)

Scout and Q-bert: a friendship for the ages.

Sweet little Amos, the bartender’s dog, who our friend Lisa asserts was made in a button factory.

But the highlight of our location was that we had beach access right across Macadam Blvd., barely over a block from our front door! Our summers were spent walking back and forth from home to the Willamette River Trail with our tubes on our backs and Scout pulling anxiously on his leash for some frisbee time in the river. We’d plunk our tubes in the water, paddle out a ways, and drop anchor (a rock for me and a chunk of lead for Andy). There we’d float, drink a few beers, get some sun, and chat with the friends we’d often invite along. Most hot days, Andy would get home from work, change into his swim trunks, and we’d be on the river in 10 minutes, staying until the sun went down. Our front porch looked like a beach house with the float tubes at the ready and a consistent layer of sand!

Andy and our friend Jason enjoying the spot.

Stop taking pictures and throw the frisbee already!

So one day, Andy and I were bobbing around on the river and enjoying ourselves throughly. Andy made a comment about how he wished he didn’t have to go to work at all, and wondered how we could make that moment a lifestyle. What we had a hard time being able to justify was why we spent so much time working for the majority of our time, just to have small slivers of quality time outside, enjoying each other’s company and playing in nature!

I found this quote which summed up our conversation perfectly:

We started tossing ideas around, and I think it was Andy who mentioned living in an RV and traveling. I wholeheartedly agreed, and we began making lists and plans!

Just a hilarious picture of Scout riding in the car.

What was working in our favor was that I had recently graduated, and Andy was in a position at his job where he could potentially work remotely. He had also just sold his house in Seattle, so he was no longer tied to that project and also had a little walking around money. So we began making plans. One day about month later, I got an email from Andy with a link to a Craig’s List post for a cute little 1985 Class C RV. We went out to take a look, and once Andy determined the bones and major working parts were in good shape, we bought it!

This was just 10 minutes after we bought the Turtle, when we pulled in for a little lunch and celebration!

Our original plan was to just work away on it in our free time, and move in when the project was complete. But as the year went along, we realized that it was going to take us exactly the amount of time we gave ourselves to complete it. With an infinite deadline, we’d just work and work until it was perfect, which would take an infinite amount of time! We also realized how much project time we were going to lose once the Portland rain and shorter days hit.

In the spring of 2015, we decided to make the deadline the end of September. As we all now know, that deadline did get pushed back by a month, but after months of hard nonstop work, we did it! We had to remind our friends what our faces looked like afterward, but it was worth it. With a deadline, we pushed ourselves much harder, and made quicker decisions. It made it easier to prioritize tasks, and helped us not to dwell on small details. We still have some things we’d have like to have completed, but the Turtle is comfortable and livable, and let’s be honest, at this point we wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves without some projects on the list. 🙂

The Turtle “After”

So now is the point where we get to show the result of a year of hard work on our tiny home! I’m typing this while drinking coffee at the table and listening to the rain on the roof while keeping nice and warm inside the Turtle. Looking back at the “before” photos, it feels a little unbelievable! This crazy old van is now our cozy home.

I was going to post side-by-side “before and after” photos today, but realized that since I took the “after” photos on a grey and rainy afternoon, the impact doesn’t do it justice, as the “before” pictures were taken on a bright sunny day! So that post is on the horizon.

Here we are!

It kind of feels like a boat. I like that.

Kitchen and Dining Room

Bunk beds!

Love the Tardis painting by my talented brother-in-law David

Andy cut down and refinished an old desk he’s had for years to make the table

We love the no-spill bowls for the pets

Andy picked this fabric! We promise not to over-do the turtle references, but it was super cute and coordinated nicely with the other prints

Maximizing the limited closet space

Nothing we own can be larger than 10″H x 9″D

I love the wood Andy installed next to the new upholstery pattern.

And there we have it! I’ll post more pictures soon!

The Turtle “Before”

So let me catch you all up on where we began, and how far we’ve come in this last year in getting the Turtle ready to go! A lot of work has gone into it already, and with a little over a month before we hit the road, we still have plenty to do.

We bought the Turtle from a couple who were the original owners, and who had taken such good care of it over the years. But while it was in great shape, we wanted to update and customize it, making it our own little home.

We weren’t super great about taking photos initially, because it was so far from where we wanted it to be that it didn’t occur to us that we’d want “Before” photos! And I don’t think we have any of it with carpet, since Andy was such a go-getter that he ripped it out almost immediately. You’ll have to use your imagination there. 🙂

So here’s where it began.

Minutes after buying the Turtle!

The loft

The bathroom

So. Much. Brown.

Our exciting new adventure!

Hello there, fellow adventure-seekers!

We are Andy and Amy from Portland, Oregon, and we’re about to set out on an exciting new chapter of our lives together. It’s going to be awesome.

This year we bought a charming little RV, which we have named The Turtle! It’s a 1985 Ford “Turtle Top” which was in amazing condition, considering its age. We have some serious plans for making our little Turtle look bright and funky, function perfectly, and with Andy’s metalworking expertise, very Mad Max-y.

So far, we’ve done a ton of work already, and are hoping to be moved into the Turtle by the end of October. We’re on a 2-month countdown, and then our travels begin. We’ve taken so many progress photos already, that I thought now was the time to start documenting our work, so we can have the blog up and running by the time we hit the road!

Follow along and share in our adventure with us!

Amy and Andy (and Scout and Gracie too)

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