Tag: full timing lessons

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Truck Tripping: My Latest Escape

ElisaMG

My intent in writing about my travels is not to freak people out about all of the “what ifs” and negative stuff. That said, I do have times with more anxiety than others. Some of what I’ve been through in months of Airstream travel includes out driving tornados, near misses with grapefruit sized hail, flooded over highways in the midwest, eighty mile an hour winds, three feet of snow and the need for chains in mountain passes, chasing bears at midnight, flying microwaves and falling cupboards while going sixty down the road, expensive fixes on broken handles not covered in wrranties. I’ve dealt with homelessness while the shop has my rig, fighting to get warranty approved fixes completed and losing, recalls that were paid for but never done, and more direct lies from Airstream repair shops. This is just naming a few things briefly. Yes in life things wear out, however when something is still fairly new, one doesn’t expect to have to deal with piles and piles of horse manure. So I find my advocacy skills useful, I have worked on my patience and I have tackled the anxiety all of this brings by enjoying a new kind of adventure for myself. Airstream Headquarters is helping right the wrongs that have happened so in time things will get fixed and all of my horror stories have made for good just that fun stories.

As for my new adventure, I have learned to enjoy what I call Truck Tripping. Even though my trailer is a symbol for a life of freedom, a life where one can just get up and go. Because I live in it fulltime it does start to feel no different than a sticks and bricks house in some ways. There is a lot to just getting up and going when one lives fulltime in the trailer. When the trailer needed fixing I had to think about where I would stay and my first Truck Trip began. I started out at Edgefield McMenimins in Troutdale, 75 beautifully landscaped acres of walking paths filled with wineries, breweries, restauraunts and a hotel, as well as a spa, soaking pools, a golf course, gardens, a movie theater, and glass blowing house. Here are just a few shots from my stay at Edgefield.

Edgefield McMenamins Gardens are absolutely lovely!

The Power Station
The Little Red Shed
Black Rabbit Bar

The service was top notch. The bars were delightful and the drinks even better! Everywhere one looked there was something to treat the senses.

It kind of defeats the purpose of saving money on warranty work if I were to stay in a hotel the entire time my rig was in the shop. So, off I went using the time to catch up with relatives. It had been two years since my maiden towing adventure where I rolled my trailer up to visit my aunt and uncle in Manson Washington off of Lake Chelan. The drive up the Columbia River and through the forests in the mountains was such a treat.

The best part was feeling so light. It was just me and the truck. I didn’t have to lock down all of my personal items inside of the trailer for fear they would become flying torpedos. I left my outside chairs and plants right where they were. I didn’t have to determine ahead of time whether or not I could get in and out of an upcoming gas station stop. I could easily stop at vista points and take in the views. And I had no worries about whether the trailer was following safely behind. Driving in general was much more relaxed. I’ve started following more Van Life folks as I can see the appeal!

Looking out across vineyards and apple orchards with 360 degrees of valleys around the house helped me forget all previous anxiety.

Auntie’s garden was beautiful and she made delicious dessert with figs from her fig trees.

It really was a delight to be able to just pick up and go in the truck and not have to worry about leaving the silver home behind. My neighbors watered my container garden, but in all honesty planting a container garden I let go of any outcomes. Whatever grows is a delight.

The views were gorgeous. Smoke from Eastern Washington was sad.

Driving back down the Columbia to pick up my rig was a bit more nervewracking. There was no way to tell where the smoke was coming from, but that didn’t stop me from yet one more truck trip.

Off I went, leaving my trailer at my base camp in Portland Metro. I headed out to meet the girls from my book club in Fort Bragg and do an in person delivery of one of my paintings I love. Being able to bring my. painting in person to it’s forever home and not have to maneuver Highway one with a trailer was a treat. I actually got to see some of the coast and Redwood scenery along the way. Not that trailering along Hwy 1 can’t be done, It’s just for me. It was much more relaxing driving the highway dropped off into the ocean and left only a single lane to alternating passing on…. without my home dragging behind.

I wrapped up my painting “The Yoga Class” inspired by self care during the Pandemic and fit it nicely into the truck along with a comfy auto inflatable mattress for the back seat, a collapsable cooler, some blankets, food, lanterns and my dog and camera gear.

When I started my trailer life I was asked about how I prefered going fulltime. The movie Nomadland definitely is good commentary on one way we live. However, there are so many other ways we live this life as fulltimers. And I have discovered that I really enjoy base camping in an area for an extended period, making new friends and building community, and taking smaller day trips or truck camping.

Thanks for sticking with me as I catch you up on my last year. Thanks for your follow!

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Flying Microwaves & Falling Cupboards

ElisaMG
We have left the desert and traveled to the rainforest of the PNW.

Flying microwaves, falling cupboards, leaking water lines, expensive door handle fixes and I need new tires is what the title of this blog really should say. I haven’t written for four whole months because none of that sounded very sexy or fun. In reality, it all served its purpose. The universe was telling me to sit still.

Rolling down the road in my Airstream has taught me to be open to the possibilities. I have really been fortunate to see a lot of the western  and midwestern states and quite a path through Canada in my travels. I hope to travel across the south and all around the eastern states eventually. But for now, I am still in awe of landing in Troutdale, Oregon. It feels like home.

There is a lot of inspiration for my work right outside of the trailer.

I think Oregon is the most beautiful part of the country. I hesitate to tell you as I don’t want everyone to come here. Haaaahaahaaa. Those who know me know most of this story. I walked out of my new parking situation and found a lovely little town that seriously looked like a Hallmark Movie set! I actually am not a fan of those movies, but the sets always amaze me with their picket fences and perfection. And as we know from the last few years of life, reality is not a picture of perfection.  I sat down at a lovely little outdoor coffee shop and enjoyed a view where they actually were filming a movie. I guess a lot of filming happens here. There were three different coffee shops to choose from within a few blocks, a sushi joint, a couple of pubs, a delicious pizza bar, yummy Chinese food and a dentist, chiropractor and all of the other things one looks for when you get somewhere new. But best of all there were art galleries! Notice I said galleries… plural!

The Sandy River RV Park is a real gem. It’s affordable, beautiful, and run by folks who really care about the park, and the community.

 

Then walking from my parking in other directions  I found so many breathtaking, beautiful places to walk, as well as the Troutdale Art Center. Staying open to making a base camp here, staying seasonally, and sitting still has allowed me to really connect with the community as well as delve into being an artist. If everything in life had been swell… not sure I would have slowed down. I am thrilled to announce that I am now a regular artist at the Troutdale Art Center and have established Artwork By ElisaMG LLC.  I’m grateful for the warm welcome from all of the artists there and encourage you all to come for a visit. 

I also am thrilled to share I am the featured artist at Nalu Kava Lounge Tea House in North Portland. Nalu Kava is a wonderful place to go for some Kava, which is known to have amazing properties that reduce stress and increase joy. I also found my way into a live book club there, which I’m excited to say I look forward to after only being able to meet on zoom for the last couple of years. The book is “Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah” by Richard Bach, which Ironically  starts out with a diary entry about a charachter who lets go of clinging to safety and trusts the river currents to take them on an adventure. Kind of like Airstream life….. I have found in letting go of (or trying to let go of) controlling the outcomes, I will bump along and hit a few rocks in the current, but ultimately I will be lifted up and float down stream experiencing things far beyond my wildest imagination. 

I still think I’m dreaming where I live a life that I get to paint and people like my work and want it. I’m totally honored that anybody still follows my silly little blog that is not regular, doesn’t tell you much technical about this life and is really all about me. And I’m thrilled that I get to find forever homes for my art in your homes.

I will try to not wait four months for the next share! (When I wrote this it was four months…. in reality I think it’s been more like seven. See I promised if you followed you would not get bombarded with tons of email. lol) Thanks for the follow!

If you are in the area, I would love to hang hang out with you at Nalu!
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She Kept Her Swimsuits

ElisaMG

I write this post in honor of of one of my aunties. A caveat for my cousins reading this, I may not have all of the facts correct. My memory and my impressions of my auntie and how she lived her life may not have been based in fact at all. I saw her as someone who lived large and unapologetically and she inspired a lot of my downsizing. She got to a certain age and decided to take off for the states. In my memory of all of her belongings the only thing she kept were her swimsuits because even in her later years she made it a point to swim every day. She ended up finding a tiny furnished apartment on the Gulf of Mexico. She spent many of her last years enjoying time with family, swimming in the Gulf and being happy at the beach, until she returned to Canada for the last part of her life.

Auntie Lenore

Of course, as I shared earlier, my parents were also a significant influence on my life choices today. They showed me I could live in a tiny place in the first place. All of those years of visiting Canada and spending summers in our 100 square foot cabin that I shared with you earlier in this blog. The cousins would come for a visit and somehow magically we would fit everyone in and have a blast. I never thought of us as having a small place. We never owned our humble home in Chicago. It was a parsonage, something that has seem to gone by the wayside and made room for preacher’s mansions and BMW’s. For our family, we couldn’t have been happier growing up in a simpler way.

Nine Of My “Aha” Moments From Downsizing:

  1. Downsizing is a lifelong practice. This was my biggest surprise. I’m still downsizing! I thought that would be a decision, an action and then I’d be done. Nope. Downsizing, I’m learning, is a lifelong practice. So this Pandemic has been perfect as it has made me thouroughly comb through the entire contents of what I have been hauling around with me in my Airstream. I have had nothing but time to reflect on each thing and determine if it really brought me joy? Improving on one practice has me improve on all practices in my life. I am making healthier eating choices. I am hiking four miles every morning. I meditate more and have a stronger relationship with my creator. I am more careful who I let into my life and the quality of my relationships has drastically improved.
  2. It is ok to keep things I still use and slowly use them up. This includes things that I have more than one of like pens, shampoo and makeup products. I’m letting go of clothing that just doesn’t make me smile. And I’m accepting the fact that in the kitchen, I really only use a couple of cookware items for everything I make.
  3. It’s ok to acknowledge my fears but then it’s important to let them go and see what happens. I was hanging on to a bunch of “what ifs?” Somewhere in the back of my mind, having come from a well paying job, a big house and a lot of stuff, I kept the thought, what if I want to go back? What if this is not enough? How could I make some side money if I needed too? I held on to my cosmetics business. I had a full inventory stuffed in the storage compartments in the bedroom. I hung on to some of my favorite teaching items in case I went back to the classroom as a sub, or started my own tutoring business. I had fun with the bartending job and started to hang on to thinking I needed that. But all of these things were actually keeping me from focusing on my version of my auntie’s swimsuits, so, I let go. I feel a lighter each day.
  4. I realized creative outlets were a must. Painting and photography supplies as well as my keyboard were my top things to keep. Nothing else mattered. I can have fun with all of that. People have shown me that I can make a difference with these items both by celebrating the beauty of the world around us, and by challenging thinking on the events of the day. I love making money with my art and realized when I started valuing it myself, I have gotten out of my own way so others can value it too. I am an Artist. Also, even with the Pandemic I have knocked out debt and accumulated savings allowing me to keep pursuing what gives me joy. I’m thrilled to be really in it and excited to see what comes of it all.
  5. I have learned to live with less. Originally I got rid of I would guess 80% of my belongings…. and I don’t miss a single thing. Along the way, as life has changed so has what I keep and what. I continue to downsize. For example I am currently working on photo albums, sending them all to virtual land. I no longer need to lug those around as nobody looks at or shares ones photos that way anymore. Possibly my album that I treasure the most I’ll hang onto a little longer.
  6. It’s ok to bring back things I miss. In my case it was plants and beautiful pots. I know I love them but they don’t travel across borders well, so I have determined I will have them where I base camp, and if I can’t keep them alive, I will gift them and start new each time. Funny thing is I’m right now plant sitting for two different sets of fulltimers who summer up north. I have also gone back to paper books… I love them too much. Both of these give me the perfect gifts to share, and keep me focused on having community in my life.
  7. Beware of “To Do” lists, they are no different than things. Even in traveling it is easy to replace things with things I need to do. I quickly got swamped in making my annual plans, figuring out how to budget as a fulltimer, and technical care of my rigs. So being grounded right now due to the virus has taken all of that away. As soon as I got past the anxiety of all of that time in isolation I realized I was getting another gift, more time to focus on what was really important and question was I headed in the right direction.
  8. My job and other things (including my fancy trailer) are not my identity. I think everyone during this pandemic is learning to appreciate the unappreciated workers who we could not live without, and to care for them as fellow humans. I think on top of that having taken up a few side gigs just to see if I could, a kind of mental financial security that many fulltimers go through, gave me the opportunity to go back to my roots in experiencing work for work sake and how much of a difference we can make in people’s lives just by how we interact with them, no matter what the job title is. All of our jobs are just that, a job. Even in a career where one is passionate about what they are doing, this is such a freeing thing to acknowledge. Traveling in an Airstream, reminded me how quickly we can slip back into labels and titles identifying us.
  9. I downsized my use of time. In my new place of quarrentine, I quickly blew through the internet data available and realized how much time I spend online. Sure I could have bought more usage but I paused to think about it. I took an inventory of how I actually spend my time, and more importantly why. I learned that so much time can be spent doing things to simply not feel what one is in the middle of. Allowing myself to feel the anxiety of an unkown future, the sadness of the deaths of friends from Covid and the loneliness of not being with loved ones, allows me to move past that and get to the here and now.

What if this is the new normal? What if I do have to spend all of my time with myself? I guess its pretty important to maximize loving the time I spend with myself and minimize how much I’m simply checking out or numbing from reality around me. I guess it’s important to feel my feelings and then move on towards joy. And it’s also important to continue being real about what I value in my life. After all, shouldn’t we all be our own best company?

Oh and I, like my aunty, believe keeping a nice collection of swimsuits is pretty valuable too, even if for now I can only use them in my doggie pool. Thanks for following!