We spent our last week in Portland before flying to Minnesota. Over time, I think, our lifestyle has actually afforded us more time with our families than had we stayed put in Chicago. I’m sure there is no way we would have seen each other as much had we slipped … Read More
Beach Birthday
My mom and her twin sister had a pretty big birthday coming up, so we gathered up a bunch of family and headed for a beach house rental to celebrate. Our timing was incredibly lucky—the weather in Portland while we were gone was 103 degrees, the temps on the beach … Read More
Saying Goodbye to the Bus
My birth mother and one of my sisters came down to visit for a couple of days. This was the first time we had met Hallie, but it didn’t take the kids long to warm up to her. Ouest tells us she wishes she could have a mustache, so we … Read More
Comfortable
A couple of months ago I had this conversation with Ouest and afterwards I jotted it down. I found it on my desktop today: When I told Ouest that we were thinking about taking a smaller truck to South America, instead of our blue bus, I explained to her that … Read More
Travco For Sale
EDIT: Sold! Within two hours of listing the bus, we’ve got the money in our account. If there is one thing (well, three things) we’ve learned with selling things it is to be honest, take gorgeous pictures, and to price it to sell. When we’re ready to move on to … Read More
Bus Prepping
The past few days, since we decided on selling the bus, have been filled with minor projects. Things like replacing the odometer cable, replacing two ceiling panels, rearranging the kids’ bedroom for adult use once again, and giving the walls and cabinets a fresh coat of stain. Mostly just a … Read More
Going International
Well, this has been brewing for a few months, but this weekend we finally made a purchase that pretty much cements it—we’re heading to South America. About six months ago now, Ali and I decided that it was a good time for our family to get moving again. We have … Read More
Pyramid Lake
After a couple of days in the city we went off in search of some nature. Not far from Reno is Pyramid Lake. It’s sort of like boondocking on the beach, with the difference being the $15 a day fee for non-tribe members attached. But like a gift, we found … Read More
Biggest Little City
The weather wasn’t looking very pretty for a few days, so we decided to head for a city to find some things to do. We’d never been to Reno before, so we looked it up, found some fun activities, and pointed the bus that way. We rolled into town and … Read More
Bishop to Walker Lake
Bishop. This is a nice little town. Just about the size we like these days—big enough to have a few choices of places to eat, small enough to not have a Walmart. Late April is not late enough. It’s cold every night—in the thirties cold. Anything at elevation much beyond … Read More
Old School Pool
It felt good to wake up to this after the previous day’s trials. Mount Whitney loomed over us from a short distance. Such fresh air and crisp vistas. The greatest joy of being a boy. See if you can guess what it is. After a couple days we needed to empty … Read More