Tiny house renovation begins
After 3 weeks of traveling, we’re back home and oh how it feels good to be stationary for a while. Ostensibly a work trip, we were able to spend a lot of time playing too, and while it is great that my work is mobile, juggling work and play is difficult whilst living out of the truck.
We only got hassled by the cops once for parking and sleeping in the wrong place — a gorgeous overlook in Sonoma County, a county where apparently sleeping in one’s car is outlawed. I’m excited about planning our next trip, our first trip with my new little 13 ft. fiberglass trailer, a structure which is not, as far as I know, outlawed for sleeping purposes.
We made it to some beautiful places on our meanders through northern California… Cute little towns like Garberville in redwood country, Fort Bragg on the north coast, and Willitz, a very green collar worker town… many of these places were visibly pro-Obama… Cruising by the quiet, super-expensive coastal real estate at Point Reyes… The (big) little towns around Santa Rosa (lots of traffic). We found that the Blue Prius is the most popular car in Northern California, by the way. We visited friends in the city… stayed a few days with our good friend who lives just up the hill from the Castro, where they are shooting a film about Harvey Milk. We ate at a raw food restaurant in which every item on the menu is an affirmation. We did a nighttime soak in a hot springs on the side of the mountain on the Big Sur coast, which might have been the highlight of the whole trip. We re-visited the Monterey Aquarium (it was better when I was a kid) and watched the cute little sea otters play to an audience. We stayed in the laid-back beach town and state park at Morro Bay. Then we headed south, took off a few layers of clothing, and ate at our favorite old taqueria in Santa Barbara… And braced ourselves for the LA traffic.
Back to the trailer.
There were some heavy rains while we were gone and one of the windows in the trailer leaked badly while it was parked the the backyard. We intended to re-caulk the window this weekend but we ended up gutting the whole trailer! Yes, it’s gone. If all goes well, this Compact Jr. will get a new floor, insulation, wall covering, and fresh cabinetry. I’m ditching the 110 AC fridge, which was too big compared to the rest of the space anyway, so that will add some more general storage.
Michael explains this is much like fixing up a boat. (He once spent several months in the South Pacific in a small sailboat.) He is willing to paint the exterior this week so I’ve got to pick out a color. I’m thinking sea-foam-ish.
This is definitely a much bigger project than I intended, and I’m a little let down with the general condition of the trailer I purchased. But my hopes are that, in the end, I will feel very comfortable living in it full time, whenever that happens. And I will be more prepared for the cooler climate if I choose to head north.
