The World of Flow

Do you know Flow?

It is the most beautiful magazine from the Netherlands.  I (happily) stumbled upon it at a bookstore many months ago.  I loved it so much, I ordered all the back issues and I wrote to them about our bus :)!

We are featured in their online blog!  At the moment, we are only on the Dutch site.  The English version is awaiting translation and is to come soon (kind of funny, since the write up that I sent them was in English!)

If you are a lover of all-things paper, check out Flow: http://www.flowmagazine.com/
And for anyone who reads Dutch... check us out here: http://www.flowmagazine.nl/places-we-want-to-go/een-schoolbus-als-huis.html 

I'll let you know when we are translated (back) into English :)!

Little Mountain Town

When we moved to this little mountain town over 2 years ago, we were seeking nature in proximity.  Read: Right outside our doorstep.  And we certainly got that...

Endless rainforest for tDog to get lost in (can you spot her?).
The bus is nestled RIGHT in the forest.

Rivers to play in with friends: human and canine.
This one runs right along the property the bus is on

This river is a 10 mins bike ride away

And this one is about a 15 mins bike ride away

tDog and my favourite lake to swim is a
45 mins hike away from the bus

Or do you prefer the Pacific Ocean? A 15 min drive away...

...where you can attend a yoga class (with your dog!)
right along the ocean with a view of the mountains 

We are also a 15 mins drive away from many
world-known rock climbing crags...

and bouldering sites.  This one is a 7 mins bike ride away

And world class mountain biking trails?  From the bus?
You can be on one in about 10 mins.

Drive 40 mins and you arrive at one of the
best (or THE best) mountain biking parks in the world!

Or ski that mountain in the winter...
that doubles up as a top ski resort

Into XC skiing?  Drive 35 mins to get here...
It was good enough for the Olympics

If you are into hiking, there are plenty
of hikes to many mountain tops

So where am I going with all this?  Well.  I guess we definitely got what we were seeking in moving here.  And for a long while, we really thought that we had it all.  We were happy and content small town peeps.  We play in nature all the time.  We have direct access (i.e. our neighbours) to locally grown organic (and bio-dynamic) food and we never have trouble finding parking in town.  

BUT (you knew this was coming!)... We started to realize that as much as we are into nature and the great outdoors... It turns out that we are into other things as well(!)  We started to miss Arts and Culture.  Now, it's not like we were going to the opera every week when we lived in the city (we didn't)... but suddenly when this is not an option at all, you realize that you want it.  We find that we crave academic lectures, film festivals, theatre, good restaurants... And more than anything, we want to talk to people about anything other than sports and outdoor activities and trail conditions and gear!! (with the extreme sports crew). Or composting toilets, septic tanks, heat source, veggie-oil powered vans!! (with the hippy folk).

If you live in the forest when you are still plugged in, that is, not living off grid and wanting to be a hermit (us) then it turns out that you have to DRIVE to the grocery store, to the yoga studio, to work, to your friend's... everywhere... everywhere...!  And if you want to be a part of a pottery studio or go to a bookstore or attend a university course (me) or do a certain type of martial arts or go to the climbing gym on a rainy day (tBoy) then you have to go to the city.  Wait a sec, didn't we just leave the city?!

So move back to the city, right?  Well, no.  Although we miss aspects of what a big city has to offer, we haven't forgotten about the things that drive us batty: the crowded streets (people and cars), the pollution, the lack of nature, the noise...

So for now, we are still here.  And at least the drive to the city is incredibly beautiful:

The highway runs along the ocean between the mountains
(it is on the right side of this photo)

But we are searching.  For a creative way to have the nature and the Arts and Culture.  So far, we haven't figured it out... but we are hopeful.  It may mean driving our bus elsewhere... or not.  We have yet to see.  But one thing is for sure.  When we wanted to stop being renters, but wanted to live in the forest, but couldn't find land that we wanted to buy... We got creative.  So we can do it again!  Stay tuned to see what happens to these teeny tiny people and their dog :)!

Summer Time Away

Summer has come and gone and I finally have time to do a post.
We've been in the bus for over a year and we survived all the seasons!
In the last three and a half months, we have spent most of our time away from our beloved bus home travelling, riding, camping, playing.  I guess that was the point - to simplify so we can spend more time in nature doing the things we love...

So many swims in lakes, rivers and the ocean... 

Playing at the beach (yes tBoy caught a crab (temporarily) with his flipflops!)

Eating yummy food...

Riding our bikes in so many beautiful places...

ttDog had the best summer too... Is that not a happy-looking dog?

Spending time with good friends and family (like my lovely brother)

And many friends from all over came to visit and check out the bus.  Some even camped out in the yard :)!

Oh!  And we got interviewed for the local paper:

As for the plans for doing bus related things this summer (insulation, winterizing etc.), tBoy says that he didn't get to even a fraction of the things he wanted to do because we've been away + so busy (playing).  Hmm.  I think that is a testament to a great summer!

We hope your summer was amazing too!

Published Bus Dwellers!

The book is out!  It is called Tiny Homes on the Move: Wheels and Water.

ttDOG and I were at my favourite bookstore the other day and look what we found:

The book that inspired us (left)
& the book we are in (right)!

Our 2-page spread :)!

We are still waiting for our complementary copies to arrive in the mail.  I've been checking the mailbox diligently... still not here.  But soon we hope!

If you would like to get your very own copy... order it here:
http://www.shelterpub.com/_thom/tinyhomesonthemovebook.html

Happy Reading!

Teeny Tiny Critter...

We live on a farm.  In the country.  Surrounded by forest.  Among all types of wildlife.  So.  It was bound to happen...

One day, I noticed little brown pellets on my counter.  In a healthy state of denial, I cleaned it up and assumed it was some food crumbs.  And suppressed any thoughts of them resembling mouse droppings.
Well.  The next day... there was more :(!
It had to be true:
Mice?!!!

We were due for some spring cleaning which tBOY and I had been putting off for weeks... so what better time than when some teeny tiny critter decides to move in to kickstart some serious sterilizing.

We pulled out all our baskets and storage containers to see where our uninvited friend (or friends - at that point we weren't sure how many were in the party, if there was a party) decided to hang out...

Behind the storage baskets: CHECK

Chewing the storage baskets: CHECK

Making a mess chewing the storage baskets: CHECK

Potato starch: CHECK

Yeast: CHECK

ttDOG's salmon treats: CHECK

In the towel basket: CHECK (luckily that is ttDOG's towel!)

Eventually, we just decided to take EVERYTHING out of the bus.  It turned out to be a whole-day project :(!

Moving stuff off the bus

Turns out we are dental floss hoarders!
It's because tBOY insists on Desert Essence Dental Tape
(and you can only get it in select stores, so we stock up)
and the dentist keeps giving us all those little ones...
So much for downsizing :)!

And while we were at it...

tBOY did some long overdue varnishing

And we cleaned under the bed

Of course, we had to try to figure out where the teeny tiny critters were coming in and we needed to seal any possible openings.

Nope.  Not through the front of the bus says tBOY

Ah ha!  Behind the stove, there is space around the pipe...

I had to climb over the counter and behind the stove
because the propane hose was not long enough for
us to move the stove completely out of its spot.
Thank goodness for the yoga I've been doing!

Voilà!  Nothing tin foil and duct tape can't fix!

And then.  We had to catch this little critter :(!  So...

What mouse can resist Dulce de Leche?
(Thanks friends from Venezuela!)

Sure enough.  At 2:33am.  SNAP!  

We kept the trap out for a few more days... but nothing.  And no more mouse droppings... which we hope means... no more mice!