The Little Blue Abode or "Hey Dad, I Got You a Project!"

It took some weeks, road trips and many failed attempts before I found the right trailer to become me future, little home. 

It was parked outside of a dilapidated barn on Camino island.
David, an old man in a crusty trucker hat, missing most of his teeth, walked out of the white farm house and gave me the grand tour. It wasn’t so much love as first sight, as much as it was only $1,000. And enough of the systems were in working order to make it worth it. 
David’s grandkids, offered to drive it home for me…

Sign, sealed, delivered!

I started reading forms and watching videos about how to repair travel trailers. 
The path between my house and the hardware store became well worn. Buying ‘man’ things, realizing they were the wrong type, size, brand, driving back, head hung to return or exchange. Over the next few weeks, my amazing, wonderful, good sport of a dad and I  pulled out rotted wood, painted, put in insulation, calked seams, spray painted the outside and slowly but surely it transformed into the dapper living space I had envisioned! 

While the construction took place, I began posting Craigslist adds looking for a backyard or open driveway someone might like to rent out. 
I set up a few interviews and headed down to Olympia.  
The 2nd person I met with was the film professor at Evergreen. She had just bought her first home, with half an acre of open meadow, fruit trees and a large empty carport that, if I wanted, could call home! I couldn’t have sat down and mapped out a more perfect spot. 

A week before school started, I made the pilgrimage, thanks to the help of my awesome, handy friend Bert and his truck. We hooked the trailer up to his yellow ’80’s pickup, I promptly locked us out of the trailer, lost the title and made us miss our ferry...

Rocky beginnings leave extra room for improvement!

My first week has been learning about my electrical hook ups, gray water system, propane tanks, pilot lights, water heater, and stepping into this new life and rocking it! It's empowering to learn how the simple necessities in my life actually work. 

I was in a RV repair store, yesterday, asking the employee if he sold for hot water heaters…
He pulled one off the shelf, gave me a quick once over and asked 

“Are you handy…with tools?”
The three other men in the store and I started cracking up…

“Well, you just, don’t look real butch…” 

But I wouldn’t be happily living in this magical, little space, without all the helpful, beautiful friends, family and Home Depot boys! 

Just this morning I woke up to my breath freezing cause my heater has decided to give up on life. There are many kinks that are still being ironed, but for now, I’m bundled, michelin man style, in sweaters and my house plant and I are bathing in the sun that has just come out.

My view