#bus updates

Summer solstice! Long, bright days have creeped up on us once more. Foxgloves in roadside ditches. Branches heavy with sweet cherries. Lavender’s slender blossoms swaying in an evening breeze. Bees hop from flower to flower, and I carefully avoid them as I pick a few stems to bring home. Spanish words bounce around inside my head as I ride my bike down winding streets. The exuberance of farming & energy of summer overwhelm my soul, despite a sore back and sunburnt arms.

I bring the farm home with me. Soil spills from my pockets & boots like the thoughts & dreams which overflow from my mind onto paper. I write and stretch and breathe deeply. Vegetables cover the counter tops and fill the fridge to the brim. It all feels very normal, very comforting; as if I am doing exactly what I was born to do.

Howdy everyone! Thanks again for keeping up with the blog. In addition to my (above) recent journal entry, I wanted to share a few updates in my life currently... First, I made it to my college graduation (yay!) and had a grand ole time with my sweet, loving family while they were in town! They were so proud of my accomplishments and my grandpa, with a beaming smile, told everyone we saw: “This is my granddaughter! She is graduating with Summa Cum Laude and research honors! She is gong to be a farmer!” It was so sweet. Their gifts, thoughtfulness, and endless support warmed my heart. I am especially loving looking at our photos together, contributing to our travel savings account with my graduation money, and using my new essential oil diffuser (thanks mom). 

I have officially joined the field crew at the farm 3 days a week, and will continue doing farmer’s markets on Saturdays and irrigation on Sundays, along with many other tasks in between. I also work my Extension job (from home) on my days off and have a couple courses to finish online this summer. Whew! These 50-60 hour weeks are simultaneously tiring and exhilarating, not to mention extremely beneficial for our savings account and bus fund! 

We work on the bus nearly every day off that we have and hope to move into it by late July! The date keeps getting pushed back, but hey, that’s life! We want to make sure and really do things right the first time, so that we don’t give ourselves a bunch of headaches down the road. Plus, it is nice to slow down a bit and really concentrate on what we want out of our future home!

The roof has been painted with insulative paint and solar prep/install is FINALLY on the horizon! I just yesterday started on the interior bench/couch that pulls out into a twin-sized slat bed, and also has storage underneath. It took quite a bit of research & planning to engineer that one :)

In addition to the whirlwind that is the farm, the bus, and school, I have been doing a lot of reading and writing lately. I am currently reading The Diary of Anais Nin (wonderful suggestion by the talented @wethinkwedream). It is one of those books you can’t put down. I am continuously enthralled by Nin’s extraordinarily unique and innovative writing style, which so perfectly captures “the poetry of life” while living among 1930s French writers and artists, as well as the process of personal growth and discovery.

I have started on volume 1 (1931-1934), but have already read halfway through in just over a week! I will definitely be getting a copy of volume 2 and recommending this to anyone interested in art, poetry, literature, self-reflection, or just a damn good story. One of my favorite quotes, which I really think captures some of the ineffable essence of this book:

“I am dropping my shell. I love those long nights of talk at the cafe, watching the dawn arrive, watching the sleepy workmen going to work, or having their white wine at the bistro. Children are going to school, with their black aprons and their bags of books on their backs like mountain climbers. I carry away my red journal, but that is only a habit, for I carry away no secrets, as Henry reads the journal. I carry a few pages of Fred’s book, delicate as a water color, and a few pages of Henry’s book which is like a volcano. I feel like a flower or a fruit. The old pattern of my life is shattered. I live by improvisation, impetus, surrealist whims. Great things are going to grow out fall this. I feel the fermentation.”

Anyways, I hope all the good energy is coming your way! Summer is time for creativity, energy, and exploration! Get out in the wilderness, out in the garden, or into a good book under the afternoon shade of a big tree. 

Until next time, 

Vacation? Lounging around? Not doing anything? ... Well, we’ve never been very good at that.

During our 5 days off work at the farm we: installed our solar panels on the bus, wired them through the roof, completed many last-minute construction projects, loaded ‘er up, and took a road trip around the Olympic peninsula... culminating in our 14 mile backpacking trip up 4500′ on the rocky ridgeline trails of Colonel Bob Trail! 

Whew! How’s that for “vacation”? Colonel Bob Peak was no joke! It was undoubtedly the most challenging hike we’ve ever done (the pups definitely agree... they are still exhausted even 3 days later). We pushed our bodies far beyond our limits. Our legs are sore as all hell and we still haven’t showered off the gallons of sweat from the hike (aside from a dip in the lake), but our minds are renewed & our souls are revitalized! The forest & mountains have a way of doing that :) 

It was certainly a relaxing and inspiring time. Sometimes ya gotta say “screw it” and go climb that mountain. Fortunately, our “regular” lives are fun & inspiring as well! We are excited to get back to the hustle and bustle of peak-season farm life.