the reason I live in a bus

People often ask me why I live in a bus or what I like about living in a bus. I am a slow processor so 8 years of bus living and I have a bit of an answer. 8 years! Where has the time gone?!

A picture tells a thousand words. So I could just let these photos do my blogging for me. I mean look at that view! I can lay in bed and watch the seals play around. Yes, seals. We are parked up at Cape Palliser where there is a wonderful seal colony.

I guess to get the full picture of how I ended up in a bus we better go back to my childhood. I loved dressing up as a gyspy for halloween. Mom let me wear all her old costume beads. It was great. And then later it morphed into dressing up as a hippie. I was also in love with the Boxcar Children.So when I married a man who owned a bus I was more than happy to move right in.

I love that we can pack up the bus and get a new view. I love not having to pack for holidays. I love that I can get a dish out of the cupboard with out getting up from the couch. I love being creative and organizing in a small space.

 Don't worry mom we walked the road before we drove on it. I guess we are not a long vehicle because we made it there and back! To be honest I was more scared on the national park road in N. Carolina! Those were some narrow roads.
I love the adventure of driving in a bus. This last year has been the most stationary we have ever been. One whole year in the same place. It has changed how we vacation in the bus. When we were traveling full time we would get away by ourselves sometimes. The plan was to park somewhere, anywhere really and not move for a few days. Just be, no driving, no packing up.
We have taken 3 little trips in the bus so far this year and we move everyday. I think our sense of adventure is back. We spent so much time in one place here that when the bus in moving we want to see it all.

Can you see the bus in this photo?  It is there in the middle point by the beach. This is the view from the lighthouse at Cape Palliser.

I love that living in a bus means I get to stay at place like this. I get to be surrounded by beauty. I love that there is no cell phone reception when we are in a place like this and that we dont have enough battery power to run the computer. I like that we get to step back and get a different perspective.

At least when we are in New Zealand. If we were in the USA we would be parked up at Wally World! Ha!

the smell of diesel

I am walking down the main street of Woodville and a big semi truck drives by. I get blasted in the face with a big whiff of diesel.
Ahhh I love that smell.

I will say it again.

I love the smell of diesel.

It reminds me of our bus travels.
Standing behind the bus trying to help Nigel navigate out of one tight spot or another.
We have been in quite a few tight spots in our journeys with Rainbow.

Once we lost speed up a hill and got stuck just at the top. We had to back all they way back down and then Nigel put the pedal to the metal and we made it over.

Once in Shawnee there was so much mud on the side of the road that our bus kept sinking deeper and deeper, we did not get out of that one with out calling a tow truck in!

I  love how smells can bring you back in time.

I find myself wondering what smells from this little season will bring me back.

Maybe the smell of our pot belly stove keeping us warm in the chilly weather.

Maybe the smell of sheep poo from the paddock next to us! Ha ha!

the garage

 When living in a bus you never know where you might end up.

For example a week trip to see Mum in Woodville can last for three months when the engine breaks down and a new one is put in.

A quick trip across Tennessee can turn into a week at a Walmart when there is a flood.

It is not at all uncommon to find us on the side of the road.
Nigel outside fixing whatever is broken.
Me inside making lunch or reading a book.
It is very nice to have our home with us when we break down.

This week we ended up spending the night at Otaki Diesel garage. 
We brought the bus in to get a wheel bearing fixed and the brakes done. They had to order the part and it wouldnt be there till the next day.
The wheel was already off so why not stay the night!

I woke up the the sounds of REM, Aerosmith, and Alanis Morisette on the radio.
The mechanics arrived early in the morning and got to work while we were still in bed!
By the time we were up and had breakfast they were done and we were on our way out the door!

the road trip

We left Minneapolis for a road trip extravaganza the day after my last post. One month and 11 days ago. This is my first day since then with ample computer time to be able to sit down and blog.

My brain is still processing the whole trip, so for now I will give you the basics....

We left Minneapolis in the Jesus Kitchen bus and drove to the YWAM base in Lakeside Montana. There were 15 people on board. We stayed one night at a walmart, most of us have likely blocked that from our minds, and one night camped by a railroad track. The train only came by every few hours and blew its whistle. Not bad.

From MT we went to the national rainbow gathering in Washington state. There was snow on the ground, it rained on the hike in, and our air mattress popped the first night! It was a very tiring gathering for us. We had a small team and a lot of work. The team was great and everyone gave all they had. We got to feed thousands. Our prayer before the gathering was "more of Him and less of us." That really came true this year. There wasnt much of us left after a day of hard work. But the Lord still moved in peoples lives.
After the gathering Nigel and I hopped in Ben and T's minivan along with our friend Angela and the cat and headed south.

We decided if we were coming all the way out to WA that we may as well enjoy the west coast. We have done a lot in a short time. We have caught up with long lost friends, soaked in hot springs, cried with the redwoods(ok I may have been the only one shedding a tear), picked blueberries, ate the yummiest strawberries ever, Nigel found a cup of coffee to his standard in Portland and one near his standard in Arcata, we walked on the Oregon coast, visited the Lords Land, went to Mt. Angel Abbey, saw the new Harry Potter movie, had a weaving lesson, played some Frisbee, viewed amazing flower fields(aka seed farms),sampled quite a bit of cheese and chocolate, and poked around tide pools.

Fun.
It has been a great journey and its not over yet....

the old man camp

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17

I recently met a man at a Rainbow Gathering named Jerry. Teresa and I were walking back to our camp one night and we saw Jerry sitting by his fire,just him and his dog Boo Boo. We stopped in to say hello. We ended up staying for a while and heard some amazing stories. Jerry kept saying "If someone would write down the stories I have and make em into a book, they would have a best seller. I've seen some pretty weird things in my day." He may be right.
I woke up a few days later thinking, "Hey, I could write down Jerry's stories!" I got permission from Jerry to share them and permission to take his photo so you can have a face to go with the stories. I will write them in the first person, but they are really just a paraphrase from me. Maybe next time I will have a tape recorder.

One night I was fishing on the gulf. Sometimes on the gulf the water will be a smooth as glass. When a storm comes in on the gulf you can hear the wind coming in across the water. So there I was, just me and my two dogs fishing when I started to hear the wind. The water started to ripple a little. I said, "Not now, I'm trying to fish!"
Then I heard a voice say,"Put you hand on the water and it will be still." I look around to see who was there and I didn't see anyone. I shrugged it off, thinking I was imagining it.
Meanwhile the ripples are still coming. Again I say, "Not now, I'm trying to fish!"
And again I hear the voice, "Put your hand on the water and it will be still."
I look around again and no one is there. I figure what do I have to lose. So I walk down place my hand on the water and at that instant the water goes still as glass. I can still hear the wind, but no waves. I fish for two three hours. then pack up my stuff and go back to my tent. Before I go in I say, "Okay, now ya can blow." 
And instantly the waves come.


Another time I was down fishing and these men near me had caught a shark. They didn't want him so they threw him back in. When you catch a shark and put him back he gets all disorientated and doesn't know which way to swim. He kept swimming back to shore and they would turn him around and he would go out a bit and come back in. 
So I am watching this and again I hear the voice, "Put you hand on the water and he will swim out." Oh man, not this again. I tried to ignore it, but it wouldn't let up. 
So I walk down to where my line is in the water. See I thought I would just pretend to be fixing my line, I didn't want to look crazy.
So I walked down to the water and place my hand on it. Immediately, the shark swims out to sea.
One of  the men walks over to me and says, "I see what you done, I seen you place your hand on the water."


Another time I invited a friend out on my fishing boat at night. He asks me what for, and  I tell him to see the lights. He asks me what lights, and I say well, come and see.
So we get into the boat and head out on the water. It is dark and quiet. I say to him, look up. And we look up.
Above us are are these lights dancing around.
"What are they?" he asks.
"Angels" I say.
I've seen em in the woods too. If you get out to a place where it is real calm and quiet, a place with no distractions, you can see em. There is a lot of stuff we don't see cause we don't bother to stop long enough to notice.
That man, he still won't come out on a boat with me.


So there you have it.
Jerry's stories.
Beautiful treasures.
I hope to hear more some day.

the downsize

We are moving into another moving vehicle. Our bus is still broken and instead of taking the time to fix it and missing the rainbow gathering we are borrowing a truck and camper from our beautiful Birmingham friends.
So we are downsizing.
I like the idea of living simply but it is quite the process deciding what to take.
4 forks, 4 spoons, 4 knifes. The small pots and pans, for room sake and also maybe to help me not cook so much. I always cook for 10 even with just me and Nigel!
I am bringing about half the clothes I have and it still feels like too much!
Only 5 tea towels are coming with me. I look forward to seeing the rest when we come back to Alabama, I have a minor tea towel addiction.
Nigel can stand up without hitting his head in a couple spots which is good. It is actually the same in our New Zealand bus, so he should be used to holding his head sideways.
And now I am procrastinating, time to finish moving, I feel like a squirrel.

the kaimais

pikowai beach

Nigel and I took a lovely lil holiday in New Zealand. We spent some time around Te Puke checking out the beach there. On our way to see his brother we had to go over the Kaimais. A rather high mountain range....
Well we went up and up and up. And then we went down and down and......oh wait we lost our brakes! Thats right no brakes!
Nigel did a bit of race car driving. Third gear the rest of the way down using the parking brake to slow down around the tight turns.
I did a lot of praying. Praying and thinking actually. Thoughts like, "What would happen to the bus if we slammed into that cliff?, Would it be better to hit it head on or ease up on the side?, Will our propane tank explode?, Maybe I should tie Nigel into his seat so he doesn't go through the window!"
As you can see, we lived to tell about the experience. One I hope to never have again.
My heart still beats faster when I think about our roller coaster ride down the Kaimais.

ps....after the whole incident nigel tells me that he had so much adrenaline running through his body that at one point down the hill he felt himself almost blacking out! I may have to learn how to drive the bus.....

the tlc

Serenity has been having a few issues. She is still running, but she is just not herself these days. Our slow bus is going even slower, and not really enjoying any sort of hill.

Ah yes hills. Before we came to the land we had to dump our toilet. We pulled off an exit and saw a sign for a campground 2 miles away.Not bad, so we decided to dump there. Well the two miles was downhill on windy roads. No problem except that we have to get back up the hill. Normally that is not a problem, but with Serenity out of sorts....Well, Nigel pushed the pedal to the metal and up we went, slowly, slower, sloower, stop. Some of you might remember a similar incident at the Wyoming gathering!:)
We back up the bus, and the trailer and tried it again. Not even close. We started backing up again. At this point I am entertaining thoughts of where we will live at the bottom of this hill.
As we are backing down the second time a car drives by. They ask us if we need help. We tell them what is going on and they, being locals, tell us of an alternate route! A dirt road but not nearly so steep a hill. 10 minutes later and we are back on the highway! 

A week or so ago I sent a text to a friend of mine saying that Serenity needed a little TLC.

We made it to Nomads Land safe and sound. Now what to do about Serenity. A group arrived shortly after us to do a bit of work on the Land. There was a man in the group who knew right away that our bus was a 1963. He used to drive the same kind in New York! As he knows a bit about the engines he offered to give Nigel a hand in figuring out what was wrong. He knew ALOT about our bus. He even took it for a test drive. City Bus style. My cupboards stayed in place, but I was a bit nervous. The name of the group was TLC!
Funny eh?
So Serenity got a bit of TLC. There is still quite a bit more needed. Nigel is in the process of taking apart the engine. Something about a blower and maybe a fuel injector. We have a manual coming in the mail that should help. We are enjoying our time at Nomads Land. It is a beautiful place with beautiful people.

the veggie oil and mistakes

We are in Kentucky.  We just finished a gathering in the beautiful Shawnee National Forest. We watched the leaves change while we were there. We were a small kitchen this year, but we had others join us and it was a peaceful and quiet time at the Jesus Kitchen.
Lets talk about Veggie oil for a minute. Nigel has been in the process for the last two years of converting our bus to run on veggie oil. My husband is a very talented man who has no fear about trying new things.
The veggie oil has been "getting the kinks out" for quite a while now. I like to think I have been quite patient and supportive during this process, but I am sure that is not a hundred percent true...
We had another kink in the veggie oil yesterday. My immediate reaction was to call it quits and be done with the veggie oil once and for all. I look at Nigel and he seemed calm and collected, just trying to figure it out.
I realized something about the way the two of us approach new things. Nigel is not scared to make a mistake. It is all part of the process for him. He jumps right in with both feet, gives it all hes got, and if it dosent work out he tries again. And sometimes again and again and again.
Now me, I do not like making mistakes. I avoid them at all costs. If I am going to do something new I think it all out ahead of time. I look at all the angles, think through all the possibilities, and if it seems too risky then I just walk away.
My husband and I are so different. I love it sometimes. He pushes me to try things I wouldn't normally do.
And I like to think I keep him from jumping in too deep at times.
Balance.
So we are in KY. We have about 5 days to get to Nashville. That is about a 2 hour trip:) So slowly we travel down south. Enjoying the journey.

the preparation

September 1st.
25 days and counting and we hit the road again.
I am as always torn. Change is not always my favorite thing and yet I live a lifestyle that is in constant change.

Friends here in Minneapolis are starting to talk about fun winter plans. Plans of book clubs, and Bible studies, and snowmen, and sitting around the fire on cold winter nights. It all sounds so...cozy. It makes it hard to leave.

An then on the other hand. The Road. I love being on the road. I love having my home with me wherever I go. I love meeting new friends and visiting old ones. I love being in the woods with the beautiful rainbow family. And, just quietly, I even enjoy staying in walmart parking lots. The journey is exciting and fun and simple. The bus will more than likely break down at some point. And if it doesn't then it is a good day.

I am in this state of tension at the moment. Knowing I am leaving something wonderful and also knowing I am going to some place wonderful.

And so we prepare to leave. Nigel is finishing up the kitchen and putting in the water tank. This will be our first trip with water tanks! Goodbye big blue jugs and bird baths. Although I quite enjoy a bird bath.
I have been stocking our cupboards. I feel like a squirrel storing up for then winter. I was getting very excited filling up my jars last night with dry goods!

Trying to be present in the present and looking forward to the future.

Rach

the first post

New Zealand Serenity

USA Serenity

Serenity is our bus. House bus that is. We actually have a two house buses, both are called Serenity.
Our first Serenity is a big old 1963 beford school bus. It is located in New Zealand and we like it very much.
Our second Serenity is a big old 1963 city bus. It is in Minnesota at the moment, and we are getting used to it. Nigel likes how smoothly it drives, Rachel is a bit scared of how big it is! We have lived in Serenity in the USA for over 2 years now.
We have had many adventures traveling around the US of A with Serenity and we look forward to many more.