Selling the house is becoming a reality.
I will miss this neighborhood. Not as badly as Bev will, since she has been here considerably longer than I have, and it holds so much sentimental value for her, but I will miss it.
We recently began telling neighbors that we were selling the house in January and moving away. They were understandably sad to hear the news, and they wished us well. Some, I could tell from their faces, were a bit confused by it all. “What are you going to do?” they ask, and when we tell them, this confused look comes over them, like why would anyone leave a lovely neighborhood, and the security that comes with owning a home, to venture out on the roads and welcome uncertainty?
For me, it’s only natural. For Bev, the answer is a bit more complicated, and I have addressed her feelings in another video, and in another article. Suffice it to say she will miss this house we currently live in.
An interesting dilemma, selling the house
All of this raises an interesting dilemma of sorts, namely, where will our home be, once we hit the road in March, 2023? We are literally selling our only home, and we are not buying a replacement. Most people, when they plan on traveling around the states in some sort of RV, have a home base to return to. We will not. Our home base will literally be the RV, or RVs, we are traveling in.
When we return to Olympia, from time to time, to see family, or to take care of matters which demand our attention, we will not be returning to a brick-and-mortar home, so to speak. We will not even be returning to a piece of property upon which we can park our RVs.
Interesting!
Which explains the following
All of that prefaces this explanation of the type of RVs we are purchasing. Bev recently fell in love with a 1987 GMC 3500 short school bus, a skoolie, and that will be half of our “home” when we return to Olympia. The other half will be the Elusive travel trailer we currently have, unless we sell that before March and decide on some other sort of funky RV.
Those two “vehicles” will be our homes, on the road, and in Olympia, for better or for worse. They are both self-contained. They both have solar power, and water tanks, and some sort of bathroom, kitchen, and sleeping quarters. All they need is a little room to park on while we go about the business of living, no matter where that is.
To summarize
Yes, we are selling the only home we have both lived in for a number of years. Yes, we are trading away a thousand-square feet of living space for about two-hundred square feet of living space on wheels. Yes, we are minimizing our lives, going ultra-tiny, shrinking our possessions down to the basics.
Will we love it? Will we thrive? Or will we throw up our hands and shriek in fear and disgust?
Stay tuned! It should be a wild ride, and without a doubt an interesting one.
As always, thank you to our supporters. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to our YouTube channel, where you will find great videos which will detail our travels, and if you would like to support us as a patron, for as little as $3 per month, you can find our Patreon account/page by following this link. Three dollars may not seem like very much, but it adds up, and it would mean the world to us.
Thank you!
Bill & Bev
By now you probably know that I did, in fact receive your email ! Now I’m sending hugs & love! I can only imagine Bev’s degree of apprehension BUT as long as she’s with the Love of her life….she’s good to go! Gotta give you both 2 thumbs UP!……Peace. P.
I sent an email in reply, Sis, but now I wonder if I sent it to the correct email address. Let me know if you don’t get it.
As I read your intro/plan description, I thought to myself, “This is so brave & daring of my friends Bill & Bev….But then I realized, No, wait…. Of all the interesting people I know, Bill & Bev are that special couple who would choose to do something as adventurous as this. More over, I have no doubt they will pull this off magnificently, each & every mile after mile.The most exciting part for me (and all others) is that we get to follow along and share in their experiences. How WONDERFUL IS THIS????
You brought a smile to my old, craggily face this morning, Zulma. So nice to hear from you. Now on to your email and a proper response.
Hi Bill. It’s been a while, I know.
I sent an email earlier today but not sure if it actually sent. Outlook has always been buggy for me that way. If you don’t get anything, just let me know and I’ll send it again.
Anyway, it’s nice to see you are still moving forward with your plans.
Keeping this short cause I’m catching up on long-neglected tasks.
Have a great day, Bill.
Thank you so much, Liz! We have been about downsizing for a long time, but this is the first time we finally got serious about it. It’s much easier for me to do than Bev, but she is slowly becoming more accepting of the idea. Once she starts hiking the PCT, she will get a crash course in living light. 🙂
Yep, I get it, Linda, and that is why Bev won’t be traveling with me all the time as we move forward. Sometimes she will stay in Olympia, around her family, while I go off exploring. Then we will meet up somewhere and explore together for a few months. I understand the family thing even though I don’t experience it.
Oh, Bill, I could write a book on what I’m feeling right now (… yeah, right). But I sold the home I loved, my dream home, my little slice of Heaven just a little over a year ago and, truth be told, I am still in mourning. Memories of family (2 cutie-pie little girls) growing up there to become amazing young women. Countless birthdays and anniversaries, a wedding, and even a few wakes. So much life and love and living.
And then, there was the garden. 1.5 acres of wildflowers and forest and Eden. Nooks and crannies filled with plants given to me in love from friends and family–too many of them (the friends and family) gone. All that remained was the memories and the perfectly selected beauties for my space.
Be prepared for Bev to go through a grieving process. Even though you have amazing, beautiful plans, this is a severing of something that was a part of her. Love her (as I know you do), and give her a hug (or 100) from me as a friend who understands and cares.
I am in awe of your commitment to this venture. It takes downsizing to a whole new level. Readers are challenged to reassess their priorities. It causes us to question the importance of possessions and homes and balance them against the opportunity for travel and new experiences. I admire what you are doing and look forward to reading about your adventures
Hi Audrey! I can’t really say we are terrified. Maybe a tad nervous, but the excitement counteracts that quite well.
Thanks for taking the time to visit and comment. I hope this finds you well.
It sounds both exciting and terrifying in equal measure. Keep us apprised.
It is a bit scary, John, but for me, it’s scarier not to do it. 🙂 Thanks my friend. I hope things are going well for you.
Exciting (somewhat scary) days ahead. I envy your sense of adventure, Bill and Bev.