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Livin' barenaked |
Livin' barenaked started in Issaquah, WA. just outside of Seattle. Our first scale-down was from this tri-level mountainside four bedroom, three bath, big, easy to mess and hard to clean home...
To this downtown Issaquah home with one bedroom and one bathroom ~ perhaps you could've called the kids attic spaces bedrooms?!? (More like Flowers in the Attic, but that's another story) ~ We were learning simpler was better for us.
So we became very simple. All in all, we sold three homes ~ two Texas rental properties and the above Issaquah residence. We donated or sold all our furniture, Greg let most of his tools go, so Jenn had to let most of her kitchen appliances go. Our wardrobes shrank and we haven't owned or had to fix or replace a disposal, dishwasher, or washer/dryer since this home. We keep a 7'x7' storage space about 1/3 full for irreplaceable mementos. Below is all the 'stuff' we lived with from May 2001 to September 2006...
September 2006 ~ Got rid of the RV and moved into some backpacks in our Jeep. Here we're leaving our RV house of over five years towards the adventure of our lives...
September '06 finds bnf traveling across the country to literally get our shit together ~ We towed the VW with our 'new' Jeep filled with the few things we kept from the RV to an undisclosed location. We are putting our mementos together with our May '01 storage and hitting the back roads that the RV couldn't get to... stay tuned ~ this is gonna get good!
The Crib... May '01 - Sep '06
A 1992 Winnebago powered by a front gas engine. All of 37' long by maybe 9' wide and about 10' high.
Maybe 11' with the storage box on top...
But our backyard is huge!
And we have black flames.
And LIVE television coverage.
Kids and dogs have no idea about large or small spaces. They mostly care about NOW and their parents time ~ pets are cool too.
Yep ~ she drives that thing. We're talkin' over 50' with the tow car. Can't back up even an inch when you're towing a car with all four wheels down. Requires thought.
Or you find roads like this and leave all your thoughts to live in the now.
Captains quarters. Greg gets to sleep here too. Also known as the boom-boom room where "wind-storms" or "heavy gusts" are known to originate. Sunny flat out tells us ~ "I know you guys are hump-ennnn back there! hehehe".
A view of the kitchen. Pantry. Dining Room. Vestibule. Living Room. Den. Office. Girls Bedroom. Austin's Bedroom. Sitting Room. Theatre. Bowling Alley. Storage. Playroom. Shop. Studio. And Pet Area.
The girls convert the couch to a bed and Austin sleeps on the convertible table.
South of the Vestibule is the Van Halen wall with a view into the walk-in closets. Across from the closets is the shower and toilet. Behind the closet is the bathroom sink.
The Ride
A 1974 Volkswagen Thing. Few were made in the states. Fewer still exist. It's based on the WWII German Utility Vehicle ~ Kubelwagen ~ and is mostly built out of old style bug parts. Only on rare special occasions do we allow eleven year old boys to drive with their feet cruising chicks on the roll bar ~ but it happens.
Top Down, Seat Back, Rolling in my Cadillac ~ Doors off, Windshield down, get that kid another Crown.
The VW Thing weighs in at a mere 1900 pounds ~ about half of most compact cars. Makes it real simple to use a Corgi as a jackstand.
The Thing is built to off-road. The air cooled motor is in the back pumpin' out a whoppin' 45 horsepower. It's top speed is well over 50mph and it traverses water with a ground clearance better than a Jeep or H2 Hummer.
Luxuries include amenities like seats and a steering wheel. Optional accessories that have to be fixed to work include a heater. We did a custom upgrade to ours and installed a radio.
There's another backyard. That was 'our view' for that night. And to think someone actually works hard to maintain and 'own' all of our spectacular land!
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Livin' barenaked |