Tiny home living is series of trade offs.
Lately I am traveling with a dog, 2 bicycles, a piano and a close friend. All that in a little old mini motorhome with no car. Amazingly, we can store everything with a bit of storage room left over and keep the rolling wheel estate rather tidy and uncrowded. Amazing!
Life is funny.
It's been a huge help to me having a friend along because my body has been playing wicked tricks on me, refusing to cooperate some days. My friend has helped me out tremendously because they are willing to help out with the day to day work of living fulltime in a cantankerous camper. We've managed to work together completing many annoying repairs, some small, a few large. Some my friend is much better at than I am. My strength just gives out some days while my friend has amazing energy.
My friend brought a bicycle, a piano and a teensy bag of clothes along for the trip. I cleaned out my junk, taking pictures of silly stuff I perceived as sentimental for foolish reasons, and let a lot of detritus find new homes.
Vintage leather cowboy boots go bye bye.
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These boots were only sentimental to me and no one else.
I took pictures of them for the memories and sent them packing to a new home.
When I look at the picture, all the hilarious memories come flooding back inside my brain.
What fun!
These boots have been worn by me in at least 4 different countries and about 17 US States.
Amazing. I put some miles on those boots for sure. We've traveled by sailboat, ferry, plane, train and motorhome. Ironically, I've never worn them horse riding. The last time I rode a horse was in January 1975. I said I was "done" with horseback riding and took up other interesting pursuits.
In the Caribbean (where I lived for decades) folks would laugh hysterically when I put these boots on to go out dancing sometimes. Picture a sarong clad female and cowboy boots in a tropical setting. Sometimes I just felt and looked ridiculous for the helluvit.
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I happily wore these boots for 20 years off and on, of fun and foolishness but after my shattered leg healed, my right foot was very different. All my left shoes fit and none of my right shoes. It was maddening! I had to toss out all my shoes and start over. That was around 2006 I think. Someone else wanted my shoes, so they took all of them. Bye bye shoes.
I couldn't bare to toss out or give away the beloved cowboy boots. I kept them around, brought them to America with me, letting them hog up precious cabinet space in the motorhome. At one point I hung them on the wall (also severely limited space-wise). Occasionally wore them for fun and games. But the right one was now extremely painful to wear because the leather boots were shaped to fit my old foot and not my new foot. It was fun to wear them, but I couldn't really walk much in them without great pain. So sad because all those years they were oh so comfy and fit like a custom glove. I used to call them my snake stomping boots because I don't much care for snakes and leather is good protection that a snake bite can't typically penetrate.
As I began clearing out the motorhome my traveling friend was dismayed I was making frequent trips to the dump or finding new homes for old stuff. I told them well, I would rather have them along for the ride than all this junk.
So... that is how we ended up with enough room for my friend's piano...
A frequent commenter on these posts recently expressed an interest in seeing the piano. (So pay attention now!)
Well, in all fairness, it's an electronic piano not near as heavy or bulky as the real thing. I am envious that Willie Nelson travels with a full sized grand piano in his motorhome.
Lucky dude.
In our case we use an old director's chair frame as a piano stand and play the piano outside rather than inside, though we have played it inside in inclement weather. I don't play much anymore, but my friend spent a lifetime career as a musician (now retired) but still enjoys providing me and/or the campground with impromptu entertainment. By the way that old folding chair frame does triple duty. We put boards on it for an outside table or boards on it for short scaffolding for outside motorhome repairs and maintenance. Sometimes it's been used as a fan stand too. Amazing what one folding chair frame can do when pushed into service.
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When the chair frame isn't holding a piano, I place boards on top
to make it into a temporary table.
The boards also do double duty as leveling boards for the wheel estate when the terrain is less than level.
I found a piece of leftover
white vinyl from a window shade that had to be shortened and covered the boards, taping
the underside with gorilla tape so the vinyl is more or less permanently attached to the boards.
Funny how I take trash and make treasure.
Turning my old chair frame into a multi-functional piano stand, table and scaffolding.
Actually, this used to be my chair I sat in. The fabric dry rotten but the frame was super sturdy.
I made a new seat back, but when the seat bottom gave way, I never made a new one as it was
proving to be way too complicated since the frame folds but doesn't come apart since it's riveted and not screwed.
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Life is goof.
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Sent you email regarding May 22... Let me know.
ReplyDeleteLynn in GA
Got the email, THANKS!
ReplyDelete