Home again, home again

So, as it turns out I'm less of a prolific blogger than I'd planned. I think that sometimes I get overwhelmed by the detail and can forget the forest for the trees. As we begin our second year, in Harvey, I'd like to recommit to my original purpose for this little corner of the Internet: our sweet little life in our sweet little home. 

While the past year has had a distinct learning curve in terms of RV living, we have met the challenge with greater ease than either of us anticipated. When my contract was up at the coast, we drove into the valley for a month on Sauvie's Island north of Portland and were happily reminded of our first night in that very same park last summer and how far we've come since then (both literally and figuratively). 

In terms of space, our complaints are few. While it takes some doing, we have hosted several guests in Harvey over the past year in our cozy little loft. The dogs are happy, and get more walks than ever. Surprisingly, when we need a little space from one another, the curtain to the bedroom really is enough to feel a little solitude (okay, maybe the curtain and a pair of headphones...) I would really love to be able to stretch out a bit more and maybe do a full sun salutation inside, but I love being able to clean the whole house in 10 minutes, and can't imagine ehow I ever had the fortitude to clean a two story house.

Things we love about RV life: 

- Being able to change the view outside our windows.

- A space that is completely ours.

- CHEAP rent! (Our park fee including all utilities is a third of what we were paying in Rochester!)

- The feeling of possibility. This one sounds cheesy, but the fact that if we wanted to we could just up and go, (especially if the tsunami comes...) is amazing. I feel like all my moves have been fraught with anxiety over where I'd land, if I'd settle, and if there would be a next place, completely evaporate with Harvey. It's just like Kacey Musgraves says, "Just hang a map/throw a dart/and pray to God the engine starts and go." More soon!

Thanksgiving and Hannah's Birthday Weekend

So, for the three of you who read this blog regularly, I thought I'd let you know about my 30th birthday weekend and our first Thanksgiving together  (I was in Italy last year).

So, for my big 3-0, I told Nick I just wanted a relaxing weekend. Since my birthday was on a Sunday this year, Nick started spoiling me as soon as I got home from work on Friday. He cooked me amazing meals (not out of the ordinary, but he did the dishes too, which is usually my chore), he surprised me with gifts on Saturday and Sunday, flowers, a massage, Amy Poehler's new book (really stellar, by the way) among others, and watched the first two Hunger Games movies on Sarurday so that we could go see the new one at the cute little theater in town on my birthday. He, even more than normal, made me feel special and appreciated, and I am so thankful. 

Then as we were discussing the upcoming g holiday meal I said I thought we should have halibut since we still have so much from Alaska, and Nick responded with unexpected passion, "No. We have to have turkey, and stuffing, and..." Ha! I had no idea, but apparently Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday all because of the meal. Our menu was turkey legs (so much easier than a whole bird!), stuffing, roasted root vegetable medley, and mashed sweet/white potato blend with apple crumble pie for dessert. Goose came out and we had a lovely relaxing holiday playing cards and hanging out. The next day was much of the same, except Goose and Nick went kayaking too. 

 

Birthday goodies

Scout was really interested in the turkey legs.

Scout loves Goose.

Adventures!

Nick is working this weekend* and I miss him terribly, so I am going to write about all of the awesome adventures we've been having!

*His schedule is generally Fri-Sun, Mon off, Tues-Thurs, one week off. Because the drive each way is about an hour, that was a lot to do twice everyday on top of a 12 hour shift, so the days that he works, he just stays in Lincoln City. The hospital has a place (free!) for him to stay, which is great, but I do miss him when he's gone.

So, in recent weeks, we've been mushroom hunting (didn't get nearly the haul that Nick and Lincoln found a few weeks ago 50 lbs or $500 worth of chanterelles!), took a beautiful sunset hike on the cape (which quickly turned into a nighttime hike because oops, daylight savings!) and a full day up the coast including state parks and Nicks first trip to Goonies town (Astoria). I fall asleep smiling almost everyday. Our life is so good! 

Beautiful bolete mushrooms Nick and Lincoln found!

In his natural habitat.

Beautiful (huge) conch.

Sunset hike on the cape with doggies!

Haystack rock!

My favorite Goonie. Major bucket list moment for him.

 

Updates and visit from Lincoln!

Nick's brother Lincoln is visiting this weekend and they are fishing and mushroom hunting despite the crazy weather. His visit also prompted me to revisit the project of loft curtains! Unfortunately, in doing so I found some moisture around the large window which will have to be attended to sooner rather than later. Happy weekend y'all!

Vintage pillowcase to extend the loft curtain without covering the doggie portraits!

String, command hooks, and clothes pins. I'm going with "folksy" but yes, it kind of looks like laundry. 

Brothers!

Also, I forgot to mention that we moved down to the end of the park so we have privacy, a yard, a great view and a LOT less road noise!

Rain

It is October and the rain has begun. Living on the coast means more rain than I became accustomed to in Portland. Not ideal: the car I bought has a sunroof that is not completely water tight. While this has made for a few soggy and grumpy mornings, overall Nick and I are well and happy.

The last couple of weeks we had our final days of sun, and we soaked it up. I was off work last week, which meant a few days into Portland for work at Sorenson, a mechanic visit, and vet visit for mister Scout. Scout had 15 teeth pulled (!) and the remaining ones cleaned. His breath is fresh (a HUGE deal if you have ever spent any time with him.) Previous nicknames: "death breath," "little baby rotten tooth," and because he was in pain from said rotten teeth, "little baby grumps a lot." Now: "sweet teeth," "little baby pearly whites," "little baby grumps no more." It was crazy expensive, but about four years overdue and completely worth it. He's a new doggie!

We've also been kayaking a lot. We brought Nick's boat out with us from New York and found me one on Craig's List for a steal. Unfortunately, my boat came without a seat so I hadn't been out until last week. Nick however, has made fast friends with my old friend and roommate Goose and they've been paddling a half a dozen times and are actually on their second three day trip now. Goose's wife Amy was in town last week (she lives in Boston. It's complicated.) so they came out and we did a day trip last Monday and we had a great time. 

Nick has been fishing up a storm and has caught TWO delicious salmon. So cool! Never tasted anything so good as fish caught the same day. He's fished both from the shore and from his kayak, and I believe he prefers the latter. In his kayak he can get to little pockets away from shore, but that big power boats can't reach. He figures he's got to catch about 15 fish to make up for all the accessories he's bought, but I don't even care because he's just so doggone happy doing it.

We had a little mini vacation in Eugene for the weekend at a lovely AirBnB yurt by the Willamette. I hadn't spent any time in Eugene previously, and while we had a great weekend, driving through Corvallis on either end of the trip was really my favorite. We have talked about both of those towns as maybe forever places, and after this weekend, Corvallis is at the top of the list for me. It's a good deal smaller and feels more college town-y, while Eugene feels like a smaller Portland but without as much good food and other amenities. At this point, it's anybody's guess where we'll end up, which is fine by me.

I have a lot of free time on my hands because of only working during the school day. I'm trying to get back into running and yoga-ing because it makes me feel happier and clear headed. Some weeks I'm better at it than others. Before the rain, I was running at the beach, which was wonderful, but unless I can find a nicely wooded route soon, I think I'm just going to join the local YMCA. I'm also knitting again! With so much down time during the school day, I am so happy to be spending my time creating instead of just being a drone on my iPad. 

First three day trip! 62 miles of the Willamette!

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

First run in two months! 4 miles with mister Scout!

Nick's first king! Ain't she a beaut?

And full of eggs! (Good for bait.)

Goose and Amy!

I think this is my favorite picture of all time.

 Loaded up!

Eugene!

Okay, this might be my favorite picture...

Family portriat!

Milo squared.

Love from the coast!

RV tour! (finally)

Finally got around to doing this. Sorry it's a little shaky. Enjoy!

The Cheeburg Family Resides in Cheese Town

Hey, y'all! Sorry for the length between updates! I was waiting for us to get settled and for Nick to land a job before I updated, all of which has happened this week!

All told, we ended up spending about a month on Sauvie Island north of Portland and had a really lovely time. Between taking the dogs to the Columbia, having people over for dinner, or hanging out with friends and family in Portland August was a great month. We loved picking black berries just steps away from our door, getting to know our neighbors, and learning about RV living from some experienced veterans. We are still learning the ropes of RV life, but the transition has been so much easier than expected and we love our little home.

We moved to Tillamook on Labor Day (easiest move ever!) and I started work the next day. I love my school, my student, and the teachers. It's a really great fit, and I think it's going to be a wonderful year. Nick has kept himself busy contacting every travel nursing company available and taking care of lots of projects at home. This week he landed a job at a tiny little hospital in Lincoln City (about 45 miles south of us on the coast) and he couldn't be happier.

Life in Tillamook is definitely slower, but the scenery is so lovely (mountains, forests, beaches, oh my!) that we are adjusting quite nicely. We take the dogs to the beach at least once a week (they LOVE it, really we all do) and buy produce from the adorable farmer's market or roadside stands, and eat burritos from our favorite taco truck at least twice a week.

And then there's the cheese, obviously! OH MAN. We are eating a lot of yogurt, cheese, and ice cream, and it's pretty much the best ever. Basically as local as you can get, in that we drive by the cows that make the milk for these tasty dairy treats everyday. So good.