Nomadic Living – on a Bus
December 17, 2009
My parents were hard core hippies. The first “house” I lived in when I was born was a cabin in the woods with no running water, and no electricity. My dad is a finish carpenter, so all his wood work was done with hand tools.
Next we moved to a hippie commune in Santa Monica, CA. My dad did all the wood work in the health food store that the commune operated, and when I returned 20 years later I instantly recognized his unique style.
When I was around 5 years old, and my brother was 2, my parents purchased an old school bus. Dad converted it to a nomadic home with a little toilet extension on the back. I have amazing memories of that time of our life. We started in Ottawa, ON, and hoped to make it back to Vancouver, BC where we had lived when my brother was born.
We only made it as far as Calgary, AB before the bus died for good. We lived in a friend’s driveway until my parents found work and a place to live. We spent the majority of our childhood in the Strathmore/Calgary area because that’s where this old bus was put out to pasture. Good times.
Sunset and the bus
Me and my Dad in the front of the bus
Side view of the bus
The toilet extension on the back of the bus
Visiting Family in Ottawa, ON. My mom, dad and little brother Oak are closest to the bus, and I'm on the far left.
Me, my brother, and my dad sitting at the table in the bus.
My dad built this kitchen in the bus.
Dad playing the guitar on the couch/bed he built in the bus.
Visiting with friends on the bus.
Planning to Go Carless
November 29, 2009
We have an ’89 Toyota Corolla, and last time I took it in for a tune-up, I came out with a $2000 + estimate for everything that needed to be fixed sooner than later. The biggest issue is the brakes. The entire system needs to be replaced, and it’s just a matter of time before it’s no longer safe to drive.
Tonight B and I had a good discussion about what it will look like when we go completely carless. We’ve had this discussion in the past, but it never seemed feasible. Until now. We are paying off business start up debt, and we just don’t have the cash flow for a new car or monthly car payments at this time.
We can do this.
We live within walking distance to my son’s school and the “village” area that includes a pharmacy, grocery store, bank, health food store, etc.
We are within walking distance to the ferry terminal.
We have a couple options for our bi-monthly trips to town to pick up supplies for the hair salon. B’s dad lives in Nanaimo, and would be more than happy to pick supplies up for us and either meet us at the ferry, or bring them over once or twice a month in exchange for his ferry fare and a hot dinner.
If my FIL is not available to pick up supplies, my parents have a truck they leave on the Nanaimo side that they have offered to loan to us on occasion, and it would be infrequent enough I’m sure we could work something out.
We both work from home so there’s no commute.
There’s a great taxi service (and they use hybrid cars for the taxi service locally) for times we need to bring groceries home, or the weather is too miserable for walking.
If we need to go to Victoria or Vancouver we can rent a car quite inexpensively, and the car rental lot is within walking distance from the ferry terminal in Nanaimo.
There are some major benefits to going carless.
Physical activity. I often feel guilty for the amount of driving I do when I have two perfectly healthy legs and the time to walk, if I just plan my day more efficiently.
Financial savings. We would save $60/month in insurance, another $60/month in auto fuel, $109/year in roadside service membership fees, about $300/year in maintenance costs. Yes, we would have to fork out a little money for a taxi periodically, but on the other hand we could get a wagon to bring groceries home, or get a trailer for B’s bike (I don’t have a bike yet).
Fun activities. I absolutely loved bike riding when I was a kid and into my teens, but since going over 200 lbs I have a real fear of riding. This could very well force me to take it up again and get over my fear of looking stupid or feeling like a dork on a bike.
B thinks we should just ditch the car now. I’m still holding onto the convenience factor. But I’m really starting to accept that this could be happening in the very near future.
