Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Port, Eh?

Thank you for your responses to my question about change.  I am grateful, and awed by your stories.  If you feel inclined to add a reply, I hope you'll give in to the urge.

Meet Toni and Scott:

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They're living full-time in their Honda Element with their two substantial dogs, Walter and George. Both are swim coaches (the humans; the dogs swim avocationally). Toni describes her work with young kids as helping them relate to people better, speak more effectively with adults - a set of life skills - and almost incidentally she helps them become better swimmers. Scott works with older kids and young adults, superior swimmers who are headed for watery greatness. His work is more focused on the mechanics of swimming, and helping kids reach their scholarship and Olympic goals.

They have given themselves a year to find their own Utopia. A place that feeds their soul and jobs that feed their food habits. They've been offered jobs, but not in places where they want to live. Toni says she'd settle in a heartbeat if there were only a swimming pool in the Escalante Wilderness.

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When we met them, they had snuggled in tightly against the Duck to shelter from the punishing winds we'd been enduring on Bird Island Basin. Which was fine, except that their too-cute rig was also snuggling the exhaust on our generator, so we got a little depleted waiting for them to move. Annie eventually took our rig for a drink and potty break and pulled back in a little further away.

They don't have a toilet or any refrigeration. I asked them about stealthing, but their handy pop-up makes them conspicuous, and without it they're sharing the bed with George and Walter.

They had some solar equipment that I covet:

Photobucket The Powerfilm line of solar chargers is especially rugged and remarkably thin, as you'll notice because I'm remarking on it.  The 30 watt charger folded up to be about the size of a spiral notebook (that's an iPad you can rip pages out of).  If a panel should become damaged, it doesn't take the array out of the game.


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We rode our bikes to dinner.
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Bring mine with a chainsaw and an artichoke.


We each enjoyed an adult frozen beverage. Annie asked for the butchest thing they served.

This was a bit too much alcohol for Annie, and she had to walk her bike home.  I mocked her from the sidewalk where I was resting;  I don't remember the details, but the officer was nice.





Where are we going next!  The giant car wash!  Where then!  I don't know!  It's a mystery to all of us!  As soon as I know, I'll tell someone!

22 comments:

michael ultra said...

Ipad you tear pages out of! hahah!

Lou said...

Fun pics and love the frozen drinks putting the bikes in stasis. Of course, we would like to hear more about "the offer", but, certainly understand the sensitivity. :)

¡Vizcacha! said...

Michael, in case someone under 30 reads this blog.

Lou, you make the story sound much more interesting! You should write these for me! It was only an officer, and the offer was something like you can go sleep at home tonight if you can get up and walk away.

lesliewhozit said...

T drink in the background looks like my kind of margarita - on the rocks, no salt. mmmm.....the only problem with them is you can drink them, as opposed to sip slowly to avoid brain freeze. They tend to go quickly and then misbehave. You have to keep an eye on 'em for sure.
Love the pelican pics!

Rubye Jack said...

What does stealthing as used here mean? Just curious.

I love your bikes btw!

Travels with Emma said...

Hmm... only 5'8"? She seems taller than that in person. :)

The Good Luck Duck said...

Les, the frozen drink was rowdy, for sure. I don't even know what kind of trouble the umbrella was getting up to while I was subduing the lime.

Rubye Jack, "stealthing" is RVing overnight in places where it's not officially allowed. Stealth vehicles are usually pretty ordinary-looking, like a car, or maybe a cargo van, and they don't raise suspicions or hackles.

I know, Judy. She has a tall persona.

Andra Watkins said...

The butchest drink she could find. THAT was the butchest drink she could find??? Seriously??? SO FUNNY!

Love the bird pics, too. I am not telling the architect that people can live in a Honda Element. (He loves the lines of the Honda Element. Of COURSE he does.)

Teri said...

trentandteresa.blogspot.com is the blog of the couple that just stayed 4 days at Big Bend.

Unknown said...

If that's the butchest drink they have I want to see the others. Too funny! :)

¡Vizcacha! said...

Andra, that would test the boundaries of his minimalism, wouldn't it? And, the other drinks were pink and wearing pearls.

Teri, thanks for that. I'm going to check them out. Great to meet you today!

Janie, it wasn't a pretty sight. The Hello Kitty Kitty Kitty sported a boa.

Isherwood Wildwalker said...

I was really enjoying the artisteryness of the "Behind" series of photographs.

This new direction of "Under" could be a new expressive medium of artsy-fartsy ....um....espression!

Kimbopolo said...

Roxanne,

Saw your message on my blog -thanks for thinking about me. We are good here - should be moved back in the house this week. Next on the list of repairs are my travel plans.

Meanwhile I will enjoy your epic journey. Your blog gets even better with the miles.

Desert Diva said...

Love to "tune in" and find a smile for my day. Uh, just HOW MANY of those frozen drinks did you all have? ;-)

Sherry said...

OK I'm behind here in a park with whimpy wifi and you are out all over the place having adventures with stealthers and butch drinks and cops. We need to catch up to you and just lurk in the background. It must be even funnier in person and it's mighty funny right here on the non ipad-ipod-iphone page.

¡Vizcacha! said...

Ish, stay tuned for more behindedness. I hadn't considered a whole Under series *jots down idea and pretends it's original*.

Kim, I'm glad you're doing alright. Such a cluster of emotional and financial setbacks ... glad to hear you're going to repair your travel plans, as well.

DD, it's funny, that's what the officer asked me, too! Coincidence?

Sherry, I make myself ridiculous so you don't have to!

Unknown said...

I always figured they put umbrellas in drinks to help you keep your balance afterwards...like tightrope walkers who use umbrellas, y'know? Never worked for me, though, and now I know they won't keep a bicycle upright,either.

The Good Luck Duck said...

Sue, you're a Mythbuster! I suppose the plastic sword didn't help me, either.

nomadwayoflife said...

Good for you. Way to live your life. Carpe Diem.

Martha said...

All I can say is whoo-hoo!! New follower here. Found you over at our mutual friend Ecocatlady :-)

The Good Luck Duck said...

Hey Martha! Glad to have you following. Did we drop a tailpipe in Pleasanton?

The Good Luck Duck said...

Thanks, Nomad! I needed to carpe the guard rail on my way home.