Holy crap! It's 2016--do you know where your inner child is?

Hard to imagine I began this adventure six years ago. I had just purchased my travel trailer and began to dissolve my conventional life style in pursuit of a "simpler" life. I went searching for alternatives to the unhappy place I was in: large suburban home, mortgage, 5 cars (it's true!) and working for bills to pay for a lifestyle that was neither sustainable or fulfilling. I went to San Francisco, Seattle, Black Rock Desert, and finally, Portland.

I have to admit, Portland was like a bad breakup: all the hopes and dreams I held for Portland have collapsed as rents escalated and home prices shot wildly out of my reach and the reach of many. I slunk back to Los Angeles no less determined to discover the Mecca of affordable and alternative housing. I'm living in my friend's below market rent guest house while I continue my quest for the perfect place to live. But here's a thought: maybe I'm already in it? Hmmm, that's another blog topic!

One of my Facebook friends and even my estranged sister accused me of being zaney and "all over the place." This is kind of my style so I'm cool with it--I'm still the same person I've always been; I like adventure and I'm determined to find my nest. So I say goodbye to Portland and hello to my new, zaney and "all over the place" options.

So here they are: start a cooperative housing community, buy an old New England farmhouse (sorry Fresno), buy desert property and build an earthbag house and guest house, buy a condo in Austin, Texas, buy land in Paso Robles, California and site a 400 square foot modular house, move to Belize (insert Italy or any other faraway place here), buy an Airstream trailer, join an eco village or buy a tiny house and live rouge.

I've accomplished a lot of stuff from my old list, including graduating from college, which did a lot for my self-esteem but messed with my debt-to-income ratio. My divorce is final and now I have support but, oh yeah, more debt to the IRS. I have the same job because no job in planning (my field of study) was forthcoming but it turns out I really like what I do which is working with kids with autism. I have a new "client" as a part-time job, I volunteer with a local environmental group, network with tiny house peeps and continue to feed my creative side. I make no excuses for my zaney, "all-over-the-place" self; it's who I am and I embrace it.

So get used to my idea-of-the-week posts on Facebook because my life is about discovery and nurturing my inner child as I wind down my 50's and welcome my 60's.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Portland!

Onward to Portland!

I've arrived! I'll be volunteering this summer with Micro Community Concepts, an affordable housing model being piloted in Portland. I'm really excited to be part of this event: it's everything I've been working toward. The dream I hatched in my back yard in 2011 has begun! Here it is: to go back to school to get a degree in city planning (check), downsize (check), buy a travel trailer (check) and head toward the Pacific Northwest to tweak the American Dream just a little--to find a way to buy a house and to help others buy a house in a more sustainable way. Why Portland? I chose Portland because it is a city with a history for innovation and I want to be right in the middle of it right now!

I left on June 9 by way of Route 1, all the way here. Taking this route was amazing but be warned: it doubles your time! But I got to see the forest for the trees, not to mention the coastal vistas all up the coast. I stopped overnight in California at San Simeon, Mendocino Headlands and Eureka (Arcata) and in Oregon at Newport, rolling into Portland on June 15.

 

With my Pandora set to Janis Joplin, I approached my new neighborhood, Woodstock--to my new, temporary home on a flag lot. With the help of my new "landlord," we pulled Towanda into place and I've been settling in. It's been more than a week and every day is a new adventure. 

Towanda!

So, here is my littlest space yet! I'm getting ready to redecorate the interior. Here's a link to my Pinterest account: http://www.pinterest.com/amylturnbull/

Cubix!

Never made it to Oakland! I did, however, check out a controversial building South
of Market last Spring. Here's a picture of the Cubix building. 300 and 400 square feet of space was going for $250,000. It was awesome! Walking distance to everything and all the amenities a person could ask for in a tight little space. My favorite: the Murphy bed and the heated floors!