I’m counting on my fingers as I type this: this is our fifth big hitch-up-and-move since moving full time into the Mobile Art Studio. First it was the epic haul from Alaska one year ago. Then we finally landed in St. George, Utah for the summer and fall. We moved to north of Tucson, AZ on December 1st; back to St. George for the spring on March 1st of this year. And now we’re in Reno, NV for the summer.
Hitching up and moving means taking all of myself and my/my husband’s earthly belongings and throwing them into constant motion. The gravitational force holding everything in its orbit being the Airstream, Tundra, Prius, and sometimes some sturdy tie-down straps. But there’s still a sense of chaos-suspended-in-space as we hurtle through our little universe, which happens to be long stretches of highway, toward whatever comes next. The feeling is a combination of freeing, exultant, and nerve-wrackingly precarious and uncertain. We know where we’re landing, but we don’t know what it will be like yet. We’re pretty sure the Airstream is holding itself together as it rattles behind us across those many miles of highway, but who can really be certain what we’ll find when we first open that trailer door (at its most innocuous, maybe a can of tuna hurled itself out of a cabinet onto the floor. Whatever. But it’s a bummer when something breaks).
My safety-self thrives on comfortably burrowing into one place and pattern. My creative self needs change. And boy, does she get it.
Reno’s been both a rough and glorious start. So, on par for the “life in motion” course. The rough: the RV park bungled our reservation, so we’re not in the bikable/walkable area we’d planned on. It’s pretty depressing here. We also didn’t have power for the first weekend because the park didn’t notify us it was our responsibility to call the power company to turn it on (management comped us the weekend, recognizing their error). Upon arrival, taking in the scene, and grappling with all of this Wes and I had to go to a (luckily) nearby trailhead and get in a brisk, post-drive walk to hash out how we were feeling and what our next steps could be.
The glorious starts with, I suppose, our adaptation happening more quickly than perhaps it did in the past year: we know now that everything is impermanent, which makes it easier to deal with not-great situations. We reconfigured while walking and throughout the weekend, which is pretty quick for us. We even scoped out some other nearby RV parks to bolster our spirits (yes, this one is more depressing – omg this one, can you imagine?). And, no fighting to get there! Just mutual support, go us.
From there, it’s easy to rattle off the highs: we got to and get to see Reesa, spend time with Wes’ mom Paula and be here to celebrate Mother’s Day with the full fam including my brother-in-law Zepp, ride our bikes to the farmer’s market to meet up with an entire, overwhelmingly wonderful crew of friends who were happy to see us, go running through high-altitude-early-spring Jeffrey Pine and cottonwood scented Verdi, NV with friends, sign up for memberships at the climbing gym…and today Wes starts work, and I pick work (both art and consulting) back up after being out for the move.
We’re here, and we’re “back”, of a fashion.
I saw a few merchandise orders roll in late last week and early this week while I was on the road! I’m heading to the post office in the next couple days. If you wanna add your name to my mail-out list, check out what’s on offer – new, beautiful notebooks – limited run edition; new fridge paintings; stuff on sale! In big art news, I start a giant (3’x4′) commission this week…off to secure the canvas and get it set up! I’ll keep you updated on the socials, as always.
Pictured below: our awesome camping spot at Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge along NV highway 93 en route to Reno. I loved this place and recommend it – free camping for up to 14 days, if you’re there at a lucky enough time to nab a spot. Try for mid-morning while others are rolling out.
Also pictured: stopping at Rachel, NV, the closest town to Area 51. I breakfasted amidst little green men and scored some delightful earrings.
Then, arrival in Reno – some high points (at least what I got photos of) including bikes, Farmer’s Market-ing, Wes’ new T-shirt, and Reesa the soon-to-be-grad.
Finally, some of my new products on offer! I’m so excited about these – check them out and (fingers crossed!) find one that will make your or someone you love’s days just that much brighter.
