Small Step, Big News

Today I applied poly resin to completely waterproof a section of the side wall that will go against the metal part of the trailer. Epoxy resin is in every hardware store around here because of all the boats. I was describing the steps for the camper build to a friend of mine who lives on a sailboat, and he said, “Oh, just like building a boat – got it.” I think some of the steps for putting this thing together may be confusing to folks who are used to putting together houses. No screws here – the constant vibrations of the road would jiggle them loose. Everything is built to glue together whenever possible, with the storage compartments designed to add structure to the whole. Every seam is sealed, every exterior surface coated in plastic. 

Not that I’ve ever built a boat before, either. With every step of the build, even at these early stages, I keep thinking, “The NEXT time I do this…” It is such a fun course in Applied Camper Building I’m taking!

And how about some more exciting news? My lead for welding the trailer paid off. I should be picking up the frame next week! I ask of you all to go to a social gathering and raise a glass and a cheer for Atlantic Metal Products of Topping Virginia. May their praises be heard across the land! This is a Grown-Up metal shop and I think welding this trailer is a way puny job for them, but through a barroom buddy connection the president of the company agreed to kick this out for Kayla and I. Expect the build to really kick into high gear next week!

Interior Skins Glued and Cut

The inside walls of the camper (we call them “skins” in the business) have been glued to the side walls. Then we used a flush-trimming router bit to cut the walls to the correct shape. This was a big chance to do some more CNC Goof correcting as well. 

We are still awaiting word on when the welding of the trailer will even start. The guy I had lined up for the work has already pushed the date back from mid-July to “maybe late July or early August.” I’ve got a new contact for a company that might do me a favor and get this done earlier – I’m still pursuing that lead. The way the camper is designed to be built, it really needs to have a trailer under it before going much further. All the other walls (floor and ceiling) are built based on the trailer width, which you can pretty much expect to vary a bit from the design.

Doesn’t seem so hard, does it?

Still, I’ve got a few things to do and lear before we hit a dead end of needing the trailer to continue any work. I’ve got to learn some more about DC electronics, and how I’m going to route power from our solar battery to all the lights and whatnots on and in the camper. There’s also a wee bit more to do with the sides. I guess if worse comes to worse, we can build the camper body on a wooden frame and then, a) have to figure out how to lift it onto the metal trailer when it finally gets welded, and b) hope that the trailer fits!

Scenes from the bar, and 07/07/07

Happy anniversary to us!! Many of you were there with us FIFTEEN YEARS ago to witness and help us celebrate our partnership and commitment — wow, those were an amazing couple of weeks! As some of you know, we were hoping to use our 15th anniversary as an excuse to bring all our lovely friends together again, maybe for a camp-out music jam grillfest extravaganza … one or two of you might have even marked it on your calendars? Don’t worry, it’s not that your invitation got lost in the mail, we just couldn’t pull it together this year. But it sure would be fun! Maybe next year?

We had such a long weekend at the Deltaville Tap last weekend. Both of us worked about 40 hours in 4 days, from open to close every day. Man, did we open a lot of beers and pour a lot of rum punch! Definitely exhausting, but there were some fun moments. On Monday we seized control of the bar music and chose an “essential 80s hits” playlist. Turns out 80s music really works for everyone! Our 20-something coworkers were bobbing their heads to the beat as they shucked oysters and delivered burgers. Parents explained to their children that Nena is German and that’s why she sings 99 Luftballoons with an accent. We could audibly hear people across the restaurant singing “Livin on a Prayer.” And we happened to have a bar full of 40/50-somethings who knew every word to every song, so it was a big fun singalong.

There are a couple of new, very young servers who have joined the staff. They’re sweet as can be, but bless their hearts, they know nothing about drinking and not so much about eating either. Some examples:

Very Young Server #1, while staring at the top shelf liquor bottles: “She wants a corona with lime, I’m just trying to see what liquor that is so I can ring it in.”

Very Young Server #1, again while staring at the top shelf liquor bottles: “They want a caboway, or something like that.”
Kayla: “Was it Cabo Wabo?” (which is a tequila)
VYS1: “Yes, that sounds right. I see ‘cabernet’ in the system, is that what I should use?”

And my favorite:
Very Young Server #2: “Did you get my order for a shrimp cocktail?”
Kayla: “A shrimp cocktail isn’t actually a drinking cocktail. It’s an appetizer, so that ticket would have gone to the kitchen.”

Poor things. That’s a steep learning curve!

One afternoon we had a fun family of five come in: older couple and three folks in their early 50s. They sat at the bar and had a grand old time, and talked with us a lot. They especially like Matthew and his crazy hair. It was a pretty busy day, so both of us were running back and forth, making lots of drinks, taking orders at the window, etc. The family watched us and commented on how well we work together, what great bartenders we are, etc. When they were getting ready to leave and paying, they asked me whether we would split their tip or should they tip each of us. I said we’d split it, but that it all ends up in the same place anyway because … we’re married! And all together the five of them shouted “HOORAAYYY!” like that was the best surprise and best news of the day. Hahahaaaa cracks me up.

I wish you could all sit at the bar and listen to our general manager keep the line cooks in order. He usually plays the role of expeditor, standing at the window to the kitchen shouting back to the staff what orders are coming in, what they should be paying attention to, making sure they get all the special instructions, and then getting plates into hands of servers to run them out to tables. He uses some great diner language to do this: “You got some crab puppies that just walked in.” “Watch out for that crab cake sandwich wearing O-rings.” And one day, after the sound of breaking dishes from the kitchen: “Danny, if you see the word ‘china’ on your next paycheck, it’s nothing about any sort of trip we’re sending you on.”

One of the owners of the restaurant was sitting at the bar with a couple of his friends the other night. He’s pretty arrogant, and can be rude and demeaning. This was kind of a fun exchange:
Kayla: (uses a 6-syllable word)
OwnerMan: Wow, big word! You went to college, didn’t you.
Kayla: Yep, sure did.
OwnerMan: Where did you go to college?
Kayla: Which time?
OwnerMan: You have a MASTER’S DEGREE?!?!
Kayla: (smiles)
OwnerMan: You could be pulling in $200K with that! What are you doing!?! (with a tone of “are you stupid” in his voice)
Kayla: I’m doing whatever I want to!
OwnerMan: Matthew, what about you?
Matthew: Masters of Science in Applied Sociology.
OwnerMan: WHAT!?!?!

Ahhh … ha ha ha. It’s just not all about money for us. As we celebrate our anniversary today, I’m again full of gratitude and awe for how well Matthew and I live and work together, and how we share a vision for our life that prioritizes the people we love and an openness to new adventures, experiences, and perspectives. Although this past year hasn’t gone exactly to plan (notably: we thought for sure we’d have a camper built by now and we’d be off wandering around somewhere), I’m really glad for the significant time we’ve had in Michigan and here in Virginia, and appreciate all of this as part of the journey. Plus, I’m super grateful to have the flexibility and ability to spend time with family and friends when they need it most. So, cheers to you, Matthew. Let’s see what we can do with the next 15 years!

Lessons Learned – vol 1

We’ve been working on the glued panels a bit and boy have I learned a few things about what CNC routing can and can’t do. There’s been a lot of variance in thickness in the panels, particularly where two panels join. We’ve also run into some issues with some of the routes not being consistent in depth or placement. When we laid the panels on top of each other, one side was over 1/2 inch longer than the other! Yikes! It’s been a bit disappointing – a lot more work has gone into cutting, routing, and sanding than I had hoped (particularly given how expensive the CNC work was). One particular and persistent problem is where our CNC guy used a different type of plywood for one of the six side panel pieces. The plywood was warped, and of a different thickness, so it really caused some trouble. 

The good news is that we still have plenty of time to wrestle the sides into something closer to the design specs, as we are still waiting for the welding of the trailer to begin.

I still am grateful for the CNC routing for all the curvy bits. A big part of what makes a teardrop a teardrop are those beautiful compound curves that make the shape. Not only were the curves of the side panels cut by a robot, but all the curved supports that will bend the roof to their will. I’ve done some dry-fitting tests and it looks like those roof ribs are just the way I need them. Proof of whether that is true will come when it is time fit the roof skins on. 

If I were to do this thing again, I think I would try one of these options:

Option A: Just have one side CNC, and all those curvy roof bits, cut. So, instead of paying for six panels to be cut and shaped, just have three of them done this way. I wouldn’t have any of the routing done prior to joining the panels. We would take the time to hand-route the lap joints to make sure the panels are joined even. Once we have those three pieces glued to make one side, we have a template that we can use to form the other side. I would first join and glue the other side plywood as a large rectangle first, Then, lay the other finished side on it, screw the two together, and use a flush bit on a strong router to cut the shape. 

Option B: CNC cut a template, and take it from there. In this instance, we could use cheaper, thinner plywood to have the curves of the camper cut – maybe just from one 4×8 sheet. These template pieces could then be used as a router guide to cut one side of the trailer (using the glued rectangle technique described above). Then we have a completed side to use as a template for the other side. Make sense? This method would require hand routing all those roof curvy bits, but I’m not too intimidated by that. 

But, that’s for next time. I need to get back to the shop and keep plugging away! 

Re-routing a section that didn’t get done properly with the CNC robot.

June: What A Month!

As most of you know, our previous 10 Junes were filled with endless days of managing artists, patrons, and concert logistics, so we’re accustomed to some long and intense days during the peak of summer. This June didn’t require as many fancy clothes, we consumed far less salmon dip and wine, there were definitely fewer details and people to manage, and I certainly missed the beautiful music and camaraderie of the Sitka Music Festival. But this June was it’s own kind of roller coaster, filled with the heady awesomeness of a new job, the entertaining minor dramas of staff in a busy small town bar/restaurant, fun dinner parties with Jim & Tammy’s friends, the slow and deliberate progress on our camper project, and the heartbreaking news of a dear loved one embarking on a long journey with cancer.

I’m really excited about my new job at On-Ramps! Most of June was spent in a fairly intense training session with a cohort of 6 new staff, all of us learning the organizational systems and the tasks we’ll do to support the hiring processes of executive level staff at some of the most exciting non-profits and mission-driven organizations in the country. The learning curve is kind of steep and my brain has been tired, but I feel like it’s all going to click into place quickly. I’ve already been assigned to my first search! We’re working with an amazing national nonprofit that’s dedicated to helping underserved youth learn entrepreneurial skills. Our job is to help them find a new regional executive director for their New York programs. My role is to help draft the job announcement and search materials, manage the applications, review resumes, conduct first round interviews, and track the candidates as they move through the process (which includes at least 3 more interviews and a “thought exercise” – usually a written component that demonstrates their skills with direct relevance to the position).

In the meantime, I’m also still bartending at the Deltaville Tar & Raw Bar, and I have an awesome new co-bartender!

That’s right! Matthew now joins me behind the bar for these crazy weekend shifts! We’re having fun with it, and the customers seem to enjoy our shenanigans. We’re trying to keep the bar section of the restaurant stable as other drama unfolds around us – notably, we’ve gone through two assistant managers in the 3 months that I’ve worked there, both of whom quit on the spot and caused a bit of chaos in their wake. (Plus, the boyfriend of the most recent assistant manager was our head cook and he quit last weekend, also!) In the aftermath of those two quitting last weekend, we were short-staffed (especially in the kitchen) which made things kind of stressful, and the 4th of July weekend promises to be insane. But ultimately I think the changeover is a good thing – all the folks who’ve left were part of an old regime and not always seeing eye-to-eye with the new general manager, but now the general manager can start fresh with the staff that he chooses. We’re trying to support him by training new bartenders and creating some systems for taking inventory.

On another note, our hearts have become heavy with concern since my family received some extremely disappointing news last week: my dear sister Iris (who Matthew and I spent 6 months with in Michigan last fall/winter) was diagnosed with stage 4 endometrial cancer. She began an 18-week chemo cycle yesterday. My brother (Kevin), other sister (Ione), our dad, me, and our spouses are teaming up with Iris’ local community of friends to provide a strong circle of support around her. Ione is currently in Michigan with Iris; my sister-in-law Kristi is heading there next week, and I expect that I/we will be spending some time there this summer/fall. If you’re interested in following along with this story, we set up a Caring Bridge site for Iris: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/irisboettcher

There’s been a bit more progress on the camper, but mostly we’re still waiting for our welder to get around to our project. I think Matthew is planning on sharing an update with you soon, so stay tuned. Although we’re eager to get moving and see more of the country, we’re also having a nice time in Virginia and very grateful to spend summer in this beautiful place. Here are some photos of fun times from the last few weeks.

Side Walls Cut and Assembled

The CNC router that did this job is from a small company in Richmond called SolarMill. Completely solar powered!

Finally we have some progress with the camper build. Last week we got some critical pieces routed and cut, and now we are gluing them together to form the side walls and curvy-bits of the camper.

There are a few more things we can do with the sides, but the rest of the construction is pretty much on hold until we get the trailer welded, which currently isn’t scheduled until mid July!

I got a (‘nother) job! (and other updates)

At last! If you’ve been following along for awhile now, you know that I’ve been on a quest for meaningful work that’s part-time and work-from-anywhere … something where I still feel like I’m making a contribution to society while also giving us most of the income we need to live this dream. For the last 7 months, I’ve spent most mornings scrolling through job postings and agonizing over cover letters and my resume. I’ve applied for positions with two music festivals (and had to work through some feelings when I didn’t even get an interview with either one), and to other places as a grants administrator, nonprofit database manager, conference organizer, a travel agency assistant, accounting intern, and even transcriptionist. One intriguing position that I interviewed for but ultimately didn’t work out – database administrator for a nonprofit based in Colorado that works with communities in eastern Nepal to build schools, water systems, and other infrastructure.

(Intriguing position that I did NOT apply for but was fascinated by it’s existence: a Document Imaging Technician for webcemeteries . com, which is basically taking paper records on-site at cemeteries and scanning/uploading them to an online platform.)

But FINALLY, the stars seem to have aligned, and I am excited to announce I’ve been hired as a Search Specialist at On-Ramps, a search and consulting firm that supports nonprofit organizations and educational institutions with their executive-level hiring processes. In other words, when one of these entities needs a new Executive Director or other Director-level staff, they hire On-Ramps to help with recruiting/screening/interviewing candidates. I’ll have a supporting role in these processes – probably working on 2-4 searches at a time, managing candidate assessments and the logistics of the interview process. What excites me the most is their mission to help create social change across the sector by supporting these entities with a fair and equitable recruitment and hiring process. I start on June 1.

In the meantime, I’m still bartending on weekends, and I guess I’ll continue to do so as long as we’re here … or as long as I can stand it. It’s seriously kicking my butt! The tips are *really* good, though, and for the most part people are fun and nice. But most of my shifts have been so busy I hardly have time to go to the bathroom! And I am thoroughly exhausted by Sunday night. We have a lot of regulars who I’m getting to know, which is helping me get to know this whole area better. Sunday afternoons are a big time for a group of folks to come in and drink light beer. Here’s what that looks like:

Let’s see, in other updates: While Matthew was in Alaska last month, I made a quick trip home to Iowa to see my dad and my dear high school friends, Sarah and Bridget. Sarah has been in a brutal battle against cancer for the last several years: in and out of trial treatment after trial treatment, on a constant roller coaster of hope and dismay. It was so wonderful to have a couple of dedicated days with these two amazing women … and, of course, it’s always awesome to have time with my dear Dad!

Throughout it all, life here in Mathews County has been really lovely. Spring has been beautiful (even if it was a bit on the chillier side for longer than usual), and it’s great to have so much time with Matthew’s parents. We’re REALLY grateful to them for sharing their home with us for these months, and we’re trying to pay our rent by helping with various projects around the property. Here’s a few more snaps of life around Cobbs Creek. Thanks for reading!

Update from Mathews, VA

Mathews county has been unseasonably cool pretty much since we arrived here in March. I mean, like in the 50’s cool, a temperature which sends the minds of the locals reeling as they stagger outside under layers of sweaters and jackets to grab the mail or walk the dogs before returning to the warmth of the hearth. This dark rainy cool stretch ended today, and no doubt by the end of the week we will hear folks remarking on the oppressive heat. Such is our relationship to weather. 

This far into May I felt sure that I’d be deep into the trailer build, but we had a few delays and setbacks along the way. We are gaining momentum again. All the wood (which doubled and tripled in price compared to even 6 months ago), and all the camper parts have been purchased. The last two things that need done before construction begins in earnest are getting the frame parts that form the curve of the camper computer cut and routed out of wood, and getting a custom trailer welded out of steel. The wood bits we should see within the week. The trailer bit is unknown. We found a company to do it, but with worker shortages…

Oh, and a week ago I got back from a two-week stint in The Yupiit School District.  

The wind sock by the runway in Akiachak.

Quick aside: if you don’t already know I spent two and a half years working in and for a school district in the Yukon-Kuskowkim valley right before we took off and started this blog. Here’s the link for that blog: http://smallstones.net/2020/10/. I kind of stopped making posts once covid shut down the schools and kept me confined to my apartment for most of the year.

Old fuel tanks near the school serve as a parkour course.

Where was I? Oh, in Akiachak: They District brought me up to get a project that I had started that kind of withered under covid back up and running. The school in Akiachak has a low wattage FM radio station license. When I worked there full time I used some grant money to purchase the equipment to get it broadcasting again. I had the chance to visit all three villages in the District during my time there. It was good to see some of the folks I knew from my time there, all of whom are having a pretty positive outlook on the future. Hooray!

Riding on the back of the truck in Tuluksak from the village to the runway.

First Glance at the Bettie Mobile

Fresh off the drafting table.

At last we have our custom plans for the teardrop trailer! We worked with a architect/designer person to make a model for our camper in a program called SketchUp. The design is somewhat based on a design called the Wyoming Woody, but with some significant changes. The biggest design change is that we wanted to put plenty of storage in the camper. Most folks rely on keeping a lot of their traveling stuff in their tow vehicle, but we Betties will have that full of our musical gear!

What you are seeing here is not the complete picture, of course, just the things we needed figured out for designing and building purposes. There will be doors for both access to the cabin, and to the storage underneath. Matthew is going to make a very detailed journal of the design and build process, but maybe not put all those posts on this blog so we don’t overwhelm our dear followers.

Matthew is currently in Akiachak (and for some reason writing this entry in 3rd person) working on getting a radio station/audio storytelling thing happening in the school. As soon as he get’s back to Virginia, the Build will Begin!

Here’s where Matthew is sleeping, and working with some students on recording skills!

Road Trip to Asheville, NC

A couple of weeks ago, we took a road trip to Asheville and had a marvelous weekend with two of my nieces: Hannah and Emma. Hannah flew down from Philadelphia and Emma drove from Columbus – it was so cool that we could just hang out and explore an unfamiliar city together for a few days! The weather was still pretty chilly, so we didn’t have too much outdoorsy time, but there was plenty of art and culture to ponder and breweries/restaurants to enjoy. We also drove part of the Blue Ridge Parkway for some mountain views, learned about the unique Black Mountain College experiment, appreciated the craftsmanship and artistry of Cherokee basket-weaving and other traditional crafts, and saw some awesome live music in unusual places. Photos and their captions below tell more of the story.

In other news since our last post: Matthew’s parents returned from the Florida Keys last week; it’s been lovely to spend time with them and catch up.

I started my bartending job for realz last weekend – they have me working Friday-Saturday-Sunday (about 27 hours in a 54-hour time span) and I was pretty much obliterated by Sunday night! But it was fun, and I made good tips. I’m resting up for another round this weekend.

Matthew continues to make progress on the teardrop trailer design, and it’s almost time to order the wood and start building!

But things will be a little slow on that project for the next few weeks — Matthew is heading back to Akiachak AK for a 2-week contract with his former employer in the Yupiit School District. When he was there 2019-2021, one of the projects he was working on was to get a local radio station going. COVID restrictions got in the way of fully realizing it back then, but the school is still interested in having one, so Matthew is going back to try and get it rolling again.

I think that’s about it for now. Here’s a batch of photos from Asheville, followed by a few of life here in Virginia. Cheers, and hugs to you!