"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Friday, January 27, 2017

Travel Trailer ~ Tiny Home Away From Home

Cedar Pond was sold the first day we put it on the market May 1,2016. We had 2 offers on our home so we knew if the first offer fell through the second probably would not. We were surprised our home was snatched up so quickly and we'd have to leave by June 15 , 2016. That left us 6 weeks to pack up and move to our home over the mountains and far away. However, our future home was occupied by tenants and my husband had not yet retired and needed to stay near Cedar Pond to continue working until the end of September.What to do ? We moved a travel trailer ( above ) to the back yard of our youngest son and his family.  They live within walking distance to our new home. I lived there for awhile and my husband stayed with his younger brother and family withing walking distance to Cedar Pond so he could commute to his job until he retired.( My  husband came over the mountains frequently to stay here and begin getting our future home ready for us to live in .)
The travel trailer is a 1990's model we paid cash for ( cheap ! ) to use as a home-away-from-home when we visited our sons and their families on this side of the mountains. It soon became my real home for awhile. We did not have time to re-model the travel trailer or glamp it up, but the trailer was in pretty good shape, roomy, the air conditioning worked , and I was truly a happy camper.

Here is the living room of my tiny home (above). The carpeting and upholstery are turquoise and in good shape. I decided I would go with the color scheme. Hey, I like turquoise.I filled the trailer with my quilts, some antiques, my house plants, and my spinning wheels. A girl's gotta spin you know !

I did tear out all the original curtains and drapes, they were pink and turquoise with a lot of frilly trimmings popular in the 90's. I replaced them with simple sheer white curtains. The trailer already had blinds installed in all the windows.
We put a flat screen t.v. and DVR player in the trailer on an antique shelf . We were not connected to cable or satellite , we have an ample collection of favorite videos to watch. You can see the small bedroom off the living room here.
The very small,warm and cozy bedroom with the very small sliding door. A bedroom with no space to walk around the bed. The bed is very comfortable though with plenty of storage in the nightstands and above the bed. You just have to climb over the bed to access the storage.
Since our tiny home / travel trailer was in the back yard of our youngest son and his family, his son would practically bounce out of their home in the mornings and head to our trailer to visit. The first thing he would look for is our cat Blizzard. Little grandson really loves Blizzard and Blizzard is very happy to make himself available to grandson. ( Blizzard is on a bunk in the 2nd bedroom of the trailer.)
What you can't see is the sink and stove to the right in the picture, and the dinette that seats 4 to 6 people to the left front of the picture.
Blizzard and our other cat Miss Marple were never allowed out of the trailer when we lived in our youngest son's backyard. They did not seem to mind at all. Here is Blizzard looking out the window at our son's Mennonite neighbor haying his alfalfa field.
My German Shepherd spent the days outdoors and the evenings indoors with me and the cats.I covered a lot of the trailer's original carpeting with my own handwoven rugs.
Even a tiny home has room for a large dog to stretch out.
All my house plants and the small trees and bushes we brought with us were placed around the outside of the trailer. In July I gained a new puppy from one of our granddaughters and the puppy kennel was placed under the awning in front of our trailer. In this picture our 2 youngest grandsons are talking to my puppy , Luna.
Blizzard was never allowed outdoors but he surveyed the comings and goings from the trailer screen door. I loved living in my tiny home and know I could live this way quite happily. So could my cats. I think even my husband could too. However, he retired, out tenants moved out and we began moving into our new home at Laughing Dove Farm.We are so thankful to our youngest son and his family for their generosity in allowing us , our flock of geese, chickens, doves,sheep and dogs to live in their back yard while we waited to move into our new home.

This travel trailer is now our guest cottage.We had a few guests stay in it quite comfortably. Our grandkids like staying in it when they visit. I fill the cupboards and fridge with snacks and beverages. The trailer has a very nice kitchenette and a bathroom, plus a bunk room with 3 bunks.I am planning on making it even better and doing a teensy bit of renovating. We will be adding a nice corrugated metal roof, skirting around it, and a porch. My once tiny home will be our guest cottage.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Kathy, Oh this is an interesting post. I am fascinated with tiny homes and watch the shows about them on home and garden tv. How nice that you can now use this trailer as a guest cottage and a favorite place for your grands! Look forward to seeing the changes that you make.

Debbie said...

That is making the best of a tricky and trying situation. And you were successful. How wonderful to have great family to help. We had a travel trailer when the kids were still home and enjoyed it immensely. It saw some use traveling through many states. I miss it. We have been looking at some newer trailers and I think they should seek the help of a decorator. Some of those interiors were very discomfiting! I like yours, and especially the plants, rugs and sheers. What a good idea to have a place to put your guests!
So good to read your post. Hope you're settling in well in your beautiful new abode. :D

Karen said...

That was a nice housing solution with the quick sale of your home. Thankful everything has worked out so well, and now you can travel with your cozy trailer!

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

The trailer looked very comfortable and cozy while you were staying in it and what a great guest cottage! Indeed you were blessed to have family allow you, and your critters stay on their property. Just think what an adventure it was for them too! :-)

Pondside said...

Well done, Kathy. I love your spirit. I have been away from the blog world for a while so I am glad to see your posts and to learn that you have settled into your new home.

Pondside said...

Well done, Kathy. I love your spirit. I have been away from the blog world for a while so I am glad to see your posts and to learn that you have settled into your new home.

Goatldi said...

My eyes caught the wheel before I read your post. Spinner vision heehee. Love this and I am so happy you got to live in the trailer as you did. Such fun to have an adventure. Glad you are finally settled in your new farm and trust the journey is smooth. We did the same thing ten years ago and have never regretted it once!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

How wonderful that you had this little home on wheels to live in until you could move into your new home. You fixed it up nicely and it will be a wonderful guest cottage.

I looking forward to seeing pics of your new home and gardens when you're ready.

Love & hugs and happy spinning and living at Laughing Dove Farm ~ FlowerLady

Bee Lady said...

Very cute! I love how homey it is and how you personalized it with your own rugs. I've done that in our home. The only rugs I have on the floor are the ones I made or my MIL made. Love them! Glad you are enjoying your new home.

Cindy

Texastracking said...

charming decoration certainly made that travel trailer into a great home on wheels. Terrific idea about using as guest house - how terribly elegant my deah - a guest house. LOL - such a splendid solution to a temporary situation. Love having you back to blogging - your critters and your family are dear to me

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is really something! You did a great job with making it so homey! Your dog looks so comfy in that one photo...it just all made me smile. How blessed you are to have a son that was able to give you some yard space for a while. :) That's great! I really enjoyed this post. :)

Henny Penny said...

Oh my, I would be perfectly happy to live in that cute, cozy looking travel trailer. It all looks so warm and comfortable and I love the layers on the bed. You did a great job!

Thistle Cove Farm said...

What a nice update although I'm still "jealous" your place sold so quickly. Then again, God has a plan...for all of us and I'm confident His plans for me are good. I've got a 19' trailer/camper I could live in (for a short while) and, like you, plan on it being a visitor cottage...whenever. Kathy, I'm glad Jim retired and y'all are settling into your new homestead. It's all blessings and gifts.

Anonymous said...

What a great idea for your sojourn. You've given me an idea to consider, too. So glad things worked out so well for the sale of your home and your new home, too.

Hallie said...

I am so excited to see this update! I hadn't realized you were moving but knew I hadn't seen you at Lacamas for awhile.... while talking to my friend about her new move to the country we started putting 2 and 2 together and I realized that it was her thst bought your farm! I love seeing her posts about their new found joy of country living. Thought you might like to know how much your old place is loved! I look forward to reading more about your new adventure! We too are getting ready to retire and have many adventures coming our way too! Including some camper living with three kids, three dogs and two cats! Life is never boring but God is so good!

Stella Jones said...

Your lovely little temporary home reminds me of the holiday home we had on holiday when the children were growing up. It was like living in a dolls house, everything nearby and very cosy. I think you did very well with all the animals and especially with a new puppy. Good luck in your new home. I'm sure you will all be very happy there. Is your husband still taking care of his bees? and did they come too?

Connie said...

I love how you make good use of every inch of space. It may be tiny, but it looks quite cozy and functional with all of your needs being met. You have it decorated so prettily too. I'm glad you were able to make use of it in the interim between moving from one house to the next. :)

Lady Jane said...

I have missed your neat posts. You have a nice way explaining things and I just love your cozy travel trailer. Cant wait to see your new home up and running. LJ

L. D. said...

Wow, I thought our move was going to be complicated. You did creative thinking and pulled it off. Our closing is in March and right now financially we can just hold the old house until I get it good repair I am turning out 30 year old art gallery, frame shop, and studio area into a grand family room. I am really going to make it impressive to help make the very old house sell. I just may not have time to get the renovations done and move at the same time. Our entire art works, art materials and equipment are all packed and stuffed in the dining room. I am going crazy but I will simmer down and stay on task. I am glad you are more settled now.

Unknown said...

OK!!!! You are convincing me :)
Kathy B.