The early days
We moved into a trailer on the property at the beginning of the wettest winter in a CENTURY
…at least that’s what it felt like in the midst of it
As a result of the lease schedule for our duplex, we moved up to the property at the beginning of December. The winter of 2018 ended up being the wettest winter we had had in the Bay Area in quite some time! The rainy season took it’s time arriving, but right after we moved in to the trailer it hit full-force! It was like Mother Nature was greeting us with a big “welcome to your new life… are you sure you thought this through?!” Luckily our sister and brother-in-law were already living on our pad and had laid down a bunch of rock, which helped a ton with the mud. Right in front of our trailer, however, was fresh dirt so we were in desperate need of a walkway of sorts. Fletch found us some pallets for a walkway and pavers that served as our son’s jumping-off-point in to “Lake Anderson”. We didn’t realize we were moving in to a lake-front property when we parked the trailer but it was a pleasant surprise for all the boys after the rain started. Someday we’ll have a proper place for splashing but at the time, Lake Anderson was the kids favorite place to play (Yaaayy 😑). Despite all the mud, we were beyond excited to be up on the property with our family as our neighbors and endless space for activities.
Our daily routine changed significantly when we moved up to the property but it was surprisingly easy to make the switch once we decided to just roll with the punches and figure it out as we went. We went from waking up with power, endless warm water and heat, cable, fast internet, and quick commutes… to power from a generator, warm water and heat from small propane tanks, no TV or internet, and 45 minute commutes. Luckily the little dude was happy reading books, or trailer manuals, and spending his time outside with his cousins. Fletch and I had plenty of things to work on to keep us busy during any down time we had in the evening or on the weekends. We also quickly adjusted to life rising and falling with the sun. It was amazing how much more sleep we got without the distraction of TV!
We still had mobile hotspots and a computer so any time we needed to distract our son or nephews we’d set up my computer on top of the laundry hamper and let them watch a movie and eat snacks. There was just enough room on our couch for the 4 boys, and our son had a little cubby for the computer in his “room” for when I needed to work, make dinner without distraction, or just keep him from becoming a giant ball of mud.
I will never forget the first big storm of the year. The news was hyping up how gnarly it was going to be so we decided to throw a storm party in our sister and brother-in-law’s trailer. We squeezed 7 adults, 4 boys and 2 dogs in the trailer, made a bunch of food and had a dance party - aka the boys all took off their shirts and jumped around the small “living room” in the trailer. At this time the boys were all 5 and younger which meant high levels of energy and not a lot of rhythm. Little did we know that the storm would be much easier to weather than the boys going nuts as a result of the excitement. The storm brought some serious wind gusts and heavy rain, but mostly a lot of entertainment. Little did we know, this storm would end up being one of the tamer storms throughout the course of the longest winter we’d had in a while.
There is a fine line between the enjoyable sound of rain on the roof and being concerned you’ll get washed away with the storm. We had at least 8 nights throughout the course of that winter where we woke up to the rain rattling the trailer as if we were inside a tin can... which I guess, in reality we kind of were. Most of the time we were able to sleep through the storm but on those few occasions we’d wake up the next morning not only tired from sitting awake listening to the rain and wind, but also extremely locked-up from laying there stressed out and bracing for impact.
The most amazing thing about that long, wet, muddy winter was how green it made the hills surrounding us. Often times it’s easy to lose yourself in the hustle of life, especially in the Valley, but living up on the mountain surrounded by THAT much beauty keeps us grounded and serves as a constant reminder to pause and take a big beautiful breath of fresh air. We will forever be grateful for the opportunity to set down roots in a place far enough from the shuffle to feel like an oasis but close enough to civilization to be convenient.
