Hi, I'm Lisa

We recently visited the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest near Bishop, CA and WHAT a spectacular experience.

The Great Basin bristlecone pines are the oldest living non-clonal organisms on the planet. The oldest known living tree, Methuselah, has a verified age of almost 5,000-years old! That`s older than the pyramids. 😲

The area is also home to the largest recorded Bristlecone Pine, aptly named, The Patriarch.

I love that the precise location of Methuselah is kept a secret to protect the it from tourists who could otherwise damage the old-timer and weaken its roots, and jerks who might vandalize it. Not even the park employees know which tree it is, though they have their guesses.

Paco and I drove the 16-mile road up to the Patriarch Grove and had the entire place to ourselves. Walking through the gnarled, weather-beaten, resilient, ancient trees felt like walking through a magical fairy tale.

It was such an incredible moment, and being the avid tree-lover that I am, it`s an experience that left an imprint on my heart. ❤️🌲🪾🗻 ...

We are officially back to living in the van full-time. 🙌🏼🚐👩🏼‍🎨🐶

It’s the first time in years I don’t have a dog sitting gig or any other calendared event to schedule our travels around. Sure, I plan to connect with friends and family along the way, but as of now, the calendar is wiiiiiide open.

So, get ready for an uptick in photos from our adventures and daily stories to bring all of you along the journey with us.

I’ll also finally get to answering all the questions submitted and turning them into blog posts (I know...I know….totally dropped the ball on that one 🤦🏼‍♀️).

If you’re in the PNW and need a mural or pet sitter, reach out! ...

That’s a wrap on the Las Vegas mural! 🙌🏼🥳

Everything about this experience was so easy and wonderful, and I am SO grateful for the opportunity.

The request to paint this mural arrived the night before I was leaving Flagstaff, and since I was heading towards Vegas anyway, I decided to meet with the family and see their space.

We fleshed out the details of the design while Paco and I retreated to the mountains to escape the 100°+ heat, then returned when temps dropped and I got to work. I admit, there was a moment when I thought we’d have to push the project to the Fall, but the weather decided to cooperate and we had 80s, clouds, and rain most of the week, which was absolutely fantastic.

I put in some long hours, but completed the mural in four days and couldn’t be happier with the results.

I’ll be sure to share more photos and videos so you can get the full experience of how bright and colorful it is.

Want a mural in your own space? Reach out and we can talk shop! If you’re in the Scottsdale, Phoenix, Henderson, or Vegas areas, bookings begin in October, once the heat calms down, and extend through winter. If you’re located in a western state where temps are cooler, I could point the van your direction and splash some color into your home! 👩🏼‍🎨🎨🖌️🐶 ...

I thought it’d be fun to let you all into my home by sharing some of the small details that make it unique to me, as well as insight into things I did differently with this second van, upgrades I made, design components I replicated from my last van, and more.

Curious about something specific? Leave a comment below or send me a DM and I’ll share it in a future post!

First up is a more recent addition to the van’s outer décor. While wandering through the forest in Flagstaff, AZ, I found the most incredible elk antler. It was by far the largest antler shed I’ve found in all of my travels, and I beamed with joy as I carried it for the three-mile journey back to the van.

While I had a different vision for where I wanted to mount it onto the van, I greatly underestimated how much of a curve the end of the antler had and how far it stuck out.

I love where it sits now, subtle yet still proudly displayed and hopefully out of the way enough to not impale any birds while driving or get caught on trees as I navigate forest roads.😁 ...

I upgraded the awning situation on this new van build. It was one of the “splurges” I made because I knew it would 100% be worth every penny.

My old van had a basic awning setup that required a step stool to reach and I had to manually unroll it to set up and re-roll it to pack it away – which usually took a few tries as it never rolled up perfectly enough to fit into the housing. I know that sounds SO hard, right? But try rolling a large unwieldy awning when wind gusts are carrying you away, or when a forest fire kicks up and you’re frantically trying to get out as quickly as possible. That awning served me well, but because it was so cumbersome to put up and take down, I didn’t use it as often as I would’ve liked.

So, I upgraded to a @fiamma__official F45s awning and BOY is it a game changer. It’s not only made of more durable materials, it is SO easy to set up and take down.

There’s a fabulous metal handle that I simply hook onto the aluminum casing, turn, and voila! The awning emerges on its own, unrolls and rolls back with smooth perfection, and the legs are so easy to set up and pack back into place. It’s pure magic.

I have used it much already, and don’t even think twice about setting it up, even if just for a short time because setup and take down are so simple.

If you’re contemplating an awning for your rig, or thinking about upgrading your current situation, I definitely recommend the Fiamma – and no, this isn’t a paid endorsement (though wouldn’t that be great if it were!?) – I just appreciate a good product when I find it and want to share. ...