In life, Betty was a feisty and adventurous woman. Born in 1924, she was far beyond her times as a woman who enjoyed life and excelled in her career and adventures. A photographer, a sailor, a teacher, she lived her life to the fullest.

It’s only right that Betty Jo, the Airstream, continues Betty’s adventurous spirit, taking us on travels we only dreamed about.

We met Betty at a camera club in Anacortes, WA in 2008. In her eighties, she loved photography and had been doing it throughout most of her life. She had no children of her own, her only sister and family lived in southern California. Soon our friendship grew and we became like family. Over the years, she spent holidays with us and our family, and numerous times we adventured to Princess Louisa Inlet in British Columbia, her most favorite place on earth.

Just a few days short of her 96th birthday, and the start of the Covid lockdown, Betty peacefully passed on. A long life, full of adventure, she left behind fond memories and cherished moments. She also left us the means to start the next chapter in our life.

Betty owned an Airstream back in her younger years. Adding us to her estate, her wishes were to make sure we had a home and a chance to enjoy life, so it was only fitting that our home and our dreams to travel take place in an Airstream aptly named, Betty Jo, in memory of a special person who became family.

I firmly believe that things happen for a reason. That we were meant to be a big part of Betty’s life and she was meant to become part of our family. The reasons are not always apparent, not at first, but later when you reflect back you can see the benefits or learn the lessons of that point in time.

Our gratitude to Betty extends far beyond what she has left us, it started with her friendship, her love for us, her caring nature. May we respectfully honor her as we take this next step, as we take her along on our next journey.

Almost two years!!

Two years of dreaming.

Two years of planning.

But, are we really ready to do this?

On Christmas Eve, we took our first step. I think of it has a commitment to what’s next.

When you dream, make plans, think “oh wouldn’t this be fun, we should do this,” it is always exciting. You start by watching YouTube channel after YouTube channel, you research and research some more. You join one Facebook Group after the other, trolling through the posts, then finally you start asking questions. You absorb as much information as you can before overload sets in. All the while still dreaming.

Then the time comes where you either “shit or get off the pot,” which means - commit to doing something productive or step aside and stop wasting time.

No matter how much you study, how much YouTube you watch, how many Facebook groups you troll, at some point you have to take that first step. You have to make it real. Anxiety will build, you might go “Oh, no,” your emotions will swing from giddy excitement to doubt and back again. Change is always hard and stressful, even when the change is good. But change is also necessary - it provides growth, awareness, strength.

When you take that first step towards committing, reality sets in and you think, “Are we really ready to do this?”

Well, on Christmas Eve we made our first step towards a dream of full-time living and traveling in an RV - we committed to it by purchasing the Towing Vehicle (TV in RV slang.)  After months of research and reading forum after forum we settled on the type of TV we needed and wanted. We went from trolling Facebook groups to trolling websites looking for used trucks. The first thing to hit us was ‘sticker shock’ on used trucks. Let’s just say, “WOW!” and leave it at that. Then we encountered how hard they were to find. The model we wanted was so popular and so rare, especially when equipped with what we wanted or needed, that we expected it to take months. We lucked out and found a 2018 Ford 250 almost fully equipped and with low miles, so we jumped on it. I had never realized how “big” these truck were until I stood next to it or tried to climb inside.

That first step, that first commitment was made.

I guess we are ready to do this. Or at least one step closer.