Free Tea Party

Hello Portland! – Portland, OR

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Guisepi

Somehow Edna knew we were going to Portland, and she just couldn’t not be hip – hence the mustache she grew.

Yes! It was a BIG step for our 2+ North American Tea Tour to get here. The one big string that was still attached that hampered our no-itinerary/go-wherever-we-want,-whenever-we-want modus operandi was Freddie the horse trailer (mobile shop/storage unit). I’ve been collecting tools and building materials to build Edna for years. This trailer followed me from WA to CA to OR to CA to WA for the purpose of hauling my things from shop to shop, and some gear for festivals like Rootstalk. And now it has followed me to Oregon. But this time it stays.

Owen’s shop

My firefightin’ buddy Owen just bought a house in Portland with not only a shop, but a warehouse too. He offered me a place to park Freddie indoors for the duration of the Tea Tour. I am here now to help him out for a month or more, setting up his shop, putting some of my tools (like my welder) in his ship for use, helping him organize, bouncing ideas and plans for the homestead, etc. Unhooking Freddie here was one of the most relieving things I could possibly hope for.

After such good (and exhausting) run of serving tea down the I-5 corridor in Washington, I decided to take it easy (at least in the tea serving realm) for a little bit. Instead I got right to work helping Owen scrub his exterior shop walls, replacing ballasts and bulbs in the shop lights, fixing the glass sliding porch door, organizing the shop, etc.

Tea time at First Thursday Art Walk in downtown Portland

On the 2^nd of May, I ventured off to downtown Portland to serve tea at the First Thursday Art Walk. Part of the Art Walk is a street market of awesome handmade things, which I so conveniently found a decent parking spot right in the middle of. Showing up early (like 1-2 hours early) is the best way to find parking for these events. However, once I got set up, a traffic enforcer came by and informed me I had to move because the bus was blocking a STOP sign. Hesitantly, I agreed.

There was another spot across the street that was even better, and I had seen which vendor was parked there, so I wandered over to her booth to see if she’d switch. She semi-hesitantly agreed, but just then her friend walked up and said that the Kind Bar people (who were giving out free bars) wanted their spot. We schemed a three way parking spot swap, but before I could get turned around, someone snagged my spot. My new friend Sean (who had learned about the tea bus because of this Reddit post) was quick to jump in and explain to the parking spot thief what was happening. The guy was stubborn and wouldn’t move, but the Kind Bar guy came to the rescue and offered him a box of bars. They guy took it and moved. It was a pretty intense situation. It was weird because the guy who took the parking spot just couldn’t get it through his head that the only reason the spot opened was for me to take it, otherwise it wouldn’t have opened. It is so crazy how selfish people can be. Only when he was offered something did he move – he couldn’t just move out of courtesy or understanding. A BIG thank you to the vendor, Sean, and the Kind Bar folks. The kind bar folks even gave us a box of bars!

The swapped parking spot at First Thursday

The parking spot was prime. It was a little slow for an art walk, but we still got many visitors. Highlights include making a pact with a couple other folks to make a reverse book club, where we’re all writing and reading and critiquing each other’s work, having many people who were sent there by friends in other cities, providing a place for some concert goers to relax after an intense show, chumming it up with an ex-drug addict who was roaming the streets for recycling. I love the variety of people that come with cities. It was a late night, but I don’t care!

I am so excited to spend some time in this city. We will probably be here until early June, but who knows! We will both be working on Owen’s homestead and Edna, as well as cruising a bit to serve tea at different events and places. Keep your eyes out for us at some Village Building Convergence events. Definitely the best way to know where we’ll be is to befriend Edna Lu on Facebook. Yay!

Edna at Owen’s warehouse

Posted in Events, News, On the Street | Tagged City Repair, First Thursday, Freddie, North American Tour, OR, Portland, Reddit, shop, Tea Tour, Village Building Convergence, WA | Leave a comment

Oly Moly – Olympia, WA

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Guisepi

Good folks of Olynmpia (including Ben, who I met at Doe Bay on Orcas, and Francis the One Man Band)

I’ve driven through Oly many-a-times, but never really stopped here. I’ve known many people who went to Evergreen, heard about this city from many on the road, and my dad even lived here briefly. From all I had heard, I knew the tea bus would be welcome here. I was glad to have no itinerary or deadlines, so that I could spend some time!

The Make Olympia street market.

I arrived in time for the weekend of fun – Spring Art Walk. Thanks to my friend Vanessa (fellow Common Vision volunteer), I had a great landing spot when I rolled into town. I could park Freddie (the horse trailer) there, have the amenities of a home, and have a friend to spend time with in the garden, on the porch, and bantering between the house and bus. I awoke the first morning and caught up with V through the window while I was still laying in bed and she was on the porch. I pretty much instantly fell in love with the city.

I drove downtown Friday where their twice-yearly Art Walk was happening and set up across the street from the Make Olympia street market. I had contacted both the City and the head of Make Olympia to see if I could fit in somewhere with the festivities, but my response from both was basically the same: we can’t help you, but find parking on the street or in public lots and do your thing. After my experience with the Fremont Market recently, I was hopeful for working with permission from cities/events, but that quickly diminished again… Nevertheless, it turned out WONDERFUL! I literally could not boil water fast enough with two burners and two kettles.

The tea party was overflowing onto the street.

I often feel like I write the same thing about tea parties: there were lots of great people, many old friends, surprises by friends, new friends, etc. It’s so great that these things keep happening, but I assure you, it is soooo unique ever time – although I seem to run into the One Man Band all the time (Arcata, Portland, Seattle, and now Olympia).

This night had several military men (one who just got back from Afghanistan the day prior). I could tell he was uncomfortable sitting in a school bus drinking free tea in a city like Olympia during their Art Walk (everything points to liberal), but we assured him that he was one of us – a human. He asked what we thought was happening in Afghanistan, and shared his point of view. It was super enlightening. But it did get a little heated at one point with one of his friends (super aggressive, wants to attack Syria, thinks that violence is the answer – not collaboration). I am glad that these discussions can happen on the bus and everyone walks away with another viewpoint.

People on Edna’s Roof watching the Procession.

I awoke the next morning excited about what the day was going to bring: The Procession of the Species Parade. I’d heard about it for years, and now finally I was going to get to see it and participate. After a quick stop at the water treatment plant to empty my grey water tank, and a stop at a flea market (where I picked up another tea kettle that fits in my woodstove), I cruised around Oly looking for a good parking spot for the parade. Many streets were closed, and parking was difficult, but at last I found a decent one.

I parked and decided to walk around to see if there was a better parking spot. As I walked down the sidewalk, a woman who was walking by looked me up and down. I had never been so blatantly checked out. As I stopped at a crosswalk she caught up to me and said something along the lines of: I write a fashion blog, and I was wondering if I could take your photo. Flattered, I agreed and when she was looking around for the right background, I suggested we walk down the block to my school bus. She was immensely interested, and took pictures of both the bus and myself. Here’s what came from this interaction: It’s My Darlin’.

Ashley, Vanessa, and some fun kids.

Our parking spot turned out to be a great one. It was a huge crowd and so many people were stopping in for tea. People sat and stood on the roof for the parade, as we were right along the parade route. The parade was spectacular, but once again, I was serving enough tea to keep me from actually seeing much of the parade. I have become completely comfortable with the fact that I often miss out things in order to create my own thing that people can enjoy.

Late that night, when we were serving up a pot of Fairytale Tea, a man came by with a guitar and asked if he could play a song. The song ended up being the story of Tam Lin. I was only familiar with the name because Elephant Revival has a fiddle tune of the same name. The song was a long fairytale with wonderful lyrics and hidden meanings. It just so happened that a woman named Chandelle was in the bus filming the song. She ended up being super into the story of Tam Lin and had even traveled to the places mentioned in the story in order to learn more and find out how true it might be. She shed some light for the guitar player on many of the meanings of parts of the song. It was a great synchronistic moment on the tea bus. See the video below (thanks Chandelle):

Another late evening and early morning led my kind host Vanessa to say: F*ck man, when do you ever sleep? It was true in Olympia, and much of Seattle and Bellingham. I pretty much served tea all weekend straight and slept little.

Fellow who played Tam Lin! And Ashley from Bellingham.

I was surprised on Friday evening by a crew of Western Washington University students who I met in Bellingham a couple weeks prior. I had stayed at a house a few of them lived at, and we became as tight as you can in a few days, talking about life and philosophy, adventures and travel. In Olympia we spent some time on the bus during the tea festivities of Friday and Saturday, but on Sunday they insisted on bringing my out to breakfast. They wanted words, they wanted stories. So, we yakked over food, and said some ridiculously sweet goodbyes with lots of hugs. Even though I meet people so briefly most of the time, it is really nice to know that those interactions are deep, bright, and will be carried with all of us for a long time. Thank you Mike, Ashley, Jacob, Andrew, and Lauren…

Here’s a dance party to The Kinks’ Have a Cuppa Tea from Lauren:

Omar’s Tea Temple

Also while serving tea in Olympia I met a fellow tea man named Omar. He has a box truck for work that he used to sometimes set up for tea sessions, but I think he hadn’t done it for a while. It was actually the model of truck I was originally thinking of making into a tea house (Navy issue diesel chevy van with a box with slider windows). We connected instantly and bounced many ideas off each other. Immediately he was inspired to renew his tea serving ventures. The last day I was in Olympia we met up so we could rap about his tea truck. We looked it over and talked about layout, plans, and ideas. It was fun to have a blank canvas to look at. Now, after leaving Oly, I see on Facebook that Omar has been working on the tea-truck. I am stoked to have been a catalyst for inspiring him to build out the truck. Keep up with his tea house here on Facebook.

One thing that I noticed when I was in Olympia was that I was getting people signing up for my email list all over the country. Usually that happens when an article gets published or something, so I went on to Google Analytics to see where recent traffic had come from. I usually average between 15-100 unique hits per day, but over the course of the weekend, I had over 10,000 unique hits. Oly Moly! They were mostly referred traffic from Reddit.com, where someone had posted something about the tea bus. It was insane!

On Sunday morning I got a call from my dear friend Owen in Portland. He needed some help quick on his house due to an impending cancellation of his new homeowners insurance. I had planned on really spending some time in Olympia, as I had no place I had to be and no itinerary. But of course, part of having no itinerary is not only for allowing much fun to be had, but to help people who are in need – to go places for any reason when that reason feels right. That night I hooked up Freddie late and drove through the night to Portland to surprise Owen.

Thanks Vanessa for the home base, but mostly thanks for digging up some of your Lemon Balm to help kick start my soon-to-be-garden. Thanks Omar for being inspired – it actually inspires me back! Thanks to the Bellinghamsters. Thanks to all the wonderful guests! Oh, and a big thanks to Steve Roberts for the top on the artesian water – it makes for wonderful tea!

Myself having good conversation with some guests.

Mike!

Gorillas!

Procession of the Species Parade

Rooftop view of the Procession

Jules (Juggling Jollies, Lookout Arts Quarry) sipping tea after a long day of performances

Using my new vacuum hose grey water emptying system.

The One Man Band plays by the tea bus.

Posted in Events, On the Street, Video | Tagged Common Vision, Fairytale Tea, It's My Darlin', Make Olympia, military, Olympia, One Man Band, parade, Procession of the Species, Spring Art Walk, tea truck, WA, Western Washington University, WWU | Leave a comment

Steepless in Seattle – Seattle, WA

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Guisepi

The Fremont Market

No, not really, I guess. We weren’t steepless at all. More like steepfull. We pretty much served tea all weekend here. I contacted my friend Pepper Proud upon arrival and asked what was happening and where would there be people who might like tea. The first night, Friday, her and I went out to Ballard Ave. to just serve tea to strangers. It was hard as heck to find the right parking, but once we did it was great. A jazz festival was happening and people were drifting down the sidewalks. Pepper played her guitar in a doorway across the sidewalk and serenaded all who walked by.

Random Ballard Ave folks (with Pilgrim, Pepper, and Raquel)

Inside the bus our dear friend Pilgrim (remember him from Sh’Bang?) and his friend Raquel, as well as many other random folks, sipped tea. We shared stories about adventures and music and vehicle/boat conversions. It was amazing.

That night Pilgrim invited me to come park at the marina where he was living aboard a sailboat he is work-trading for. Its a great little project, and reminiscent of River’s boat (see Bellingham blog entry) both because it is a sailboat restoration project, but also because both of them want to create sailing vessels that bring music to people. And they both have dreads. Remind me to connect those two. Pilgrim gave me the combo to the bathrooms and showers, and no one hassled my when sleeping there. Good spot.

Usually when I cruise through Seattle I stop on Capitol Hill and serve tea to the crazy variety of people there. Someone in Bellingham suggested Fremont, and I basically spent most of my time in Ballard/Fremont area, which turned out to be so much fun.

Good folks at the Fremont Market.

Saturday night we headed over to OmCulture, a yoga studio that hosts a once a month dance called Dream Dance. It was a super fun place to meet and see people. There was already a tea zone upstairs, but we still got so many people coming in for tea.

Sunday morning came early and brought Edna and I to the Fremont Market. I’d heard good things about it, so I arrived early to try and snag a spot near the end on the street. There was a fellow working the back end of the market directing people and cars who looked intently as I pulled a U-turn. He signaled and I parked temporarily. Curious about the bus, I told him what it was all about. “Oh, we can just put you here in the market. It’s free? Oh, we’ll just consider you a non-profit and you don’t have to pay anything to be here. Oh, and you need to leave early to get to another event, we can work that out.” I really wish I remembered this guy’s name, because he was a saint.

It worked out really well to be there at the market. We got a spot right on the street where all the happenings are and many many people stopped by. I got to see my old from Colin from San Juan Island (my favorite economist), and got to hear about his new project Polis. I saw my dear friend Elena, who many of you have heard about something she said to me that tipped the scales and made me decide to make serving free tea my life’s mission. Many new faces appeared and we drank a ton of tea.

The Nectar Lounge for the Renunu Fashion Show

We left early to get to our reserved parking spot outside The Nectar Lounge for the Renunu Fashion Show, which highlighted clothing made from recycled/salvaged material. We had PRIME parking right where everyone walked in and out. Because the green room was packed with clothing and models, we provided an expanded green room with all kinds of food/snacks for some of the musicians and models, as well as any of the guests. It was a grand time with a fashion show, live music by Pepper Proud, The Mongrel Jews, and Nu Klezmer Army, as well as a burlesque show. Love these kinds of events!

Pickled Okra (Paisley and Todd) Raquel and another.

After serving tea for about 30 hours straight I decided to take it easy a bit. Pepper and her partner Charlie were kind enough to let me base myself there at their house in North Ballard for much of the time I was in Seattle. It was such a blessing. Sometimes it feels like I’m out at work, putting all my energy outwards, feeding people tea and love and energy. And then finding myself in a house that is a sanctuary of good people and good food and good energy, is the best thing I could ask for. I had to do some video editing work, so it was nice to sit on my butt for a couple days after all that tea serving.

I was eager to roll down the road, so I headed to Woodinville on Wednesday, where I had stashed Freddie (the horse trailer) the day I got the the Seattle area at my buddy Rowan’s place. It had been great to get to connect with his family. His kids LOVED the bus, as did his grandma, who was a peace activist for a long time. I had such a great time connecting with everyone in the family. I made up a hug batch of soup and canned it for the road.

The Shook Twins at Bear Creek.

That Wednesday night I headed over to Bear Creek Studio, where I had been in January working with Elephant Revival. This time, my friends The Shook Twins were recording their new album. After an evening of “becoming the teabag” (sitting in the hot tub), I spent the next day shooting some video for them. Love all the folks in this band!

It felt like I was leaving Seattle without doing many things I had hoped. There were places I wanted to serve tea, old friends I had wanted to connect with, and different areas I wanted to explore… But the allure of making it to Olympia for their Spring Art Walk and Procession of the Species Parade was too great. I hooked up that night and drove through the darkness to Olympia with Freddie in tow.

Kyle at Bear Creek – he’s got a sweet bus!

My buddy Nico, shredding it at Bear Creek.

Renunu Fashion Show

Pilgrim and someone’s kid at the Fremont Market.

Posted in Events, On the Street | Tagged Ballard, Bear Creek Studio, burlesque, Capitol Hill, Dream Dance, Elephant Revival, Fremont, Fremont Market, Mongrel Jews, Nectar Lounge, Nu Klezmer Army, Olympia, Olympia Art Walk, OmCulture, Pepper Proud, Procession of the Species, recycled, Renunu, salvage, Seattle, Sh'Bang, Shook Twins, WA, Woodinville | 1 Comment

Vaudevillingham – Bellingham, WA

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Guisepi

Edna Lu the Tea Bus and Kurly Fries

What a great last event to do in Bellingham. Hosted monthly at the CirqueLab, this event brings out the best of variety entertainment from juggling to comedy to dance. There was such a fun group of performers and crowd alike. We set up right in front of the venue across from fellow tinkerer and vegetable oil aficionado, River, and his Kurly Fries cart made from salvaged materials (reminiscent of the tea bus).

One highlight of the evening was when a woman brought out a sign she made after she ran across the tea bus at the Sh’Bang Festival six months ago. The sign designated a free tea station there at the CirqueLab. So awesome!

As per usual, I missed most of the show, but ended up catching a few great and hilarious acts. This event is a must see if you’re ever in Bellingham on the 15th of any month.

Some good folks came out who became good friends during the short time I was in Bellingham. They brought wonderful smiles and farewells. Thanks for everything Bellingham.

We spent the next couple days at the Lookout Arts Quarry regaining our strength!

I know, he’s ugly, but we serve tea to anyone.

Good Peeps!

Edna and Freddi (the horse trailer) are reunited at the Lookout Arts Quarry.

Posted in Events | Tagged Bellingham, CirqueLab, Kurly Fries, salvage, Vaudevillingham, WA | 2 Comments

Not Far in Miles, but Light Years in Smiles – Bellingham, WA

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Guisepi

Western Washington University’s students loved the tea bus!

What an amazing start to our tour off the Islands! Edna and I left the Islands a week ago Friday in time to serve tea at the Anacortes Art Walk. We were invited to set up in front of the Anacortes Center for Happiness, which is an amazing organization/space that hosts anything happiness related, from yoga to music to film screenings. They reached out through their networks to make sure the tea bus was full of people all evening. It was so great to get off the island and get back in the flow of life in new places with new faces. This is what I am meant to do! People were super receptive and eager to interact.

Serving at the Anacortes Art Walk with Freddie in tow.

I trekked off that night to the Lookout Arts Quarry with my horse trailer in tow, where I had been six months earlier serving tea for the Sh’Bang Festival. The site seemed dead at this point compared to the hustle and bustle of what was there last time we were. It was a long needed resting point, as I was still recuperating from being sick. Even though I arrived late, I awoke early the next morn to look for someone to talk to about where to park the horse trailer. No one was in sight, so I dropped it out of the way and headed off towards the first farmers’ market of the season in Bellingham.

This was probably the best place I could make the tea. It was actually quite a magical experience. I pulled by the market as people were setting up and spotted a perfect spot on a closed off street right next to the festivities. As I pulled around the block I noticed a fellow nomad by his RV and was tempted to honk in solidarity with him. 30 seconds after I

The first farmers’ market of the season.

pulled into my perfect parking spot, the nomad drove up in his RV, stepped out, came over and said, “Um so, I hate to say this, but this is my parking spot.” He was about to set up his booth on the sidewalk and have his RV there in case it rained, which was in the forecast. I told him I would totally move, but first I wanted to tell him what I was doing. “No way, this is the free tea bus? My friends in Arcata totally told me about this! It’s funny because part of the reason I wanted to park here was so that I could make tea for people while I sold my stuff out of the rain.” We agreed that Edna and I could stay, but he asked if he could set up inside if it started to rain. My gut reaction was NO! No money here! But I soon realized that my no money policy wasn’t a moral that I needed to be so dogmatic about. I said, “Okay.” And guess what happened? He set up outside, and it didn’t rain! And it was actually beautiful out! Thanks, Will!

A fresh baby. My ex-roommate Katie is pregnant and admiring.

Many people came out for the market, and many stopped at the bus. It was great to see and meet all sorts of folks. There were folks I met at Sh’Bang, in Oregon, on the Islands, and many more who I was meeting for the first time. Bellinghamsters are super curious about this kind of thing, so many great conversations were had about the project, the bus, the tea, the lifestyle. It was a busy day of more than eight hours of tea.

I was surprised the next day by a few friends from San Juan: Ally, Amanda, and Amanda’s son Findley. At Amanda’s suggestion we all met up Monday morning at Western Washinton University’s campus to serve tea. We pulled right up onto the bricks just off Red Square, the campus’ central area. With no permission, a bit of anxiety, and lots of tea,we set up and started serving. We showed at just the right time to catch people on their

A fellow from the capoeira club plays the berimbau.

way to and from class, and pretty soon we were a full house. It was packed! We literally couldn’t make enough hot water on two burners with two kettles to keep the tea flowing fast enough. Reporters from the campus paper, The Western Front, showed up, took photos, and asked a lot of good questions. Ally helped people choose their teas and get hot water from me. I just kept the hot water coming, washed dishes, and talked to dozens and dozens of strangers. With all the strangers, however, there were folks from the Islands, and folks I had met at Sh’Bang too. People were making awesome connections, there was music, and people were walking away with huge smiles. I ended up making tea for 11 hours there that day, and was exhausted.

David Tiller of Taarka is sweet enough to jam with the fans (River in the middle).

The days following were a mix of taking care of personal needs (like food, sleep, running, stretching), and serving tea at a few places. For two nights I served tea outside the Green Frog, which was hosting some live music (Gallus Brother and Foghorn Stringband the first night, and Taarka the next). My friend Artemesia came through town on a visit, and we visited my friend River’s wooden sailboat that he is restoring and wants to make the ocean counterpart to the tea bus (I told him he should consider calling it the Tea Turtle)… It was great to connect with many people over and over again in Bellingham, and see fresh faces every day too.

On Friday I headed back to campus because it had been such a blast last time, and I knew the article about the tea bus was coming out that day. Immediately after I set up I got a copy of the article. It was the center spread and looked amazing! It was rainy and slow for tea sippers. About an hour and a half after I showed, a police officer showed up and asked if we had a permit. The article didn’t amuse him and he asked us to leave. He was kind about it and told us who to go to get a permit. It was inevitable, in my opinion. I was already pushing my luck when I came onto campus four days earlier without permission. The good thing about it is that if I every do want to serve on Western Campus (or any campus for that matter), I have this beautiful article to share with whomever is in charge of giving out permits… Overall it was a good experience.

Article in The Western Front (read the article here)

After getting booted from campus, we went briefly to serve at Food Not Bombs, and then on to The Roost – an underground venue in a renovated house (using salvaged materials) where my friends The Shook Twins were playing that night. I ended up selling their merch and being the doorman. Although we only had a spot of tea before and after, it was a fun little event. I ran into a fellow who I have met six or seven years ago at Barter Faire when I was trying to trade my way from a piece of pocket lint to a school bus. He has traded me an accordion for some antique blown glass fishing floats. He was stoked to see that I had actually gotten about built out a bus. These kinds of meeting help to remind me that I am living a dream, a dream that I had many many years ago. Thanks for that reminder, Aviathar.

Tunes!

The next morning brought us back to the Farmers’ Market. We got our same awesome spot, but it was SNOWING when we first put out the FREE TEA signs. Wow! But again, the clouds parted and it got super sunny, even though rain was in the forecast. And again, we got an amazing slew of folks who came out and drank tea with us. Thanks, ya’ll!

Yesterday as the Shook Twins were on their way back through town, some friends and I met up with them to check out their Bass player Kyle’s bus. I have been advising Kyle on the build out of his bus for the past 6 months or more, so it was super special to get to see his project coming together (same hot water heater that runs off the engine heat, same foot pump, wood work, etc). I helped them figure out and wire up a new 12v plug for their inverter, and we talked bus. It was a real wagon circle with both our buses, plus my buddy Nico’s Sprinter Van.

Hanging out at the B St. house in their new net.

Throughout our stay in Bellingham many wonderful people hosted us. For the first three nights, Edna and I parked outside of Amiel and Hallie’s house, who I met at Sh’Bang, and where my old roommate and her partner live. They were gracious hosts and it was an instant little community of sharing food, games, and ideas. We moved on to The Oasis, a community house south of campus that is a wonderful blend of permaculturists, musicians, herbalists, etc. Now I am sitting on the front porch of a sweet house on B St. that houses seven college folks. All the places we’ve parked have been great communities who have shared so much in the way of space, food, conversation, herbs and teas, and all the human needs we have… Thank you to all out hosts so much!

I do have to say that Bellingham was one of the most receptive places that the tea bus has visited. So many people are open to and wanting this kind of thing here. We were inspired by people and people were inspired by us. So great!

Tonight we serve our last cups of tea in Bellingham at Vaudevillingham – a monthly vaudeville show at the Cirquelab, put on by the Bellingham Circus Guild. We look forward to it! Hope to see you there.

Edna and Kyle’s Bus kiss noses.

Serving in the snow!

Serving tea at the Taarka show at the Green Frog.

Tea time at the Gallus Brothers and Foghorn Stringband show

River’s wooden sailboat meets Edna.

I gave my remaining mustache wax to the guy on the left.

I gave my mustache wax to the guy on the left.

Come and get it!

The tea bag bowl…

A fellow from the capoeira club plays the berimbau.

Findley

A long day of tea.

This guys used to serve free Pop Tarts on WWU campus!

This guys used to serve free Pop Tarts at Western!

The tea goes through the tea-th and out the tea-t..

New friends!

Will, who gave me his parking spot.

Serving in front of the Anacortes Center for Happiness.

Posted in Journeys | Leave a comment

Reaching Escape Velocity – San Juan Islands, WA

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Guisepi

The morning I left San Juan – Edna and Freddie all packed up.

Although I haven’t read his book, my newfound friend Steven Roberts wrote a book called Reaching Escape Velocity: Launching gonzo engineering projects with sponsors, media, volunteers, and other potent forces. The title (and idea of the book) have stuck with me and hence the name of this blog entry.

Organizing all my “junk.”

Once you’re grounded, it’s easy to stay that way. You become rooted in routine, strings of relationships become bound to you, and you feel comfortable in the “normal.”

In physics, there is a concept called escape velocity, which is when the velocity of an object overcomes its gravitational potential energy… Or in my terms, when you put the pedal down hard enough to break free of all the strings that tie you to a place.

I spent the weeks prior to leaving working on last minute projects, and a whole week after our going away party organizing my bus, horse trailer (mobile shop/storage unit), and all the spaces I’d been occupying on my mom’s land and elsewhere. It was so crazy to me that a nomad such as myself has accumulated so much junk. But I realize that it is not junk in a bad sense, but rather junk in that it seems cumbersome sometimes.

Edna full of wood, headed to Jesse’s shop.

I like my junk, actually. My junk is all sorts of salvage building materials, tools, tea supplies, electrical, plumbing, hardware, etc. Unfortunately, I could not have built Edna out of mostly salvaged/green material without collecting it, and the tools to do it, first. And now that I have them, it has been a blessing for finishing Edna, doing upkeep, helping others with their projects, and finding work for myself. All of this stuff is now bound for my buddy’s new shop in Portland.

I spent 7 months on the Islands – longer than I have been anywhere in years. It felt good, but the Islands are bliss. They help you forget the rest of the world. Especially when you’re eating good meat and vegetables from a farm a mile down the road, wallowing in a tight-knit community that you grew up in, and don’t have a worry in the world. I just can’t stand this for too long… I’ve got to experience the real rawness of other parts of the world.

Tea time at Island Hoppin’ Brewery.

It had been my dream for a while to spend a little time on each island upon leaving San Juan while on a visit. It is free to bring a vehicle eastbound on the ferry, so I decided to do it this time. Orcas Island for one day, nope, wait… make that two days. A night at Doe Bay for open mic brought so much love and good faces, that I had to stay the next day to serve at the FEAST fundraiser and at Island Hoppin’ Brewery for some live music. How could I just plan one day in a place that I spent so much time? It was amazing to see both the brewery and the Golden Tree Hostel coming to full fruition. Both were started by old friends, and both seem like they’re on a roll. It was also good to have Andrew Moore, who built my Navigator wood stove, and his family aboard to finally see my install.

Kyra’s Magical Tea bus

Next stop, Lopez Island. My dear friend, fellow bus dweller, and tea woman, Kyra was in crank out mode to finish her bus, and move out of the one she had been living in, so it was perfect timing for me to come over and give her a hand. I had a blast with her tinkering on her bus with things like a closet, door latch, water barrel stand, etc. She helped me serve some tea at Woodman Hall for Eli West and Cahalen Morrison, and the Brittany Haas Trio. It was an interesting crowd, and a little different from the crowds that Elephant Revival usually draws here at the same venue, but nevertheless it was good…

I have an awful trend in my life of working super hard to get myself on the road for a trip or event, and then getting sick as soon as I take off. This happened at Oregon Country Fair last year, and Rootstalk the year before that. And again, I got sick a day after I got to Lopez. I pretty much stayed in bed for two days, and was well taken care of. It really was an ideal time/place to get sick (if there is such a thing).

Sick on Lopez, luckily with many donated WishGarden Herbs tinctures!

Today I leave the San Juans for the ‘mainland.’ Each day, and each week seems like a new step, bringing Edna and I a little farther down the road. The road is the destination in and of itself, so it feels like we’ve “made it” every day to wherever we’ve been trying to get. Although, I have a feeling that we’ll feel like we’ve gone a long ways once we’re farther into our trip.

Tonight we will be serving tea during the Anacortes Art walk in front of the Center for Happiness. This sounds like it will be fun! Come on by and join us!

Thank you San Juan Islands. Thank you for the love, and thank you for letting us snip those strings that were tying us to your lovely community. We’ll be back one day.

Silly kids on Lopez!

The to-do list.

Spending time with family before leaving.

Levi helps break the bead on all of Freddie’s old tires.

Leaving Friday Harbor.

A nice sunny, but foggy day in the water.

Edna on the ferry.

Freddie getting new tires.

Hoola hooping tea sipper at Doe Bay.

Always lots of kids on the bus on the island – Doe Bay.

Silly kids on Lopez!

The rotating handle I made for Kyra’s bus.

Posted in Events, Journeys, News | Tagged Anacortes, Anacortes Art Walk, Center for Happiness, Doe Bay, FEAST, Golden Tree Hostel, horse trailer, Island Hoppin' Brewery, Lopez Island, Navigator Stove, Orcas Island, Oregon Country Fair, Portland, Rootstalk, salvaged, San Juan Islands, WA, Woodman Hall | 1 Comment

Our Time on the San Juans – San Juan Islands, WA

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Guisepi

Edna in her temporary home, the back field.

7 months – it is the longest I have been anywhere in years. I came to prepare for the North American Tour, but also to spend some time with my mom and grandparents, and to give them all a hand.

Loaded up with firewood (thanks, Levi!)

I don’t even know where to begin… Edna and I arrived hauling Freddie (the horse trailer/mobile shop/storage) and brought her out to the back field behind my mother’s house. This spot has been my go-to spot for a long time. I used to have a little trailer back there for living in in the summer, and I built many years ago a roof structure that used to house my living room and outdoor kitchen. This, I set up as wood storage and as a work space for many of the projects I was to work on to prepare the bus for the grand adventure.

As I gathered firewood for my mother, I took the small pieces for my own woodstove in preparation for the winter. I rebuilt my old woodshed, and unloaded many things from Freddie. It felt good to settle into a place – a place with old friends and family.

Amongst working for my mother, my grandparents, and a couple different farms, I worked on Edna, served tea at various events, hosted couchsurfers, and made some new friends. I also undertook some personal projects like restoring an old Corona Model 3 typewriter and a Singer Featherweight sewing machine.

Officer Felix enjoys a hot cuppa at a coal meeting.

Events included an Elephant Revival show at Brickworks, the Sh’bang Festival in Bellingham, tea every Tuesday at Tuesday Night Music at Brickworks, the Lookout Circus, Touch-a-Truck at Friday Harbor Elementary School, Brewfest on Lopez Island, Halloween in the neighborhoods I used to Trick or Treat in, a coal meeting (where even officer Felix joined us for tea), a free Thanksgiving meal at the high school, a memorial for my dear friend Sam Carter, and many other places! I built many a friendships with fellow tea enthusiasts, bus dwellers, dancers, and tinkerers.

Some of the projects on the bus included: working on the WVO conversion (gauges, wiring, switches, temp senders, plumbing, etc), replumbing some of the fresh water system, making and sewing covers for our bench cushions with my mom, sewing new curtains with my dear friend Ally, enclosing the fridge in wood, installing a Webasto (diesel-powered coolant heater and circulator), installing a new horizontal propane tank, fitting a new grey water drain system, building out the food/cold storage zones, welding a co-pilot chair mounting bracket and a woodworking a cabinet below it, installing new valve cover gaskets, and installing a new larger (3G) alternator. Blog posts on many of these things to come!!!

Surfing the propane tank to get a fitting off at Talking Horse Farm.

I spent a lot of time on Talking Horse Farm, where a couple of my friends live. Only a mile from my home base at my mom’s, it was an easy bike, walk, hitch, or drive for instant community, with good food and good peeps. Lots of tea and friendly faces here! Thanks Ally, Amanda, and Findlay! I worked for the meat farmer there wrestling sheep in exchange for good meat.

I had wood fires at night to stay warm, boiled tea on the wood stove, and worked on projects until bedtime many nights. My days were varied with projects for my mom, for myself, and for friends. In January I took off to work in Seattle for a couple weeks, which was super refreshing. I hadn’t left the island at that point for four months – too long for a nomad used to the road.

Whereas many people find themselves the most productive when stationary, I find the exact opposite. When I’m on the road, I am forced to confront my everyday needs. At my mom’s it was easy to use her resources like food, water, shower, etc, whereas on the road I am much more likely to acquire my own food, make sure my water tank is full, and be proactive about securing my basic needs. On the road, I can’t not be proactive. In this way, I like being on the road. I admit, I can get lazy when stationary (well, lazy by my standards. I still got A LOT done when on the islands).

Levi hauls Freddie (the horse trailer) out of the muddy woods.

I had moved out of the back field mid winter, as it was getting too wet and muddy to drive in and out. When I was getting ready to pack up, I needed Freddie for organizing, but even Levi, my step-dad couldn’t get it out with his 4×4 diesel truck. We ended up having to haul it out with his backhoe, which barely made it. It was quite the ordeal. Thanks, Levi.

I always say that I would live on the Islands if I wasn’t from the islands. And perhaps one day I will settle down and do such a thing – but not just yet. I am ready to be on a big journey!

Barbara (who biked and sailed from Austria) plays a sweet love song.

Loaded up with firewood (thanks, Levi!)

Ally and Barbara helping to make tea on Thanksgiving.

New magnets I got at a junk yard.

My mom’s land.

Fellow community builder Ally.

Tea woman Kyra.

Line dancing at a Tuesday Night Music at Brickworks.

My college buddies Colin and Jared showed up on a cross country motorcycle trip.

New (left) and old water filters.

Organizing screws, nuts, bolts, and sewing supplies.

Towing a log splitter back to the saw shop.

Couchsurfers Inge and Shawn (see the article he wrote here).

My mom helps with sewing covers for Edna’s cushions.

The Magic bus on Lopez Island. Much tea here!

Posted in News | 1 Comment

North American Tea Tour Begins! – Friday Harbor, WA

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Guisepi

Farewell Tea Toast!

Yep, it’s really happening – 2 or more years of traveling the land without an itinerary serving free tea and being of service. And it all began today, Spring Equinox, at Brickworks in Friday Harbor, WA.

Too many folks to fit all inside the bus.

Why a free TeaPotLuck? I view our life as a giant potluck, where we all have a thing or two to bring to the table. If each of us brings whatever it is we are compelled to bring or what we have in abundance, then we all walk away from the table with a well rounded meal. If I bring a salad and you brings salmon, and someone else brings bread, we are all fed well and have a good time. It is my firm belief that we all have something to contribute in this way in life.

My contribution to this potluck of life (among other things) is tea, a meeting space, and an openness to share knowledge.

For our going away teapotluck, people swarmed with tea, honey, milk alternatives, cookies, biscotti, bread, olives, cheese, crackers, hummus, bitters, sipping vinegar, cinnamon rolls. Almost everyone who came brought gifts.

Many folks, old and young, and in between.

In using the Brickworks space (which was created and run by the San Juan Ag Guild), we focused on local goods, encouraging people to bring locally grown and made items… We were lucking in having teas made from local and organic herbs from Amanda and Isla Botanica, bitters and sipping vinegar made from locally grown and wild-craft plants and honey from Kari’s Island Elixers, biscotti made by local Federico Farms, Chinese medicinal teas from local Chinese herbalist Amber, some herbs from Aunde at Celtic Herbcraft, and cookies, muffins, and bread from Mark at Bake ry San Juan. This is in addition to many other gifts for the road like mugs, instant organic oatmeal, dish towels, sugar, and much more.

The forecast threatened us with rain and gusts of wind up to 50 MPH. The morning showed us some hope with sunny blue skies. By the time we set up, it didn’t seem like it was going to get too crazy. We set out rugs, cushions, and tables, but just as we were about to start serving the wind picked up and the rain started. I set up a giant tarp, but it was like a giant parachute and it was moving the picnic tables it was tied to, so we took it down (after I got a significant smack in the face). We moved the rugs and cushions out of the rain and much of the teapotluck was inside the bus. Fortunately the weather was reasonably mellow, so people weren’t too scared to come out to the event.

Abigail and Ally

Many faces showed up. Friends of old and new. My middle school computer teacher came by to say hello, see the bus, and take a couple photos. A buddy who I used to skateboard with when I was 13 was doing some wiring inside Brickworks and came by… It was fun to see his perspective of the bus and project. There were parents, who are friends, and love me like I’m their own (and who I love the same way back!), teachers, community activists, farmers, natural health practitioners, students, tinkerers, builders, bakers, and so many more came. People were curious about the vegetable oil system and I showed them my centrifuge/filtering setup. Probably 50 people came throughout the day. So much love was shared with Edna and I, which I now carry on to bring to the next town and onward!

Many people were asking where we are going, when we’re leaving the island, etc. The best answer really is I don’t know. I think this weekend will bring us to Orcas, then Lopez early next week, and within the next 6 months down to Northern California to meet my brother’s new baby boy (due any minute now). Other than that, plans are minimal, and I hope to keep them that way! This way we can accept many offers, offer many offers, go where we feel, and find true, uninhibited connections with people and places along the way. Yay!

Many good conversations!

Amber and Tico

Many folks inside all day.

Special thanks to Ally for helping organize this event, Amanda for bringing such fabulous teas from Isla Botanica, Elaine from Sweet Earth Farm for helping coordinate and chipping in, the Ag Guild for letting us use the space even though it’s not done, and everyone else who was part of this event!

Thank you everyone!!! We are all in this potluck of life together.

Posted in Events, Journeys, News | Tagged Ag Guild, Bakery San Juan, Brickworks, Friday Harbor, Isla Botanica, Lopez Island, North American Tea Tour, Northern CA, Orcas Island, San Juan Islands, Sweet Earth Farm, tea party, teapotluck, WA, WVO | 5 Comments

Announcing our North American Tour! – North America, Earth

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Guisepi

Yes, folks, you read it correctly – we (Edna Lu the tea bus and myself) are starting our BIG journey. Five years ago when I purchased Edna, I knew I had to finish building her and take off on a long journey. It has taken five years of hard work (and lots of free tea), and now I am giving us AT LEAST two years to travel North America.

The BIG plan: NO PLANS! That’s right, folks, no plans. Part of the beauty of the tea bus is spontaneity. You, a random person, find the tea bus randomly on a street corner, at an event, or in a park. And we find ourselves there because we got an itch to be there. We tried to make plans at least for the beginning of our trip, but they just didn’t seem to want to exist! We’re traveling the continent in search of exciting adventures and experiments in service.

On March 20th, 2013 we will be starting from my hometown of Friday Harbor, WA. This just so happens to be the first day of Spring and the 5 year anniversary of the day Edna and first became acquainted in San Diego.

But where will you go? one might ask! A rough plan on hitting both coasts, the mid-west, the deep south, Canada, and Mexico is on the table. But we’re keeping it rough and vague in order to go where the wind takes us. As Steinbeck said:

“We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. Tour masters, schedules, reservations, brass-bound and inevitable, dash themselves to wreckage on the personality of the trip.”

But whom will you see? As many folks as possible. We want to meet the real America – the people on the streets of Anytown, USA, the people in the parks, at the festivals, on the ocean, in the mountains – anyone and EVERYONE!

But what will you do? Our main focus is to be of service. This means helping people in need, building, creating, fixing… but mostly serving free tea! This stems from the ever-present idea that we want to be community builders and share a good conversation with all we meet.

But why will you do this? Many reasons! Adventure, pilgrimage, inspiration! This has been a dream of mine – a grand adventure of such – for more years than I can count. This journey is a questioning and search for the meaning of freedom across this great land.

But how will you do this? Aboard the greatest tea bus in all existence: Edna Lu! And with the love and support of those we know and meet along the way.

Join us for our going-away Free TeaPotLuck on March 20^th, 2013 at Brickworks in Friday Harbor, WA from 1pm until 6pm. Farewell toast will be at 5pm. Bring tea, finger foods, honey, milk substitutes, and tea accoutrements (mugs, teapots, strainers) to share for the potluck or to donate to the tea bus.

Ways for you to participate:

– Come to our going away Free TeaPotLuck on March 20^th in Friday Harbor, WA.

– Serve free tea to strangers in your town.

– Write us an email letting us know the places that need the tea bus.

– Write us a love letter!

– Visit our Support Page and contribute something.

So, now you know, folks! We hope too see you down the road for some tea! Thanks for the support, y’all!

Posted in Events, Journeys, News | Tagged Brickworks, Friday Harbor, North American Tea Tour, serving tea, tea party, teapotluck, WA | 7 Comments

Tea Bus on Stanford Storytelling Project – Palo Alto, CA

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Guisepi

Taken the day I was recorded for this piece.

The day we recorded this piece.

Almost a year ago when I was visiting some friends in Palo Alto I was interviewed for the Stanford Storytelling Project (interestingly it was the day before I was on West Coast Live). If you have time to listen to the whole hour-long show, it is worth it (click here). Or just check out the excerpt about the tea bus below. Although I don’t drive a VW bus or own any overalls, this is a great story!

Tea bus on the Stanford Storytelling Project (click to listen). This episode aired on KZSU Stanford 90.1 on January 30th, 2012.

I also just want to give a shout out to some great folks who have made some donations recently to the tea bus. Mountain Rose Herbs sent us a big box of teas and herbs. Yoko Tea sent us a bunch of tea, a heart infuser, and a wonderful double-walled glass tea tumbler. Purple Owl Botanicals hooked us up with some great teas and herbal blends. Love all you guys!!

Posted in Audio | Tagged audio, CA, Mountain Rose Herbs, Palo Alto, Purple Owl Botanicals, radio, Stanford, Stanford Storytelling Project, Yoko Tea | Leave a comment

WELCOME!