Twokniveskatie

This big rock we live on is full of all kinds of people and having the chance to meet someone as interesting and unique as Twokniveskatie is still very much a rare blessing. After talking to her for many months on the Yahoo vandwellers group, email and occasionally on the phone, I felt I had a pretty good sense of what type of person she was and already felt a close friendship with her.

One of the things Katie likes to do is knit. She does it as a source of income as well, making beautiful hats to sell from colorful self spun yarn that is sourced from various interesting places. Recently while reading Tara's blog, I came across an add that caught my attention, a weekend camping and learning class combining knitting and nature. Katie was in Oregon when I learned of it and the class was here in Washington, not far from where I am staying. Perfect. Katie was now on her way to Port Angeles!

Two weeks before the KNN weekend, Katie arived in our driveway with her faithful dog Mutt. From the first minute she was here, I was glad she made the trip. She has an amazing spirit! Everyone in my family was immediately fond of her. Her vehicle, which is also her home, is a 2002 Chevy Astro van. This is not a big vehicle to live in, but she has it very well layed out and organized. As with most of the vandwellers, her space is efficient, simplicity being the key to success. Katie's van has a cozy, warm feel to it even with the various weapons you may notice with a careful eye. Her name is not without reason.

During her two week stay, we spent some time visiting some of the areas of the Olympic Peninsula that really should be experienced given the chance. The Hoh Rainforest, Rialto Beach, the drive along the Strait of San Juan De Fuca on 112, Freshwater Bay, Salt Creek and Lake Crecent. Katie and my Dad also made the hike to Marymere Falls. I declined that trip as keeping up with my Dad is not an easy thing to do. I think she might agree. There were many places I didn't get to show her as well, but trying to cram too much in such a short time period can take away rather than add. The next visit maybe. Our drives were filled with music and her pleasant voice singing along, great conversations and a much deeper understanding of how we both ended up being who we are. These were all memories that I will recall often and enjoy.

There was time spent working on our vans, mostly cleaning and re-organizing. Katie likes to help, she spent time on Roadie with me, removing dog hair which was no small job. I like the fact that her hands were involved with Roadie's progress, just seems to fit with that tribal feeling I have about the vandwellers group.

There was so much more to this visit with Katie that goes far beyond the scope of this post but suffice it to say, meeting Katie and sharing our lives with her for those two weeks changed me. I know it was a positive experience for my family as well. I don't believe you can meet a person like Katie without having some personal growth from the encounter. On that note, I want to mention Stormy who is another traveler from vandwellers that Katie and I had the chance to meet while she was here. It was another blessing and well worth a post of it's own, the next in fact. If you want to learn more about Katie and her life, I really recommend her blog which is listed in my links. You will enjoy her writing as she has a great gift for storytelling. Kate, I love you friend, stay safe and peace be the journey!