Introduction

Through miles of trial and error in recovery and mechanical breakdowns, our wavering weeks broke into a comfortable clarity that we were actually on the road, again. This little journey we have set out on would not had been realized if it weren’t simply the right time, and the right place in both of our lives. From the sheer luck of, then, entirely unrealized fortunate turns of fate, an opportunity for escape from the everyday regiment presented its self, and we leaped into its foggy future.

Our names are Hannah and Rob. 

I am an artist, and Rob is a chef. Along with our dog Penny, we plan to live out of our truck and camper, traveling America in the search of influence for our visual and culinary art.

With the support of our family and friends and a commitment that allotted our determination for change to outlast our marriage to comfort, our whole lives began to slowly evolve into this utilitarian lifestyle.

Rob and I met in the bay area at the end of November in 2012. He came into the restaurant I was working as a server at with a mutual friend and didn’t take his eyes off me the entire night. He’d catch my eye and bust out that award-winning smile that can just make a girl’s heart melt.

Two weeks later I was fired after a ruthless table at a delicate time in the restaurant’s life. It was inevitable that big changes were going to have to happen. Living month to month with outrageous rent in an unfit living situation quickly put things into perspective. After realizing I could not make the following month’s rent, I told Rob that I was considering moving and fancy the idea of traveling. He told me that if I were going to leave, then he wanted to come with me.

We have both wanted to travel and knew of the mysterious and magical states and towns that we had never been to and could easily miss by settling into a life of menial jobs and overly consuming rent prices. It is important for us to see it all before its too late.

Well then, here is our blog, The Traveling Kitchen and Canvas.

This will be a documentary of our lives on the road together, from both of our perspectives. Knowing that our saving can only get us so far, we are adopting thriftiness and sustainability to its fullest potential, and are seeking an income in the combination of our individual arts. Packing a chalkboard menu, an “eat here” sign, and a display board for paintings, we will be serving up tasty, seasonal treats as we stop at beautiful locations so I can paint.

Along with our non-descript food truck/art gallery, we will be lapping up the personal cultures of each town we stop in, staying for as long as we want, and learning as much as we can from each one. We hope to dive into farming by volunteering with the organization WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), and spend a wholesome chunk of time volunteering for a wide array of organizations to further our education.

With updates on our route and mileage, you can keep track of where we’ve been and how we got there. With photographs of our meals and paintings made, and the beauty of America, we’ll keep record of our journey as it unfolds. Now that you are filled in, Lets start from the beginning…

-H.C.