One thing true about this type of shelter, there is always something, be it grass mowing or something else, that owning this shelter requires one to do.

This page will look at a couple of previous homes used by the founder of this website. However, these types of shelters are no longer used by the founder and therefore, this page will more than likely never be added to.

Nevertheless, these types of homes, those Requiring Grass Mowing, did provide a place to mark time while he had the need to work for a living.

Further, due to this likelihood, the sequence of events will remain as an Historical Story Page, one having the oldest photos first followed by progressively newer photos and stories. This type of story page is in the reverse order of my traditional Story Pages, which all such pages have additional newer photos and stories added to the top of the page with older photos and stories following in descending year order.

Finally, if the founder ever has need to return to a grass mowing job, then any future locations will have its photos and stories added to the bottom of this page.

Upon arriving in Oak Harbor, a search for a home continued until find this 19 foot travel trailer. Despite acquiring it for a really good price, there was much mildew that needed to be removed. After a long time remodeling, this trailer proved to be a good home.

Later, a garden was put in, both for flowers and vegetables.

Not long after arriving on the Island, I was offered a job repairing ladders with a company I had worked for when living in Texas. I accepted the job, began the large route and earning a good living.

It was during one of these strong winds, that a tree was blown over and would you imagine, right down the middle of the travel trailer.

However, just before this happened, I had purchased another larger mobile home in the same mobile home park and transferred my burden to it.

Arriving on Whidbey Island in 1989, the choice was made to make a home here and to do what ever work would be available. I had acquired the job repairing ladders which worked well for me, so well, that there was need for a shed to hold all of the parts required for making the repairs.

Not many years after moving into the larger mobile home, the mobile home park owner sells the property to a new owner whose intent in buying the mobile home park was to close the park and turn the property into a real estate business property for himself.

This greedy action by this man would cause some low income families to be put on the street; other families would have to leave to locate a new home, and for some like myself, would have to move their home to a different mobile home park.

The greedy man would receive his God ordained retribution when he applied for a permit to have the existing home demolished. It seams that someone had gone down to the city building permit department and informed that office that the old home had asbestos tile throughout on its floor.

The real estate tycoon has his permit retracted and his plans for a New Real Estate Office on SH 20 were demolished instead of the old home. To this day, that old house still remains as a sentinel to the greedy men of the world.

After much prayer and searching, I am able to locate a mobile home park here in town. It is a 55-Plus Mobile Home Park, which I qualify for because I turn 55 during the month that I will be moving in. Also, because of the hardship closing a mobile home park often causes, I am able to get financial help from the state to move my mobile home to the new park.

Before moving a mobile home here on this Island, one must apply and obtain a permit. This I did, but in order to comply with the permit, the mobile home will need to be upgraded to current building standards. Wow, what a pain this system is.

Prior to the move, I had built two separate sheds on the old property and decided to sell one and keep one. A brother with a trailer helped me to move them.

Previously, I had installed new insulated windows that met the current code and also had redone much of the interior which would also comply. However, there is a long list of things that still need to be done before getting the permit signed off.

I would have two years to do the work, and, well, I know what I will be doing for the next two years.

The very first thing after having the mobile home installed is to close up the garage. I do this by first installing a garage overhead door. Next, I install some exterior siding on the north side which was previously open, and paint it with a blue paint. Then, I put lattice over the side opening until I can purchase an exterior door to install in the opening.

This winter has one with the largest amounts of snow that has ever fallen on this island and these heavy snowfalls occur on three seperate occasions during this winter.

The process for doing this job is to first remove the roof gutters and tie them onto the roof to prevent wind damage, disconnect the roof from the siding and then remove the old aluminum siding. Then, I need to address the inside wall studs by repairing any damage and installing any of the several upgrades that I am making. Next, I need to cover the studs with half inch plywood and cover the plywood with a vapor barrier. Then, I must need prime, then paint the first coat of exterior baby blue paint on the 5/8 inch trim boards and when that paint dries, install the trim boards.

Following that, I must needs cut the siding boards to fit, prime and paint the first coat on the 9/16 inch siding boards, and then install the siding boards. Next, I must need repeat for another ten foot of the mobile until all the siding is installed. When a ten foot section is complete, then I must caulk every one of the seams and joints. I must needs continue this until I have extended the finished siding across the entire side of the mobile home.

At this point, I need to reattach the roof, reinstall the gutter and then repeat on the next side of the mobile. When all four sides have been completed, I must needs go over all the joints again and re-caulk the all the joints as I have learned, in previous life lessons to prevent any possible leaks and water damage. Then, and only then will I paint the finish coats on the trim boards and siding boards.

After I put the gutter back on, this side will be complete. Then, I move to the next side and this work continues throughout the fall until the end of October of this year when I close up my siding workshop and then begin on the landscaping work.

During the fall of 2006, on any warm sunny day I would step outside of my home and work on the landscaping, yes, I would work on whatever is needed to complete this project, particulary the landscaping work.

I had previously built a box dirt sifter but it does not work well until I modify the structure to include legs, open up the bottom screen so as to allow the rocks to roll down across a board to the ground.

I continue working into the fall on the landscaping, at which time I begin to install a red brick walkway and patio.

This landscaping work continues all the way to the last week of November when the first snow arrives, at which time I shut down all work and prepare for the upcoming winter.

The landscaping work continues throughout 2007 and into 2008, during which I complete not only the screening and leveling of the yard and planting seed, but also the creation of gravel walk ways around much of the perimeter of the mobile home.

However, during the colder months, I would continue with my work inside of the mobile home.

Using materials from the previous installation, I built a new and larger deck here for my home′s new location. Over the course of the next couple of years are included: an upper entrance deck with a rain cover, an upper sun deck with two side surround benches, a lower lattice enclosed uncovered deck with bird feeding stations and a stairway up to the entrance deck with access to the lower lattice deck.