Meet Rita (short for Chaparrita) - 2000 Ford E450 Skoolie

I (Jenn) adopted Rita  from her creator, Craig, in June of 2024, in Sausalito, CA. She's been converted for full time off-grid living.  Craig put a lot of love, thought, effort and countless hours into building her.   She's 22 feet long, so she's considered a shorty - like me (5'1").

This blog will document our time together...for however long it is and wherever we roam.  The good, the awesome, the bad, the ugly and the hysterical.

Rita and I were built for adventures, risk-taking, saying YES to the unknown and spreading smiles wherever we go.

That's just how we roll.

from Urban Dictionary

Chaparrita

Latino slang for short. Used for short females. A pet name for a short woman or short girl, "shorty." Usually used as a pet name within a Mexican family as a sign of affection for a little girl.

Skoolie

A school bus that has been purchased by a private owner and converted for some purpose other than hauling people around, such as RVing. Can be a very economical, cost-efficient means of obtaining an RV.

Latest News

Fort Bragg

Fort Bragg

The first order of business in customizing Rita, was to get a shower installed.  There are lines already in place, and a hot water heater.  Just needed to waterproof the bathroom, put in a drain and hook up the shower head.  Easy peasy, right?!  Well...no. I headed up to Fort Bragg, CA to hire my ex for this project and a few others.  We owned/lived on a sailboat together for 10 years.  He knows how to do everything and he happened to have time to and interest in helping me. 10 long days in Fort Bragg… Did not end up...
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Jenn and Rita Hit the Road

Jenn and Rita Hit the Road

Welcome to Rita's Blog a 2000 Ford Thomas E450 School bus that has been converted into a tiny home. I purchased her from her creator (Craig) in June 2024.  Quickly transitioning to full time living, while getting up to par mechanically is a bit overwhelming, but we are persisting. The idea for this life began almost 2 years ago, when I was living in Mexico.  I was planning to return to the US to be around my family more.  But the US is awfully expensive...how to do this?  I had lived on a sailboat so, tiny space living is not...
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