#ROADTRIP #Interview w/ Michael Vallen of Nomad Mobile Motor Lodge

Michael Vallen of Nomad Mobile Motor Lodge
and I at the end of the trip,
yes we are still smiling and happy for those of you
who want to travel with us on
a most awesome #vintageairstream #roadtrip

Sometimes you just need to take a break and instead of "quietly quitting" which is what others might conveniently do, it is pretty difficult to do when you run your own firm. 

I had my good friend Michael Vallen, who I went to school with at Cal Poly Pomona, send me a message, saying that he would be in the San Diego area for a few days and would we (my family) want to get together while he was camping in his #vintageairstream by the beach.  I told him YES, it sounded fun and then when I talked about my current living situation, a lot of family, siblings, children, exes, etc. all cohabitating while things are getting built to remedy that design problem, he offered a quick getaway to New Mexico to drive out to California with him.  

Now I love #roadtrips and I am a #travelwhore (no not in the mail order bride scenario as I am most often travelling with men whose husbands are way more attractive than I) but in the 

"I AM UP FOR TRAVELING WITH ANYONE WHO NEEDS A PLATONIC COMPANION TO KEEP THEM COMPANY AND I CAN SEE THE WORLD ON THE WAY!!!"

as long as you don't make me get up too early and I can have a cup of coffee, I am good to go!!!

So I flew into Albuquerque and Michael picked me up and we went to the workshop where all of the "trailers", a mix of vintage Airstreams, _______ and others are being worked on.  Michael has taken on in addition to renting out the mobile motor lodges fir people's vacations as well as to movie and commercial and locations, to actually renovating them for people.  He has numerous projects and they are all amazing to look at and stay in, each presents it's own design challenge looking for a  unique solution, and it is very much an architectural process in order to create that.

Here are numerous photos of the trip that we took, and you can see some reels on My newly created business Instagram, which is meant to portray my architecture. 

Yes, I have an architecture practice of some 28 years old where I help create houses for people's unique living situations, who are all, but sometimes not, always better than my own:  

"The Cobbler's Children have no shoes" 

But my brother is helping to finish up the addition so that we can get final and start on this next project for the house: An Accessory Dwelling Unit as well as a weekend or longer getaway where I can perhaps put an Airstream or something a little less trendy ;) like this cute little thing....  I am not what people would think of as a "pink person" but i want this!!!!

giddy with joy, i would say, lol!
update: it was sold....

Or I could buy one at Michael's Madrid, NM location and then be able to bring it to my dream house location as a work trailer, yes, i am always thinking of an exit plan.... or at least a place to think, I won these headphones at a party recently and I was somewhat disappointed to realize that noise-cancelling headphones do not in fact cancel all of the noise, what false advertising!!!!  Especially when my friends are all speaking highly of these contraptions.  I do like Danish things though and I might need to be around more of them.

Michael Vallen graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture Virginia Polytechnic University. Residential and multi-family work in the Washington DC region and Southern California. 1950s Airstream restoration expert with a workshop and restoration facility near Santa Fe New Mexico. The work can be seen on Instagram @nomadmmlodge.

Podcast w/ Michale Vallen of Nomad Mobile Motor Lodge

the airstream i had all to myself

the Airstream "Dimples" that we
travelled in has been used in a
lot of movies and tv and
recently in a netflix film
with Uma Thurman
and she wore these scarves in a scene
so I had to put one on

great minds think alike, i took this one

the next day i saw michael
 had posted this one, lol!!!

My edit to the question of three classic buildings, when i reference Rafael Soriano, I say "Agents of Architecture" in San Diego when it is actually "The Value of Architecture"  in Los Angeles real estate business.  However, you should follow both of their insta accounts, 

Michael's Three Classic Buildings: 

1)    Schindler: The Lovell Beach House

2)    LeCorbusier: Villa Savoy

3)    Airstreams and Trailers

I am still adding photos for this trip, it was hard to edit because there were just so many!!!!  Check back later!!!