In the early 70's the Tinkerers, Judy and Jürgen, adopted a travelling lifestyle.
They took a boat, plus kayaks, from the Maritimes to Florida where Jürgen, a trained tool maker, and Judy, navigator and first mate, refitted it. For ten years from 1976 - 1986, they ran a seasonal tool sharpening business along the pacific west coast from the Queen Charlotte Islands to southern Baja, in their custom designed mobile home and workshop. (You can still find J&J at work in their vintage brown sharpening truck in the Southern Gulf Islands of B.C., Canada's newest national park, in the springtime.)
On their journeys they explored Pacific Canada, U.S.A. and Mexico, met their peoples and learned Spanish and taught English and German.
Judith found time to complete a doctorate in holistic health sciences and Jürgen to renovate and restore the Tinkerers Retreat, a waterfront home on Mayne Island which is now their summer base and which they run as a bed and breakfast. From 1989 - 1994, the Tinkerers Retreat also served as an Elderhostel campus for lifelong learning (see www.elderhostel.org ). Their summer base doubled in size from 1993-1999, with the building of Till Eulenspiegel Guesthouse B&B. During those summers J&J were B&B hosts in the mornings and house builders in the afternoons!! (see www.bbcanada.com/133.html)
The winters continue to be time to explore Baja, Mexico, teaching skills and networking with Mexican people. Since 1998, J&J reconnected with Jürgen's birthplace, Nürnberg, Germany, where they taught timeless skills in the yearly open-air event "Erfahrungsfeld zur Entfaltung der Sinne" (Field of experiences to develop the senses). (see www.erfahrungsfeld.nuernberg.de)
The Tinkerers, practitioners and teachers of timeless skills, were early members of the human potential movement. They continue to be deeply interested in personal growth, learning, and communicating within the global community.
Travelling and learning with the Tinkerers is a new and also an old way of gaining practical skills and an understanding of the modern world and its peoples.
The Tinkerers act as guides and mentors to anyone wanting to join them on their yearly journey; to sample their version of the time-honoured, nomadic way of life, and to learn communication skills necessary in our modern world.