A Puffventure is the little "yes" that turns an ordinary day into something worth remembering. It's the unplanned winery. The road you weren't supposed to turn down. The random stop that becomes the story you tell for the next ten years.
If you've gone a full week without a Puffventure, it was probably a boring week.
The humans
Danni
I'm a freelance writer who believes everything — wine festivals, road trips, even emergency dental situations — benefits from a sense of humor.
I was born in Australia, grew up in the Bay Area, and landed in dusty, high-desert New Mexico just before high school. I have a degree in psychology from the University of New Mexico and spent two decades working in a pediatric dental office, which is, without question, the best birth control in the world.
(My husband once suggested naming a baby "Nuke." We do not have children. We have an Airstream.)
I've written for brands including Dove, Anheuser-Busch, and Jimmy Dean, and my work has appeared on Huffington Post and Houzz. These days I focus on food, wine, travel, and the kind of experiences you only find by turning the car.
Sexy Nerd (also known as Derek)
Every spontaneous decision needs someone who can actually make it work.
Derek grew up in a tiny town in Colorado — before that, an even tinier town in Kansas, where his grandpa was the mayor. He's a mechanical engineer with two Master's degrees, one of which he got just for fun, because of course he did.
He builds things. Fixes things. Improves things. Entire rooms, trailer systems, life logistics. He's the calm, capable "how" to my "what if we just…"
He also cooks, cleans, trims dog nails, brews beer, and survives my sudden detour commands at a level that should probably earn him some kind of award.
The story
How this started
We met on Match.com in 2004. Our relationship survived long distance between New Mexico and Michigan, my deep personal attachment to living alone, and his bold decision to casually invite himself to move into my apartment.
I was fairly sure the whole thing was a bad idea — until he came back from a trip with his hands cut up, because he'd driven to Colorado to use his dad's tools to build me a wire candleholder tree. Just because I'd pointed one out in a store once.
Annoyingly thoughtful.
He proposed after a year. I responded with a panic attack and hysterical laughter. A long engagement later, we got married in Hawaii, where our ceremony was performed by Captain Howie — a man in a skirt who was visibly high, wandered into the bushes mid-ceremony, and delivered a speech involving midget leprechauns in front of all our friends and family.
A chicken also attended our vows. We named her Chicklet.
(She was not eaten. Probably.)
It was perfect.
The pack
The dogs
We travel with four rescue dogs — two chihuahuas and two pitties — who are fully convinced this entire operation exists for their benefit. Youu know thosse little dogs run the show!
They are loud, chaotic, occasionally destructive, and completely non-negotiable. One of them is named Puff. Yes, that's where the name comes from.
The vessel
Rosé the Riveted
Our Puffventures launch from a silver Airstream Basecamp 16X named Rosé the Riveted. She wears a red polka-dot bandana on the hitch and has logged more spontaneous miles than either of us planned when we bought her.
She's our basecamp for chasing food and wine festivals, high-desert views, hidden gems, and whatever looks interesting enough to justify a detour.
So what's a Puffventure?
It's saying yes.
Yes to the extra stop. Yes to the place you almost skipped. Yes to the small, slightly unnecessary decision that ends up being the best part of your week.
Some Puffventures are perfect. Some go slightly off the rails. All of them are better than staying on the original plan.