Late Summer 2005

Ken Love, Head of Security at St. Stephen's School, gives a tour of the four buses the school must sell for insurance purposes.

July 22 &ndash Friday

It takes me two weeks to make the plunge and decide to buy one of the buses for sale. #18 is the one for me, because she's one window smaller in length than #15 and has more luxuries than the two traditional steel buses. I name her My Love Bus in Ken Love's honor. As you can tell she's really a 1995 Chevy Van with Turtle Top with 78,496 miles. That's Ken Love on the right, he's the best.

July 29 &ndash Friday

A check rolls in from a web design job, and I quickly realize there are only two weeks left in the summer before I need to get back to school, so it's time to take action! Once I pay Mr. Bus himself, (the other "Ken" at St. Stephen's) Ken Russell, he gives me a quick driving lesson, and I'm on my own. Snap a couple of quick pix, then it's time to drive her home. She's a lot taller than I thought and takes up the whole driveway.

July 30 & 31st &ndash The Weekend

All day Saturday is spent bleaching the inside of the bus top-to-bottom--un-evironmental I know, but well worth it; removing the seats; and removing the heater which sits under the back bench. This is a speedy one-week remodel, so we have to work as quickly as possible. Spliced the heater hose underneath the bus with copper tubing and hose clamps so the engine coolant would continue its loop. One website I read said simply clamp a bolt into each hose end--do not do this--your engine will overheat and blow if the coolant can't circulate.

I found the usual kid remnants on the bus . . . gum and barettes. Bus-afficianado Nick and neighbor BC examine the seats on the porch. Luckily all the seats sold on Craigslist within three days to provide more cash-ola for bus improvements.

I'm sitting where the bed is going to be trying to envision a decent floorplan. Nick's last bus project--The Bonnie Lass was 45 feet long, so this compressed living space will take some figuring out. Nick has all the tools in the world, and his nail gun makes quick work of the bed.

All wood gets screwed and glued. Did I mention I hate polyurethane and Liquid Nails? Horrible stuff, but a necessary evil for getting the job done.

August 1st – Monday

A new week and a new month, and it is just four days before vacation. I can't wait! Today's task is to walk lightly on the fresh polyurethane because it dents and scratches easily. I need to install as much trim in as possible. We a turned a row of seats around backwards for the dinette.

August 2nd – Tuesday

I really want to figure out the dining table today. A quick trip to the plumbing store yielded a 24" pipe and flanges--a cheap and easy solution for something I wasn't so sure about. Luckily all the stores are having back-to-school sales which provides the bins needed for bedside tables and laundry. We take turns sanding everything to reduce the sharp edges--a good thing for a mobile home.

August 3rd – Wednesday

The dinette is in and looking good! Did some shopping this morning to get a mini fridge, propane stove, etc. Mess around with the kitchen layout on the front porch a bit. Looked at the pre-made counters at Lowe's but really didn't like the plastic-y feel to them. Decided instead to double-stack plywood for the kitchen counter just like the dinette. It's hard at this point to stop and take pictures as I go because time is getting short for leaving on the trip to New Mexico on Friday. HELLO cooler weather! Doing a bus remodel in 100+ is no fun.

August 4th – Thursday

The day before the trip. Time is running out. It's now or never because school starts in eleven days. I can't for the life of me figure out the the best mounting method for the cabinets and fridge. I keep trying to attach things to the track on the wall where the chairs were. Nick comes up with the bracket idea which works splendidly. Two heads are definitely better than one.

By afternoon I'm slapping on the last coat of the stinky stuff, and things are really shaping up. It's time for a grocery store run, laundry, and more. Also have to dig up sheets for the bed, etc. So many last minute things to do.

Things finally wrap up around 10 at night, and here is a shot of the finished kitchen in My Love Bus. She's ready for the road--her first trip is tomorrow leaving bright and early at 10am!