i carry your heart with me...

Well, no license yet. It seems that if you show up in person in Livingston, Texas ($90 work of gas away, I've learned from Ron, who tried to take care of this matter yesterday) to license a vehicle, you need to bring not only proof of insurance, but proof of inspection! Now I have never had to provide proof of inspection before, so this was a puzzler. But the tale gets sillier. It turns out that if you MAIL in your licensing request and fees, you only need to provide proof of insurance! How ridiculous is THAT? Oh, and one more thing they'd like to have - a photograph showing Towanda truly IS a motorhome. Will someone tell me the value of jumping through hoops to register a bus as a motorhome if the intent is to use it as a schoolbus? Is the fee for a schoolbus that much higher? Must be...

MUCH progress on Towanda as Ron the Diligent drove around Texas chasing the elusive license plates...

Peter finished the overhead cabinets but for door installation, though the doors are ready for varnish and hinges. He then set to work on the base cabinets on the "passenger side" of the bus, and by day's end had completed the third, and even got the countertops ready to be installed today!

There are number of very neat little features that have grown as the construction progressed. Three ELFA drawers I had stored away are now a part of the forward cabinet, an ELFA wall system is installed on the side of that cabinet, allowing a variety of items to be used with it, including a paper towel holder, a dishrack, and small hooks for dishtowels.



On the smaller rear cabinet, I requested a shorter shelf and ended up with a very useful sliding shelf! Thank you, Peter!



The last base cabinet on that side is intended for multiple uses. I plan to travel with my cat friends some, and thus I needed a good place for a sizeable (Mr. Big is, well, BIG) sand box. Needing easy access to an outside door, placing the cat box across from the human toilet, right next to the rear exit door just made sense. Okay, so that takes care of my furry friends, but what about the plentiful time when they wouldn't be along? A kitty krapper seems like a serious waste of space when there're no kats about to avail themselves. Again with an eye to ease of sand box disposal duty, I had already decided the sandbox needed to be built into a box on casters. So why not make said rolling box useful as a rolling seat by adding a top with cushion? The seat simply stores under the cabinet and can be pulled out for use - unless the aforementioned felines are along for the ride, of course. And now we get to the final use - a real bonus, because until Peter accidently discovered it while working, neither of us knew it existed! First a little background information. Ron and I like to travel together, and although I know I will be doing a lot of solitary travel in Towanda, I also know that Ron will join me whenever the mood strikes him, and MOST welcome he is, too. :-) Thus Ron's comfort has been constant in my design plans. He has a few special needs (don't we ALL), and one of them is of a little shorter cabinet than the standard 36" height. I decided to make the entire rear section of cabinets 30 inches instead of 36", thus giving Ron a comfortable space of his own. What I DIDn't realise was the GREAT space we were creating for MY special needs! Peter suddenly showed up in front of me, positively jumping with excitement, and announced "You know the cat box cabinet? Because it's 30" and open at the bottom for the rolling box, it makes a perfect work area for you will great light!" And indeed, it is exactly what I need for working on my many art and writing and other odd projects! I am so PSYCHED! Here's a photo with a chair in place (instead of the rolling seat):



Pretty cool, huh?

The last thing we did, and we did this as the sun set, was to cut the lovely wood Victor donated to the project, into the lengths needed to create countertops on the two new base cabinets. This wood came from a 1940s telephone exchange in Waxahachie, TX that was being torn out so they could install some wonderful plastic-based product instead, and Victor snagged some off the trash pile, storing it all these years so I could use it in Towanda. There are some bolt holes in it that I plan to fill with a combination of epoxy and turquoise crumbs..won't THAT be pretty? I adore the fact that so many of my friends have donated their time and resources to this project, I feel as though I shall be carrying each of them along with me as I travel. In fact, I keep hearing a favourite ee cummings poem rolling through my mind, and I will leave you with those words today...

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

ee cummings 1894-1962

Generosity All Around Me

Peter has been busting his chops, first doing the detailed planning required, and then building cabinetry. We now have a VERY solid set of overhead bins, and the shelf on which my stereo lives. The kitchen cabinets are fully planned and will be started today, with the next sets following quickly behind. Peter is doing an exemplary job, and has been learning a lot (too much, in some cases) about how to attach stuff to a metal vehicle. He sez, "Don't think you can simply attach items to the wall or ceiling by screwing them on. Attach a board to the wall by drilling holes and using lag bolts, then use IT to attach everything else." Apparently inserting sheet metal screws directly into the metal walls is a serious pain in the rear, even for a guy of HIS size.

The overhead cabinets were constructed by first drilling holes in the 2x4s that were to serve as support structures, then drilling holes in the ceiling and walls to match, and attaching the 2x4s using the aforementioned lag bolts, washers, and nuts - PLUS a round rubber washer between the bus and the metal washer to seal the hole from the elements. Once the 2x4s were firmly installed, it was simply a matter of attaching front faceplates for the cabinet openings, a base the entire length, end caps were needed, and finally the cabinet doors. Sounds simple, doesn't it? And it is, but not nearly as quick and easy as this little paragraph makes it seem. The end result is a cabinet that will support ANYthing I want to store in it - short of gold bullion, of course, but then I'm running a bit short on that commodity anyway. :-)



We had planned to install the cabinet doors in such a way as to lift up for access, but when we started seriously considering the logistics of access, it quickly became apparent that a dropdown style was far more efficient. There will be no handles sticking out on the bus, for I want nothing that causes incidental pain, and knobby things in the aisle have been known to result in midnight misery. Instead, I have opted for 2x4 inch cut outs in each door. They will be shaped with the same slight rounding of corners as is found throughout the bus - the windows, the ceiling, etc. If you didn't already know, continuity of style creates a calming effect for the eye.

Ron came over one day and we traced down the beastly alarm system on the doors and hatches and shorted that sucker out. Yea! The engine can now be on and the back door open at the same time! While he was here, we also pulled the radio to see whether we could figure out what was wrong there. A lovely man, named Gary Wilson, wrote his findings on the back of the radio and saved us a BUNCH of time. We are SO very grateful to Mr. Wilson and his blue marker! Ron also helped me enourmously with the geometry problem of creating my design for the side of the bus, and then sprang for a FABULOUS Greek lunch for everyone! Yet another amazingly generous person in my life. Not sure exactly how I manage to have so many around me, but I'm trying real hard to simply accept the fact and be grateful.



Meanwhile, I've been busy taking advantage of bosom friend Pen's stellar upholstery knowledge and ability. I asked her for advice on the curtain and cushion work, and she simply took over. Pen is a generous soul to the extent that it can be detrimental to her health and peace of mind, and I really try not to take advantage, though it's often woefully tempting. That said, she readily took on the task of sewing my set of incredibly complex (almost every one of them is a different set of dimensions!) curtains, making the mattress comfie and attractive with a new cover, AND putting together the cushions for the platform! Funny how women will help other women in their nesting needs. *grin* I still have to make a cover for the driver's seat that both increases its comfort and improves its looks, and yes, Pen is guiding me in this process as well as in that of adding the decorative paint to the dark green stripe on the outside. No idea how my life can possibly be a happy place without Pen just down the street. I try not to think about that too carefully, because then I start to cry.

Speaking of generous souls in my life...dear heart and neighbor Victor has given me 6 gorgeous finished cherry planks he had stashed in his garage. He thought they were mahogany, but when I pulled them out and looked, they turned out to be cherry! They are slated to be used as countertops and as the facing wall of the toilet space. Thus far, Towanda is being filled with beautiful woods - pale birch, warm pine, maple and cherry! Does life get any better than a plethora of rich wood tones? I don't THINK so...

In the evenings I embroider on a couple of pretty pillowcases, and I have started yet another small quilted piece that I plan to use as a table cover. After vowing to never touch those miserable little quilting pieces again, I find I have been bitten by the bug and now must quilt or perish! Ack!

Other news:

We now have good insurance on Towanda; State Farm, and it's only $144 a year! At that rate, I'm thinking about installing a bed and microwave in my Volvo and seeing if I can get her re-licensed as an rv! Ha!

Towanda gets licensed today with the State of Texas! Street legal at last! Next stop, The Inspection Station.

Global Nomad

Found a cool site that allowed me to mark all the countries and states I have lived in or visited to this point in my life...



create your own visited countries map



create your own visited states map

Bedtime

Another hideously long day for both of us. Another day of triple digit temperatures. Another day of potential buyers endlessly streaming through my FULLY lighted house. Not that I'm complaining, mind. The house is getting a TON of play, and hopefully that will translate to a lovely sale, and soon. I'm mighty tired of constantly cleaning and living carefully, though. Ah well, soon I shall be a bonafide Gypsy, a Global Nomad yet again.

Growing up in travel mode has its benefits in times such as in the midst of selling a house. Living in Texas since 1979, I have been here longer than any other single place in my life, but pulling up roots hasn't been as difficult as I thought it might be. Will I miss my friends and neighbors? You better believe it. More than I care to contemplate. But the sincere hope is I'll find more people who have similar values, principles and interests in the Northwest than I ever have here. Texas has the most generous, kind people on the planet, that's just a basic fact. But our core values are really quite different, and making friends here has often been a shoehorn fit at best. My best friend here is from the Northwest and California, think of that. :-)

So while waiting for one tour and then another and another to pass through and judge our home, we worked on the bus. Short story? Peter finished the bed platforms, and we anchored the bed to them. All works as planned, and it is VERY exciting to again see one of my designs take shape. It's been awhile. There are a ton of photos at the Progress Gallery that explain the design far better than mere words, so take a look when you get a chance.

Other than the bed, I frosted the lower rear door window so it still allows light passage but no visual. Peter and I had another planning session in which we made some much-needed decisions about the next cabinetry slated to be built.

Ron is back from South Africa and I am THRILLED. Cannot WAIT to show him Ogg and take him for a ride! Hopefully he'll be over sometime today...

The Bed Design

Yesterday Peter worked from sunup to sundown on Olive, literally; 7:30am until 7:30pm. The first four hours were spent doing PAINSTAKING work with an artist's paintbrush around all the tiny cracks and crevices that were still yellow. Now I love painting, both as an artist on canvas and slapping the stuff on a house or wall. But painting the tiny little delicate trim crap that requires a focused and patient touch drives me BATTY. 'Course, Peter and I figured that out long ago, so I am delegated the large expanses and he does the stuff I can't easily reach (ceilings, for example) and the trim work. That said, he's been doing far more than just those two items on THIS job. He's been working his butt off, no question about it. I can't say enough about the effort Peter has been putting forth on this project. Simply amazing dedication to getting me out the door. :-)

Once he finished the paint job, he started jumping around in the driveway like the child of the Punk Era he is...had there been a mosh pit, he would have flung his large self bodily into it, I have NO doubt.

After swilling a gallon of skim milk to cool off (I'm serious...this household goes through a solid two gallons a day in the summer...and I drink very little of that since discovering the joys of water), Peter started pulling out the tools and materials needed to build the bed platforms.

Here's the way the bed will work when complete... The bed and its trundle sit atop a 12Hx80Wx42D platform that straddles the right (looking aft) wheel well. Directly across the "aisle" is another wheel-straddling platform, this one 12Hx80Wx24D. When the trundle is pulled out, it rests on the opposing platform. Both platforms have storage underneath, with the deeper (the one with the bed) allowing access at the end for placing long items, such as a screened shelter, walking sticks, etc. We've noodled access to the lower chambers, and come up with a number of different strategies, all with an eye to ease of use by this middle-aged lady. When not in use as a bed support, the smaller platform will sport a seating cushion its entire length and thus serve as additional seating. The cushion lifts to reveal hatch access to the storage area. As much as I would like a hatch on the bed side, there's simply no way to accomplish that since the bed lives there 24x7. I haven't seen anyone else using a system such as this, and I honestly don't why but for the fact no one has thought of it. Seems like a great way to deal with the inevitability of the wheel wells, and to allow for what amounts to a king-sized bed in a twin-sized space. Pretty slick, all in all. At least on paper. We'll see how the reality turns out, and I'll be sure to let you know.

While Peter worked in the 100 hundred degree temps, I worked on the house, waxing all the floors (and most of our 3900sf is hard-surfaced rather than carpeted), vacuuming the area rugs thoroughly, and doing yet more touch-up paint work. Never in my LIFE have I been this clean...my mother would be SO proud.

When I could stand to emerge from the environs of the cool, dark house, I went out the bus to discuss whatever needed discussing with Peter, and to see if I could help in any way, bringing him apple juice and a bottle that contains a cooling device for liquids. While out there I came up with a couple of very important solutions to problems I've been worrying for weeks.

First a reasonable (well, we'll SEE) solution to the curtain/shade problem. I have a couple of those somewhat cheesy bamboo beach mats in my collection of Stuff (caps included for sarcastic intent), and it occured to me that cut in half, each would provide the perfect roll-up shade for two windows. That said, I need 8 more and some applied energy. Still have to acquire velcro with which to create holding straps, too, but at least I'm no longer completely stymied by the problem of window coverings.



Second, I was rooting around in the garage - a much emptier place since the Garage Sale and the ensuing two visits of The Salvation Army truck - and my eye fell on a strange item I have repeatedly and steadfastly refused to allow Peter to pitch (MUCH to his continuing dismay and disgust, btw). My dear old (92 at the time) dad made a jerry-rigged swing-up desk-ish thing to make using computer a little easier, and when he moved in with me, it came along. Basically, it was two 3x2 pieces of heavy plywood he had cut, stained, varnished, and hinged together to attach to his desk. I saw this odd bit of what my friend Golda called (brace yourself...she was old-school Southern) "Ethiopian Engineering" leaning up against the wall of wood in the garage, and it struck me to see if that piece would somehow fit as the platform I had long planned for the front of the bus. Said platform is to be used as a place to anchor a seat for a passenger, when one is along for my various adventures. I measured, Peter cut the two inches off one side and the two inch wedge off another corner, and voila! I had a perfect platform in place! VERY exciting to have that problem solved, and to have used a piece of my dad's work that NO ONE but dad and I could see as useful. Peter just stood and shook his head, stunned that I actually managed to find a use for something he would have long since pitched in the bin. He gave me big kudos for reuse of material, and I just jumped around and crowed and cawed like the Old Raven I am.



By the end of the day, Peter had created a lovely platform for the bed and was ready for me to throw a coat of polyurethane down just to give the wood a protective finish. More than that, he was SERIOUSLY ready to stop for the day. He was hot clear through, something I don't intend to allow to happen again, though he's very smart about consuming plenty of liquids, thank goodness. Not healthy to get so overheated...

Olive The Green Goddess

Finally I have returned with news of Towanda, or as she is now known "Olive, The Green Goddess" or simply "Ogg."

Much has happened with the bus since last I posted.

A brief recap of the high and very low points:

A new fridge
The Bluebird of Happiness
Outside paint completed
Masking tape disintegration
A new floor
A new bed
A new vision of the folding bookcase



Entirely unexpectedly, we bought a fridge while picking up lumber and caulk at BOB (the Big Orange Box, aka Home Despot). Last of it's ilk on their shelves, it was severely marked down and a deal we simply couldn't pass up. Fortunately, the bank account was agreeable. So now we have cold water and milk readily at hand in the bus whenever we get thirsty, which is pretty constantly in the triple digits we've been experiencing this week. :-(



Made a trip to Tractor Supply Co. for some serious paint - the stuff used on farm machinery and implements. I now have a new favourite store! GREAT place and darned good prices, too! We bought a gallon of high-test glossy white to use on the roof, and scouted a ton of other stuff we've been looking for, too. Later, when the bank account has recovered from the latest round of expenditures. In line to check out, Peter spotted a pretty little stuffed animal - a Bluebird (well, okay, so it's actually a Blue Grosbeak...so sue me). It chirped at him, and he insisted I have it since "you need a Bluebird for your Bluebird." A VERY endearing gesture that meant the world to me.

We are ALmost finished with the paint job. The corrugated sections and all the detail work has been a JOB, believe me. Not for the faint of heart. If this paint job goes south for some reason, the next one will be done by a professional auto painter... The single disappointment is the effect the ceramic additive has had on the paint. I had hoped for a lovely high gloss, but the sandy texture of the additive simply doesn't allow that to happen. The most I have managed is a semi-gloss. Oh well, I'd rather have the additive in place than a shiny paint job, given the choice. As I write this, Peter is applying the finishing detail work to the pale green, and will follow with the final coat of darker green on the stripe. Once all that is done, I will begin the painstaking process of applying my decorative pattern to the stripe, and THEN I get to come in with some marine poly and cover the front of the bus.

See, it's my belief that the front takes the most wear and tear, so a thorough coat of marine-grade polyurethane will guard against a lot of potential road and weather damage. The kid at the paint store insisted that I could neither use house paint OR marine polyurethane on a vehicle - that the paint would "disintegrate within 6 months," and the polyurethane would "crack and fall off, 'cause it's not made for moving objects." When I pointed out the word "Marine" to him, along with the associated knowledge of use on boats, and the fact that boats MOVE - a LOT, and also asked him why the paint would last on a house for 10-15 years, but would disintegrate on a vehicle, he shook his head and gave me a sneer as if to say "you're an idiot, lady." Maybe so, but this lady has had a LOT of experience with various paints and coatings, and I believe in what I'm doing. And so, btw, does the manager of that store, with whom I discussed the pros and cons of my plan a week or so prior to the visit with the kid.

Wisdom for the day? Nope, wisdom for LIFE. Never, NEVER allow the "experts" to nay-say your dreams. Phooey on doctors who give you three months to live, phooey on friends who say you'll never stop smoking or lose that weight, phooey on people who say "it can't be done." PHOOEY!

The deeply low point of the paint job involves the masking tape I bought at the Kelly-Moore paint store. This stuff may be great in a house, but the adhesive disintegrated on the bus, leaving me with a nightmare of residue I have slowly begun removing, using Goof-Off and Goo-Gone. Peter and I both curse Kelly-Moore and their masking tape multiple times a day. Grrrrrr....

The high point of the paint job was when I realised the colour we were painting looked all the world like Green Goddess dressing, though it dried a more olive shade. And thus Towanda was rechristianed "Olive, The Green Goddess," or as I am fond of calling her "Ogg." Towanda may be her 'tude, but Olive is her name. :-)

Somewhere in the middle of all this, I painted the cover plate for the hole in the cockpit ceiling, making it a moon to go with the starry sky. Yup, more creeping hippie bus...



And in my SPARE time (and remember, there are crowds of people coming through our house every day...an average of three groups per day), I made my first quilt from a stack of bandanas I've been collecting since the 60s. Queen-sized, it isn't perfect by any measure, but it's pretty enough to be used on our bed, and with all the left over bandanas, I made coordinating pillows! Some fun!

As I look back over the photos of our progress, I am reminded of how thrilled we were with each step forward with the floor. When the seats came out, I thought we could we use the black rubber floor that was in place, so I decided to clean it up a little. So saying, I pulled the power washer inside and proceeded to blast the accumulated grossness away. And then a flap of rubber jumped up and revealed the TRUE filth underneath, and I knew the rubber had to go. Rubber gone, we were faced with one nasty looking plywood floor, so we laid the white sealant gunk, and the floor was so improved that we just danced in the driveway. Too quickly, we realised the white stuff, though probably great for the roofs of Mobile Homes (for which it was designed), was a miserable product underfoot. Took forEVER to dry (two weeks, easy), and immediately was marked up by ANY form of traffic. Okay, fine, no matter, we knew we weren't finished. When we finally put the pink unsulation down, we were thrilled to see white stuff get covered, and when the final plywood substrate was screwed down and caulked, we danced again with glee and abandon. When the 2 good coats of polyurethane were applied yesterday and the floor glowed, I thought I couldn't be happier. Soon the cabinets will be built and I will be at a point where I can lay carpet and cork, and I know that moment will thrill me every bit as much as each step before.

Late yesterday, I walked out to check the mail, then thought I should check the front porch for packages. I was stunned to find two HUMUNGOUS boxes leaning up against the door. The new trundle bed had arrived! I grabbed Peter and we decided we couldn't wait...we wheeled the boxes to the bus, opened 'em, and proceeded to build that sucker in place. It is PERFECT, and with its arrival, Peter can now begin to build the supporting cabinets that serve as anchor point for everything else in the bus. We WILL be ready for our first road trip - planned for the first week of July! Woo hoo!

I LOVE my bus!