Yellow! - August 26, 2017

Donnie didn't care for the cream coloured paint I was using to seal the raw wood. I don't mind it but I'm happy to have a new colour too. We took the plaid upholstery in to the paint store and they matched a paint to the yellow part. Richard at Colour Your World on Tacoma was a big help and seemed interested too. We ended up chatting about what tunes I'm going to play on my first drive once the bus is one the road!

This colour doesn't cover very well so I see lots of coats in my future.

The 1st Order Arrives! - August 25, 2017

We always like to see the courier van coming up the long driveway but today was especially nice because we were pretty sure he had our busdepot.com order. Sure enough, everything but the tent arrived. We checked the packing and order slips and compared to the contents of the box to be sure. We have a whole new work plan ahead of us now.

Removing the Pop Top - AUgust 19, 2017

With a new tent coming, the old one has to come off. This is just as well since the flocking on the pop top is requiring a lot of elbow grease to clean and it's hard work reaching over head to do it. So everything comes off and will get a good cleaning to make it ready for the new tent. What a difference the cleaning makes!

Ordering parts - August 17, 2017

We're to the point that we have a pretty good list of all we need. Donnie ordered some parts from busdepot.com including lower body panels and rubber seals. A few were on back order but customer service was great and they got in touch and we confirmed we'd prefer to have them hold everything and send one package when it was all available.

Then we did a little research into having our tent replaced locally. The existing tent is in need of extensive repairs or replacement. The cost was surprisingly high but busdepot.com came througha again and was the best price online. We added it to our order and foudn out it was all being shipped very soon. A courier will bring most of the pieces but the tent will come by Canada Post due to the weight of it. Just too expensive.

I also ordered all the foam pieces for the seats, hatch and pop top. Eventually we'll have to tackle the front seats too but I'm not there yet.

The expenses are getting bigger. We're in it for another $1000 now.

Look What Landed in Our Yard! - August 12, 2017

This bay made its way to our yard this weekend. It's been in the woods not far from us for a long time by the look of it. The bus was packed to the gills with garbage and I'm still not sure what parts are intact and what its purpose is!

To Paint or Not to Paint? - August 10, 2017

So the cabinets look clean and the laminate smells good but the raw wood parts start to smell musty again soon after they are cleaned no matter what product has been used on them.

I had a chat with my Aunt who has done a camper before and she thinks I should paint the raw wood and seal in the smell. I think she's probably right. Purists may not like it but I think I'm going to end up with a clean looking and clean smelling camper so how can that be bad?

I also decided to remove the upholstery on the seats and small pieces that don't zip open. That meant pulling out about a million staples and washing the plaid and removing the foam. It needs to be replaced. It's in decent condition with very little break down but it smells old and it seems silly to not replace it at this point.

I'm painting the wood with an oil based enamel that I have left over from the interior of my kitchen drawers. I'm already happy I decided to do it. The laminate will still look the same.

A Family Affair - July 30, 2017

I've been deep cleaning the interior cabinets out in the sun while Donnie searches for more rust and starts a plan to fix what he's found.

Even Isaac got a little interested when he was here on the weekend. Both Donnie and Isaac have been cutting out the worst spots to prepare for replacing them. Reuben tends to stick with me and likes spraying the cabinets best. Natures Miracle and Magic Erasers have been my best friend lately.