Gotta get to work!

Wanting to waste no time getting started, on our first day off of work after purchasing the bus, we were out early, ready to work.

But, first things first, right??

Thanks to my uncle, we had some fresh wild hog ribs to smoke and share with any and all who wanted to be a part of our first work day.  

The plan was to try and get all of the seats out.  In his online research, Robbie had read several accounts of it being a very difficult task, taking some people days to complete.  Not knowing what to expect, we decided to expect nothing and just work until dark.  We started out taking the seats out manually, with good ole-fashioned elbow grease.  With Robbie under the bus, holding the nut, I used the ratchet to get the bolts from the floor on the inside.  We took out a couple of rows this way pretty easily, then switched to using the drill.  That, of course, sped things up.

...and with the arrival of my uncle (and hog-slayer), Johnny, who took over my part of the job almost immediately...

...the seats were out way faster than we expected.

…and more seats..

Seats, seats, ...

After eating some really delicious food, and with the arrival of some good friends (with some extra hands), we decided to go ahead and pull up the vinyl floors to see what is going on underneath.  

Of course they uncovered gorgeous, beautifully preserved hard-wood floors...  

 HARDLY!  More like, disgusting, moldy, soggy, smelly gross-wood floors.  So, yeah.  Those will have to be replaced.  And it's no wonder, considering the day we bought the bus it was raining sheets and four or five windows were open.  Who knows how long they've been down or how many times it's been rained in.

Yes, those are candy wrappers, straws, pencils, and other odds and ends from the last group of kids who rode this bus.  

Helping..

…kind of.

That concluded our first work day, and is as far as we are to date.  We are planning to head out there next weekend and start pulling up those nasty wood-planks.

I'll close with a few shots of our friends and family enjoying the day together…

I think someone was enjoying the day….

Without a doubt, there is no way we could ever have embarked on a project like this without the generosity and support of (my Nana and PawPaw) Brenda and Buford Evans.  They have agreed to let us park the bus on their property and use the space as our work site for as long as we need to.  So, a couple of days after we returned from where we bought the bus in TN, Robbie drove it out to the work site to park it.  Nana met us at the gate, camera in hand, excitedly waiting our grand arrival.

Nana checking out the bus...

…and reminiscing about her days of driving a bluebird bus

Parked at the site & ready for action

Pawpaw taking a look

The proud owners-- Official pre-project photo, we'll see how happy we're looking after a few months of hard work!

 A few before-shots of the inside:

I LOVE these mesh ceilings!  Just one of a few pleasant little unexpected details.. 

Another fun detail: Air horn!  Complete with pull-cord!

…and another:  PA system with out-side speakers! (and a tape deck-ha!)

Future bedroom

We bought a bus!!!

On a cold and rainy January morning--300 miles from home--we did it.  We bit the bullet, we took the plunge.  With a signature and a handshake, we changed the trajectory of our lives.  

The idea began months ago.  We have long discussed relocating, always unsure of committing long-term to a lease or mortgage in an area of the country unknown to us.  About a year ago, Robbie began to toy with the idea of converting an small bus or other transport vehicle into an rv for us to use on our many travels.  It occurred to us that if we had an RV large enough to live in full-time, we could move anywhere.  If that place didn't suit us, we could easily move on.  So, we decided to think bigger.  Our search for the perfect full-size bus began.

We narrowed the many choices down to the Blue Bird All American, late 90s model, with a rear-engine (Cummins 8.3, preferably).  That was the top of the list, creme de la creme, ideal model that suited us best.  For a couple of months, the only ones we could find online were so far away, we would have to double our budget to cover the cost of travel.  We began to think  that in order to stay within budget, we would have to compromise and settle for less than we wanted.  But, just before the end of the year Robbie came across what was, for us, a jackpot.  Three.  He found three buses that fit the criteria, all together at one lot, and only 300 miles from home.  That was close enough.  Not only did we have a bus to look at, we had three to choose from.  We made a deal that if they were still available once we get through the holidays, we'd drive up and take a look.   

They were, and we did.

A beautiful day for breaking in the new driver