Raz and that darn bus conversion

2012-01-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

Ok folks I guess it is time to start updating this blog. First of all, Lorie is my new girlfriend, In fact, on June 2nd she will become my wife. She is coming to be a part of my life about the middle of feb. Of course, she decided there there are some things that need to be changede in the bus. So, I will start putting the new projects on here on a regular basis. katy and Carey are working to change my background. I hope you will follows us on the new journey!!! See you all soon, Raz

2011-12-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

Well I don't know if anyone even looks at this site anymore but here is a post just in case. So today was another chapter in the closure of losing Patsy. I closed the bank account that was set up for us since I am no longer using it. There are some really special people that sent us money to that account and I still don't know how to ever repay you for you love and support. Patsy knows who you are and I know she is looking after you. I know she is also looking after me. Things have happened lately that I know she has had a hand in.

Anyway, that chapter is now closed and we keep driving down the road. Thanks again RAZ

2011-09-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

Well I have a little more to do but the tops are done. I need to lightly sand and re-stain the fronts a bit but I am making improvements. I am not sure why I am doing this to a rv that I may not ever do anything with. Marty and Chad have been told that the RV belongs to them. I hope they like the tops I picked out for them. Patsy would have liked them, this was one of her favorite laminates.

I have been sick the last couple of days and it has been hard to get motivated to do anything. I have asked myself the last few days what I have to get out of bed for. I haven't come up with anything yet. No job, no money, no companion, no future. I hope something turns me around soon. I am not even sure I want to go to work just to give the money to someone else.

Maybe things will look different when I get to feeling better. Keep riding along if you want, RAZ

2011-09-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

I sure do need to work!!!

2011-09-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Things are starting to look a little scary. I was hopeful that I would be working by now but they told me today that it will be late next week at the soonest. Bummer deal. And then to make my day even worse, I seem to have caught the bug Katy had when she was here. Back ache, sore throat, and I have a cough. Patsy, can you bring me some aspirin????? I really do hate being alone. I guess I should quit whinning and get up and get to work doing something. That is all for now RAZ

Her CD made me sad!!!!

2011-09-07T21:57:00.000-07:00

Ok I am here now. I don't know if anybody reads this page but I will keep writing if for no other reason to to look back someday and remember what my life was all about.

Had a pretty rough day today. First of all, I listened to Patsy's CD and that upset me a bit. She sure did like her music and was very talented. I shed a tear or two.

Then I spent most of the day putting some counter tops on in my bus and I asked Chad to come and router them for me. Almost all done and a piece broke off. Bummed me out but then him and Marty pulled it off and put another piece on. Turned out great and that made me fill better. Then I decided that two ladys that I have been talking to are wrong for me. Going to cool that situation down starting tomorrow. Work isn't going to start until next week and the money is gone. Hopefully I don't have anywhere to go until I get things going. So, I am heading for bed and hoping for a better day tomorrow. I keep hoping things will get better. Thanks for riding along if anyone is there. RAZ

Coming soon!!!!!

2011-07-30T10:48:00.001-07:00

I will start taking some pics and doing some updates on here starting soon. I hope to see my journey with everyone riding along, RAZ

2010-03-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

Check out the orange bucket????

Moving day!

2010-03-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

We are starting to move some items in.

2010-03-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

A 6kw onan made my day

2010-03-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

Drivers side front window looks great, and check out the rivets.

2010-03-03T19:38:00.000-08:00

2 inches of insulation will help in the heat and the cold. it better for what it cost. 4x8 sheet $20.00

Thanks boys!

2010-03-03T19:27:00.001-08:00

It takes two radios for three sons to get the work done, but I will listen to all the music if they are there working. I could not have gotten this far without them.

We're outta here!

2010-03-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

Charge up those batteries and lets get going!

2010-02-19T19:20:00.000-08:00

Ok here is an update. First let me thank my Daughters for keeping the blog updated for me. Katy and Carey do work on it from time to time because Dad doesn't have time to figure it out.

For those of you that don't know. busing has been a dream for Patsy and me for some time now. We bought this bus in Chino Valley Arizona in November of 2008. When we closed our carpet business down in January 2009, we moved to Weiser and was going to get started on our dream. But work got in the way and not much got done. 3 weeks ago, the owner of the ground we were selling cars off of decided to sell and guess what, we are out of a job. We were given 30 days to pack up and hit the road. So Patsy and I after 3 weeks of trying to figure out a game plan have to decided to go for broke. (wait, we already are broke). We decided to make the bus livable and move it to my sons house and get to work on our future home. I am not sure financially how everything is going to work and we have spent a lot of money this last two weeks on generators and insulation and wood, etc, but here we go.

So as you can see, we have been very busy. First of all, there is a lot of work involved just to strip the inside of a MCI to get ready to make it a home.I have now made three trips to the recycle plant with aluminum and stainless steel. The first trip I mad $155.00, the second was $210.00, and the third was $175.00. I have another load to go in the morning. The bathroom in the back corner was a pain in the, well Chads butt. And all the side walls and over head storage and ceiling had to be removed. The next step was to remove the windows. After many grinder disks and drill bits, we finally got everything down to bare walls. Kurt and Scott and Chad and Marty ( it is nice to have 4 sons sometimes)worked on getting the windows all out. They were riveted in and that was quite a job.

After much reading and studying, I decided to skin the sides with 20 gauge steel. I bought 5 matching RV windows. We will put two windows on one side in the front and one on the other. The we will put one window on each side in the back where the bedroom is. We finished skinning the second side all but the front piece today and we left that off until tomorrow. The stove (mom wants a full size propane stove and we have one so it is going in tomorrow. Also, we put the shower enclosure in through the window because it would not work through the door. Tomorrow we put the couch in and then button it up. Then we will cut the RV windows in and get them mounted. Our game plan is to have the out side all put back together with the new windows in and the big items in the bus by the end of the weekend.

That will give us a week to move a bed and a desk and a few basic items in before next week end.

Next sat, we will start up our new home and head for Martys where the work will continue as we work to make a little money and try to get ready to hit the big road. We would like to work our way to alaska next year if everything goes together.

So, I hope that gives you an idea what we have been up to. I will have pics for the site posted on Monday or Tue. Thanks to all that have been helping and following this site. See you next time. RAZ

One Side Enclosed.

2010-02-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

Thanks Guys for the Help. One more side to go!

This picture kind of looks like the rusted car in my background (lower right corner)

W.I.P

2010-02-14T12:36:00.000-08:00

We had Most of the Boys come out today to help with the project. Jenni made some lunch for everyone.

Chad getting the metal ready to go in.

Scott and Kurt worked hard to get all the windows out.

It's hard to believe We will be calling this home in just a few weeks. But we will "gitter dun"

More Pictures to come.

2009-12-12T15:37:00.000-08:00

What a nice surprise!!!! Scott and Denise came by today and brought over a decorated Christmas tree. Mom and I had decided that our house wasn't big enough for a tree and so we put up some lights on the front of the building and we were going to call it good enough for this year. Some people question why mom and I would live in such a small house!!

Two reasons

1. the price is right and we are very comfortable

2. the price is right and we are very comfortable

ok, we are also testing whether we could stand to be this close to each other if and when we go on the bus. So far, so good????

Any way, back to the tree. They decided to put it up next to the house on the outside and it is really cut. So here is a pic.

Merry Christmas to everyone, RAZ and Patsy

2009-12-12T15:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I have a minute so here is an update. I started taking the aluminum out of the bus, Big job!!!

I took the aluminum to the recycle shop and got $160.00 for it. That helped. I still have the other overhead luggage rack to take down and the bathroom to remove and then I can stat laying the floor out for things to come. Winter is here now and I probably won't get a lot done until it warms back up again. It was -4 this morning and then it warmed up nut started snowing. I started the bus the other day and check the anti-freeze. Everything looks good. See ya next time. RAZ

2009-10-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

Well, money got short so i took a job driving onion truck so the bus project is going slow. I did manage to get the church decals off of the sides. What a difference that makes. Inside I have started to remove the overhead luggage racks. That is a job by itself!!! I have one rack down and now that I know how to get it down (next time I will get my feet out of the way when it drops), I will start the other side. My son Marty is going to come help because he wants some of the aluminum for some work he is doing. I was going to recycle it but if he will help get it out, I will give it to him.

Ok, enough for now, RAZ

2009-09-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Well, as you can see, this is our new home. You might be a redneck if your house has a steering wheel. So far, the work done on the bus is that we have removed the seats and I have taken out the the air conditioning condenser so that I can make room for the generator. I have also started removing the church decals on the sides and back but it is a slow process. The heat gun either makes it to hot or not hot enough, but it is coming. I also having been pricing the alluminum for the skin when I remove some of the windows. Pat has decided that we will leave two windows in the front on both sides and one window in the back on both sides. This will save hundreds of dollars trying to buy rv windows and the work to cut them in.
My next challenge is to figure out how to post this so that other bus nuts might give me some advice on how do build this darn thing into a house. Thats all for now, RAZ

2009-09-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

2009-09-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

My daughter is trying to help me get this blog up and running. We shall see. RAZ