yeah, that’s right.

this week i got the bed in, which was basically the bed i had in my house, but a tiny bit taller and attached to the walls, so that was simple. i built a box over the other wheel well, which was unplanned, but i figured it would be easier to stack things on this way and i had some lumber left over. the few other things were rocker-guarding the big metal patch from under the bus; siliconing then rocker-guarding a few screw holes in the wheel wells i didn’t patch from the top; and grinding then painting the front bumper to match the rear. i didn’t miss grinding, but this 1.5hr session was sure a treat after the 3 days spent on the floor. then all of yesterday while waiting for the paint to dry i mainly cleaned the ceiling and dashboard and instrument panels and window casings. they were still all covered in rust dust.

so today was safety day! i got my temporary insurance from the brokers and biked down to my moms to pick up the bus. i have barely been riding my bike because (along with other reasons) the car has become my mobile garage, housing all the tools i need, etc, and i have been missing it mightily. the school division recommended a garage in st.andrews, which is about 10k north of the city, so i was able to get my bike fix satiated with a good two hour bike ride. first i rode the hour to my moms house and got to drive my sweet bus again! i LOVE driving it. oh i do yes i do. however. i can also see the need for cruise control on a long drive, in order not to aggravate my back. i hope they are able to re-engage it at the garage. i am leaving the bus there for a few days, and will hopefully hear news by early next week. then from st.andrews i biked back into the city with a fabulous tailwind. living the dream.

ok, so despite saying i am done the conversion, i doubt i am fully done. i did what i needed to do to get it safetied and to live in it right away. my main goal is to leave winnipeg as soon as possible. i originally planned to leave here by midsummer, but everything took longer than i expected. there is land for sale on the coast that i want to look at, which is still thankfully for sale, but i don’t want to count on that for too much longer. and it’s getting cooler now, i want to put wood away for the winter, and know where i am going to park my bus at that! also there is work to think about- finding a job. granted i still have a job here, and could be working more right now than i am. but anyway, there are still things i can imagine doing to it to make it home-ier, but in the interest of leaving i have put those things on hold. when it gets back from the safety i do still need to put together the electrical system. all the wires are in, but i was going to take early next week to look for a battery. i got a 3000w inverter on sale at canadian tire a week ago for over half off! that was a score. and i have a charge controller on mail order, along with LED lighting and cig lighter 12v ports. i also still have my 120w solar panel from when i lived on the coast last, but i am not going to mount that until i get out there. then there’s the rack to mount to the roof. i haven’t tried it to see if its feet are at the right slope to match the roof, but i sure hope so, it’s such a lovely rack!:)

oh, also i found a wood-stove this week for 150$! i just happened to look at kijiji again and there was the perfect size little wood-stove for my needs! 35″ high and 18″ in diameter, it is round with a wee cooktop. it has a tiny rust hole in the ash chamber, but jeremy thinks i can easily fix that. a little more riveting perhaps? unfortunately i forgot to take a good picture of it before stashing it in the very dark garage, so that will have to wait.