The bus was ever in our minds! We had to finish all the carpentry and any other project that required big, loud tools - things we couldn't use in a campground. Once we got most of the work done, we moved the bus to a more prominent spot on our driveway so we could access the bays underneath where propane, plumbing, and electrical systems go.
This left the side yard, the former home of the bus, empty for more workspace. This canopied area of workbenches became the "finishing department." As Michael completed drawers, boxes, shelves, doors, etc., I took over and painted the items the appropriate color.
Throughout our conversion, Michael came up with great ideas for storage. Many times I thought he was just avoiding some other looming project, but I was often proven incorrect. These drawers are extra trays that sit above the kids' very deep drawers. It adds more organization and, because they slide easily on a rail in the drawer, they allow Max and Simone to move it aside to gain access to the rear of their drawers. Michael also put a hole in the middle divider so that the kids could pick up the hole thing to remove it completely from the drawer. Part of my finishing duties included sanding furniture that the kids would use a lot. We don't want to see any splinters in Max and Simone!
I had given up on finishing the shower, but Michael and I made a push to at least finish the walls and run some PEX. You can see the shower's hot water line on the left side of the pictures. The kids watched a lot of TV in May and June because we just couldn't spend time with them inside the house and letting them outside the house too much meant too many mosquito bites. Everyday, I wore long pants regardless of the temperature and humidity level. It was more comfortable knowing that I wouldn't be itchy!
Michael raced home many a lunch break to work on whatever bus project he could do in a limited amount of time. Here he is resting with Max in the scorching Florida heat. Michael wore shorts but was rarely bit my bugs during the day. However, when the sun started setting, mosquitoes and no-see-ums emerged from the bushes and Spanish Moss and found their way through his hairy legs to get at his precious blood. No legs were safe come 5pm!
This picture shows the state of the bus the day before we left. As I was moving clothes and appliances into the bus, Michael would sneak in little projects here and there. I remember shouting, "Put those hooks down and start packing!" He assured me it would only take a few minutes, and it did, but he would soon be arrested with another "quick" project.
Our leaving Tampa was all a blur. I remember the misery at working into the late hours of the evening; the joy I would feel to be the one to get our fast food meals; the disgust I felt at seeing how much stuff we had to pack; and the sigh of relief I'd feel when we succumbed to sleep.
