In The Forest

Cozy is currently unable to start, and we are stuck, in the forest, in Fort Bragg CA. It's a beautiful location to be stuck, but all the same, I'm ready to be back on the road. It's been pretty cold in the bus, the trees and smoke are not helping the solar panel, food, butane, and propane supplies are dwindling, dirty laundry and trash seem to be in abundance. The problem seems to be with Cozy's glow plugs (like spark plugs for diesel engines). I had to order the parts, which have now arrived, and we are waiting for the mechanic to install them this weekend. I can't wait to turn the key and hear her come to life! Figers crossed that happens soon.

Creating By The Sea

I feel so inspired, sitting by the ocean and painting. I love my little art studio on the coast (at least for now).

Spending The Summer in Mendocino

The pull of the sea has been strong. I didn't intend to stay in Mendocino so long, but this beautiful place seems to have a magnetic tug on my heart. It's hard to believe I've been here since March, but one thing after another helped me to justify staying. Soon the time will come to leave, and I will miss it, but I look forward to seeing what comes next. I'll be back dear Mendocino, I'll be back next year.

Furgus the Bus Kitty

I wanted to introduce my little copilot Furgus (Furgie for short). He was rescued from the Humane Society, and is now living an adventure-filled life on Cozy the Bus. He is a Lynx Point Siamese, which is basically a Lilac Point Siamese and Tabby mix. He has the brightest blue eyes I've ever seen on a kitty.

He loves his bus and going for walks wearing his harness. He is a really sweet little guy!

This is Furgus about a month ago. Look at those eyes!

Here is a current picture of Furgie in his bus.

Furgus wearing his adventure harness.

Road Trip To Valley Of Fire

I went on a road trip to Valley of Fire. I drove through the Lake Mead Recreational Area to get there. It was a beautiful drive, and the weather was perfect. As you drive along, you begin to see red rocks here and there. Then, off in the distance, you see Valley of Fire rising up in the landscape. Everything surrounding it is so neutral, the red stands out and draws you closer.

The red rocks, blue skies, and green vegetation mingle, creating a visual treat. The petroglyphs and the Elephant Rock were highlights of the trip.

Skoolie Conversion Overview

It looks like Cozy is going to be featured in an upcoming book (more details coming soon, fingers crossed). So, I took some overview pictures of her, in her current state. I'm currently waiting for a ceiling vent/fan to arrive. Once that's installed, I will be completing the embossed wallpaper ceiling covering.

Skoolie Conversion Bedroom

Here are a few pictures of Cozy's bedroom area. Under the bed platform is a nice big (well, relatively speaking) storage area that can be accessed for inside the bus, or through the backdoor. I keep my clothes in baskets, that you can see under the bed. I also have additional undie storage in little crates at the foot of my bed.

Trip To Zion National Park

Went on a road trip to Zion National Park. This was the first national park on my journey. I look forward to checking more parks off my bucket list. This is "off season" at Zion, but I can't imagine why, the weather was perfect and the colors were gorgeous.

Skoolie Bathroom

Here are some update pictures of the potty area in the bus. The walls are made from old doors, the front of the enclosure is faced with birch bark sheets. Inside the enclosure I have a composting toilet, and Nessa's cat box.

Cozy Kithen (Part 3)

The last minute scramble of moving out of my rental house caused me to neglect the blog. A lot has happened with Cozy. Here are some pictures of how the kitchen developed. I still don't have a faucet, but other than that, it's pretty much done. The faucet I ordered didn't fit, so the search for one that will work continues.

I have much more to share, so stay tuned, I promise to be back soon. Happy Sunday!

Cozy's Kitchen (Part 2)

More work on the kitchen. I've decided not to go with the "L" shape counter design. Once I saw all the pieces in place, I felt it would work better this way. There will be shelves at the end of the counter, that will hold jars of grains, beans, etc.

Cozy's Kitchen (Part 1)

Framing the Kitchen

Started work on Cozy's kitchen. Ultimately, the kitchen will be an "L" shape, to make the most of the limited space that I have.  The kitchen sits above the wheel wells. The shelf will hold the water (fresh and gray) containers. I hope to get the counter top on today. Thanks to Sam for a big assist on this part of the build!

Cozy Progress

Bed frame with lots of storage space underneath.

Everything table (art studio/dining table/computer area).

"Bathroom" area.

Lots of progress being made in Cozy (thank you Sam for the help!). The bed is in, the everything-table is in place, and I built the potty area. The bathroom walls are made from doors purchased at an architectural salvage store. I will have a composting toilet, and the hole cut in the front of the enclosure allows the cat access to the cat box inside. I'm going to cut a small hole and mount a computer fan to vent inside the enclosure to keep things smelling nice and fresh in the bus.

Priming Out The Pink

Oil base primer, the first step in covering all that pink paint.

I also started to build the "bathroom".

Today was a busy day, and I made a lot of progress on Cozy the Bus. I used an oil base primer to start covering all the pink paint. The priming is about 90% done. There are a lot of tiny areas, in the front of the bus, that will need to be painted with a little brush, but other than that, the priming is done.
I also did a lot of work on the "bathroom". I'm using some cool old doors as the walls, and I really like the way they are looking. The DIY composting toilet (more on that later), and the cat box, will be housed inside a toy box sort of enclosure. The lid will be hinged, so that I will have easy access to the cat box and toilet. I'm going to cut a hole in the front of the enclosure so the cats can access their cat box. I plan to cut a small hole in the floor, and add a small computer fan to vent, and keep things smelling nice in the bus.

Skoolie Conversion Progress

Wood "ribs", rigid foam insulation, and faux barn wood panels going up on the side walls.

Filthy feet and white paint. The side walls are all up, and I applied a white wash technique to sell the barn wood look.

Floor and side walls.

All the stickers, and other stuff removed, and ready to paint. Bye, bye pink.

A little progress report on Cozy. Things are now moving along nicely. It's finally cooled off enough to spend some serious time working in the bus. After a nasty flu, my energy is back, and I'm enjoying my bus time.

Flowers On Friday

School Bus Conversion - Floor Installation

Cozy's floor is well underway. This job would be so much easier in a nice square or rectangular room. Despite the all the curves, and the obstacles to avoid, it's going pretty well, and it looks really pretty.

New Business Cards

The new business cards arrived. I'm really happy with them.

Paint Chips and Cat Paws

Klaus (rhymes with house) decided to weigh in on the color selection. Apparently he's into neutrals.