GOING OUT FOR DINNER

What does "OUT" mean to a boater.  Well basically it means out there on the lake.  

What's it like "out" there?  Did you go "out" today?  

  
So, when I say, "Dan took me "out" for dinner." All that means to a boater is we went "out" of the harbour to cook dinner "out" there on the lake.  But let's face it that IS the kind of "Out for Dinner" I like most of all.  

 While dinner is cooking, we go for a swim, have a few drinks and relaxed in the sun. 

 
Have dinner, then go for another swim.  Sometimes walk on the beach.  

Sea-Enna loves it too. 

Then as the sun starts to dip in the west we meander back to the harbour. 

THAT KIND OF DAY IS MY IDEA OF HEAVEN

DIY: BUILDING A MOTOR HOME OUT OF A SCHOOL BUS

Back in 1976, Dan was scheduled for 6 weeks of holidays from the Winnipeg Fire Department right in the middle of summer, when the kids were off school.  Now this was a very special thing the first time in 4 years, he had holidays coinciding with the kids school vacation.  So we started to think of how we could manage a nice long sight seeing summer trip with our four children ages 13, 11, 9, and 7.  We decided on a camping trip across Canada to the West coast, then down the west coast to Disney Land, for the American Bi-Centennial, then across the USA to Youngstown, Ohio to visit family, then home. 

We certainly knew we weren't going to accomplish this with tents, and we were fed up with the little pop-out tent trailer we had used the last time ( 4 years back) when we took a big family trip.  So we were looking at travel trailers and motor homes.  We didn't really have a vehicle good enough to do that trip, hauling a trailer, so the motor home seemed to be the ideal solution.  Except of course, for the cost. I had checked out purchase prices and rental prices and found them all prohibitive. 

Then one day we stumbled across a 36 passenger school bus for sale for only $2,000.00.  It had low mileage and had been retired from a 4 mile school run, out of town after only 6 years.  We went and had a look at it, measured it up and started to think about where we could put things in it.  
This was the floor plan decided upon. 

 

That was the beginning of a long year of building our custom built motor home.  First Dan added an extra large rear bumper for propane tanks and tool storage.

Of course, the next thing to do was to remove all the seats.  No easy task.  Then block out a couple of windows where I wanted the Fridge and closet, and on the other side close off one and make the second one a half sized window for a bathroom. 

 

Then we put in some dividing walls.    

 
Half way down the bus, over the rear wheel wells, on the right side was the space for a large 3 way/2 door fridge/freezer with cabinets above and below, and a hanging closet next to it.  

  
And across from that was the bathroom.  Of course with these fixtures and appliances come the necessity to learn about water supply tanks, holding tanks, pumps, 110 to 12 volt inverters/converters etc. etc., etc.. Which has since come in handy on a boat restoration.  

 
To the rear of the hanging closet and the bathroom were two couches that could be made down at night for 4 sleeping bags for 4 sleeping children.  



Then forward of the refrigerator where our young son Ken is pictured was a kitchen cabinet and counter with a sink and three burner gas stove/with oven.  

And on the other side, forward of the bathroom was the dinette, that made down into a bed for Dan and I.  

With Dan doing all the mechanical stuff and me doing the decor stuff, like drapes, upholstery, carpeting, etc. and both of us pitching in on wood working and the design, and even the kids pitching in with any little chore they were assigned, it was a real family project.   

Of course we didn't get it totally finished for that first trip, but the interior was livable and it was fully functional when we headed out, and we had a wonderful trip.  

Over the next number of years we got it totally finished and were quite proud of our accomplishment.  Our family made many memorable trips in that bus, and created many wonderful memories.  Our grown children, speak very fondly of the trips in...



THE BUS MOM AND DAD BUILT

OUR COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS DINNER

We have a great tradition here in Paradise Park and that is how we get together for Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas Dinner.  

First of all you buy tickets for "Part of the Dinner"    That part of the dinner is the Turkey, the Dressing and the Gravy, which the park caters.  When you buy your ticket you also look on a chart of all the tables and find some friends that have already signed up and choose which table of friends you want to sit with and put your name on that table.  

Once you have your ticket and table decided on, you get together with the others at your table and decided on who is going to bring what, in a sort of Pot Luck for the rest of the dishes, sides and desserts that you and your friends want to have with the Turkey etc..  

 

The other thing that I love about this is that everyone contributes to their individual table settings as well.  

"I have some Christmas dishes I'll bring"  and "I have a nice Christmas centerpiece I can contribute" is how it all comes together and the tables all end up looking so nice.   

It all ends up looking so festive and we all have a great time socializing.  It is a great way to have a festive get together with friends. 

And a good time was had by all. 

NEXT UP, NEW YEAR'S EVE

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

TO ALL OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY

LOVE FROM LINDA AND DAN AND SEA-ENNA 

DIY: CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS

DIY: CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS HAVE BEEN TOTALLY REBUILT

When we purchased the Thunderbird she had a small V shaped berth deep down in the hull at the bow of the boat.  It went from wall to wall and you had to crawl across it, to lay down.  If you slept with your head toward the bow, your heads were crowded together, and if you slept across it, you had room for your head but, one of you always had to crawl over the other to get in or out of bed.  And that was usually me, because of Dan's need to be on the outside, because he was the tallest.  The only other thing in that area, was a small water tank under the berth and a very large vanity and sink.  Plus there was a large storage area, under what was the helm above in the Pilot house. 

After spending our first summer aboard we decided we needed to improve this area.  After taking many, many measurements, ( I even measured Dan from a sitting position to the top of his head, so that I knew how high up we could make the top of the bed, so that he could sit up in bed without him hitting his head on the ceiling.)  Like I say I looked at all the possibilities .  

I knew that a standard double bed is 54" wide and 72" long.   I also knew that the higher up we came, in that area, the wider the hull got, which would give us more width in the finished room.  So I made a wish list.  I wanted to be able to walk up each side of the bed to make it.  I wanted a second toilet and sink down there.  We also wanted some cloths storage areas and a larger water tank and even larger holding tank.  That was my wish list.  I sat down to re-work this sleeping area and I came up with a design. 

Now, having a design was one thing being able to translate it to Dan was something else.  I can come up with the design, and I knew it would work, size and shape wise, but he is the one that has to make it work structurally and mechanically.  He has to figure out where each piece of board is going to go and what he is going to attach it to and make it solid enough so it will all hold together even in rough seas.



So we plunged ahead.  And in the fall of 2004 we started ripping everything out of the entire area forward of the windshield and helm.  We stripped everything back to the steel ribs of the hull, except for the ceiling and 18"of paneling that came down from the ceiling.  When we opened up under the helm we realized there was such a large space there that we could add a huge sewage holding tank to the boat.  We had already taken the measurements for a new much larger water tank that we were having custom made, to fit down into the V of the hull, so we measured this other large area and decided to maximize our holding tank as well.  So we ordered two custom made tanks at the end of our fall work season. 

When we arrived back the following spring with two new tanks, we really had our work cut out for us.  The hardest thing to do in the nose of a boat is to set the levels we wanted for the floor and the bed.  "OK if that is the level at which you want the floor, where do I tie that to?  And if the bed is going to be at that height what do I attach that to? Were the often asked questions from Dan.    Of all the building and house renovations we have ever tackled, over the years, that was the toughest job we have       ever had to do. 



In the hull of a boat there are no straight walls, nothing to use a square against.  If you use a regular spirit level, you have to hope that the Lake Aggassi crew made sure that Thunderbird was level when the put her away in the fall.  Even the laser level, we purchased for this job, didn't prove to be the help we thought it would.  The only thing that proved to be of some help was a plumb line. 

It was a lot of work, with a lot of cursing and swearing, but we got it roughed in with a quick coat of primer in time for our launch that spring. 

We even managed to pick up our new custom built mattress just prior to having guests arrive for the Canada Day long weekend.  It wasn't all that pretty, but it was functional. 











The following year we put in all the finishing touches.  My Mahogany, my trellis dividers, my tiny sink, new flooring on the bathroom walls, etc. etc. 








We put a shower curtain up to enclose the little en Suite if you felt the need for privacy. 














 



We even installed a drop down DVD player on the ceiling for watching movies in bed at night.










I had to get an interior decorator to pick the paint colour for me.    ( I painted this area twice and hated it both times, then turned to a professional to pick the three different beiges I have on the boat. )  Now the colours are perfect. 




So now I have everything on my wish list.  I can walk up each side of the bed to make it.   I have my en Suite toilet and sink.  I have a huge storage area under the top half of the mattress, open compartments under each side of the bed and two drawers and a cabinet in the foot of the bed, as well as a small hanging closet, behind the bathroom wall.  I even have a very small vanity shelf below a large mirror for hair and make up.  

THE CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS ARE NOW PERFECT

ANOTHER COOL SNAP

The last cool weather passed and we had a reasonable week with highs in the mid seventies all week.   

So, I got my non-responsive wreath and garland re-wired and hung back up. 

I also picked up a couple of beautiful Poinsettias for my patio.  So, now it looks "Ready for Christmas".  

The weather man is predicting another cool weekend, so we will stay indoors and get some stuff done around here.  Dan and I have volunteered to be the coordinators for our Park's Christmas Dinner.  That should keep us busy for the next couple of weeks.  Thank goodness for all the experienced volunteers, that have stepped forward.  Because this is all new to us.  

THEY WILL HELP US GET IT DONE

SNOW IN TEXAS ?????

Being well into December I am kind of late with my Christmas decorations.  I usually try to get them up on December 1st. 

 

I got started early in the week and got my tree out and set up.  Then proceeded out side and put up my wreath etc. 

Well it turned out that the extensions and lights weren't working.  So off we went to the store to buy replacements.  But we couldn't get back at it the next day as the weather took a real turn down here.  On Monday we had a high of 88F or 31C.  and a cold front moved in that night and the high the next day was 46F or 8C with rain.  What a shocker.  And this morning we woke up to this. 

SNOW!!!  In all the years we have been coming to the Rio Grande Valley we have had one experience with a severe cold snap and that was to come out after a function and find ice on the windshield from freezing rain.  But I never thought I would every see snow.  As I am writing this it is disappearing quickly as the sun is now out and we are supposed to have temperatures in the mid 60s F or 19C.  and normal mid 70s F 24C the next day.  

I'LL GET BACK TO MY DECORATIONS THEN.