Warmer....warmer...

I know, yet again a non bus blog post. But this is helping me get closer to the end game. I am now fully wired for heat,equipment, and ventilation. Storage is painfully close to being set up. I can feel it, we are close.
This week Michelle is in Hawaii so I plan to take full advantage of any down time and try to get stuff done, so that the gym can function as a gym and the shop will finally function as a shop!

I have finally finished the boxes for the drawers, I stll have to put a finished front on them




















And then of course I have some pretty fancy high brow hardware planned for the drawer pulls...

Most importantly I had to make sure my measurements were correct so that the valuable contents of the drawers are going to fit properly.

A place for everything

For years I have been coveting the love seat at my friends place. It is from Ekornes and the love seat and couches recline!! So the other day Leslie emails me to let me know there is a couch and love seat at an estate sale.....Michelle was away in New York.....so I had to make an executive decision...
And I think I have just the place to put it!

Thankfully I had cheap teenager labor....

For the cost of some kraft dinner and smokies I had personal movers

And product testers...

Which then gave me time to continue to work on the shop. Custom storage is the next on the list.

You can never have to much storage....I have a lot of stuff to organize and store!

Clever

My buddy, to whom I am in a scotch club with, sent me this picture and I giggled like I was in high school. I love how cleaver this is. Simple, straight forward, but oh so clever.

17 years ago when we built our house, my builder put in an exhaust system into what was then my work shop-now formally known as the gym. I always looked at it and thought, that is so cleaver. Again, nothing super fancy when you look at the separate pieces, but when everything is put together it makes me smile and think...."huh!...clever!"

Years later the fan motor that was installed was giving me issues, so I bought a new one, only to find out the issue was a power supply issue not a motor issue. In the end with a replacement of a  $12 switch instead of the more pricey fan motor I was left with an extra in line fan......not so clever.....or wasn't it?

Yes now that I have the new shop, I finally have a place for the proper use of the inline fan! I quick install of the exhaust vent.

And a lovely hour or two, puttering in the shop (with the dogs)

 I had to figure out mounting brackets for the duct work....good old black pipe fittings! Clever...or so I thought!

As Michelle and Anna are away for a girls weekend, Jeff and I are left to bach it. So I picked him up from school, and made our way to a place called Speeders. I must say it was a blast. We have taken the kids go karting a number of times over the years and the usual reaction is "yawn". But this place has electric carts and wow...I was actually a little scared here and there. I was impressed....unlike Jeff who was NOT impressed when I put the cowboy hat on him in the store and took his picture.

Electrifying

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,but that's just the light coming through the windows of the workshop. Now I want light in the workshop. Until now it has been powered by running extension cables from the garage.... but that is only a temporary stop gap measure. It's time to do it right.
Before Ron and I and Jeff insulated we ran most of the electrical wires. Most...it's kinda like close....which works with horse shoes and hand grenades but not wiring.

One of my issues was heat, I wanted something powerful enough to keep the -20's at bay, but not to obtrusive...and something that wouldn't be blocked by moving machinery...like how table saws and band saws would affect baseboard heaters.


So I parted the roof and ran a few lines through the ceiling joists. I mean if I'm running one I might as well make my wish list complete.
Rob, my very patient friend, came out a second time to help me complete the hook ups.I say the second time....the first time ended in blood, glue and Rob flirting with the nurses at urgent care....but that's only a story for him to tell. I figured, I'm good at pulling copper but would rather have a pro make sure the connections are correct.

And alas, we have heat. A wonderful 240V 30Amp heater from Cadet called "The hot One". Now I can putter in warmth and style!

Of course that's when I'm not cheering on the sidelines

Or getting my little girl(Who turned 17 today!YIKES!) to her ballet class

The panel is complete, 240 service to a welder plug, heater, dust collector, 110 v to numerous plugs, lights, outside circulation fan, inside vent fan RV plug in....I think I have thought of everything....or most things....likely some things! Hopefully enough things!

Now for a little house keeping, move the kayaks to a better storage location so my lovely and oh so patient wife can park in the garage! There are a plethora of things that you can buy on amazon and have shipped to your place of work on the Monday after a weekend of workshop puttering. But be mindful, quality of all pieces are not what you sometimes would expect. After sheering the third screw nail that came with the low cost kayak hangers...I decided to move onto some of my own stock.

Perfect! all neat and tidy!

Thankful...

Perspective. Sometimes we loose it, other times we gain it. But we all must have it and keep it in mind. As I sit and blog, I am always shocked at how time seems to have slipped away and I have small pangs of guilt for not getting more done on Fillmore. But then I take a minute and evaluate my time. Do I feel like I have wasted away days on end, doing something that I don't enjoy, or doesn't make me a better person? Then the age old, things could be worse. With the recent news of the passing of one of Canada's musical sons, someone who is woven into the fabric of a whole generations definition of who we are, Mr. Gord Downie from the Tragically Hip. I stop and think, so what if I haven't gotten as much done as I want.But I am so lucky to be able to see the beauty of life each day. So I celebrate. I celebrate the privilege of time, and loved ones to spend it with.

I celebrate watching the sunrise over a southern Manitoba wheat field...

I celebrate hitting clay pigeons when we cant seem to hit the geese

I celebrate time with family...

And time with friends...

And in between all the fun. I do get to have fun in "The Dog House"

Work progresses, I now have heat and power

Windows and works space. Who knows soon enough I'll have enough done in here that I can actually work on Fillmore who patiently waits for me just a few feet away.

Musical Segway

When I am creating a blog post I often lay out the photos ahead of knowing exactly what I am going to say. I mean this isn't rocket science, it's not like I'm creating a  novel. This is nothing more than a pictorial recount of  a day in the life of Fillmore and the adventures of the silly humans associated with him...alas I digress... The muse for the writing comes to me as I type, often with a musical soundtrack in the background....yes I mean it's all in my head(which I will agree is somewhat scary) Sometimes the message of the music is deep and profound, and other times it's slap stick literal. So you'll understand why I had a hard time titling this post "You light up my life"

But now that we are on the topic of lights...I decided to go with a bank of LED lights. I was leery because in the gargantuan home reno box store, I'll be honest...I wasn't convinced these were going to be bright enough

But I was wrong...yes I said it, it happens...the four LED lights throw PLENTY of work light.

Now that the workshop roof is complete, I have started to 'store' some things up on the top of the work shop. You know extra bus parts, parts that I have purchased in prep of executing my final vision for the bus, you know that kind of stuff. But while I was up there, the song....."Rain Drops Keep Fallin' on my head" was on a continious loop.... yes literal. yes corny....get over it. It will take some time for the moisture in the shelter to dissipate, the gravel was wet,. it rained prior to installation of the quonset... there is moisture in the air. Sooooooo....

I have to actively move it out...

A simple but seemingly effective solution.

Now that we are  talking about getting moisture out...

I have to start thinking about, blowing out the water lines in Fillmore before the heavy frost comes.

Putting a roof over our head

As Mr Dickens so eloquently put it..."It was the best of times it was the worst of times." I was very happy with myself for finally installing the workshop door. And I have to tell you it was a B#@CH. I now have a new appreciation for guys who make this look easy. It took me over two hours and about 4 attempts. I would think I'm getting there and have things close to looking hung plumb and true and then "pow" it would sucker punch me like a insecure bully at a party. The "best of times part of this came after I had to walk away to make supper. I came back and as seemingly violent the implosion was when I left, things just magically fell into place as softly as a snowflake landing on a snowman in the yard.

Part two of the dichotomy of the moment  came on the Monday. Jeff, who is still 14 and in grade 10, tried out for and made the senior boys volleyball team...yay!.....and then at the first practice went up for a block and came down on a kids who came through the net and ended up busting his left ankle.

The let down was dramatic for him, and went on for a few days when he came to the realization of the true impact of his injury and despite his insistence that he would be back in a couple weeks, he is out for the season.

Work on the shop continued, I finally got around to laying the roof insulation.

I ran into a little snag with laying down the plywood roofing, I had only hefted 3 sheets up there prior to laying in the insulation. That was great as I was able to move sheets around and finish the job. But I ran into a wee problem getting the rest of the sheets up there. Jeff was out of commission, Michelle was in the city, and Anna.....

Well you NEVER interrupt a teenager when they willingly pull out a vacuum  and use it for doing good in the world!

So I created a full sheet step ladder, and I have to say it worked quite well!

The last hurrah

 Michelle has always had this thing that summer isn't summer until you get to a lake, all together, as a family. And I have to say I agree, there is something about water that simply soothes the soul. I prefer fresh water, but I'm not picky.

 This year, as we all know, was a hot one. Hot and dry. I was so thankful that we went through the trouble(and expense) for a good A/C unit. Although she was hot going through Saskatchewan (32C) we were comfy in the bus as we started to head west from the wedding towards the Deloraine Resort and Spa(Michelle's home town).

 What is this you ask?

This is a picture of peace of mind.

WTF?? Ok, OK. Up until now the "security" for Fillmore has been the spring latch for the main door. Which is a bit of a trick to engage from the outside, and then as easy as pulling a release ring from the outside to 'unlock' the door and gain access. Needless to say it has always left a little trepidation when we lock up and leave the bus unattended, especially now that we are using it as a home base with all our accoutrements. The passenger door to the bus has always had a deadbolt installed, but I never had a key. So one morning as I sat having coffee I emailed a query to a small locksmith outfit in Brandon MB called Sargent Lock and Safe. They said bring it down and we'll see what we can do! Within 20 min I was done and pulling up to a Timmies for some driver fuel for the drive back to Deloraine. These boys were awesome!.....Aaannd now I can throw the dead bolt and feel a little better about leaving my 8 track collection of Disco Dance tunes unattended, and speaking of the golden years...

There is never a dull moment in Deloraine, intended or otherwise. We decided a swim day up at  Lake William. And Grandma, being the loving kind soul she is brought wet suits for the kids.....from the 80's and that was a fun time to see the kids squeeze into them and have a swim in vintage wet wear!
After busting the hot water tank in Deloraine, it was time we continued our trek and head west towards home. With no set plan we made it up on the way and ecided the last hurrah should be a family camping trip with Fillmore in south western Alberta

 With as number of highway transport trips under our belt in Fillmore, we quickly came to the realization that this would be the maiden camping trip, and would complete the circle of it's intended design purpose. Exciting!! We lucked out and snagged a beautiful camp spot very close to the water, peace, serenity,AND running water!

 Mornings were cool in the mountains, but staying close and cuddling were the mantra!

 A little walk around in Waterton was lovely....smokey...but lovely




















Michelle was happy to be on the water and have sunrise and sunset paddles, while Jeff and Carson managed to "squeeze out the last little bit of summer"

 After 4 wonderful days we decided to head home and put Fillmore to bed for a much needed rest, after traveling a few thousand kilometers (over 3400 this trip) he deserved to have a little down time.