Home, Sweet Home

After a month of searching with trips to Oklahoma and Texas, we've finally purchased a 2001 Prevost H-3. Yay!!!  We're no longer homeless. And Tim is as proud as punch!

With approximately 380-ft. square footage, we have our very own tiny house!  

This past Sunday we traveled to Dallas and spent the next two days at service centers.  One inspected the chassis of the bus we were considering; the other looked over the house.  Very few problems were found and luckily, the owners agreed to pay for fixing the ones that were identified.  We were very fortunate that the owners were so agreeable, especially when we were able to negotiate a purchase price within our budget.

We moved in Tuesday afternoon.  Then the fun began as I started to stash all our stuff.  Ten boxes of household goods, carpentry tools and quilting supplies needed to be stored somewhere in or under the bus.

Marathon, the company that converted the bus to a RV, squeezed storage space out of every little nook and cranny.  Even the entry steps are hinged with a hidden compartment underneath.  Perfect for storing a tool kit and work gloves!  

Then there are the closets.  Before we left Washington, D.C., I whittled my wardrobe down to what would fit in two suitcases and a carry on bag.  Tim culled his clothes, too.

We kept some of our comfortable old grungy clothing to wear when working on a Habitat for Humanity construction site.  We also kept a few dressy clothes such as a suit for Tim and two dresses for me.  

Tips and Tricks for a Versatile RV Wardrobe

http://www.technomadia.com/2013/10/tips-and-tricks-for-a-versatile-rving-wardrobe/

RV Wardrobe:  It's All About the Acessories

http://www.gonewiththewynns.com/tip-rv-wardrobe

Although I didn't become the minimalist that the two web sites above advised, I was able to fit all our clothes into the closet across the back of the bus and one other closet in the hallway leading back to the bedroom.  Still, whatever we don't wear during the next six months, we'll donate to a thrift shop.

While I unpacked, Tim learned everything he could about the systems housed within the RV.  This is a complicated vehicle with its diesel engine, HVAC, water holding tanks, heating and electrical systems.  The 5-inch maintenance binder alone would kill a rat if you heaved it at it.

Yesterday afternoon Tim made a trial trip to the gas station to fuel up.  Along the way he practiced making both left and right-hand turns, not so simple when your vehicle is 45 feet long.  Thankfully, in the middle of the day, the traffic was light; perfect timing for a beginner driver.  What wasn't so perfect was the cost of filling a 235-gallon gas tank with diesel fuel.  Ouch!

Tomorrow we leave for Tennessee, our maiden voyage in the Dawn Treader, the name we've chosen for our bus.  That name doesn't mean we're leaving at dawn however.  Instead, it reminds us of a favorite author, C.S. Lewis, and an early-hour Sunday School class of friends from the years we lived in Colorado Springs.  

We'll be spending Thanksgiving in Nashville with our daughter Jillian who lives there and our son Richard who is flying from D.C. to join us.  

Warm wishes from our family to yours for a Happy Thanksgiving!