May 1st
2004
I've been having a lot of problems getting the web site updated
lately. This morning I spent about an hour working on a big update
for the web site only to lose it when Microsoft FrontPage "couldn't
find a web server" and then locked up completely... I lost
all my work after it stopped responding. Usually I can at least
copy and paste my work into notepad or something, but this time the pop
up dialogue box would not close and even though I could see portions of
my post, I couldn't do anything with it.
I'm trying again this afternoon - saving my work about every 3
minutes or so just in case it happens again <fingers crossed>...
Sorry about the lack of pictures lately. I've been really unmotivated
to work on the bus the past few days. The bus is "mostly" done and I have
to admit that it's a lot more fun to go exploring or play on the
computer than it is to crawl around in the dust underneath the bus or
stand in the hot sun and prep it for painting. I really do have a
lot more work to do, but all of it is for cosmetic or convenience more
than for necessity, so the bus has taken a back seat to more fun things.
I routinely get emails from people that have stumbled across this web
site and really like all of the information that we've put
together. I have tried to keep the site up to date with
information relative to the bus and our experiences, but to be perfectly
honest, a lot of the negative gets left off of the web site just to keep
it from becoming a rant about stuff that drives one or more of
us up the wall. I bring this up because quite a few of the emails
read something like "I found your web site and was thinking of
doing something similar. Thank you for all of the
information... I now feel confident that I can do the
same...". I feel somewhat obligated to warn them that it is
not all as much fun as it appears on the web site and a lot of the time
puts a lot of stress and strain on the family.
There have been times when I have been ready to flick it all in and
move into an apartment in town or just sell the bus and forget the whole
idea. I can see where things would be so much easier if we didn't
have the kids to worry about. 90% of our stress seems to stem from
the fact that we want the girls to have a "normal" upbringing
and don't really like the idea of home schooling. We've learned
that trying to live a "normal" life and still be free to do
whatever we want is a lesson in compromises. We've had to give up
on some of our ideals because society is not really geared toward
freedom at all... Most people that discover that you live in a bus
turn that into a stereotypical school bus/gypsy type lifestyle.
I've found the word "coach" or the phrase "classic bus
restoration in progress" helps somewhat to make us more
acceptable. It's funny how just a few words can describe the same
thing but elicit such different responses.
I'm thinking about writing about the reality of what we are
doing. How we got to this point and why I think most people fail
to actually make it even as far as we have. It's not easy, and
it's especially hard to write about it sometimes. I don't like
putting my mistakes out there were everyone can read about them, but at
the same time, NOBODY seems to be sharing the most important information
about what we are doing. It's very confusing at times and a lot of
the time we don't know what we are going to do next. There doesn't
seem to be a lot of information out there on how to deal with the change
in attitude that needs to take place once you no longer have a fixed
location to call "home". We spent a lot of time worrying
and creating contingency plans for the worst case scenario. That's
what we've learned to do our whole lives. Worry. Once
there's nothing to worry about, you can drive yourself batty dreaming
things up.
Becky and I have a deal (here's part of the secret to success guys,
so take note). I handed her $3,000.00 just before we left our home
in Oregon. I handed her the cash and said "Put this in a safe
place where you can get to it any time you want to. If you ever
get to the point where you've had enough of the bus crap, let me know
and you can use the money to get a plane ticket out of there and with
the remaining cash you should be able to get an apartment and be safe
for at least a couple of months." Becky was apprehensive
about the whole bus adventure and that money gives her a safety net to
fall back on. Without that, I doubt that either of us would feel
comfortable enough to just relax and enjoy the adventure as it
unfolds... Knowing that if we lost everything or got ourselves
into a bad spot we could just start over somewhere else keeps us from
dwelling on the worst case scenario all of the time.
There are a lot of other things that we did to make this all
possible. If you are considering the traveling life, be prepared
for a bit of culture shock. It's a big change and takes the right
attitude to enjoy. I doubt that most people could do this.
Not that it's physically hard to do or anything, it's just that most
people do not adapt to change all that well and we have had to adapt at
an alarming rate at times...
Anyway, let me know if any of that made sense and if you think it is
worth the time to explore. So far this site is primarily about
converting a bus - I'd hate to bore people with the emotional side of
this adventure.
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