More Photos of Grace - Part 1, The Early Years

[Sharkey]

It's probably no secret that Prakash's bus 'Grace' holds a special place in my heart. His bus has been an inspiration from the first time I laid eyes on it. Much of what I learned and believe about art, decor and bus/truck life came from Prakash and Grace. The roofline of my Crown was inspired by Grace.

Needless to say, I have quite a few photos of the bus, more that I could fit into any conveniently-viewable web page. Many aren't of busbarn quality, etc.

This is the first in a series of photo essays drawn from my collection of photos of Grace:

Photo 1:

Prakash bought his 1956 International school bus in (I think) 1969, and used it for transport, parties and camping trips. Here it is, complete in it's peachy-orange paint job, sitting on a bridge span over an unidentified river.

Photo 2:

In the early 1970's, Prakash realized that the bus would make a suitable dwelling, and began construction of the sleeping loft above the original roof.

The construction is 1" square steel tubing with 4x4 fir framing fitted over the top of the steel members. Each piece of fir was dadoed out so that it fitted flush with the steel, making a very strong frame that could easily have flooring and siding attached to either side. The renforcing steel gussets can be clearly seen in this photo. The columns came from an old home being demolished.

The rafter beams were all cut out of solid recycled fir using a band saw to give the characteristic arch to the roofline. The outer skin of the original bus roof was removed, and once the steel framing was in place the interior skin and bus roof framing were cut away.

Much of the materials to complete the bus are seen next to it, including the double galvanized laundry tubs that became the kitchen sink.

The pleasant young woman is Mercy, Prakash's partner, muse, and traveling companion. He still attributes most of his success at living on the road to her, as he said she could melt the toughest cop or redneck's heart with a smile and a wink.

Photo 3:

Loft construction mostly complete. The roof is on with "thrift-tite" beaded ceiling boards. The rear "dutch" door is completed, with hinges from and old refridgerator and scuplted stained glass.

Yet to be installed is the single French door, laid on it's side that makes up the sleeping loft window. When it is in, hinges at the top and a pull cord out the soffit and around a pulley hanging from the rafters allow it to be opened fully for ventillation.

Hanging from the rafters is some of the art that Prakash and Mercy created and sold regularly. She did macreme and fabric art, while Prakash fabricated cast-off metal fixtures, farm machinery and scrap into amazing objects-d'art.

All for now, I'll post a few each night when I have the time...

[Sharkey]

A couple of more photos of the early Grace:

Photo 4:

A photo of the completed back porch, showing the wood bin and utility cabinet next to the rear door. This photo was taken on a trip to Manhattan Beach, California if I recall correctly.


Photo 5:

Rufus the cat eyes the upstairs loft entrance from the kitchen counter. The interior of the bus was finished mostly in redwood and cedar barn board. This was economical and gave the bus a rustic appeal, but Prakash later admitted that it also resulted in "a lot of splinters". Note the bottoms of the overhead compartments in this photo.


Photo 6:

Rufus catching some Zzz's on the couch. Looks like someone has left their Meerschaum laying out again (oops). The barn board walls were a source of knot holes, one of which was behind the curtain you see above the cat. In this particular knot hole, a cameo photograph of Meir Baba smiled forth, reminding departing passengers to "Be Happy".

[J.B.]

Keep it up Sharkey. I am in the middle of a build and this is just what I need to keep me going.

J.B.

[Sharkey]

One last interior image, one that I found this morning after digging through some prints and scanned for inclusion in this phase of the photo session:

Photo 7:

An overall shot from the back door. The flooring is the same as the ceiling, "Thriftite" beaded paneling. This turned out to not be the best choice in spite of it's being free and on-hand when the floor was installed, as the beaded grooves made sweeping the bus floor difficult.

On the right is a treadle sewing machine, and to the front of that, the cast-iron caboose stove, complete with oven. The rectangular entry into the upstairs is obvious, and the view up there shows that the front 'Library' has not yet been built (more on that next time). It also appears that the skylight in the front loft has not yet been installed, as it is quite dark up there.

In the front wall you can see the knot hole with Meir Baba smiling forth...(above the stove and below the fringe on the Mexican blanket)

[Sharkey]

Oops, found another one that should go in this section.

Photo 7a:

Grace set up as a sales booth at a crafts fair in Taos, New Mexico. Carpets cover the back deck, obscuring the tail tights and tow hitch. A strolling musician entertains Prakash between transactions. I'm surprised that he isn't accompanying the guitarist on his congas, or at least a set of bongos.

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Proceed directly to the next chapter: Room Addition

[dburt]

Sometimes it is just good to go back and re-read some of the old threads, like strolling down memory lane!

[Stealth Camper]

Yep, I really like it too from time to time.

[ezrablu]