1973 Blue Bird
Moderator: TMAX
More clothes than any one man should own.
So, there was a time that I would run out of clean clothes in a month.
Naturally, I would then go to the laundromat. I like laundromats. I like the atmosphere, and the diverse blend of customers that use those facilities.
What I DON'T like is how long the machines take to do their job AND how many quarters I have to feed them.
I did a little calculation, and realized that it was easier and cheaper for me, and more fun, to go to the local Goodwill store on Sundays where I could buy garments for a dollar a piece.
Well, guess what? After many months of doing that, I now have mountains of clothes. So now every week I get rid of clothes. Soon I will only have enough clothes to fill half of my closet.
You know what that means though? Yes, I will have to go the laundromat even more than I did before. At least I will only need one machine.
So, there was a time that I would run out of clean clothes in a month.
Naturally, I would then go to the laundromat. I like laundromats. I like the atmosphere, and the diverse blend of customers that use those facilities.
What I DON'T like is how long the machines take to do their job AND how many quarters I have to feed them.
I did a little calculation, and realized that it was easier and cheaper for me, and more fun, to go to the local Goodwill store on Sundays where I could buy garments for a dollar a piece.
Well, guess what? After many months of doing that, I now have mountains of clothes. So now every week I get rid of clothes. Soon I will only have enough clothes to fill half of my closet.
You know what that means though? Yes, I will have to go the laundromat even more than I did before. At least I will only need one machine.
Last edited by Rudy on Mon Apr 25, 2011 4:49 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Gee, I just got a request for a funny anecdote. So here it is:
When I was in high school, I stole the janitor's large key ring off his desk. Naturally, that gave me access to anywhere in the school.
Once the neighborhood kids figured out that I could open the gym on Saturdays, we all would go play basketball. It worked for a long time.
But that is not the story I want to tell you about.
This is it. Having the ability to go anywhere, I started exploring the whole building. I found a room that had a bunch of big air vents in it. I started crawling around in them and discovered some secret areas.
One of them was a vent to the gym. It was very near to the ceiling. It was probably 25 feet up. It was way above the bleachers.
Well, for two years, I had some of the biggest laughs of my youth. You see, I would crawl up in to that vent during basketball games between our high school and other high schools.
So, I'd watch the game for a while, and then (only once or twice a game) I would wait for the opposing team to throw a basket and I would blow the whistle that I would carry with me, just as the guy was going for the basket.
Naturally, he would turn and look at the referee. The ref. would look at him, then the ref. (knowing that he did not blow the whistle) would look into the bleachers.
Of course, he never found anyone in the bleachers blowing an unauthorized whistle. That's because it was me hidden in the air vent way above.
Yeah, I did this for two years, and laughed heartily every time. How I got away with it is, I NEVER told anyone that I was doing this, and I never gave away my position, because I never blew that whistle more than twice during any game.
When I was in high school, I stole the janitor's large key ring off his desk. Naturally, that gave me access to anywhere in the school.
Once the neighborhood kids figured out that I could open the gym on Saturdays, we all would go play basketball. It worked for a long time.
But that is not the story I want to tell you about.
This is it. Having the ability to go anywhere, I started exploring the whole building. I found a room that had a bunch of big air vents in it. I started crawling around in them and discovered some secret areas.
One of them was a vent to the gym. It was very near to the ceiling. It was probably 25 feet up. It was way above the bleachers.
Well, for two years, I had some of the biggest laughs of my youth. You see, I would crawl up in to that vent during basketball games between our high school and other high schools.
So, I'd watch the game for a while, and then (only once or twice a game) I would wait for the opposing team to throw a basket and I would blow the whistle that I would carry with me, just as the guy was going for the basket.
Naturally, he would turn and look at the referee. The ref. would look at him, then the ref. (knowing that he did not blow the whistle) would look into the bleachers.
Of course, he never found anyone in the bleachers blowing an unauthorized whistle. That's because it was me hidden in the air vent way above.
Yeah, I did this for two years, and laughed heartily every time. How I got away with it is, I NEVER told anyone that I was doing this, and I never gave away my position, because I never blew that whistle more than twice during any game.
Last edited by Rudy on Mon Apr 25, 2011 4:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I love the good story about the gym and whistle blowing during the games. I was a jokester when I was a kid, I loved pulling off a good practical joke. Like clear plastic food wrap under the toilet seats in the locker room restroom. Or a thin film of vaseline on the toilet seats. Baby oil on doorknobs. I better quit, there might be young impressionable minds at risk if they read this stuff!
DB, I do indeed have two roof airs, However the 30 year old one in the front has died.
I am going to do the electrical systems soon. I would like to be able to plug in to a 50 amp service as well as a 30 amp service. I really don't know much about that stuff. I guess that I will learn.
Paint? I will paint it, but I want to keep the bus covert. I want to keep the original paint scheme and give the impression that it is still an emergency management vehicle. On the metal that covers the outside of the windows in the middle of the bus, was painted "Johnson City Emergency Response". I want to either paint or stencil "Strong Command Center". Also, the color, white, is the best for a roof on a vehicle.
DB, Thanks for your interest in my project. I predict that there will be a bunch more pictures before this project comes to a close. Rudy
I am going to do the electrical systems soon. I would like to be able to plug in to a 50 amp service as well as a 30 amp service. I really don't know much about that stuff. I guess that I will learn.
Paint? I will paint it, but I want to keep the bus covert. I want to keep the original paint scheme and give the impression that it is still an emergency management vehicle. On the metal that covers the outside of the windows in the middle of the bus, was painted "Johnson City Emergency Response". I want to either paint or stencil "Strong Command Center". Also, the color, white, is the best for a roof on a vehicle.
DB, Thanks for your interest in my project. I predict that there will be a bunch more pictures before this project comes to a close. Rudy
Last edited by Rudy on Mon Apr 25, 2011 4:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Well, the sandman is calling. Perhaps, tomorrow, there will be more on the ever expanding Blue Bird thread.
For what it's worth, I eat lentil soup for breakfast each morning. I learned to do that from a friend. It is good energy, and will not clog your arteries like sausage biscuits will.
I am not a vegetarian, but I choose what I eat, and I try not to eat much. After all, EVERYTHING you eat is harmful in some way.
The only way to get around it is to grow your own and to have your own livestock. Gone are THOSE days.
It is time to go cut some zees. Oh yeah, I still don't have a carbide saw.
Viva la housebus. Rudy
For what it's worth, I eat lentil soup for breakfast each morning. I learned to do that from a friend. It is good energy, and will not clog your arteries like sausage biscuits will.
I am not a vegetarian, but I choose what I eat, and I try not to eat much. After all, EVERYTHING you eat is harmful in some way.
The only way to get around it is to grow your own and to have your own livestock. Gone are THOSE days.
It is time to go cut some zees. Oh yeah, I still don't have a carbide saw.
Viva la housebus. Rudy
Last edited by Rudy on Mon Apr 25, 2011 4:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Dennis The Bus Dweller
- Seasoned Nomadicista
- Posts: 1883
- Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 9:33 am
- Location: Southold N.Y.
- Contact:
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Dennis The Bus Dweller
- Seasoned Nomadicista
- Posts: 1883
- Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 9:33 am
- Location: Southold N.Y.
- Contact:
I feel pangs of inadequacy from not having any more pics of the build. So, here are a few that you have not seen.
I spent way too much money on this Dodge. It leaked and rotted, from way before I even bought it.
I flew to LA to buy it and drove it back to TN. in the winter. It is surprising how cheaply made, these things are. I have heard it described as "sticks and staples".
After having dismantled it, I see what that means. I can imagine that if this thing were to tip over on it's side while speeding down the highway, it would break up into a million little pieces.
If the same thing happened with my bus, It would probably slide and make sparks. Then, the tow truck would just set it back upright, and I would drive on down the road.
Going to the junkyard soon.
I spent way too much money on this Dodge. It leaked and rotted, from way before I even bought it.
I flew to LA to buy it and drove it back to TN. in the winter. It is surprising how cheaply made, these things are. I have heard it described as "sticks and staples".
After having dismantled it, I see what that means. I can imagine that if this thing were to tip over on it's side while speeding down the highway, it would break up into a million little pieces.
If the same thing happened with my bus, It would probably slide and make sparks. Then, the tow truck would just set it back upright, and I would drive on down the road.
Going to the junkyard soon.
Last edited by Rudy on Mon Apr 25, 2011 4:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Here, you see that the engine and transmission have been removed and sold. Notice the curved aluminum roof that I had to build just so I could sleep in the bed area. I have stripped this dog of everything I could use or sell. Leon is coming this week to haul that sorry vehicle away. He is excited to get it. I hope he makes a bit of money out of the scrap metal. There is a lot of aluminum there.
Behind the Dodge is the 1953 trailer that I had. Behind that is a 1972 Yellowstone trailer that I used for the recording studio. It is now, my last storage area. There will be a lot of stuff that I will be giving away, as I do not have room in my bus for too much else.
Behind the Dodge is the 1953 trailer that I had. Behind that is a 1972 Yellowstone trailer that I used for the recording studio. It is now, my last storage area. There will be a lot of stuff that I will be giving away, as I do not have room in my bus for too much else.
Last edited by Rudy on Sat Mar 12, 2011 2:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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