the trip

[bergdoll]

we got the bus rolling, new tires, filters/belts/hoses changed, siding put on, & 2,200 miles ahead of us. california to indiana...
took I-40 (old 66) & the beast ran fine 'till we hit a grade in AZ @ yardstick 155. the bus just died... on the upside of the grade.
scrambled a little here, a little there & got her over the grade, just barely. got to the next petro truck stop & pulled the air filter & that was very very dirty!?!  in all my hurrying to depart i forgot to blow it out & my beast couldn't breathe!
after that she ran like the champion she is!
got to the house we bought & tried to settle in, i had to park the bus on the opposite side of the driveway ( driveway was overgrown w/ 6' weeds & trash) & my wife wakes me up to tell me that code enforcement was outside...
code enforcement woman starts yelling at me that i have to be in court & that she'd written my place up the 1st of july & that i can't have my bus parked there, so i told her she'd better get her fat @$# off my property. hey, if i get barked at especially before i've had my coffee & a smoke i am a real bear, & she thought i was washington mutual bank. after 5 days on the road w/ the wife 2 dogs & 2 cats i do not in any way look like a banker or any representative of a bank.
so  she said she was going to call the police, so i called them too. first thing code enforcement lady (i've got better words for her)
told the police, "they're living in their bus, it's all hooked up" (ratfink), i said, "lady prove it", & the police said you have to move your bus or we are going to tow it & it'll cost you so much to get it out... i said well thank you all for the welcome to muncie, indiana, & that i'll move my bus/motorhome in a few days as it had just rained & was still raining & i didn't want to get her stuck in the mud.
so i got 'er moved in the driveway & she is as big as the house if not bigger.
i have great neighbors & a church across the street & got rid of all the trash the previous owner left. idiots. had to get  a 22' X 8' X 5' dumpster & 2 truclkoads, 14' uhaul rental & borrowed the churches trash cans, & i tipped the local sanitation workers that do curb pick ups.
so now i am going to relax by working on the house which i bought via the internet. i never said i was smart, just a nut who has a bus/motorhome THAT I AM NOT LIVING IN while i fix up this house that looks like retarded monkeys lived in. you should see the plumbing & electrical of the house, but it's all fixable. if i can turn a tour bus into a motorhome, i can do anything!
that's my story & i'm stickin' to it!

[gumpy]

Bobby,

Glad to hear you guys got things worked out on the bus and made your trip with no serious problems.

Relax and enjoy life.

craig

[ceieio]

if i can turn a tour bus into a motorhome, i can do anything!
that's my story & i'm stickin' to it!

Boy, you're sure right about that!

I am glad you made it fine and I hope the code people buzz off soon.

Craig - MC7 Oregon

[FloridaCliff]

Bobby,

Wow!   That code Lady(term used loosely) is lucky she didn't end up in the dumpster.

Apparently she hasn't come upon an aggravated bus nut before.

Bets of luck on getting your new place in order.

Cliff

[Clarke Echols]

I can relate.  I bought a house for my son who was to make the payments until he could refinance it in
his own name with the equity that accumulated.  He decided to spend the money on drugs & alcohol
(he's dry & sober now).  He moved out so I started fixing it up for sale.  Found dry rot in the rim joists.
Foundation was crumbling (brick & mortar and both were very soft).  Replaced 2-1/2 outside walls.  The
family that moved out busted up the place -- holes in sheet rock, urine in the carpets from a "party"
they held before leaving.  I let them stay in the house for a few days after closing because it was
Christmas and I'm a nice guy.  I should have bulldozed the mess and sold the lot, but "smart" me -- I
fixed it up.  Then another of my five sons decided he wanted it because it was looking pretty nice,
so I made him the same deal.  After nine months, he decided to buy a condo.  So I fixed it again and
let a friend live in it until he could buy it.  He took a roommate for "3 weeks" maximum -- one bedroom
at $75/week.  It took me 5 months to get the drunken slob out!  Then my friend took very ill and
ended up in a nursing home after several weeks in the hospital over 3 months.  The "3-week"
roomie had two big dogs that had ruined the carpet.  Had to repaint most of the house and spent
a lot of time fixing it up for sale.  947 square feet, very "cute" and looks very nice.

So my wife decides the house isn't selling and she wants to downsize.  So without telling me, she takes
the house off of the market (should have kept it in my name only) and moved in with our grandson who
was basically kicked out by his step-dad (don't ask -- long story).  She wants me to move with her but
I have this 8000 square-foot house with all my stuff in it that I need and space to work my businesses.
Married 40 years and never had a good fight until now.  But we'll get through it. :-)

Lessons learned:

Don't buy anything for your kids unless you tie them to a contract just like anybody else.

NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER close on a house purchase unless the seller is completely
moved out and you do a complete inspection of the premises before going to the closing.

And, of course, don't buy a house over the internet until you've seen it.  Sort of like buying a bus
sight-unseen. :-)

And if you have nine kids, plan on your life being perpetually disrupted. :-)  But with all the pain
and suffering, I'm still glad we didn't quit at 1 or 2 or 5 or 7 or 8.  The real rewards come later
in life.  I bumped into an old college prof from 1966-69 a few months ago.  He said he drives by
my house a lot and sees all the cars around and thinks how wise we were to have a large family.
He had two kids who live several states away and only have one or two of their own.  His wife
died years ago, and he gets lonely.

Life is an interesting experience.  It's supposed to be.  And it's not fair.  It's not supposed to be.
People who think otherwise need to "get over it".  Life, in eternity, is fair, but not on this orb
in its present state, but that will also eventually be rectified, even if the "atheists" hold an
alternative opinion. :-)

I tell people, "You don't believe in God.  Well, that's no problem.  You aren't required to believe.
You also don't have to believe in gravity, but I can assure you, based on years of study of the
subject (I majored in physics in college before taking graduate courses in electrical engineering),
that you can get on top of a 40-story building, run to the edge of the (flat) roof, then leap into
the air at full run while saying, 'I don't believe in gravity', but I can assure you you will hit the
ground below at a fatal velocity whether you believe in it or not.  The same applies to your
Creator.  Not believing in God has no bearing on the reality of His existence.  It would be wise
to take that into consideration and prepare yourself properly for certain inevitibilities that await
you upon your departure from mortality."

No person can escape eventual accountability for his or her actions.  We also will be held to account
for how we use or waste our time here.  It is always safter and better to keep that in mind while
making life's decisions.  Let not the things that matter most be held hostage by the things that
matter least.  No success in business, pursuit of wealth, or other diversions can compensate for
failure in marriage and family.  But also remember you have not failed until you give up and quit
trying.

Clarke "getting closer to ridding myself of that 'Jr. Member' status" :-)

[Ncbob]

Clark....if life is a bit-h...then you didn't have any children.  If life's a joy...it's because you did.  If life's a PIA...it's because you didn't find anyone to share it with..  if there's no life...it's because you didn't take the time to find one.....

All things considered...I believe you qualified in all respects.

Have a great 'rest of your life'.

NCbob

[plyonsMC9]

Hi Bobby,

What an interesting story, thanks for sharing it with us.  We still remember our trip from California through Texas to Illinois.  Lots of great memories. 

Welcome to the midwest!  Will code allow you to keep your bus on your property? 

Looks like you are only a couple hundred miles from us.  We live south and west of Chicago. There is some good camping and things to see around Louiseville, which looks pretty close to your new location.

Kind Regards, Phil

[Busted Knuckle]

Phil if I'm not mistaken Bobby is in Marion, IN which is just outside of Indy! (I could be wrong!) about 30 mins.

Bobby I saw a conversion on Ebay from Marion, IN last night. Wasn't yers was it? If it is I'd be checking to find out which of the niehbors listed it so you can get yer cut if it sells! LOL! BK 

[plyonsMC9]

Knuckle - you are TOOOOO funny!         LOL    Nicely done.

Thank you!  Phil