Inside the Blue Bus

One of the best parts about have a play house, or I guess I should say play bus, it getting to figure out what kind of stuff fits, what's useful, and what looks good.  Especially if you like to shop at junk stores and peddlers malls like I do. 

I like old table cloths and table runners, and I've been collecting old embroidered pillow cases with plans to make lots of little curtains for the windows.  There is no electricity at the bus, so I get to have lots of oil lamps and candle holders. 

 

The floors and most of the walls of the bus are covered with pine boards that came from the forest at my parents house.  Lots of pine trees died because of the southern pine beetle out break, and the wood that was infected with the beetles has blue streaks, knot holes, and strange patterns.  Dad had a  saw mill cut the trees we cut down into rough lumber, and Brandon and I split the 2x4s lengthwise a couple of times and used a planer to smooth them.  We finally figured out that the best way to tack it down was to use self tapping screws.  The screw heads are black (Brandon says there were no other colors available...), which wasn't quite as inconspicuous as I'd planned. 

The sink has some buckets under the drains, but really I just use the dish pan and pitch the dirty water out the back door into the woods, which is easier than dealing with the buckets.  We just carry water in jugs with us when we go, but I have plans for a cistern type contraption that would allow us to only fill it occasionally and we wouldn't have to be so stingy with the water.  This sink is really too large for such a small space, but I have some sentimental attachment to it, so I was happy to put it back in use. 

 

 

The futon couch was given to us when some friends moved, and it works quite well.  It folds out to a comfortable bed.  Someday I would like to cut a hole in the roof of the bus and build a sleeping loft above the cab.  Then I could offer the futon to guests.  Because, I'm sure, the only reason all our friends aren't begging to sleep in an old bus in the middle of the woods with us is the lack of a guest room! It would probably help if we had a bathroom too.