Sugaree Update

Next week is suppose to be the moment of truth.  We are getting our bus!!  And, just in time for the Jimmy Buffett concert and the fun parking lot scene that goes with the event.  We all are beside ourselves with excitement.  Jeff said they'll be ready for electronics this Tuesday and various other things that he will install and then their work will be complete.  Then the real fun begins for us, not that this process hasn't been fun.  We get to decorate the interior and we'll custom paint the exterior.   Our Sugaree will be further hippified and gypsyfied in no time.  

David, Avery and I went out see her again last week and to take out our funky frig.  OMG!!!!  She is so amazingly beautiful!!  Already, far surpassing our expectations.  Talk about giddy with excitement...Words can't even describe.  We had a very minor delay, as there were a few issues with the plumbing in the bathroom.  As I said before, it's a puzzle for these guys to try and figure out where all the different items can be installed, especially underneath the bus.  

Isn't she turning out fabulously?!  I had originally picked out a really pretty styrofoam ceiling tile, that Jeff said should work out perfectly and he said it was good that they're so light and flexible.  As it turns out, they were a little too flexible and break easily.  He had already completed the master, and they give that room a really pretty, rich feel to it.  Given how little traffic will be interfering with the styrofoam tiles because our bed dominates the room, we left the original tiles in our room.  Sometimes things don't work out for a reason and this was one of those scenarios where we are happier with the new ones.  And if the first group doesn't work out, we can always switch them out.  David and I scrambled all over to various Home Depots to get enough of a metal ceiling tile to finish the rest of the bus and we needed at least 35 of them to complete that task.  Of course, each location would only have a few of the ones we liked.  They look unbelievable, especially the way with which they reflect our LED lights.  We can change the light color to almost a dozen colors.  Perfect for our bus.  The psychedelic piece of metal that is painted in the photos above, is the result of David and Dylan experimenting with paining techniques and colors for the exterior.  They think they've got it figured and I have no doubt in my mind that they will make it awesome.  Jeff strongly discouraged the hanging of our chandelier in the master.   It didn't take much convincing him, he wants us happy.  He told us that's the first chandelier he's ever installed in an RV in the 29 years he's been in the business.  And it's a purple one at that...I love it!

Our Darling Sugaree

This beautiful painting of Jerry was done by our incredibly talented friend, Zoey Skews.  It will be a major focal point in our bus and now Jerry will be with us during our entire journey.  Thank you again sweet Zoey for your fabulous contribution.  

At least once a week we go out to see our Sugaree's progress.  This past week we dropped off cabinets and counter tops.  I know I'm repeating myself, but everything Jeff and Bruce have been working on is turning out beautifully.  We've had kitchen cabinets that Cassidy and I painted and distressed and the butcher block counter top David stained, all of which were dominating our living room for weeks.  But I must say, we're all proud of our efforts to make Sugaree that much more special and cozy.

A funny side note is David and I were looking for a sink for the bathroom and for some reason David thought Jeff said our sink vanity should only be 21 - 24" tall.  When every standard sink is around 35" tall.  We went shopping to find something we could custom make that would be what David was persistent and saying we needed.  I kept asking him, "Why does it have to be so short?"  He never really had a definitive answer for me.  He just kept saying, "...because Jeff said so."  We go to see Jeff to drop off our stuff and I asked him, "How tall does the bathroom sink need to be?  and he said, "the standard sink is around 35" tall, so that will work."  I knew David's measurements weren't right because we all would've had to crouch down in a very uncomfortable fashion to brush our teeth and wash our face.   David and I searched at least 6 different stores all over Dallas trying to figure out how to make a miniature sink.  David even suggested that we go to a handicapped store to get our sink at the right height, the heighth David thought Jeff told us to look for.   I love my husband, but he totally needs to give into the notion that I'm usually right.  ;-)  We finally got our sink to Jeff right height and all.

Our latest project was to paint our mini frig purple.  It too turned out great.  After researching the best way to paint stainless steel I found out that the first part of the process is to sand it really well so as to help the paint adhere.  Once sanded we made sure to remove any and all remnants of dust.  We then added a coat of primer.  We let that dry and then came the purple coat of paint.  Once the purple layer of paint dried we painted a coat of light blue.  David then sanded it again and we added more purple somewhat sparingly with a rag.  We will add some molding to accent it perfectly, so tune in to see the final results of it all soon!  


To be continued...  :-)