Riding in High Style

Last Thursday afternoon Tom's parents and grandma arrived from Nebraska to spend a few days drowning in a sea of their grandchildren's activities with their children and grandchildren. They drive to see us frequently, especially considering the distance, but this time they made the visit extra special for the kids by coming in their 1977 Airstream Argosy motor home. Affectionately nicknamed "the bus", this camper looks and feels - intentionally so - almost identical to how it must have when it first came off the assembly line. From its shag carpeting and burnt orange upholstered couches to its archaic appliances and foreign-to-my-children tape deck, the bus is a blast from the past.

Will tried out the driver seat of the bus as a toddler, but because Tom's parents don't store it at their house, the kids never spent any significant time in it until last weekend. Everything about the motor home fascinated them...and their friends...and our friends...and the neighbors...and everyone I talked about it with, so I decided to share a virtual tour here on the blog.

Parked and open for visitors!

A view of the driver and navigator seats from the living/dining room.
(Those are sunshades are hiding the windshield to keep the bus cool.)

The dining room. The table folds out to twice that
size and the two chairs are remarkably comfortable.

The living room. The couch folds out into a surprisingly
comfortable (noticing a trend here?) full-sized bed on
which both Will and Hallie slept for two nights in a row.

One side of the kitchen - sink, stove, oven, and storage.

The other side of the kitchen - refrigerator, storage, and
old-fashioned (as in pre-Pottery Barn) "command center".

The bedroom. Like the one in the living room, this couch folds out
into a cozy but doable-for-two bed. (In the background you'll see Hallie
 giving friends Grace and Phin a tour of the captivating bathroom.)

The other side of the bedroom, complete with a
closet and a television that still plays VHS tapes.

And the moment you've all (Hallie has) been waiting
for...the bathroom. (The shower is off to the left.)

Last but not least and just for fun, the "control
panel". On/Off, Hot/Cold, and a tape deck.

I have quite a few bullet points left on my Texas Bucket List, and I have now decided that the best and most fun way to cross some of these bullet points off my list is to climb aboard a motor home and hit the open road. Who's with me?

You can see my full - but ever-growing - Texas Bucket List here. Feel free to let me know what I'm missing!