Ouest turned twelve on us. Like we don’t even get a say in the matter. Fortunately, Ouest doesn’t fit any of the stereotypes of a tween. She remains a thoughtful, fun, and caring big sister, and about as perfect a daughter as anyone could imagine.
I hope all your wishes comes true, Ouest.
My brother Josh getting his holiday picture taken in front of the public restrooms. Adorable.
While we play board games, Ali has been plugging away at this. Puzzles always start out as something for the kids to do, and by about piece number five, they’ve turned into an obsession for Ali.
Like a puzzle. Piece, by piece, by piece, it comes together.
Because I’ve done this before, I was actually able to hook these three things together and make it work on the first try. There’s still more to do. A DC/DC charger for the alternator, solar panels, a couple of fuses, and a battery monitor. But, for now, at least the bus has power on demand at all times, it has a 300 amp lithium battery charging up whenever we’re on shore power, and hey, we’ve even got running water thanks to 12v power to the pump.
It’s also time for a floor. Feels so good with the spongy cork foam underneath. I just love how easy this stuff is to work with, too. One person, eight hours, and the bus floor is in. If only every other piece of the bus clicked together so precisely.
I normally wouldn’t even mention this, but I noticed it in this picture. That dark mark in my ear is where the dermatologist “burned” off one of three pre-cancerous spots. An adult life spent mostly in tropical sun takes its toll. When I’m eighty people aren’t going to say, “You look 60!” They’ll say, “You’re only eighty?” I can live with that. Ali and I have done a good job of getting checked out by dermatologists pretty routinely the past few years, and they always find a few things that need tending to. Fortunately, because they find those early, we haven’t had anything turn out to be problematic yet. Consider this a PSA. Don’t put off having that “weird spot” checked out.
Wait, if you’re forty, that makes me… geez.
After my brother’s birthday we headed back to Grammy’s house.
There we rang in the third birthday in ten days.
I hope all her wishes come true, too.
14 Comments on “Birthdays”
Wishing everyone belated happy birthdays. And all of you a Healthy and Happy 2022!
I only wish I was 1/10th as handy as both of you:) Everything is coming together so beautifully!
Joyous times, looks as though they were celebrated well! Goodonyas!
Happy Birthday all! 🙂
Born to refit! Where are you living with the bus torn apart?
In this post we’re at an AirBnB in Cave Creek, AZ. We’ve been doing work to the bus while on the road as well. The engine work required being somewhere for a few days, though.
Feliz Cumpleaños a todos y Feliz Año Nuevo! Salud y Felicidad siempre!
I see Ali wisely prefers birthday pie to birthday cake. Lulu and I can totally relate. Give us pie anytime. Happy birthday to everyone. The bus us coming along nicely. Oh, and BTW, Pat, you’re concerned because your brother turned 40? Our daughter turns 40 this year and she’s our youngest! ¡Ay chihuahua!
Such a beautiful family. Happy Birthday to all the birthday people.
I think Ali already has all her wishes come true!
Happy birthday to all! And thank you for the PSA. As long-time cyclists and often living in Florida or SOB (Mexico, Belize), we have both had our share of pre-cancers burned/frozen off. A couple of years back, my husband had a Stage 0 (the best stage by far!) Squamous Cell Carcinoma cut out in front of his ear. One should never neglect regular dermatology screenings. Glad you didn’t.
Bum birthdays are the best! Happy birthday to the birthday girls.
12! Wow. I can still remember when you had just gotten the VW bus. Does driving this bus take a special license ?
No, but it probably should. I can’t believe the size of RVs people are driving down the road with the same license they got 60 years earlier to drive their first car at 16.
Pat, you had me tearing up when you said you hope Ouest’s wishes come true and again when you said the same for Ali. They are lucky to have you. The bus is looking great, guys!