Up on the roooooof

Please tell me you sang the title of this blog post, because I sure did.

Buses are like big tin cans. Sturdy. And just like a big tin can, hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Buses are made with some insulation, but pretty much count on the heat from big arse heaters and lots of little humans to keep the temp warm in the winter. Windows come down in the summer and no one really cares about sweat school children enough to add AC (though, to be fair, some buses do have it).

I am tall. Matt is not. Betty Lou, sadly enough, takes after Matt in the height department. She comes in at around 6 feet. We are adding insulation to the floor which means we can't add it to the ceiling and still have enough room for me to walk around without whacking my head.

Meet Henry. He makes a nice (if not a bit spendy) type of paint called Elastomeric Heat Reduction and Roofing Sealant. This stuff will bounce some of the heat of the sun off the roof and help seal all the rivet action that it has going on.

First, though, sweet Betty Lou need a bit of a bath. She has been sitting in a field and heaven only knows when she got her last scrubbing. Up to the roof top with a spray bottle of TSP and a bunch of rags I went. I grabbed a wire brush too, to knock off any loose paint, and was pleased to find most the paint was still in good shape with very little rust and flaking. Side note: while it is easier to walk on the roof of a bus sans shoes, it does get hotter than a mo-fo when the sun is out.

All the neighbor kids (and our own) tried to convince me that they should come up too. I politely declined their assistance as I would like to remain friends with their parents. I did let the climb the step ladder inside the bus and pop their head through the sun roof to hand me supplies. I'm not a complete fun sponge.

Once Betty Lou was clean and shiny, it was time for a new top. Thats me, with a cup of iced coffee passed up to me from the Mr. He love me and knows what it takes to get this girl moving in the morning. The paint was rolled/brushed on, much to the amusement of my neighbor, who made the comment that his car needed a new paint job but it never occurred to him to use a roller. Small minds.

This is Betty Lou after one coat. I did two.

Day one I was smart and wore a hat. Sure, I got a little pink but was still ok. Day 2 I was less smart. I forgot my hat. I also forgot I had gotten pink on day one. I am now a bright, slightly painful shade of fuchsia. Oops.