Date:         Sat, 17 Apr 2004 01:17:05 -0400
Reply-To:     Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
Subject:      hi from Everybus
In-Reply-To:  <86986DF3-9004-11D8-8368-000502453125@eoni.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Wow, only 44 Vanagon emails today, instead of the usual 100 or so - I guess
we really are all at Everybus!  And I'm the only one foolish enough to be
logging in and checking my email.

There are a few hundred vans and buses here, at least, and lots more people.
Wish we had a cherry picker to get a nice bird's eye view to send you.

Heaps of kids running around in VW t-shirts, having water fights, zooming
around on bicycles and tricycles, clinging to their papas' knees, crying,
wandering around at night with glowing necklaces and blinking earrings so
all that you see are pairs of red and blue flashing lights.  A few sexy
teen-aged girls who have been coming to Everybus since its first year, and
seem to be having fun despite their obligatory bored looks and impatience
with their dads.  (Their mothers are sitting these events out by now.)

Zillions of dogs, most of whom are pretty laid back and happy to dote on you
if you'll scratch their stomachs.  One lovely lab seemed a bit upset at the
gathering, though, and embarassed her owner by barking at me ferociously
whenever I walked past.

There's a posse of crazy Canadians off in one corner acting hyper-patriotic
with red and white maple leaves waving everywhere.  However, they cooked
breakfast for everyone this morning and brought gallons of real maple
syrup - so who can complain?  Greg Potts is recruiting for Buses of the
Corn, in Whitby Ontario Aug 6-8.  Frank Condelli is rounding up folks for
Burning Man.  He brought a video about it, which a bunch of us sat through
despite a sound track so terrible that we finally just turned it off.  Some
of us reacted "how weird, what are they trying to prove with all that?"
while others reacted "oh, my, this total craziness, it's a 'must-do' at some
point!"  I'm sure that says something meaningful about us, which category we
fit into.  Not sure quite what, though.  (FWIW, I'm in the latter category.)
Should we all go and burn a vanagon?  Should we all go to watch Frank
running around in the nude covered with paint?  (Is it still Friday, am I
being off-topic?)

Matilda and I have landed up surrounded by a horde of folks from Tennessee
(the Full Moon Bus Club) who have set up vast tents and shelters with picnic
tables underneath.  Whew, it's quarter to one in the morning, thank goodness
the ones who were carrying on and singing next door finally seem to have
decided to go to sleep!

Past them is the Tidewater crew, who are selling gloriously colorful
t-shirts, some of them even VW-related.  They have armies of toddlers in
their ranks as well.  This seems to be a very toddler-friendly crowd!  One
very small blonde girl likes to park her pink and lavender Barbie tricycle
in the middle of the road and stare, as the older kids just barely miss
hitting her every time they zoom past.

Down at the end is a lone couple in a massive RV, who are somewhat bemused
to be surrounded by VWs.  They told me they actually owned a VW bus for
twenty years, though, so they are finding this quite delightful.  Nice
folks, too, he lent me his caulking gun when I couldn't find a vanagonian
with one.

Lots and lots of lovely buses and vanagons everywhere, of course.  But I'm
sure someone who's more of a gearhead than I will fill you in on all those
technical details!  Plenty of adjustments and repairs going on.  I got my
new skylight installed, so hopefully I won't have any more leaks.  (The old
one had a three-inch hole covered with duct tape, poor Matilda was flooded
in every storm.)  A bunch of Canadians were working on an old engine, which
they got running after a few hours to great cheers that resounded halfway
across the campground.  Frank heatedly advising everyone on how to fix their
vans, Karl M. showing photos of all sorts of crazy vehicles that he covets.

Everyone wandering with bit coffee mugs in hand all afternoon and evening -
no alcohol allowed here.  Funny, that, could have sworn I saw a Miller
carton over by the Tennessee folks... musta been moonshine.

Weather is great, wish you were here!



Joy

p.s.  Frank C., who read my sig file, thought I was actually traveling with
a live orangutan, and wondered how I managed with an ape in my van.  I think
I'll tease him about that for a long time to come!  (Henrietta is a fuzzy
stuffed animal from the gift shop of the National Zoo in Washington DC, in
case anyone else thought to harbor such a delusion.)


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Joy Hecht
and Matilda, 1989 Burgundy Vanagon
and Henrietta, sad-eyed orangutan who waltzes with Matilda and me
and Bicycle and Kayak, who ride on Matilda

For musings about life and the vanadventures:
http://users.rcn.com/jhecht/gypsy
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++