Date:         Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:11:30 -0400
Reply-To:     Jeff Lincoln <magikvw@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeff Lincoln <magikvw@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Teenagers and Vanagons
In-Reply-To:  <007101c6ee26$aae5e980$563f1e40@youro0kwkw9jwc>
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Sam,

That's a great story. My son is 6 and already has his eye on any one of my
buses. I only hope I can get them patched up and keep them together long
enough for him to enjoy at driving age.


On 10/12/06, samc <samc@surfglobal.net> wrote:
>
> My stepson and I were entertaining our extended family with our shared
> Westphalia stories over dinner a couple of evenings ago ...
>
> I recalled the hundreds of days that I drove him from home to the local
> private (catholic) high school where the "norm cars" in the parking lot
> tended toward new Mercedes, Saabs, Volvos, etc ... My 84 Westy, which tended
> to be somewhat dented, had rust and was noise was not his idea of
> "norm."  Every day, as we would drive into the school's neighborhood, he
> would begin bending over to tie/re-tied his shoes, and stay hunched over ...
> until I stopped ... Then, his door wood fly open, and he would roll out ...
> onto his feet, still hunched over, with his back pack flung in front of his
> face, between his head and the front of the school .... quickly stand and
> begin brushing his clothes as though he had somehow tripped ... He was
> always embarrassed when some of his friends would yell, Hey Mr. "C!" and,
> I'd wave, smile and answer their questions about soccer, the VW ... whatever
> ....
>
> He one-upped me with the family by recalling a trip home from school after
> a soccer practice ... The Westy had undergone its annual inspection just
> before I picked him up that day .... As we were heading home and just hit
> the top of the overpass over I-89, about 1/2 mile from our street, there was
> a rattle, a thump, the left rear end dropped with a resulting grinding and
> swerving of the vehicle ... The lad said something I won't repeat here ....
> and looked up to see our rear tire speeding past the front end of the bus
> and rolling into a large, fortunately uninhabited by critters, barnyard ....
> Cars were honking, people pointing (a couple of his girl friends lived in
> the house where I was finally able to get the VW stopped .... with dust
> flying, etc ...
>
> He looked at me .... used some words I hadn't heard in a long while (I'm a
> former USN sailor), and looked outraged but relieved when I asked him to
> please run back to get the wheel ... He got it, and was even more relieved
> when a suggested he might want to walk home, hidden from traffic and through
> the woods that surround our home while I called and waited for AAA to come
> and give the Westy a ride home.
>
> He is now 22, a senior at our state university, and just saw the Westy
> after its tri-annual face life ... Asked if he can borrow it for a camping
> trip this Fall ... HA!  I pointed him to the fellow's yard wo repairs VWs,
> and showed him an 86 Westy that I'm thinking of grabbing as a
> project.  Excellent shape - fully tested re-built engine and great body no
> rust.  The project will be to re-install all the cabinetry with all the new
> fittings the current owner purchased but has no time or interest to rehab
> the insides.  The stove, reefer, sink and all the plumbing, electrical
> material are sitting, unattached within the vehicle, in a garage, new parts
> still in factory-labeled plastic bags ... two person owner.
>
> SamC
>
>
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--
Thanks,

Jeff
90' Carat (It's Blue, It's Beautiful, It needs a lot of work)
86' (Soon to be donating organs to the 90')
85' GL (sidelined but to be resurrected in the near future)