Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:36:28 -0400
Reply-To: Joy Hecht <hecht.joy@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Joy Hecht <hecht.joy@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Vanagons and RVs
In-Reply-To: <000a01c7876d$5a52a860$2f01a8c0@FirstLaptop>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
You know, I feel the same way about air conditioning in houses in this
country. It used to be that people sat out on their porches in warm
weather, and so they talked to their neighbors. The kids played outside,
and all the adults knew all the kids because they were out there playing.
Now when the weather warms up the windows and doors shut and the A/C goes
on. And no one sees each other any more.
On the other hand, having spent many summers in the DC area, I'm sure glad I
have that A/C, too! And the southern US didn't begin to grow in population
until it was invented. It's had a huge impact on neighborhoods, development
patterns, and perhaps US culture overall.
Uh, vanagon content? Ummm...
Joy
****************************************************************
Joy Hecht
now living in a real house in northern Virginia
and Matilda, 1989 Burgundy Vanagon
now living in the driveway and resting after two and a half years
lugging Joy and her stuff around...
For musings about life traveling in the van or living in one place:
http://www.joyhecht.net
****************************************************************
:::-----Original Message-----
:::From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
:::Of Zoltan
:::Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 3:10 PM
:::To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
:::Subject: Re: Vanagons and RVs
:::
:::In my first years of going around the US in a Westfalia, I remember once
:::I
:::went into a caravan park, I mean an RV park, drove around to find the
:::spot I
:::was allocated and could not help noticing that the place was void of
:::humans.
:::Only seen the big RVs parking all over using up almost every spot. But
:::no
:::humans around. Well, I did not think much of it at that time, we parked
:::the
:::van and with that the kids jumped out and started their play outside and
:::I
:::later served lunch to the family that we had, sitting on that table-bench
:::camping site unit next to the van.
:::In a few hours being there, I have seen only one or two living being.
:::One
:::was walking a dog. This place was very near to the ocean and RV guys are
:::not known to be surfers and such. I was asking my American wife about
:::why
:::there is nobody around. "I don't know" was the expected answer. I also
:::noticed one or two RVs moving in or out of the camp, but no sign of
:::humans
:::outside any unit.
:::It only dawned on me later, that they are all inside. Aha! There they
:::are
:::all. Yes, but why are they here? If they want to be in the RV, they
:::don't
:::have to go anywhere, they can do it at home anytime.
:::In the meantime my kids and I were at the pool, played table tennis,
:::skipped
:::on the pond, played mini golf had the lunch outside, took some other
:::walks,
:::went down to the beach.
:::We never seen the neighbors for the couple of days we were there. They
:::must
:::have seen us when they peeped out from the inside from the security of
:::their
:::mobile castles.
:::I kind of missed the good old days when people mingled, asked each other
:::where they are from, talked about their lives, set around a fire telling
:::jokesand stories, playing some gitar, singing songs together, exchanging
:::addresses, making pictures about each other and when they left they
:::hugged,
:::promised to write then waved.
:::Today the the affluence has separated them, estranged them. They became
:::an
:::island that we always thought we are not.
:::I think, the small size of our vans makes us to be the old fashion kind
:::of
:::camper while the large monsters will really never leave home, only move
:::their motorised machines to a different location.
:::The difference is too great.
:::Have fun this summer too.
:::Zoltan
:::
:::
:::----- Original Message -----
:::From: "Don Hanson" <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
:::To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
:::Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 10:35 AM
:::Subject: Vanagons and RVs
:::
:::
:::Someone asked about the large complex RVs people seem to favor now,
:::"Thats
:::Camping?" No, there is a whole new class of recreation called "RVing".
:::It
:::is different from camping. I've met lots of them during my travels,
:::"RVers" and they often be the first to tell you they aren't camping, they
:::are RVing.
::: Now we VW people, we still think we are camping, we even call our
:::vehicles
:::"campers" and we seem to have a bit differnt "take" on what a trip out of
:::town should be about than the RVers do.
:::
::: It is a shame that we sometimes must co-habitate with RVers who haven't
:::quite got it that they ARE RVers, not campers. When an RV gets "lost"
:::and
:::ends up out it's element, the RVers inside, they don't really know it,
:::or
:::they don't really care, they just turn up the TV. Inside there, they
:::have
:::no idea what kind of impact they have on their surroundings, because they
:::are "RVing" and that is being inside their RV, going to 'interesting
:::places' and meeting 'other RVers' etc etc.
:::
::: That is one reason why the stealthy brown colored van is useful...No
:::RVers
:::will see you and say..."Hey, someone is parked out there, let's go set up
:::next to him" which they often do, if they see you. Especially in out of
:::the
:::way places...Must be the "Herd instinct" or something...
:::
::: Maybe we could get Go Westy or someone to build us some "Inflatable
:::Winniebago" balloons that we could stake down like decoys, a decent
:::distance
:::from our real 'campsite' and get all the lonely Winniebagos to "land"
:::nearby the decoy 'Bago, thereby leaving you in solitude in your turd
:::brown
:::"camper".. ...I always take earplugs along to RV country, just in case...
:::
::: Don Hanson
:::
:::
:::--
:::No virus found in this incoming message.
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:::12:19 PM
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