Date:         Fri, 9 Jan 2009 16:32:58 +0000
Reply-To:     "John C..." <trvlr2001@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "John C..." <trvlr2001@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      I Want To Be A Vanaslob ;o)

Attention: Friday chatter ahead;
( I know, I know, you've probably already hit the delete button !!!  hee hee hee :o)

"I Want To Be a Vanaslob" !!!

Heads up young fellers ;o)
Time Will Be speeding up for you any second !!!

For me, at 60 now,
It Screams !!! Wailing like Banshee as it gos' by !!!

And, seriously,
I would trade most of the last Decade or so
that I've Spent, bottled up in my shop
Dickin' around with the damn things; (vanagons)

Getting up every morning,
Kneeling on a carpet,
Praying in the Direction of Westfalia,
and,
Compulsively Polishing the heads of every bolt to a mirror finish (you get what I mean :o)

For 6 Months on the Road !!!

Do it Now ! ;o)
The future is just Vaporous energy,
That Never, Ever Arrives !!!

Dont be afraid; buy a trained protection dog.
Or buy "the Judge" if you feel you must !
Remember (john :o) There are no victims :o)

Use em' Travel, Share, See, Spread the bus spirit; Live !!!

Good Grief, How many hours do we spend googling this  Earth ???
when most dont even walk around the damn block?
Let alone hiking up a secluded river?
immerging and blending our spirits with Nature?
No wonder we treat nature as if it is Seperate from us !

Isnt that why & what Westys were made for?
(Why do I ? )
Give a Rats Ass how clean they are !!!???!!!   ;o)

Put Me on Nomail!
I'm Hitting the Road ....

SELAH

JC...
-------------- Original message --------------
From: Gary Bawden <goldfieldgary@GMAIL.COM>

> Happy Fryeday, fellow listees!
>
> Since half of us (according to Scott) are slobs, or at least, half of
> the Vanagons he gets were owned by slobs, I thought I'd take it upon
> myself to say a few words on our behalf. No disrespect intended here,
> Scott, I enjoy your posts and find them informative.
>
> To me, the Vanagon is a utility vehicle. Oh, sure, I go camping in it,
> too, but what other vehicle can you own these days that, after the
> weekend, you can take it down to the lumber yard and slide in a few
> sheets of plywood? And with me, it doesn't stop there. Looking in the
> side door (clank, clatter, clatter) of AnnaBelle, I see there are:
>
> two toolboxes
> a 5-gallon plastic bucket filled with miscellaneous hardware
> a snow shovel
> my antique wooden creeper
> a couple of wool blankets
> a couple of jugs of water
> a hydraulic jack
> the much-maligned stock VW jack
> a genuine USSR-surplus titanium crowbar
> various and sundry pieces of 2 x 4's
> some bits of sun-purpled glass
> cool-looking rusty beer cans (pre-flip-top era)
> interesting rocks
> and, well, the list goes on. I even see a few bits of bark in there
> from the last time I went out and cut firewood! Gasp (!), is that an
> oil stain?
>
> Now I can appreciate a well-tricked-out Vanagon as much as anyone
> else, and really, I have a certain admiration for those of you who may
> describe yourselves as "neat freaks". Really, all I pay attention to
> is keeping the mechanicals in reasonable working order, maintaining
> good tires, changing the oil on a regular basis, etc. If I start
> fixing dents and worrying about cosmetics, why, to my way of thinking,
> that's just an invitation to get a shopping cart ding - - or worse.
> Who needs the anxiety - - not me!
>
> My point is, we all drive and enjoy our Vanagons. Even the most
> slovenly among us will eventually pass on what's left, perhaps to
> someone new to Vanagons, a young person who will gladly roll up their
> sleeves and give it a total, loving restoration. In fact, you could
> even make the case for the Vanaslob occupying a special niche in the
> Vanagon ecosystem. And lest some of you are tempted to look down your
> long patrician noses, remember you share 97% of your DNA with a banana
> slug!
>
> Gary
>
>
> From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans
> Subject: Re: sad decline and a new sighting in Richmond VA
>
> we just have to accept that some people are slobs. Bugs me too, to see
> fine machinery not treasured and taken care of. Woe be the next owner
> if there ever is one !
>
> half the vans I get........I am the FIRST person ever to clean out
> bubble gum and hair and snot or whatever out of the seat belt latches,
> in the seats..... etc. etc. etc.........or even lube a moving . We
> will just have to forgive those who don't know better.......about
> taking care of 'our' precious vanagons.

-------------- Original message --------------
From: Gary Bawden <goldfieldgary@GMAIL.COM>

> Happy Fryeday, fellow listees!
>
> Since half of us (according to Scott) are slobs, or at least, half of
> the Vanagons he gets were owned by slobs, I thought I'd take it upon
> myself to say a few words on our behalf. No disrespect intended here,
> Scott, I enjoy your posts and find them informative.
>
> To me, the Vanagon is a utility vehicle. Oh, sure, I go camping in it,
> too, but what other vehicle can you own these days that, after the
> weekend, you can take it down to the lumber yard and slide in a few
> sheets of plywood? And with me, it doesn't stop there. Looking in the
> side door (clank, clatter, clatter) of AnnaBelle, I see there are:
>
> two toolboxes
> a 5-gallon plastic bucket filled with miscellaneous hardware
> a snow shovel
> my antique wooden creeper
> a couple of wool blankets
> a couple of jugs of water
> a hydraulic jack
> the much-maligned stock VW jack
> a genuine USSR-surplus titanium crowbar
> various and sundry pieces of 2 x 4's
> some bits of sun-purpled glass
> cool-looking rusty beer cans (pre-flip-top era)
> interesting rocks
> and, well, the list goes on. I even see a few bits of bark in there
> from the last time I went out and cut firewood! Gasp (!), is that an
> oil stain?
>
> Now I can appreciate a well-tricked-out Vanagon as much as anyone
> else, and really, I have a certain admiration for those of you who may
> describe yourselves as "neat freaks". Really, all I pay attention to
> is keeping the mechanicals in reasonable working order, maintaining
> good tires, changing the oil on a regular basis, etc. If I start
> fixing dents and worrying about cosmetics, why, to my way of thinking,
> that's just an invitation to get a shopping cart ding - - or worse.
> Who needs the anxiety - - not me!
>
> My point is, we all drive and enjoy our Vanagons. Even the most
> slovenly among us will eventually pass on what's left, perhaps to
> someone new to Vanagons, a young person who will gladly roll up their
> sleeves and give it a total, loving restoration. In fact, you could
> even make the case for the Vanaslob occupying a special niche in the
> Vanagon ecosystem. And lest some of you are tempted to look down your
> long patrician noses, remember you share 97% of your DNA with a banana
> slug!
>
> Gary
>
>
> From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans
> Subject: Re: sad decline and a new sighting in Richmond VA
>
> we just have to accept that some people are slobs. Bugs me too, to see
> fine machinery not treasured and taken care of. Woe be the next owner
> if there ever is one !
>
> half the vans I get........I am the FIRST person ever to clean out
> bubble gum and hair and snot or whatever out of the seat belt latches,
> in the seats..... etc. etc. etc.........or even lube a moving . We
> will just have to forgive those who don't know better.......about
> taking care of 'our' precious vanagons.