Date:         Fri, 26 Aug 2016 22:24:39 -0700
Reply-To:     Julianna Elligsen <mumbrue@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Julianna Elligsen <mumbrue@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Back in Action!  A tale of revival.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

Many of you may remember that my beloved Westy, The Rastafalia, met with disaster 3 years ago.  Head on collision with a car dropped off a tow truck on the freeway!  I was very sad, as I didn't get enough from the insurance to buy another Westy, so I bought a tin top to tide me over.  Then, miracle of miracles, someone posted here about a 91 Westy for sale in Louisiana, and I called the lady, sent $200 as a deposit, and drove down to see if it was real!  You know Craigslist these days. Sure enough, it was real, and a real mess!  It had been sitting in a field since 2007.  It had an engine fire that thankfully had not destroyed the interior.  A possum had made a nest, then died on top of the engine!  The windshield, mirrors and tires were shot with a 22 I think. Thankfully it didn't mess up the dash or inside of the van.  It's Flash Silver, the same as The Rastafalia! The seats are pristine. The kitchen was never used. Still has the blue plastic on the metal!  The lady that bought it new, the Mom of the PO, had bought it for the nostalgia.  She and her husband used to have a baywindow Westfalia that they camped in all over the USA.  They were too old the PO said to camp, so they would stay in hotels. When her husband passed away, and she went into a nursing home, she gifted it to her daughter.  She unfortunately, or fortunately, didn't care for it as a vehicle, and when it had the fire, she was happy to get another car.  Since there was some some seam rust along the driver side, I offered her $1200, and she took it!  It has 130,000 miles.  Since Rastafalia was in a head on collision, the engine and transmission were fine!  It took me 2 years to afford to get everything moved over. I got to drive the van around today for its maiden run!  Her name is Ophelia, a good Cajun name, and I am so grateful to have a Westfalia again!  Now I can come to some camp outs!!!  Wishing I could make the ReUnion, but I will be on the East Coast by then.  Hoping I can make part of the Bus Depot event!!!  That would be cool to see my East Coast friends!!!  You are all my friends you know, even though we may have never met in person, I love every single one of you!  See you out there!!!  👋🏼🚐😄💕

Julianna
541-231-4383
1991 VW Vanagon Westfalia (Ophelia)
1987 VW Vanagon Tintop (Armand)