Date:         Sat, 15 Jul 1995 04:08:55 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         HOTGOO@aol.com
Subject:      Names for our loved ones

I first became aware of names for autos from my mother.  She called every car
"Betsy".  She talked to her cars like they were her best friends.  My first
car, a '56 Ford, was "George".  I don;t know where the name came from it was
just there.  George was my first.  I had several cars after that including a
'68 Bus  (I got it in Sept. of '67 one of the few new II's around)  and none
of them had names.  They were just pieces of steel with wheels and they were
short lived.  In July of 1975 I bought a '57 single cab pickup.  It had
belonged to the neighbor behind me.  The back gate was missing and replaced
with a heavy wooden  The Stones flying lips and tongue logo was  painted
square in the middle.  After I took ownership and climbed  into the drivers
seat for the first time, like a flash of lighting a name hit me.
          "Louise"          It was love.

Louise and I have been together for 20 years.  We've been through a lot of
adventures.  She has challanged me with her problems and I her with mine and
we've both survived.  For our 20th anniversary  I'm giving her a compleat
make over.  Top to bottom, Front to back.  She's almost done and when I visit
her at the body shop she seems to stand a little taller, a little prouder and
a lot stronger.  Soon we'll be together again on the road with a new set of
adventures to look forward to.
My whole point to this ramblin' is there is no name if there is no love.

Happy Trails
>From John and Louise,