i've been really busy the past week or so and haven't had much time to be a computer nerd. this happened last week:

my neighbors have an organic farm and grow herbs and such for market. Most of their stuff they sell at the local Farmer's Markets, but they also sell wholesale to a nursery somewhat south ofglorious Olympia, in Woodland, closer to Stumptown (Portland, Ore).

So they loaded up a load, including 16 flats of Blue Star Creeper, some Rue, and a whole bunch of other stuff in one of the VW farm haulers. the rusty 59 single cab is close to throwing a rod, the drivers door on the early 64 combi (green!) is wonky and doesn't shut right, so Brett and I and the dog Patu took the 70 as the delivery van. we planned to deliver the herbs, then go up the river and check out a waterfall in the mountains, even had the camcorder.

do you detect a note of impending doom? everything went fine till abot 60miles south of Oly. when, with no warning noises, black smoke started pouring out of the passenger side air vent into the bus. i turned around and saw a cloud of black smoke out the back window. Brett pulled over and the bus stalled out.

yes, there was oil. everything looked fine in the engine compartment. He tried starting it up, and black smoke came out the tailpipe. It sounded okay, i mean just like a motor that didn't catch. no scary noises like a broken ring or bad rod. Brett walked back to the rest area we just passed to call for help, and i futzed with it a bit, though not expecting any great results. It had a good spark, gas, air, no start, black smoke.

so we hung out on the side of I-5 listening to the trucks rumbling by in the sun for a couple hours. It was one of those sunny summer days that those of us in the PNW relish. Eventually Diana showed up with the big red truck and the tow bar. We hooked it up to the bus and delived a container of herbs to the nursery! they got a laugh out of that.

Stopped at the Pyramid brewery on the way back to Oly. The people who work there seem to really enjoy it, and brew some mighty tasty beer, too.

Since it was getting on in the day, we went to an Indian resturant in Little Rock for dinner. It was also mighty tasty. I highly recommend it, Maharaja's, right off I-5. It used to be a Mexican restarant, and has lots of neato tiles inside.

so it's not a very impressive story as a workin' type II, more a broken type II. but, jeez, we had fun anyway. :)

will update you all on what went wrong when i pull the motor this weekend.

from down on the farm,

clara