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Date:         Thu, 16 Apr 1998 07:39:23 -0400
Reply-To:     Lawrence Johnson <ljohnson@HALHINET.ON.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Lawrence Johnson <ljohnson@HALHINET.ON.CA>
Subject:      demographics
Comments: To: Multiple recipients of list <vanagon@vanagon.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Ok, my turn. I and my wife are 57 this year, married for 30 years and retired 4 years ago. Boring stuff eh?

I spent the first 16 years getting into trouble and the next 12 years getting an education: B. of Engin. (Engineering Physics) and a Ph.D. (Nuclear Physics). When I raised up my head long enough to look around, there was only one year of the '60s left so my wife and I (we were married during graduate school) spent the next 2 years backpacking around the world: Tahiti, Fiji, Tonga, W. Samoa, NZ, Australia, Singapore, Borneo, Indonesia, India, Kashmir, Turkey, Greece and then ended up living in Germany for 5 years 'til 1976.

We returned to Canada to be by my critically ill father. He recovered but we stayed anyway. Canada can be a boring place but its a pleasant sort of boring. We've been here ever since.

Work? Oh ya work. If it had to do with the software side of computers, my wife and I were there. You can blame us for the Y2K problem.

Cars? The only North American car I ever owned car was a 1950 Chev (go anywhere, do anything car) given to me by my Grandfather. Half a dozen British sports/sporty cars (on temporary loan from the oxide heaps). 1973 Super Beetle (1303 LS) in Germany, 1976 and 1980 Saab 99 GL in Canada, and we currently own a 1986 Subaru (our backup vehicle), a 1986 Syncro Westfalia (the best all round mover we've ever owned) and a 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo (to drive it is to believe).

Currently we live in the semi wilds of Ontario, Canada where the bears, deer, moose, Canada geese, loons, otters, fishers, weasels, trout,..(a forever list).. still think they own the place. Last week we just finished making 20 gals of maple syrup (its so good that it should be a sin). Between fiddling with Fritz (our Westfalia) I help my neighbours with their home computer systems and of course we travel. Our Westy gives us the freedom to wander where our interests shift - the dream of the '60s - easy rider - Zen and the art - you get the picture. Our only anchor in Canada (or anywhere else for that matter) is my wife's 90 year old mother (who just gave up driving this year - a 1967 Cougar if you can imagine). The call of the 55-south venture is very compelling and we're struggling with the knowledge that the trip would be the end of Fritz. And then there is my wife's mom. Routes! Roots?

Larry Johnson


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