Dear Friends, Here's my two cents worth ... My sense is that G. Matthew has articulated the thoughts of many of us most eloquently, and I add my thanks to those already expressed. (Note to G. Matthew: What is your line of work again?)
My only slight cavil with his compelling description of this group (and BTW let us all pause to marvel at how a brand new technology has allowed us to share information, opinions and, yes, news of blessed events from time to time among like-minded citizens) is that I do not think there are many techno-*phobes* hanging around here. There are those who seem to have a dazzling grasp of the physics, electronics, and chemistry concepts that explain why our beasts bray or balk; there are those who haven't studied the engineering, but have a lot of practical experience and knowledge; and there are the literary types like me who are clueless about the science, but not fearful of getting our hands dirty and always anxious to learn. And the more I pull things apart and examine them, the less hesitant I become and the more respectful I am of those who know how to put it all together. What keeps me checking the traffic every morning -- and deleting before opening all the stuff that is not relevant to my plain vanilla gas "powered" passenger van -- is the fact that so many list members more knowledgable than I are so generous with their time and expertise. Where else can you find people who have squirreled away the odd parts you might need and who are even willing to *lend* something worth serious money to a stranger with full confidence that he'll give it back? And where else can you find a group of people just as odd and stubborn as you?! Re babies: I think the Vanagon is the ultimate kids' car and I love hearing about babies born and three-year olds dancing. When they get a little older their Moms and Dads will be able to toss their bicycles in too, out of the rain. And then teach them to drive on a machine they have some feeling for. Yesterday, as I was grumbling about the fact that I will be spending big bucks to replace the long metal coolant lines and repair the leak somewhere in the fuel tank hook-up on my 83.5 stumbler, I took solace at the excellent Chinese restaurant near my office. The little paper that came out of my fortune cookie (a tradition which BTW is unknown in China) said simply: "NOTHING IS BEYOND ALL REPAIR" Best wishes to all, Woody |
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