I've read the discussion of hiccups and hesitations over the years, but
the problem with my '87 is not familiar to me.

I will describe the problem in a non-technical fashion.  The engine starts
and idles fine.  During the first couple of minutes of driving, if I come
to a complete stop (say for a stop sign) or slow down to make a turn
and downshift and then try to resume driving, I
press the gas(air) pedal and nothing happens.  That is, the engine just
continues to idle.  Usually, after a few seconds, the engine starts to
sputter as if it's slowly starting to react to the pedal being pressed,
and once it catches, everything is normal.  In fact, all systems will
operate well for the rest of the day.

A little more information might help, so here are some details.  First,
this only happens when the engine is cold.  Second, if I were to start it
cold and not have to stop for a few minutes, the problem would not present
itself.  Third, when the problem happens, 99% of the time it only
happens once during thost first couple of minutes of driving.  Finally, I
was able to live with the problem until yesterday.
I was in the process of moving from one house to another with a fullly
loaded vanagon, so it would not have been an ideal time to play with the
engine.  However, this time the problem was worse.  I slowed down while
in 3rd gear to make a turn, pressed the clutch to downshift into 2nd
during the turn, pressed the gas pedal and nothing.  This time, it didn't
catch after a few seconds.  I was pointed uphill, so I put on the brake
turned off the engine, and tried to start it again.  It just cranked, but
it wouldn't start.  So, I was stuck.  Fortunately, I was able to roll
backwards on to the road which I had been on, and point myself down the
hill on that road.  I thenn rolled forward, popped the clutch in 2nd gear,
and it started right up.  I then was able to drive without incident.  Had
I not had the convenient hill possibilities, I'm not sure what I would
have done.

Does anyone have any ideas what might be causing this problem?  I little
hesitation during the first couple of minutes might be something that I
could deal with, but it appears now that I could get stuck.

Thanks for the help.

David (now in Crestline, CA)