Toni,
Welcome to our world of "Hotel Westfalia".  Enjoy the involvements with your
van's needs, to appreciate the freedom on wheels.
Zoltan

----- Original Message -----
From: "Toni Rizzo" <toni@MCN.ORG>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2006 12:23 AM
Subject: Intro

> Hi all, I've been lurking for quite some time so I figure it's time I
> come out of the closet and introduce myself. I think the artsy-come
> out of the closet thread got me going. You sound like an interesting
> bunch of volks! In my former lives I've lived in NY, Puerto Rico,
> Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, and I landed in northern California near
> Mendocino and Fort Bragg 8 years ago. I've worked in hospital labs,
> academia, taught school, done cancer research, and am now a freelance
> writer specializing in medicine and science, with an occasional
> outdoor or nature article, and host of a radio public affairs show.
> I'm an avid gardener, collector of cacti and succulents, and a
> mosaic-artist wannabe, and love to hike, camp, and explore...
>
> I've wanted a westy and have been researching them for a few years
> and last summer I finally took the plunge and bought my first one
> ever....a  lovely burgundy '90 Westy and I absolutely love her! Of
> course I immediately took her to my mechanic who's renowned in these
> parts as a vanagon specialist and had him give her a thorough going
> over. Several hundred dollars later she emerged with new brakes,
> coolant hoses, several other things, and a clean bill of health. In
> Sept we took our first trip, to drive my daughter up to Bellingham,
> WA and  had a wonderful time. Of course, the starter started going
> out in Portland, OR where we were towed to a mechanic recommended by
> someone on the rescue squad (Thank you if your on this list!...I
> can't remember your name). It was 7 pm and the mechanic looked at her
> and got her started and reassured us that we'd be ok for a while, and
> gave us some tips on how to get started if it happened again. So we
> merrily headed north into Washington where we camped for the night
> and got stuck again. Anyway, after calling AAA, I managed to get her
> started again and we drove to a shop (recommended on vanagon.com) in
> north Seattle, where the starter was replaced that afternoon and we
> were on our way again with no further mishaps.
>
> There are many things I want to do with my westy (she doesn't have a
> name yet) as I have the money, including adding a second battery and
> having the gas tank and lines checked out (gas runs out if I fill it
> too much), and a little spot of rust fixed. I've learned a lot from
> reading this list and I'm sure I'll have many questions. Most of all
> I want to hit the road again, hopefully to the southwest this winter
> for an extended camping and exploring trip. I spent a month last year
> camping with a friend in a pickup with a camper in So. CA and
> southeastern AZ and I can't wait to do it in the westy.  I don't know
> if I should mention that my other car is a subaru with so many of you
> lusting after subie engines... ;-)
>
> Sorry this is so long for my first post...Thanks all for being there..
>
> Toni
> '90 burgundy westy
> '90 subaru wagon
> '86 nissan p.u.
>
>
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>
>