Right, that's me.  I took a pre-emptive retirement and spent my savings and some inherited money on the Porsche racing interlude.  "Eat Desert First" became my credo, after I watched my father (among many others) work his butt off for 50 years so he could retire, then he died..Also, I had a close call myself with a truck hitting me as I waited for a flag person at  a construction delay...Doing everything right, and I still lost a few years of my life as I recovered.  I vowed then that if I ever got back to normal, I wouldn't waste my precious time "working, so I could retire sometime and do what I wanted"..
  You musta missed my "smiley face"..Actually, it is a bit easier to sustain the 84 hippy bus than back when I flipped burgers for the 36hp 57 South African panel van...But a carpenter's wage now is pretty dismal...
  Don Hanson
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jake de Villiers 
  To: Don Hanson 
  Cc: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com 
  Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 10:34 AM
  Subject: Re: When a 20-yr old can't afford a hippy bus

  Come on Don, aren't you the guy that "raced" a Porsche 928 with 550 HP & extensive expensive body & chassis mods?  Or was that just a story?

  Otherwise, I'm thinking that you could have bought a decent '84 GL for the cost of the tires and entry fees for one event! 

  On 8/2/07, Don Hanson <dhanson@gorge.net> wrote:
      Back when I was 20, I worked to barely own my 57 split window 36hp house
    on wheels.  Fried burgers in Seal Beach, Ca. and washed dishes in Aspen, Co.
    in winter..Lived in the bus, because rent was too steep.  Pretty cold in 
    Aspen..

      Ah, but now, I can still just barely afford my 84 hippy bus.(smiley face)
    Still live in it for months at a time.  Make about the same spendable income
    these days being a master carpenter and cabinet maker as I did flipping 
    burgers or washing dishes.

      But, would I trade it all for a "real job"?  Stockbroker, Oil man,
    politician?  No..I guess not..in fact..
    He** No!...  No Way!
      Don Hanson

  -- 
  Jake 
  1984 Vanagon GL
  1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
  www.crescentbeachguitar.com