From our Ohio trip that ended Saturday, the times my wife saw the waves and thumbs up that I did not. �She was amused and her faith in my faded hipness restored that so many folks seem to admire our choice of vehicle...until I have to pull over on a climb to let a string of cars go by.
Incidentally, in her eyes any shred of hipness conveyed by Westy ownership is cancelled out by my insistence on wearing socks with sandals.

Stephen

--- On Fri, 9/14/12, Gabriel Hourtouat <ghourtouat@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

From: Gabriel Hourtouat <ghourtouat@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Fraydaye -- What Was Your Favourite Westy Moment This Week?
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Date: Friday, September 14, 2012, 12:50 AM

Mine:
Sunny, mid-day family outing to the library.� Parallel park in front
of a restaurant between SUPER! swanky, lovely green Porsche and some
big Audi.� Wifey says "look" -- kids wave to the faces watching us
through the restaurant windows.� It's so innocent that the faces wave
back.� Park job is perfection in one movement, stop engine, wheels
coast to the curb.� Side door opens.� Nalgene water bottle and
children's toys make a racket as they tumble out of the van and spread
across the sidewalk.� Kids and parents laugh, as if on cue.

Same faces watch us pull out of the parking spot 20 minuts later.
Exhaust leak (which has graduated from "tick tick tick" and is
no-longer self-sealing when hot) accelerates slowly into the distance
- fut......fut.....fut....fut...fut..fut.fut.fut.fut.� wifey laughs --
she loves the sound of the engine.

she wants me to go see Frank C and Rita again.

she wants us to get an orange bus.

she's crazy.