When I was a youngster, I remember camping in my grandparents orange '71 - apparently I also camped in the older '68, but do not recall that one - now,  4- decades later I have two (a '66 and a '88 ... looking for a '77 to complete the set) ... or too many as my wife would put it.

On 07-May-2015, at 22:20, Jon VO wrote:

> A long time ago I drove an '87 Syncro (tin top) when it was "new",
> around 1990. Went to see a friend in New Hampshire that had a 10 yr old
> boy who thought the van was awesome. Wanted to sleep in it, so my wife &
> I stayed inside and he spent the night "camping" in the van.
> He asked about that van for some time, but I ended up selling a few
> years later, much to my regret. Last I heard from my buddy, his son now
> has a '81 Westy.
> Jon
> 
> On 5/7/2015 6:49 PM, Jim Felder wrote:
>> He didn't have any idea. His first questions were about where he could get
>> one. I told him about the usual channels. then he went on to tell me about
>> how he had bought one just like it way back. I showed him the interior. He
>> remarked that his had the same green stripe. He didn't seem to know much
>> about the engine, so I showed him the layout by peeking under. I guess back
>> then, it was just a car, the way it took me a long time to figure out the
>> engine in my new 90 Carat. There's just no need to get into all that with a
>> new car.
>> 
>> It took it a minute for it to sink in that this was his car. I went on with
>> a bunch of stuff that crystallized suddenly: my parents knew his parents,
>> his parents were playing cards with my parents the night they got the call
>> their house was on fire and which had them living in the westy in the
>> driveway for weeks, that I walked home with his older brother from
>> elementary school and junior high every day and his brother was eventually
>> killed in Korea, all the facts I knew peripherally about the family
>> suddenly were connected with the car. He just repeated at how his dad's
>> motto was "I know quality equipment when I see it" and how proud and happy
>> he would be of what became of his beloved car. "Dad would be flipping out
>> right now." He was a lot more interested in that sort of thing than the
>> fact that he had purchased it himself. It really must have meant a lot to
>> his father.
>> 
>> It is the same car that caused my eight year old grandson to survey it from
>> the top bunk on a camping trip a couple of weeks ago and say "this is the
>> most awesomest vehicle in the whole world." Travis loved that.
>> 
>> Jim
>> 
>> On Thu, May 7, 2015 at 7:38 PM, Edward Maglott <emaglott3@gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Amazing!  Did Travis have any idea that he might be looking at his old
>>> van?  What was his reaction when you told him?
>>> Edward
>>> 
>>> On Thu, May 7, 2015 at 8:23 PM, Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> I just have this vision of all you dieselheads bonding while sitting
>>>> around the tailpipe huffing that sweet exhaust, and savoring the
>>> melodious
>>>> sound of that engine rattling away. Beats a campfire for you guys, I�m
>>>> sure!  ;-)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> It�s a great story, where�s the selfie?
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Stuart
>>>> 
>>>> From: Jim Felder [mailto:jim.felder@gmail.com]
>>>> Sent: Thursday, May 07, 2015 5:00 PM
>>>> To: Stuart MacMillan
>>>> Cc: Vanagon mailing list
>>>> Subject: Re: Awesome Vanagon Close Encounter
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> You are, of course insinuating that my car has body odor? Will see you at
>>>> sunset with the weapon of your choice, sir!
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Jim
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On Thu, May 7, 2015 at 6:58 PM, Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> No doubt you all got high on diesel fumes!
>>>> 
>>>> Stuart
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>>>> Of Jim Felder
>>>> Sent: Thursday, May 07, 2015 1:43 PM
>>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>> Subject: Awesome Vanagon Close Encounter
>>>> 
>>>> Today I had a lunch meeting so before that I stopped off at Home Depot
>>> for
>>>> a few things I would need this weekend. I was leaving the parking lot
>>> when
>>>> I saw the chocolate brown 86 Westy of Nick, a former Vanagon mechanic at
>>> my
>>>> local VW shop so I turned around and parked to talk with him for a
>>> minute.
>>>> When I returned to my car, there was a guy about my age standing behind
>>> it
>>>> and asked if I had time for a few questions. I told him I was waiting on
>>> a
>>>> phone call about the exact time of a meeting, so until that happened,
>>> yes,
>>>> I did.
>>>> 
>>>> He told me that he was in the Air Force in Germany in 1892 When his dad,
>>>> back in the states, became obsessed with owning a Westy. The son
>>> explained
>>>> that they worked out a deal: The exchange rate was good, so the son put a
>>>> westy just like mine on layaway at a dealership near Rammstein. Dad sent
>>>> the money for some time, then the son drove it during the rest of his
>>> hitch
>>>> in Germany with the agreement that dad would pick it up and own it after
>>> it
>>>> got shipped back to the states.
>>>> 
>>>> Dad's ownership of the Ivory diesel was legendary in the family. It was
>>>> the only car he owned or drove regularly for the next 20 years, and in
>>> fact
>>>> soon after the keys were taken away from him by the family, he passed
>>> away.
>>>> The fellow telling me all this introduced himself as Travis Reeves.
>>>> 
>>>> I asked him if his father was also Travis Reeves.
>>>> 
>>>> He said that he was.
>>>> 
>>>> "Then this is the car you bought in Germany in 1983" I told him. "This is
>>>> your dad's car."
>>>> 
>>>> An outing is planned for the few surviving family members to go somewhere
>>>> in it.
>>>> 
>>>> As we were leaving, here comes Nick in his brown Westy leaving the
>>> parking
>>>> lot. I introduced Nick to young Travis as the guy who worked on the car
>>>> throughout his dad's ownership. The old mechanic remembered the car, the
>>>> dad, and Travis when he was a young man.
>>>> 
>>>> It was quite a reunion.
>>>> 
>>>> Jim
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>