78. Beard since the day I got out of the army uh 50 or so years ago. 

Now it’s white as is what ever hair I have left. Sigh

Sent from my iPhone

> On Feb 16, 2020, at 8:37 AM, OlRivrRat <OlRivrRat@comcast.net> wrote:
> 
>        75 is just 4Days away for Me ~ Have had Beard for last 35 or so of those ~
> 
> Still doing 99% of the Wrenching on it & on a Large Handful of Friends Van's, on
> 
> My back but usually on a creeper ~ Have had a Vanagon in My life since '83 when
> 
> I was responsible for bringing New Mexico It's 1st H2OBoxer ~ '76 Westy prior to
> 
> that with initial VW life provided by a '73 Super Beetle via Marriage in '76 & still
> 
> have the Better Part of that deal (Beetle gone a long time ago) ~
> 
>        VDubaru, a '90 2WD Westy with Subi EJ25 below deck is My current Daily
> 
> Driver, acquired in '06 & Subied in '09 ~ Hope to be driving it as long as the Eyes
> 
> & Bank Account will allow, preferably with a Canoe on top to some Camp Spot by
> 
> River Somewhere ~ Sure Hoping that All of You will still be Here @ least 'til then ~
> 
>                                                        ORR ~ DeanB
> 
>        FaceBook Sucks ~~~~~
> 
> 
>> On 15 Feb , 2020, at 3:01 PM, Rick Cooper wrote:
>> 
>> Definitely an old fart at 65, with no beard and not much left on top.  1987
>> 2.1 WBX with 219,000km.  Was my daily driver until last summer and looking
>> forward to driving it again this summer.
>> 
>> Back in '82, I had a 1962 splittie that I drove to LA (Disneyland) from
>> B.C. with my then young children.  Only broke down twice and neither were
>> too difficult to repair, which I thought was pretty fine.  Traded it for a
>> Fiat X19 (fun car!) after a few years.   Those things would take an awful
>> lot of abuse and just keep on trucking.
>> 
>> 
>>> On Sat, Feb 15, 2020 at 1:47 PM Bruce Todd <beeceetee@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> 53 - no beard or goatee at the moment -thinning grey hair weakening eye
>>> sight and questionable hearing at times.
>>> 
>>> Owning buses for 24 years, and a syncro westy for the last 14 years.  Once
>>> upon a time, I was the younger generation driving the rusty peace van that
>>> really had no business whatsoever to be rolling along - at times rolling
>>> behind a tow truck or on transport trailer.
>>> 
>>> Read my John Muir.  Set my points and valves, did my own timing, pulled the
>>> motor and tranny,  Reinstalled it....that was the era of air cooled.
>>> 
>>> Now I am finding I don’t like lying on my back with the cold damp concrete
>>> leaching through my coveralls so much anymore and tend to send bigger
>>> projects out for repair - being that I am busy working, it tends to be
>>> better for me.  This is the first year in awhile that my van is no longer
>>> my daily driver and I am starting to get a little excited to get her back
>>> on the road once the weather warms.
>>> 
>>> Bruce
>>> 
>>> On Saturday, February 15, 2020, Eric Caron <ericcaron96@comcast.net>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Nope,  You need to put in more time.
>>>> 
>>>> Eric Caron
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On Feb 15, 2020, at 8:45 AM, Ralph Meyermann <ralphmeyermann@GMAIL.COM
>>>> 
>>>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Is 44 qualified for old fart status?
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Sat, Feb 15, 2020, 12:59 AM Lloyd McClelland <
>>> lloydmac@suddenlink.net
>>>>> 
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>>> I also retired 5 or so years  ago and am now growing a small goatee
>>>> after
>>>>>> 35 years of staying air pack emergency qualified - what a change .
>>> Side
>>>>>> note I still  have a Westfalia  I bought locally (California) in 1999.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Feb 14, 2020, at 8:48 PM, Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@yahoo.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>  I retired five years ago and for my last day of work shaved off my
>>>> beard
>>>>>> of 32 years.  Been off ever since.  I spent the last ten years of my
>>>>>> working life at that IT company in which I was the eldest employee.
>>>> Most
>>>>>> of the young guys drove Ford Fusions and voted Republican, making me
>>>>>> despair for the upcoming generation. One of them bought a motorcycle,
>>>> none
>>>>>> of them rode bicycles, none of them had "hobby vehicles."  Fantasy
>>>> football
>>>>>> and Call of Duty reigned. I was glad to leave and haven't missed it a
>>>> bit.
>>>>>> Somewhere there must be young Vanagon drivers but I don't know them.
>>>>>> Stephen
>>>>>> On Friday, February 14, 2020, 10:31:47 PM EST, Alistair Bell <
>>>>>> albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I go on and off with beard. Every time I go on it gets whiter...
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Alistair
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Feb 14, 2020, at 7:07 PM, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> I remember a List entry years ago.  The question was:  Do most
>>> Vanagon
>>>>>> owners have beards?  Seemed so to the inquirer.  And....I think the
>>>> answer
>>>>>> is ... Yes. Only now...the color has changed from Salt and
>>> Pepper....to
>>>>>> mostly Salt.  True for me!  But I still change my oil and filter, and
>>>> I've
>>>>>> got a bitchen 2.2 Subaru motor in my backside.  So...Take that you
>>>>>> youngsters!  Ha-Ha!!!
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Rich
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> San Diego
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Friday, February 14, 2020, 6:56:36 PM PST, Alistair Bell <
>>>>>> albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Eric,
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> I can totally see and concur. I suppose my shorthand had made two
>>>>>> groups, the young and naive and the old and jaded :-)
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> As with all things, it’s more nuanced.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> But the mailing list is old tech. Sheesh, us old guys still hang on
>>> to
>>>>>> listserv as cutting edge :-)
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Alistair
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> On Feb 14, 2020, at 6:47 PM, Eric Caron <ericcaron96@comcast.net>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> When I go to VW bus gatherings most of us are I believe 50 and
>>> older.
>>>>>> Still In my VW closest group there are folks in their 40s.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>  At these same events there are always a few 30 somethings even
>>>>>> folks in their late twenties but not as many as the older groups.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>  The younger groups seem to be a mix some working hard to keep a
>>> bus
>>>>>> nice and functional.  An a few with busses that look like they were
>>>> already
>>>>>> parked in the weeds and could not possibly start up and move, yet they
>>>> do.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> A lot of the younger folks purchased vanagon or busses I would not
>>>> have
>>>>>> recommended.  They are just learning about the care and don’t have
>>> this
>>>>>> list or someone to guide them.  I’ve seen many yellow 1980 air cooled
>>>> buses
>>>>>> brought back from the dead by these younger folks.  Then again, that
>>> may
>>>>>> have been the only starting van they could afford.
>>>>>>>> So, I’m guessing we are a older bunch but the younger folks are
>>> still
>>>>>> in the mix.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>  As for this list I don’t think it is easy to find or know about.
>>>>>> And the younger group is all about facebook.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Eric
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> On Feb 14, 2020, at 9:23 PM, Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Now don’t get me wrong. Don’t think I’m accusing anyone or if this
>>>> has
>>>>>> to do with any recent list subjects.
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> It’s ti do with my own experience, day to day. I work where I’m the
>>>>>> oldest person. This is a first for me. The other guys are half my age
>>>> and
>>>>>> pretty well twice my smarts. And we do a lot of Toyota Tacoma and
>>>>>> forerunner accessories and mods. And some jeep stuff.
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> These vehicles are all within 5 years old, many are brand new. The
>>>>>> purchase price of these toys is high, and what we put on them isn’t
>>>> cheap.
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Customers all younger than me, all enthusiastic and energetic. And
>>>> all
>>>>>> want that off road ( overland) look for the trucks.
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> As an owners group, they all are much younger and more willing to
>>>>>> spend money than what the average vanagon owner is. They vast majority
>>>> of
>>>>>> vanagon owners I meet are around my age(61). Yes, I know there are
>>>> younger
>>>>>> owners, some of the van life types, but majority are old farts. And we
>>>> old
>>>>>> farts are tight with our money. And often we have the btdt attitude
>>> that
>>>>>> I’m finding, in myself, to be a negative attitude.
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> What do you folk think? I know there are younger list members, even
>>>>>> now with the list being much much much quieter than the hay days of
>>> the
>>>> 90s
>>>>>> and 00s.
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Just a Friday musing eh?
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Alistair
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>