I took some more pics of _________ (still don't have a name). That bamboo "parcel tray" underneath the dash was a common accessory. I'm not sure it would get past the safety police now, but it's a handy place for stashing stuff. The white circle above the aftermarket radio is a stick-on thermometer that will be removed soon. The handle above the glove box is known as the "Oh Sh@t" handle.
I'm not sure if the side panels are original or replacement, but I think the former. That ashtray (right side only) was an option, as were the pop-out windows. I'm pretty sure the seats are original, and in remarkable shape.
This is the original headliner, and it's very rare to see one that hasn't pretty much disintegrated and/or is filthy. This was a non-smoker's car.
This also looks like original upholstery, and the seats are firm. The springs and padding are typically deteriorated in older Bugs. I wouldn't call these comfortable, but people who wanted comfort bought a Benz. And those who wanted fast purchased a Porsche. (Did you know that porsche is the German word for pig?)OK, trivia question: What happens when a Beetle falls in the water?
Readers of a certain age will remember.
The pea shooters I ordered came this afternoon and are now installed. So tomorrow I'll get the smog certificate (I hope) and work on registration. Have to get it insured first.
After two round trips within a week I know way too much about the roads between here and San Marcos, CA. Like the fact that just this side of the state line is Sore Finger Road. Or that the "Owner Must Sell" sign for vacant land on the north side of the I-10 is so faded that it has to be at least a decade old. Imagine how badly he needs to sell it now!
On the way over last week I took a 10-mile detour to spend a few minutes with my friend Ron Robinson. Ron and his family attended our church in Riverside and he got me into golf. He operated a golf course there - a course he sold last October - and comped his pastor for a weekly round. He also got me some lessons. Ron still runs the tournaments at the course so I stopped by his office at Jurupa Hills Country Club and we tried to catch up with the biggest stuff. Good visit!
Yesterday I detoured again, this time to visit with George and Zena Coffer. They also attended our church and George was an elder. I'd take 100 George & Zena's in any church I ever pastor and want still more. They are probably in their late 70's now but look just like they did when we left there in 1989. Zena was our boys' Sunday School teacher and a wonderful spiritual model for them. It felt so good to see them again.
This weekend Rob & Leslie Burch are coming for a visit from Michigan. Yep, they were in our church there. They want some of the 78 degree sunshine we'll have this weekend, an escape from the 0 degrees they had this morning. We'll have a great time visiting, and on Saturday a drive out to Roosevelt Lake will include a lunch stop and the famous town of Tortilla Flats. The only thing there is the restaurant, but it's a happenin' place.
The point of these three encounters?
The people are the best part!
We've lived a vagabond life, pretty typical for someone in the ministry. We look back on each stop with powerful feelings for the wonderful people God brought into our lives. Because that nomadic life meant living far away from our biological families God gave us brothers and sisters in Christ who became family to us.
If you're reading this and used to call me pastor, THANK YOU. You are loved and valued more than we can say. If you're reading this and now call me pastor...welcome to the club. You're in good company but you fit right in.
I'll be glad when we're far enough into the Obama presidency that things he says and does aren't automatically compared favorably to the perceived failures of the Bush administration. I realize it goes with the territory any time a new party takes over. The incumbent's party obviously lost the good will of the people or they'd have won the election, and winning brings the right to gloat some. In this case the media's two-year long love affair with Pres. Obama enhances that gloating and chest thumping. But what really irritates me is the persistent criticisms by Pres. Carter. I heard him again today ripping on the Bush administration for their mideast policies.
A longstanding element of the code of presidential ettiquette stipulates that former presidents don't criticize current presidents. Carter has violated that standard blatantly and repeatedly in his books and his comments to the press over the last 8 years. Even Pres. Clinton, not known for his concern for social mores, was careful to avoid public criticisms of Pres. Bush until he hit the campaign trail, first for his wife and then for.... Wait, he never did campaign for Obama.
I find Carter's blasts the more offensive because he has claimed the moral high ground on several fronts. He certainly knows that he's out of line. Gerald Ford was the picture of propriety in this and every other respect.
The self-righteous Carter ripping on Bush would be a little like Al Gore driving a big SUV.
Wait a minute, he did. Oh well.
I consumed about three gallons of Diet Coke yesterday in an effort to stay alert and the caffiene is still circulating through my ADD brain. But I have to go put another coat of paint on the trim in the guest bathroom so it's ready for Rob & Leslie. I'll be here again tomorrow night with even more pointless drivel.
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