Baja Bus!

Ever since I caught wind that my friend Bill was selling his VW Type 181 "Thing", I've been spending far too much time over at The Samba, checking out sweet air-cooled V-dubs. Yes, I've been bitten by "the bug" again. Maybe it was after I took a big whiff of Squareback interior a few weeks ago. Of course it's all daydreaming at this point as we still need to unload our Madison-area home.

Last night I stumbled upon the handsome beast at OldBug.com.

who needs windshield wipers in So Cal?

How much fun would this be? A lot for me, that's for certain. A very unique ride that would be great for cruising around North County. All I'd need to do would be to add a bike rack. Aw screw it, just put the bike(s) in the back. Another feature would be listening to Celeste flip out and complain the whole time about it being "TOO WINDY!!!"

Check out the front "door" - tubular cromoly.

The motor, according to the seller is a "strong runner"- a built 2 liter. The '68 Westfalia bus we had in Boulder was saddled with a 48 HP 1600cc single port engine that struggled to accelerate to even 60 MPH. My parents shed many tears of joy when I sold the bus to some east coast hippie kid.

Me and my shiny bald head tinkering with "Sally", our '68 Westy, circa 2000.

Original dash w/ tweeter speakers replacing the un-needed fresh air vent.

Best of all, this creampuff is already in Southern California. Check it out here for more pix and info - only $9500 - OBO of course. But don't buy it, unless you plan on placing the title under the tree for me next week. You can throw a nice bus-sized VW emblem in my stocking if you like.

Do. Want. In a very twisted sort of way.

Vintage Green Lake Postcard

Another postcard sent by "Bella", a few months after she sent this one to her friend John.

Green Lake's Lone Tree Point, on the current grounds of what is now the Green Lake Conference Center (or "the ABA" - American Baptist Association - that's what we called it). A circa 1940s hotel now stands near where the structure in the center of the postcard is.

Lone Tree Point was named as such because of a huge cottonwood tree that stood at the point when the land was purchased by Victor Lawson, a Chicago newspaper publisher and co-founder of the Associated Press, in 1888 for $1429. Lawson had come upon the spot while seeking refuge during a storm that drove them off the lake in 1887. Eventually Lawson would end up acquiring hudreds of acres while establishing his estate prior to his passing in 1925. He's now buried in Chicago's beautiful Graceland Cemetary alongside such Chicago luminaries as Marshall Field, Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, Cyrus McCormick and George Pullman.

Okay, on to the back of the postcard.


Postmarked September 9, 1909

Mr John Davis
Earlville Ill
box 278

Dear friend John I received your card and was glad to here (sic) from you, we are home now, it seems good to be in Beloit again. but it was a lovy (sic) place up there where we were there is nothing to write about here. From "Bella"*

My take - Hmm, Beloit or Green Lake? Sure, GL is a sleepy little town of about 1300 (at least that's what it is now), but I'll take its natural beauty over Beloit's scenic, uh, Frito-Lay and Hormel factories.

*my guess, I can't read the name.

Storm Damage

As mentioned in yesterday's weather emergency post, we received about .75" of rain yesterday. For those in the Midwest, it's the SoCal equivalent of you guys getting, oh,  16" of wet snow.  People were crashing/flipping their cars (likely due to bald tires and dry-rotted wiper blades), while those that were moving chose to drive like grannies.  Thankfully I have a painless commute.

Anyway, here's the aftermath as viewed from my desk at work:

Someone get a broom - STAT!

Go Madison bike commuters!

Number one in the US for bike commuting.  Stick it to the smug residents of Portland.

Putting the Fun in Functional

It's the new Electra alloy/wood slat front tray.

(sorry abut the crummy indoor pic)

Constructed of wood and tubular aluminum and conveniently-sized to fit a case of your favorite canned beverage. Fits most 26" and 700c wheel bikes with fork eyelets. I think it's a great addition to my Amsterdam Balloon 8D (next up - a Brooks saddle and grip upgrade). Maybe I'll take a test run to the grocery store once it stops raining.

Weather Emergency

We have wood chips floating into the parking lot.  Stay calm people.

Celeste's new hairstyle

Shopping fun at Bed Bath & Bea Arthur.