« A Mom-To-Be and A Doctor-That-Now-Is | Main | I'm a Kitty. Hee. »
June 28, 2007
Bye, Bye Baby
Lots going on round Maison de la Scissorine these days....
Most notable, perhaps, is the recent parting of Sarah Jayn and her beloved VW Bus.
The Story of The Bus
I bought The Bus 10 years ago after quitting school and taking a temporary job through my Dad's company. It was a 2-3 month assignment, taking inventory of parts aboard an AT&T transoceanic cable ship (they laid the fiber optic cables on the ocean floor). They never took girls before - but for my dad's daughter (and the daughter of his co-worker and friend Nick), they made an exception - after two very convincing fathers insisted that their girls could do anything a guy could do.
I ended up flying out to Seattle to meet up with Lia before heading to Honolulu, where the ship was docked. (We went on to sail from Hawaii to Victoria, BC - and yes, it is an incredible story that I love to tell... but since we are chatting it up about The Bus here, I'll save the full version for another day!) Lia picked me up at the airport - in The Bus. It had a "For Sale" sign in the window. As soon as I climbed in, I said, "You're going to think I'm crazy - but, I'm buying this car from you when we're done with the job." I don't think she believed me at first... but we had just met and she didn't know me too well. When I set my mind on something... that's pretty much it.
Before too long, he was mine. A 1979 VW Bus (the last year of the bus - before they switched over to the Vanagon), covered in graffiti murals with a 4 speed manual transmission and I was only the second owner. Of course... he was in Snohomish, WA and I didn't know how to drive stick. But, again, if anyone's spent any significant time with me... I didn't exactly view it as an obstacle.
So, Lia and I planned to drive cross country (she had never been on the East coast!) - her in her new truck and me in my "new" bus. I picked up stick quick - on the day we left :) - and we headed down the coast. It was incredible to say the least. We camped out on beaches and I relished sleeping in my car. I felt like a vagabond and loved every second of it. I slept on a black sand beach and awoke to see a whale and her calf breaching at daybreak. I learned how to drive stick up hills in San Francisco (I was crying at one point, but totally worth it - I rock hills in any vehicle now). I adopted a dog (Dakota) from a really ugly looking animal shelter while I was in Berkeley. When we headed out of Berkeley, we parted ways for what was only supposed to be a week. Dakota and I headed down the PCH toward LA to meet up with my man, at the time, in Temecula. Again, there is a really crazy and detailed version of what transpired next, but in the interest of time, I will sum it up as best I can. On my way to see Todd, The Bus started acting funny. Now, at this point, I was travelling alone with a dog in a car I knew next to nothing about - a little hairy, I know. After some help from some good samaritans, I was able to make it down to Todd's place and we took The Bus over to his mechanic (he also had a bus, so I was lucky in that regard).
While The Bus was being tended to, we left to spend a couple of days camping in the San Bernadino National Forest. This is where the shit really started to hit the proverbial fan. Dakota had been an incredible companion so far. A quick study, very sweet tempered - really, a dream dog for being only 9 months old. My one rule had been - keep her on her leash. We had only been together for a couple of weeks - she didn't know me well enough yet to start any kind of off leash training. I was insistent on this. Todd disagreed with my philosophy - and frequently told me so. I told him to eat a fat one - this was my dog and I wasn't taking any stupid risks. My back was turned... and he took her leash off. I heard the jingle of her tags and turned around to see her rear end as she ran off into the woods. I spent the next 3 days hiking through those woods calling a name that the dog didn't know long enough to recognize. I never saw her again.
I reluctantly headed back to Temecula to get the scoop on the bus. This is where I found out that it needed a few more repairs than I had money. I then got a call from Lia, who had been waiting for me in Barstow. I told her what was going on and realized pretty quickly that she was going to have to keep going without me. I called home and told my Dad what the story was... he told me to get on a plane and come home. I was pretty defiant in those days, but it was either head home or be stuck in California for an indefinite period of time with the guy that I now hated for losing my dog.... I made arrangements with one of Todd's friends to keep the bus in his garage and I headed to LAX.
It took me 9 months to save up enough money to get the repairs done and to have the car shipped out to me in CT. I worked my ass off for that and to this day, don't have one regret. That's how much I love this car.
In the past 10 years, The Bus eventually turned from my primary mode of transportation into more of a toy, who spent much of his time relaxing and resting in any one of his many parking spots. It seemed he was enjoying retirement, but in my heart I knew he was not the kind of guy who enjoyed sitting around quite this much. We are kindred spirits, after all! I took on little tasks to perk him up, including installing new door seals and putting in a nice new vinyl ceiling cover. But, he just wasn't getting all of my attention as he once did - and a lady living on her own has a tight budget to keep... so, not much money was recently allocated to bus restoration...
I started thinking about selling him, but resisted putting ads in the paper or on Craigslist. I wanted him to go to the right person and the idea of interviewing the nuts who would turn out to look at him really put me off. I just wanted it to be easy! It should just happen - like it did when I took him!
Well, wouldn't you know it? One lazy Sunday afternoon, as my sisters and I were playing a little Nintendo, a knock came upon my door. It was a young guy - and his slightly older brother - asking if there was any way I'd consider selling The Bus. He drove by my house all the time on his way to his friend's place and fell in love with it, he told me... So, I took them down to poke around him a bit and to give them the background. I got a really good feeling about him. (And his brother is a mechanic, so bonus points right there!). I decided to say "Okay". We decided on a price and I agreed to give him a few months to get the money together. How did he do it, you might ask? He worked 3 jobs and brought a collection jar to school with him. For serious. If I had needed any additional convincing, that took care of it. He really wanted this car. He was going to love it and baby it and put all his money into fixing him the hell up.
A couple of weeks ago, the big day came and I handed over the keys. It got a bit emotional for me at the end... But, he's back in the hands of a young kid who is in love with the very idea of him. I remember those days well. Chris is in for many adventures and I am really excited for him. As for The Bus, he's coming out of retirement. And it's about time. :)
Of course.... I did ask Chris to let me know if/when he ever decides to sell The Bus... I mean... you never know! :)
Posted by Sarah at June 28, 2007 10:35 AM
Posted to getting SNIPPY
Comments
What a great story! And it sounds like the Bus has a loving new owner :)
Posted by: Veronique at June 28, 2007 2:02 PM
I love the story and the pics of the bus. I'm sure the young lad will really heart it as much as you did.
Posted by: Jennie at June 28, 2007 9:05 PM
oh. my. god. i can't believe that about the dog--my dad lost his dog the same way!! Only in Canada trying to cross the border I think. so sad :( I am really glad the bus found a perfect new home...
Posted by: kaitlyn at July 17, 2007 11:26 AM