Back when we grew up, the SUV that revolutionized Mommy Transportation was the VW bus, and our family had several fairly similar to this 1965 and a late 70's camper version. Everyone has a VW story, and in fact the old VW engines and vehicles are collector's items if not dependable transportation still today.
And boy do we have some memories. Please forgive me Father for what I am about to say.
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Our family was six kids at the time, me the oldest about 13 at the time, down to the little baby of three. The twins were a boy and girl about the age of 5. The twins often rode in the way-back compartment above the engine, which they really liked for some reason. Hey if they were happy and not wailing, the world was happy.
But on one particularly long trip, and maybe a mile or two from the house, almost home, the twins declared that in no uncertain terms they needed to pee. There were some nervous laughs but a quick look back said they were dead serious.
Right as Dad motored from the stop light - the only one in about 15 miles - them twins got real quiet. Yup, both cut loose right over the hot, hot engine. A long, long time.
Steam billowed into the air both inside and outside the car. Now everyone was gasping for air, screaming and shouting. Stoically, Dad drove with white knuckles the last blocks to the house with his head out the window not even waving to the town cop or anybody ... who watched the promenade with amazement, their lips forming a big "O".
1 comment:
Sam, another one. I bought a regular VW bug at the factory in Germany in '59 for $1050 and drove it all over Europe for 3 years. A few fender benders were repaired and 68K miles put on it before I brought it back to the US. Up to Maine we went and too a VW dealer to look at one of the new 63 buses! Salesman looked at my bug, took it for a ride, said it needed a lot of front end work and offered us "only" $1250 on a trade-in! So home we went with our brand new bus with the fuzzy headliner which quickly became the repository of lots of sticky handprints from the kids. It was the first of a long line of buses owned while we were still in the Navy. My two youngest also loved to ride in the back over the engine! Thousands of miles! Now, the PC cops would have us arrested for "reckless child endangerment"!!
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