In the beginning there were no radiators

VW

Mention those two letters and everybody thinks the same thing --the Bug, the Beetle, The LOVE BUG, the Insect on Wheels, the 'Round-Topped Skateboard, The People's Kar, THE CAR the whole world fell in love with. How elegant, how simple, how so Down - Right - Ugly - It's - Beautiful.

I had a Bug of my dreams --a '69 Type I Beetle. I loved that car. I've regretted selling it. I had to. I'm not a mechanic and I couldn't keep the clutch cable in place. About every 200 miles it would fall off and I would spend days trying to hook it back in place. It's gone, but the memories still bring me a smile.

Now I have a '70 Type II Transporter. It a Bus, folks. My wife thinks it's the ugliest thing in the world. I keep telling her it's not a Thing* --That was a VW of a different kind ;) It used to be red, but now it's a light primer blue. The back bumper is missing and it has an oil cooler sticking out on the driver's side in the rear. The floorboard under the driver's door has rotted through and you can see road. The electrical was mangled by a previous owner who should have his hands slapped if he ever gets near a spool of wire or a fuse again. I need a new tail light, a new set of exhaust pipes, two new heater boxes and the winning numbers for the lottery.

She's my BIG BUG, folks. And she makes me happy!

* For those of you who don't get the joke, a VW Thing is also known as a Safari. It's a blocky-looking Bug that you can take the doors and roof off of. It looks a lot like a malformed Jeep.