Grease monkey too...

Thought I shoud clarify, my interest in machines is relatively narrow. Mostly grew up playing with model airplanes, slot cars, go karts made from cannibalized lawn mowers, modified bycicles we all wanted to be like Evel Knievel, so we trashed a lot of bikes), then mini-bikes, motorcycles, cars, then girls in cars (oooh then girls in vans, oops,better not go there.) So cars is where I'm at still, vans actually, Volkswagen vans to be specific.
I've had several of these vehicles, I have a love -hate relationship with them. My love for them is cyclical. When they work just fine I love them, when they break I hate them cause they do it at the most in-oppurtune time. Like my current squeeze. Went fishing last Fall on the Tuolumne river outside Yosemite. A long dirt road in, bumpy and something happens to the transmission. Starts shifting funny, then funny noises, yet we made it to the bottom of the canyon. I thought it was just something loose, the linkage bolts were coming undone. So I tighten 'em up, and try to get out of there the next day. So we start going and it is shifting poorly, really bad, but we start getting out. We were going along then this really steep section with rocks was up ahead so I went at full throttle (that's not saying much in a Vanagon with a tired waterboxer) and she starts to bouncing, when WHAM!! it bottomed out, oh well couldn't stop there, kept up the speed til the road smooth out and leveled off and we are back at the pavement. Yeah! We made it! So I thought... I figured I better have a look underneath just to make sure everything was allright, well, the last of the motor oil was draining onto the ground. Oh man? #@!*&^%!! Shiite Muslim!!!(Robin Williams coined that I believe, not me) A rock had knocked the oil drain plug off, stripped it right out of there. So we walked back ( my oldest boy was with me 24 at the time) and we searched for that dang plug. No luck. So back to the van and got the lawn chairs out and had a beer. Sat there next to the paved road waiting, hoping, and about half an hour went by and here comes a pickup, and they go by before I could wave, but as I got up, they slowed down, and stopped, backed up and asked if there was a problem, said yup, we need to get to a phone, so the young man at the wheel offered me a ride to the nearest phone 5 miles up the road while his passenger, who happened to be his Grannpa, hopped out to wait with my son and off we went to a nearby stable where they had a coin phone. Called up the towing service and headed back to the van. This world still has some great folks in it, people who sense a need and take a risk to help someone. It is definitely a risk, like the guy I read about in the SF Chronicle today,who was stabbed by a man he took in that down on his luck. Quibbling over $25. Compassion sometimes has a high price tag. Anyway these folks that helped us deserve a special blessing.
So, in the meantime... that was back in October, it's now July 14 ,and I'm just now getting the van going again, after a false start while trying to install a late model motor, a turbo diesel from a 2000 Jetta, into the hulk. I almost had it done, but finally gave up when I found a good(Ihope) cheap replacement engine (another waterboxer)and so today I will try to start it up. The TDI engine was taking toolong, mostly 'cause I relied on someone else to do some wiring modifications to help me speed things up. That took 4 months...just got the wiring back from the guy day before yesterday. In the meantime I found a buyer for the TDI motor. He took it away last Saturday. I just want my life to get back to normal, you know? I'm tired of playing mechanic. It's summer and I just want this van to take me fishing, camping, and hot springing. It's all I want to do right now. Vacation time man! Look out trout and all you naked hot spring babes (don't tell the ol' lady...please), I'm on my way!