Peromyscus maniculatus

 There's a whole story to this but the upshot is, we caught him/her.

Jaw Dropped

This unassuming '72 ('72 because big taillights and old bumpers (cf. Ludwig's)) was lounging at the entrance to Mallard's Rest Tuesday evening. I chatted with the owners, Land of 10,000 Lakes tags notwithstanding, a nice Swiss couple on their way to Yellowstone and points beyond.
This morning we chatted some more. I told them about how I knew Ludwig's birthday, and which US port (San Francisco) he was delivered to, and how they could figure this out for their own bus. They did me one better, much better. 

No need to figure any of that out--they took delivery of their bus at the factory in Hanover on June 8 1972. My jaw literally dropped at the implication: they were first owners of this bus.

 Every inch this bus has been driven, has been driven with them. I was gobsmacked.

It's pure speculation, but I'd be amazed if there were one hundred, or even two hundred, original-owner buses in the world today.
Amazing.

31111.1

This meaningless event happened the other day.

Stories from a Westfalia Drawer

It's been a long time--maybe since, ever--that I've had significant down time alone in Ludwig. Last week I took my mind off things by tidying up the drawer above the cooler.

Occasionally I'll crack something open and decide the situation warrants its cap heading drawerward and not trashward. Since I only know with certainty the situations for three of these, the feeling behind the decision must often be fleeting. For the curious those situations were:

• Widmer Brothers--decompressing in Death Valley after realizing Ludwig was stuck in second gear
• purple and green, marked "From BP"--from my friend and fellow bus owner-operator Belle Plaine, which I drank when Ludwig was entered in a car show
• Lucky Bucket--cracking open a beer one hot evening with our friends J+A in Omaha, Summer 2013
• The Woodchuck cap must mark some event of Melissa's, since that's her drink of choice

This box of marbles has resided in Ludwig as long as I've known him, which is a pretty long time. As a person of--much to my own chagrin, believe me--great superstition, I refuse to ever remove it.

A young lady gave this to me during the early days of our acquaintance. It's stuck with me ever since, because of who gave it to me and because it's a great poem.

Melissa's old camera has sat up in the parcel tray for many years. We randomly take a shot; E has taken some too. I honestly have no reliable recollection of where or when any of them were taken. There are four exposures left. We should probably save the last two or three for Stinkerton and then get it developed.