...With Love and Squalor

We are now in the market for a 1974-75 style child's cot, as our first child arrived at 415am on Tuesday the 19th. Both Mom and baby are doing quite well.


It occurs to us that when she's learning to drive--in Ludwig, of course--he will be 50 years old.

No News is No News

No baby yet. Maybe this week.

Thanks to Brianna and Ben for revealing Cafe Press to me, where I had the lower sticker made.

New Year's Day

Before 2008 was even twelve hours old (Mountain Time) we fired up Ludwig and headed East on MT Hwy 200 to Brown's Lake to take part in what they say is some good ice fishing. It was clear and cold. Ludwig loves running in cold weather, once he gets warmed up, anyway. (I like to think that his cylinder heads temps on Winter trips like this barely make it into the 200ºs F.)

If I were still taking art classes I would say something about how I like the palette of this picture. But since I don't do that anymore, I'll say how it's pictures like this that remind me of how tenuous our grasp on the meager crust and razor-thin slice of atmosphere of this completely and numbingly indifferent planet really is. Ludwig is at center right.













The pictures above and below show how you do ice fishing. First, drill a hole through 14 inches of ice. Then, as ice forms on your beard, fish through the hole while eating hashbrowns.

Next, watch the guy nearest you pull up a nice Rainbow Trout and go over to look at it. He wanted to take a picture of me with it, for some reason. Let me stress: I did not catch this fish. The guy was really nice though and gave me some pointers. I had several bites after that, but have yet to bag a fish.


With barely six weeks to go until ushering our first kiddo into this vale of tears, Melissa was still sporting enough to overnight in Ludwig. How cold is the first night of the year at 4308'? Cold enough to freeze our gallon jug of water solid in eight hours. Apparently chicks that are preggers are self-sustaining furnaces though, as her only complaint didn't have to do with cold, but uncomfortable hips. Plus the little girlie sometimes keeps her awake with kicking. But cold? Nah.

Whoever thought up tire chains was a genius.

Our last couple-only camping trip for the foreseeable future. Happy 2008!

(miles 217,163-217,289)

Ludwig's Secular Mid-Winter Holiday present

Fischer was struck by the need to inspect this package that came to us all the way from Georgia. What could it be? Fresh peaches?

Not peaches, but hinges. Westfalia poptop scissors hinges from a 1976 Campmobile, to be exact.
Ludwig's are bent, which not only makes it difficult to get the lid up and down, but can cut holes in his nice new canvas top. These appear to be a better, sturdier design. Cursory research tells me that the two-year difference isn't relevant. Now for some clear weather so we can get them on.

Ludwig's new bling

Look what Mitch found--some guy selling vintage VW dealer plate frames online. Ludwig is now adorned with one from Universal Motors, which later became Universal Volkswagen (which no longer exists). The color surrounding the white lettering on the frame is actually a very pale blue, although it was hard to capture the actual color in a photo.

That black on the bumper above the tailpipe means that Ludwig is running a little rich.
The plates themselves are from Fergus County. Ludwig wasn't actually sold at Universal Motors though, as far as we know.