Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 01:30:44 -0700 From: Charlie Ford To: type2@bigkitty.azaccess.com Subject: My Illegal Smile Over the course of this trip, and the journey that it has produced, I have tried to share with you folks the good and the bad experiences. Needless to say, I have seen many ups and downs along the 15,000 or so miles I have traveled. many ore I am sure are coming as time passes toward the end of the search. Engine troubles, mixed with lack of working knowledge of VWıs has created its share of, for lack of a better term ²down² post for the group to trudge through. Probably most of the time wondering what favor I am going to ask for next. At the same time, the places I have visited, and the people I have met have allowed me to embellish a bit on the positive as well. I think this is what most of you have enjoyed hearing about. After all, you speak to a lot of folks on this list, but few of you know what each other look like, or what the personality of the other is. So goes the life of a type2 listee. When I started this trip I intended to put up trip reports to all of you. I felt as if I had to do this. I honestly thought that it was sort of the rule of thumb for being a participant on this list. I also saw all of the flaws in my writing style, and kind of figured that if anyone read them they would quickly realize that this was not going to be to readable information, therefore "why even try?". I underestimated many of you, and all of a sudden found that a whole damn bunch of you were actually sitting there reading what this silly 40 year old has to say. In many ways this put pressure on me. One list member sent me a message that I needed to use spellcheck before I post. He did not send the message in insult, he sent it constructive criticism. I must say it caught me off guard, I had to think about it a little and sort of re-think what I was doing. Then after a few post, I started getting messages from many of you praising what I was writing, and what I was doing on this crazy-ass midlife ³Search for the Beginning of Wind². I was challenged once again, I have dissappointed quite a few people in my life. Not anymore than anyone else, but my share all the same. You have to work at it you know to keep your numbers as low as possible in such matters. I was not going to let yaıll down. I set it in my feeble mind to BE A BETTER WRITER! Some folks along the way gave me some material to read on the subject. I have tried to make my phrases more readable over the past few months, and although I am still not up to par, I ma making progress. Maybe by the time I am finishing I will finally be able to write like my english teacher always wanted me too. But then maybe not. ; ) I feel like I am going around my elbow to get too my hand here.................: ) Let me eventually get to the point. I have said all of the above too share my latest plight with you. This plight is not a terrible thing, it is actually more of an embarrassing thing. It is so embarrassing that I am sitting here in this chair writing this line and thinking about how to explain such an embarrassing thing to all of you fine upstanding VW owners around the country and world. Donıt worry I am not going to ask for help, I am just writing another trip report so that I can keep you guys informed of the latest developments. Hehehehehe Tonight I got stopped by the Sherriff. I have had some tailight problems on the ³battery side². Those of you with breadloafs know what I mean I think. The wiring is coroded and frayed and it just doesn't work well when in that condition. In the past few days it has been shorting out. But the fix just hasnıt come to fruitition yet. Procrastination is a good word for it I think. But once again, knowledge of the system would alos help a little. An electrician I am not. Anyway....this cop sees the tailight out as I am coming back to Bill's from a Machine shop I have been partiming at for the past few days. I will write more on that later. I had driven all the way back to Bill Bowmans home with my flashers running just for that reason. I knew the tailight was out, so I ran my flashers to make sure I was safe. I have been working night shift. I was almost to Billıs house when the ³county mounty², and a nice guy he was, decided it was my turn to make his aquaintance. He flashed his lights, I pulled on over and pulled out my wallet. Either bribe him or give him my liscence. Since I din't have any money to speak of, I decided on the latter. Maybe my photo would impress him so damn much he would just say "ahhh shucks man, go on to the house. But it wasn't to be that way at all. He asked for my liscense, I handed them over in short order since they were already in my hand. I told him I knew my tail light was out. He said ³yessir, thatıs why I stopped you². I said OK. He said OK, and proceeded to walk back to his car to run my liscence. he left instructions for me to sit still. 'Why does that remind me of my Mother?' Hmmmm. When one is in this type position, late at night, sherriff, driving a semi rusty beautiful breadloaf, on the road 1000 miles from home and cronies, one starts to review ones criminal record. Did I have one? I asked myself. For the cop it is certainly as bad. He is out here alone with a guy that is twice his size, and he has to do his duty. he doesn't know if I am drunk, drugged, or pissed at my ole lady, he just knows that I look rough as a cob. All he has to go on is looks. You must admit those folks have it pretty tough. Kinda like going to work in a shooting range these days. Some cops are piss poor, but most are just working stiffs like the rest of us. He returned to my ³vehicle² and proceeded to tell me that my liscence were SUSPENDED!. Man I havenıt had a ticket in years. I would never have left on this trip if I had a damn SUSPENDED liscense. Geez...what a burr under my saddle. Sort of blew my ego right on out the door with that little tidbit of info. I asked him why? He said he didn't know. I asked him how to find out. He explained that I needed to call Georgia to find out. I left it at that. He explained that he could arrest me and have my vehicle towed. Whoa, I explained...this is a VW, can we at least stay around until the tow guy gets here so I can make sure he does it right. He ask me how far it was to where I am staying. I explained sincerely that it was only a couple of blocks. He told me that he was going to write me a ticket and let me drive on down to Billıs house. All I would have to do is show up at the appointed time of judication. 9:00 AM on the 29th of September. Things could have been worse you know. I could have been headed off too three hots and a cot in the Crossbar Inn. Complete with strip search suite and whipping post for those that like that sort of thing. I was happy as the days is long. Life was good, even though not as good as it could have been. ³Donıt look a gift horse in the mouth². I get to sleep in the Mother again tonight. Canıt drive her but I can damn sure sleep in her. We stood and talked VW for a minute, and then both went our own ways. He walked toward his tricked out dull brown official mobile, and I toward the great and glorious Mothership. I was good to know she was once again evading the towing hook. Of course we didnıt part before offering thanks and goodbye with a hearty firm handshake. He was one of the good ones. The kind that you work with if youıre getting arrested or just ticketed. I have only been arrested once in my life and that was for speeding through a school zone. Yeah I know, it was everybit as interesting as it sounds, but that is another story all together. Jail is not really something I have ever wanted to be able to brag about. Just the way I was raised I think. I still respect the law, although not always the people that are hired to enforce it. I have always said that the most dangerous person in America is a redneck with a badge, a gun, and an official capacity. Shoot you I a heartbeat and thinks heıs a man after he does it. Pity, but itıs the same ones we used to all pick on in high school, there just getting back at us now. As I drove away I thought sarcastically, ³man, this is just great, a ticket and a suspended liscence². ³Yeah just what I need.² I guess I know what I will be doing tomorrow. By the time I get this settled I will have a blister on my ear from talking on the phone. The only thing I can think of is a ticket I got in Florida several years ago. I lost the ticket so I sent it to City Hall of the town I think it was written in. I just sort of left it alone and didn;t ever hear anything back from, so I assumed it was all said and done. I checked everything out prior to leaving Georgia and all was fine with my legal side then. I will find out tomorrow I guess. Anyway folks. I just wanted share my most embarrassing moment to date with all of you. I have shared the rest so why not share the stress. Life is good, time will be better as it passes, and I am still able to smile. I guess thats the most important thing. Maybe it just happened for some reason. I wonder what chain of events will come from this little spin? Thanks for tolerating the ramblingıs. Charlie Ford PS: I didnıt spellcheck this one. Felt rebellious. ; ) "79" Transporter, dressed for the road The Mothership The"Turning 40 Nostalgic VW Service Tour, and Search for the Beginning of Wind". http://www.armory.com/~y21cvb/charlie/charlie.html "Wider still and wider.....shall thy bounds be set"