I yelled,"Thank you!" and pulled over.
I sat for a moment, and gathered my gear, then my registration from sunvisor pocket, then prudently stepped out of the Bug. Turned on my cell phone. I called work.
Our supernaturally efficient office manager answered and said "I'm watching 'Eye In The Sky' news right now. I'll patch you in to the fire dept."
They answered, "Oh, we know where you are!"
Then I called Norma, told her I might be late coming home. She said, "The kids are watching you on the news right now. Wave to the helicopter. Oh! They're thrilled!"
Tow truck driver dropped me off at work, but not before asking why I was a little teary-eyed. I told him, "My wife and I had our first date in that car --I took her to see the San Francisco production of "Hair" in 1969. Got married a year later."
He got a little teary-eyed too and reached over to give me a right-arm hug. "Dangerous, beautiful years, bro."
Triple-A drivers are always right. Wish I had one to ask what kind of beetle Norma found in the brush pile.
Oh the memories.
ReplyDeleteMy mama had a 67 Beetle. A much loved car. We all mourned when it (finally) died.
They were indeed lovable vehicles, EC, with 10+ more horsepower than their 36- and 40-horse predecessors. I really felt a partnership with that car --plain-looking but maneuverable like me. With air-cooled engines, they were noisy beasts at best, but I could drive 300 miles without concerning myself with the gas gauge.
DeleteThe VW Beetle and the Bus are beloved symbols of our generation. That yours went up in smoke is a sad (and frightening) ending but you will always have those treasured memories. I see where they have just introduced a new, slicker, version of the Beetle and it is good looking but I doubt that it will even come close in status to the original. They were about feelings, not tech.
ReplyDeleteDear Arleen, It's a good design, rounded like a turtle, actually affords extra protection. However the main safety feature on on VW Bugs was a responsive carburetor that could get them scampering into small places where bigger cars couldn't follow and eat them.
DeleteAh! The world is now a drier place without your Bug. They always sounded to me as if they had never made the acquaintance of ball bearings. [Perhaps that's why the manufacturers put the engine at the back. :) ] Jet fighter aeroplanes use 'afterburners' [reheat] for extra thrust. You obviously started a trend.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom. The afterburner in the old VWs consisted of a section of rubberized fabric flex-hose in the fuel line right over the distributor --about an inch from the carburetor. When that failed, gasoline ignited from the rotor spark and, well, the VW-Afterburner was born.
DeleteThat is QUITE the beetle story! I suppose with the motor in back you'd still be blissfully unaware of your predicament had that driver not gotten up to the driver's window! I'm chuckling at Tom's comment about afterburners :D
ReplyDeleteAnd that is a pretty big bug in the photo. Do you suppose you could train it to take you for a ride?
0_Jenny, I bet modern Beetles have dash-light indicators --or an automated voice-- to inform the driver that the motor has caught fire. As to the real bug in the photo, he seems a bit bothered by dullish areas. There should be some sort of polish we could spruce him up with --with a minimum of injurious buffing. As a senior citizen myself, I'd be interested. Is anybody working on this?
DeleteGeo, I got misty eyed reading about you being misty eyed and the good vibes from the truck driver. And since so much of life is confluence-Lana and I saw Hair in 1969, the year we were married. We drove a Beetle, though it was a '69 vintage.
ReplyDeleteAnd once again what an extraordinary Normaphoto!
Oh Tom, do you remember the policeman who strutted onstage in the (2nd-3rd?) act and announced the entire audience was under house arrest for watching nudity? Then we noticed he was barefoot. We refreshed ourselves afterwards at the deli across the street and I drove clear to the Pacific Ocean before realizing Norma is ALWAYS right --she insisted I was driving in the wrong direction. Note: Cliff House is not inland. So glad to learn you and Lana were there.
DeleteI tried to catch the attention of a driver whose car was on fire once. The faster I drove and the more I tried to get his attention the faster he drove. I have no idea of the outcome of the fire.
ReplyDeleteDear Emma, you tried and that's important. Anybody who ignores emergency honking is risking traffic danger --not the smartest attitude. Perhaps the car was on fire when the driver got into it and he didn't care. But you did the right thing.
DeleteEmma's comment reminds me of the old song about the little Nash Rambler: "Beep-beep! Beep-beep! The horn went Beep-beep-beep!"
DeleteAh, Susan, we'll always wonder what that Nash could've achieved if it ever got out of 2nd gear!
DeleteGreat story, Geo. I saw "Hair" but I don't remember where or when. Ah, aging.
ReplyDeleteDear Bruce, the musical started on one side of the country, bounced off the other, then went on a revival tour (last year?) across the pond. Might still be going on --I don't know. However, I consider your uncertainty an accurate memory --the production was timeless, wherever, whenever, any of us saw it.
DeleteThe photos immediately inspired thoughts of Egyptian scarabs.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't think of a more appropriately dramatic farewell to your beloved '67 beetle - - going up in smoke...and an impromptu segment on TV.
Great post, Geo!
Thanks Jon, I googled (images) Scarabs and some were very close to the beetle we found. There's a huge color range among them. Some even look gold or chrome plated, and of course the black ones were freshly shined. No doubt watchmakers had cleaned and oiled their works as well.
DeleteYes, we saw the VW Bug ascend in a column of smoke but the '71 Bus is still running.
Wow, your Beetle sure made a dramatic exit from your lives. (Did she have a name? Greta would've been a suitable name for such a dramatic scene.) Sorry, but it really struck my funny bone that your kids were able to watch the whole ordeal on TV. I don't blame you for getting a little teary-eyes at its demise. We felt the same way about our '61 Impala. (Her name was Big Red.)
ReplyDeleteSusan, it was definitely a strange morning, but one that renewed my confidence in peoples' reserves, sleepy phone receptionist who instantly contacted the fire dept.-only a block from her office, watching Eye In The Sky. Car's name was Ichabod; he's in Happy U-Pull-It Paradise with Big Red.
DeleteIchabod! How cool. (I just KNEW you named her...)
DeleteTell your lovely Norma, "Happy Mother's Day!" for me.
Will do! Same to you!
DeleteI love this post!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child, I used to play with bugs. Now they make me feel a little unconfortable...
Nice story!
Thank you, kind Ana. Playing with bugs is a wonderful way to learn about nature. I still do it.
DeleteWhat a way to retire! I'm glad you took a less firey path after that. And both these beetles are impressive sorts - does the six legged one have a name? Is he an Ichabod too, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteDear Lisa, I believe his (or her--I didn't check--nor would I know what to look for--6-legged people confuse me) family name is Scarabaeidae, which I cannot pronounce, so I just call it "Little Friend Of All The World" after Kipling. Its name is Kim.
DeleteGeo, you had me teary eyed too, as I read about the fate of your beloved Beetle.😢
ReplyDeleteI felt much like that when our beloved Aston Martin DBS was sold...not just the metal and oil...but the memories held within her fabric. It was so heart-rending. She was like a family member!
Wow, that black beetle is awesome...and so huge! I'd love to know what kind it is...
Have a super day!😊😊
Dear Ygraine, I have fallen in love with several cars that were mainly held together with memories, Bondo and baling wire. Sold some to families and a restorer but others were less fortunate. They do become family --magic parts of home that can take us on adventures. I've bought 2 cars built this century --having aged to the preference of air-conditioning.
DeleteBig might be a Scarab Beetle, according to a trusted source.
Thank you, Geo, I will look up the Scarab Beetle. Such a beautiful creature!😊
DeleteAt least your beetle departed in fiery style with lots of attention! No sadly disintegrating in some abandoned corner. It's hard to lose something so filled with dangerous, beautiful memories. This post had me laughing even as I commiserated with you: from the fire department, to the waving at the helicopter, to the VW-afterburner.
ReplyDeleteI would have called the big, black bug a June Bug. So I looked June bug up, and I was happy to see that June bugs are scarabs (family scarabaeidae, genus phyllophaga or New World Scarab beetles). There are about 900 species of June bugs. They can be well over an inch in size and vary from reddish brown to blackish. Great Norma photo as always.
Thanks Louise, I learn here. Scarabs are a various and sturdy bunch of beetles. I admire their beauty, durability and am honored to share our rung on the evolutionary ladder with them. As for the VW Beetle, I owned 2 of them --the '67 and before that, a '62-- and learned how to keep them going. They were reliable but brooked no inattention. Ferdinand Porsche was a great designer, except for that damned flex fuel line. I'm still careful to check the one on our '71 Bus.
Delete