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From: "Denis Dodson" <coocoo@xxxxxxx>
I winched Murray on to his trailer
yesterday and took him out to Wayout Salvage. Derrick and Danny
inspected him carefully and kinda declared him DOA. We figured that we
would have to, basically, cut off everything from under the roof to
the B pillar, and were looking at $5K, pretty much as Will said. I
looked at a '67 that I could gut completely and transfer all the
mechanicals from Murray. Really, build a new bus that wouldn't be
Murray.
Interesting concept, at what
point does a repair make him no longer Murray? The engine and running
gear or the body? Where is the soul of a
bus?
Anyway, as I was getting increasingly
depressed, Derrick sent me to a guy in Berryville who has a reputation
for pulling and straightening cars that are beyond saving. He looked
at it and pronounced that he could fix this, but that it could take
more than two day's work. I personally saw a notch that was really
destroyed in an accident and that I thought had died, but was put
back on the road. Now, I find that this was the guy that did
it.
So, I am to call him today and see if he
can start on Murray tomorrow and I get to watch. Let's all cross our
fingers and toes.
PSYCOBLOOIE!!! Julie is, apparently, this
year's dynamite jockey. She will be transporting the fireworks. Pray
for her. Dan and Kat have finally
confirmed that they will be here, probably Friday, stylin' in a 2008
Jetta to show us how the upper crust live. Brown Bus Mike is coming on
Wednesday to take all the best spots. Steve and Sharon and Dennis and
Claudia and maybe Mike say Friday, Paul and corn on Saturday.
Where is Shirley? Somebody get to Shirley. Robb and his entourage have
said "Maybe". If I have not mentioned any of you that are coming just
chalk it up to my mental state.
All you that are coming need to shame and
cajole the ones who say no or on the fence. If you can't make it, we
still love you, but you will forever be the Ones Who Weren't Here. And
nobody wants that, do they? No.
I've always considered the
heart and sole of a VW to be in the said owner. Can you transfer the
sole of a bus to a new owner when you have to let one go. I think not.
That bus will always be in your heart. Murray will live again whether
it be in it's original (yet slightly warped) sheet metal or will it's
sole live in another body. Hmmm????
Mark