Back Where It All Begins, Part Four - Sunset

My last update on my '63 bug found Little Blue towed to a side street in Petaluma a few blocks from my house. It sat there for about 2 weeks before the first note came. I actually found 2 notes. This was the one below (the first one put on the car)

Then, someone must have come along after and written this one.

Great, right?

And then I got a police ticket warning me to move it. The man always wins.

So, in a light spring rain, a buddy named Joe, who has a slick tow bar just for bugs, came over and we towed it back to my garage. I knew it was time to get rid of it. I had 4 cars at that moment. With EP's car, that made 5 cars. It was excessive. Tellingly, the five cars status stood in a dismal state:

Car #1 - 2008 Camry Hybrid. Company Car. Runs excellent
Car #2 - Brand new MINI Countryman. Runs excellent
Car #3 - 1968 VW bus (Big Blue) - Runs. But most likely had a dead battery
Car #4 - 1963 VW bug (Little Blue) - blown engine
Car #5 - 1956 VW bug (The Green Hornet) - engine out, waiting to be rebuilt

I actually didn't put it up for sale. I tried to shufflepass it off on another VW nut, hoping to keep a connection to it. But the timing didn't work.

After that fell through, I was just sort of doing nothing.

Then EP listed it for me on Craigslist. She was advertising a garage sale she was having as we prepped to move. And she showed a picture of the bug.

The morning of the garage sale, a lady showed up and looked at Little Blue. She came back later and started asking questions. She was very interested. Apparently, the Mercedes she drove now didn't tell the story of her having VWs growing up. Her dad, who lived in Sacramento now, used to work on them with her. She made a low offer. I said no. She left a card.

As the morning went on, I realized that giving the car to someone who would love it was important. And selling cars on craigslist is not a fun experience. So I called her up and left a message. She could have the car. The price? $3000. A '63 with a blown engine. Not a bad deal. The funny thing was - it turned out she was about 8 houses away. So a flatbed showed up. She paid me. And off it went - for 8 houses! - then they unloaded it.

I would see Little Blue for the next few months before we moved. When it rained at night, I would think, man, I hope they moved Little Blue inside! I would take Oak to the park to play and we could see that turquoise through the trees. My old car. Sometimes I would tell the other parents at the playground. That's my old car. I'm sure they thought me crazy.

Little Blue was without a doubt the bast car I ever owned. We went over 40,000 miles together in the 4 years I owned it. I took it so many places, talked to so many people at stop lights and gas stations. So many worlds we saw together. Driving it lead to me finding The Green Hornet. My hope is that The Green Hornet brings the same satisfaction. But with the '56 I can enter car shows, the Treffen, etc.

So now that we are settled in the new house, I turn my attention to The Green Hornet. But I won't forget you, Little Blue.