Itinerant Air-Cooled

Ode to First Signs That Winter’s End is Near,
(or, The One Thing to Look Forward to in February’s Sunless Gloom)

Some listen for backyard songbirds
Some await forsythia’s bloom
Some search the Farmer’s Almanac
For an end to sunless gloom

Some look for crocus’ shoots of green
To push through snow with might
Some note the imminent birth of
One million potholes, overnight

Me, I peruse Itinerant-Air-Cooled.com
I search Index, Forum, Page
Has Colin posted, “Welcome to This Year’s Itinerary”
Or “Initial Interest Gauge?”

Edit: spelling

okay...where's the "like" button. But me thinks he may be a bit distracted.... :)

Wonderful! Welcome to legion of IAC member poets. There's nearly half a dozen of you now. :)

I spoke to Colin today. He is alive and "well." Quotation marks because he claims to be in a hell of hacks amidst two complete engine rebuilds.

But I think we all know he secretly loves it.
Robbie

I too am pining away for the abatement of the cold, snow, and grey skies.

Robbie - thanks for the Colin update. I find it interesting that he is using Facebook instead of this site for his recent activities.

TrollFromDownBelow wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 06, 2020 8:06 pm

me thinks he may be a bit distracted.... :)

I saw his Miami post from January. Looks like a lot going on there!

asiab3 wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 07, 2020 8:56 pm

Wonderful! Welcome to legion of IAC member poets. There's nearly half a dozen of you now. :)

I spoke to Colin today. He is alive and "well." Quotation marks because he claims to be in a hell of hacks amidst two complete engine rebuilds.

Ha! I would hardly hold my own in a legion of middle-school poets, but thank you just the same :)

BusBassist wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 08, 2020 1:54 pm

I too am pining away for the abatement of the cold, snow, and grey skies.

Robbie - thanks for the Colin update. I find it interesting that he is using Facebook instead of this site for his recent activities.

Facebook!? Facebook?!

Well, I guess if Colin can make the jump to a smart phone, I can look at Facebook...every once in a while...if I have to. I don’t want to...but I will.

The Miami Marathon, of VW Work, or, 34 Days of Agony and Ecstasy.
With apologies to H.W. Longfellow

Under a spreading tamarind tree,
The tropical smithy stands:
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
He pounds a Volkswagen manifold flange,
He pounds with all his might,
To break the rust weld of the nuts,
The hammering is a fright!

His hair is crisp, pure white and long,
His face a ruddy tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
His tools familiar friends,
But when you work with air cooled parts,
The fun, it never ends.

Week in, week out, from noon to night,
You’ll hear the awful din,
“They’re at a Type 4 engine there...
We’ll call the next of kin!”
“But wait! What’s that?” There’s women there;
With a torque wrench well in hand.
They labor, too, and run about,
There’s so much more to do.
Pistons, cams, and bearings now,
And Permatex, Number 2!

And Gumout, yes! The Gumout, please!
We’ve got to clean this crud;
“My Lord!” The labored smithy said,
“This bus has been through mud!”

There’s oil caked, with baked on sand;
Who knows from whence it came,
This bus was seen, well north, I know;
Of Santa Fe, out west,
This glob of sand, on the cooling fin,
Was once a scorpion’s nest.

And here we are, down Florida way;
This engine’s seen some miles,
We took it down, and cleaned it up,
And gone through tears and smiles.

So Kit, and Colin, that air cooled guy;
Have worked so long and hard,
To build a metal work of art,
In the smithy’s green backyard.
The work goes on, we’re getting close,
To putting oil in,
Adjusting valves, and starting up,
The crankshaft starts to spin!

The buses go, the yard is still, Kit’s laughter heading west;
Her bus now has a heart of gold,
And we have done our best.

Under the spreading tamarind tree,
The tropical smithy stands,
And pumps the can of GoJo cleaner;
He can finally wash his hands.

Very Nice Ian. Well Done. And thanks for hosting Colin and the wayward VW's over the past few weeks.
Good On Ya'

Jeff

Jivermo wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 12, 2020 6:55 pm

The Miami Marathon, of VW Work, or, 34 Days of Agony and Ecstasy.
With apologies to H.W. Longfellow

I will have three write-ups arriving in the 2020 Itinerary Forum. Paring down thousands of photographs many of which have incorrect date stamps ...
Colin