Old bus found in Lincoln, Idaho

A couple days two buddies and I went to St. Anthony, Idaho to purchase this old VW Notchback. When I arrived I saw that the seller had lied about the condition of the vehicle and it was full of rust. Since I had driven over 5 hours and spent a couple hundred dollars in fuel to drag my empty car trailer over there, I decided to see what else I could hunt up in Eastern Idaho.

I contacted a retired professor that had taught at BYU-Idaho that I knew had several VWs in a field behind his house. He was gracious enough to let me and my two friends come on to his property and drool at his collection of old cars. Unfortunately the professor didn't want to sell any of them (except for his Porsche, which was about $17,000 more than I brought with me) so we ended up leaving there empty-handed too.

Next stop, Idaho Falls. I ended up eating dinner with another VW buddy that lives in Idaho Falls. During dinner he casually mentioned an old bus that was in a field off of Northgate. He took us past the house and I could see that the bus was a 1958, but I couldn't tell much else about it since it was so far away. I had my buddies drop me off at the house and I went to the door to talk with the owner.

Willi Carstens answered the door. He owns a bakery in Idaho Falls that he has operated for the past 40 years. Willi didn't want me on his property, but finally I convinced him to let me look at the old bus in the back. The bus was parked in a pig-pen with hogs all around it. Upon getting a closer look I knew it had to be rescued from the undignified conditions it was living in. I made an offer and he wanted more. Finally we agreed on a price and I winched the bus onto my trailer to go back to Boise.

So here is the cool part: The bus was owned by Coca-Cola bottling of Idaho Falls. The Canada Dry logo was painted on because the bottling company carried that product as well. According to the registration documents, Coca-Cola bottling of Idaho Falls was located on Lincoln Road in Idaho Falls. That is less than one mile from the home where my mother grew up, and the home where my grandmother still lives! I was wondering if mom or grandma ever remember seeing this bus around town delivering beverages. The registration documents say 1963, so I guess mom would have been in high school at that time.

Pretty cool huh? Now I've got to get this bus cleaned up to see who wants to buy it from me. It will probably end up going to England.

Back to School

School started on Monday for all three kids. Ethan started at a new school (junior high) while Isaac and Piper returned to their same schools. Piper had a rough first day. Her beloved teacher from last year (see photo) was reassigned to a different group of children so Piper had some adjustment issues today as she met with her new teacher. She should be set into her new routine in a couple of weeks.

Isaac is now a second grader. He has many of the same kids in his class from last year, including his friend (and our next door neighbor) Justin. Isaac is excited about school lunches, which include chocolate mike and an incentive program that his new teacher has developed which will allow him to earn candy bars for achieving different tasks.





Ethan had a difficult time opening his locker today. In fact, he wasn't able to get it opened at all. He carted his school supplies around with him all day in a backpack. He will be going in early tomorrow to practice the nuances of combination-lock-operation. Ethan reported to me that he likes his teachers and he is excited to be with the older kids and to have the additional responsibilities that come with junior high. He won't admit it to me, but Tessie heard that he has a cute girl in one of his classes that he has got his eye on. We will keep you posted as that develops.



Enjoy the pictures that Tessie took as she dropped the kids off at their schools.

The real guitar hero.

Birthday wishes go out to Ethan this week as he turns 13 years-old. We had a surprise BBQ/party for him on Saturday, one week before the big day. Several family members were able to attend including Uncle Phil and Aunt Myrna, Jackie and her children, Julie and Shae, the Haddox family, Lynea, Jessica B., and Katie. Ethan is growing up quickly. Tomorrow he starts Junior High.

Tessie worked very hard to get all three of the kids ready for school this year. There are endless tasks with school supplies shopping, school clothes shopping, registration, school lunch preparation and various other small things that are easy to overlook.

Isaac and Piper are excited for their school years to begin also. It has been a summer full of changes for all of us, especially Tessie, with her growing belly and all the preparation that goes along with adding a new family member.

Lynea has left our house and is all moved into her dorm room at Boise State University. So far she seems to be adapting well to Boise. If she can survive an August summer in Boise, I'm sure she is up for all the challenges that she faces. Grandma Edi will be here in October to help Tessie and I as the baby joins our family. We are looking forward to seeing her again.

Enjoy the pictures of Ethan and some of our guests from this weekend's celebration.

Law Girls 2008

Each year Tessie and some of her friends from Creighton get together for a weekend of fun. For some crazy reason they chose Boise as this year's destination. I loved having six hottie-lawyers around the house for the time that they were there. It was good to see the girls again, most of whom I have not seen since they were wearing matching dresses at our wedding. It was also nice to see them in a more-relaxed state without all the hustle and anxiety of the wedding weekend.

The girls went to Mai Tai for dinner the first night and they invited me to tag along. There were some misunderstandings about the restaurant's tipping policy which left a bad aftertaste in the mouths of each of us, well okay, really just the girls. I'll probably still eat there in the future.

Poor Ms. Pond was stuck in Denver for the night after some problems with her flight left her stranded. The next day the girls hung out at the house and relaxed while waiting for Anne to arrive. When Anne arrived in Boise her luggage was not available. A driver from the airport delivered the bags later that night.

The next day the law girls floated the Boise River and hung out in the sun. That night Amy arrived at the house. Jeanne and Tessie hosted a party which turned into a long night. I ended up falling asleep on the living room floor. Ali took some mean-spirited photos of me at that point. Thanks Ali!!!

On Saturday the Law Girls floated down the Payette River. Karma from the night before returned to Ali as she was tossed from the boat. Ali managed to get back in the raft with some strong-armed persuasion from Tessie. Sunday was largely a time to relax and prepare for the flights back to the Midwest and to Colorado where the Law Girls live and work. Ladies, I look forward to many more good times with you all.

Breaking News!!

This just in. Recent tests have confirmed: IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!

Peek-a-boo, I see you!

For those who haven't yet heard, Tessie and I are expecting. We are both very excited. Thankfully, Tessie has been just as healthy as ever.

Here are some recent ultrasound images. The ultrasound technician was very informative and ruled out some common genetic disorders with simple observations during our last appointment. We learned, for example, that some babies can't extend their fingers while in the womb, so the technician was pleased to capture the picture showing our little baby with outstretched fingers.


The technician also issued a guarded opinion about the baby's gender, suggesting that we are probably having a girl. We will know the gender beyond a doubt in the coming week, after some of the test results return from the lab.

Tessie is due on January 15th amidst many other family birthdays that month. In fact, true to the December/January tradition on both sides of the family, it is no surprise that we are expecting a girl.

The other children are very excited about our new addition. Isaac initially placed his order for a brother, but later changed his mind and suggested that a little girl would be better so that Piper would have someone to play with, and not bother him as much as she does now.

Probably the funniest story however, was when Isaac asked Tessie who was having the baby, her, or dad. . . I guess it is time to think about going back to the gym huh?

VW Family Reunion

The 14th annual Bus Pilots Association family reunion was held this weekend at Ann Morrison Park in Boise. Each year the show gets bigger and better. New for 2008 was live music, an on-site t-shirt vendor, on site remote promotion and giveaways by a local radio station and a great food vendor.


Here are two different articles that ran in the local papers promoting the show. Does that bus look familiar? Yes, it is shameless self-promotion.



We had the most registered participants of any prior year and club revenue increased substantially. The family reunion show is the only money-generating event of the year and earnings from the show fund our club's activities for the balance of the year.

I am no longer the club president, but I created and still manage the club's website, (www.buspilots.com) which is a very busy job in itself.