Funkengroovin Christmas 2009

 It's that time of year again.  Time to buy those gifts for your funkengroovin friends.  VB's been looking for items that might appeal to just about everyone, and has compiled her yearly list.  Sadly, no Pier 1 car ornament this year.

No news items today, and probably not for awhile, at least until after VB returns to Cairo.  

Below: What VB woke up to this morning here in Connecticut. 

 Holiday Shopping:

 BoBoo Reflector from Marimekko, and here

VW Beetle

VW Beetle & Camper Van USB Memory Stick Cars.

More here

VW Beetle Eraser

Build Your Own Vw Beetle

Build Your Own VW Bus

Dreams VolksWagen Camper Van Type 2 Radio

Dreams VolksWagen Type 2 Keylight

VW Bus Speaker

Pink VW Beetle Cabriolet Surf Moneybox Ornament - Hand Painted

VW Beetle gifts from Etsy

VW Bus gifts from Etsy

VW BUS RADIO CONTROLLED HUGE !!!!!

Advanced Graphics 631 Fillmore - VW Bus Life-Size Cardboard Stand-Up

Vw Bus With Camper (1:87/HO Scale)

Volkswagen Bus 2010 Square Wall (Wall Calendar) (Multilingual Edition) (Calendar)

Vw Camper Mugs

Japanese Toys Club Bus Ride

Limited Edition Pope Designs Christmas Bus and Dairy Delivery

VW Bus Hanukkah Lamp

Wheeling Groovy Menorah - VW Bus

Ceramic Hanukkah Menorah (VW Bug)

Volkswagen Christmas Tree Ornaments Cutouts

Silver Dream Volkswagen VW Style Camper Van Ornament

NEW Lenox Christmas - cookie molds / car (VW Beetle) ornament - $10 (rogers park)

Numerous VW gifts, including a Max model car

Blown Glass Van / Woody with Surfboard Ornament

Red Surfboard Volkswagen Woody Van VW Bug Surf Surfing

VW Bus Glass Ornament

VW Christmas ornaments Mercury glass   Price: $10 to $25

Schuco Piccolo Volkswagen Beetle, Gold-Plated Christmas 1997

Recycled VW Beetle Model Car - "stylish love bug made in Madagascar from recycled cans"

VW BEETLE CONV CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS - $5 (MAYSLANDING NJ)

HERBIE VW BEETLE LIGHT SWITCH

Decorate your VW with:

TampaLights  > 2008 > Volkswagen Beetle,

another example here.

Volkswagon VW Bus Mosaic Window Sticker

Wrap gifts with:

Christmas VW Bug - Custom - Wrapping Paper

Make your own cards:

Royalty-Free (RF) Clipart Illustration of Santa Flying His Red Convertible Vw Bug Through The Blue Christmas Night Sky

Reindeer Games Whimsical Christmas Graphics

 Wear it:

VW Beetle (Custom D) T-Shirt

Volkswagen Camper Van Hand Warmers - Set of 2 Heat Packs

Flower Power VW Bus T-Shirt

VW Hippie Bus T-Shirt

VW Beetle Kippah

Use it:

VW Beetle Icons by Zapato

Eat it:

Gingerbread Bus,  (Template)

Funkengroovin - Terryville, CT Bug-A-Fair 2009, Swap & Meet Buses

These Buses were all in the Swap and Meet area at Terryville.

NEWS:

From Pakistan to Paris, by VW Beetle

"A French doctor is embarking on the 6,000-mile trip to promote a better image of Pakistan. 'It's not all about terrorism,' he says."

"The Beetle came to Pakistan in the 1950s with army officers and bureaucrats returning from postings abroad. The appeal has endured – Mubashir Hasan, a finance minister from the 1970s, still drives his around Lahore. Romano Karim of Islamabad's VW club estimates about 500 "Foxies" travel Pakistan's roads. "Cute, quirky, cheap spare parts – it's the ideal car," he says.

The French doctor's Foxy should reach Paris in about two weeks. His team is equipped with an ample stock of spare parts and a line of Urdu poetry inscribed on the bonnet: "Every mother's prayer is a breeze from paradise.""  

More here where you can also see how the car was restored: Art on Wheels tour.

VW fans achieve record stuffing Beetle in Dade City

Our EV Conversion Gets A Curvaceous Body

"My DIY electric car project has officially started: I bought a car to convert, a sky blue ‘67 VW Beetle. I’ve had my eye on it for awhile. Now that I’ve got the title in hand, there’s no turning back."

Old Beetle takes prize for the most popular car

Support Grows To Save VW Bug Sign

VB's gotten several e-mails about this.  If you haven't heard of it, then you're not living on planet earth!
VW bus stolen 35 years ago is found in shipping container bound for Europe

And now for the sequel:
Woman would like to buy back long-lost VW van

"SPOKANE, Wash. — Michele Squires once owned the 1965 Volkswagen van that was found recently in a shipping container at a Southern California port — 35 years after she had it stolen from a repair shop."

"She'd now like to buy it back."

Route 66 artist's life coming to an end (Video at the link)

"For decades, Bob Waldmire lived on the "Mother Road," wandering the remnants of Route 66 in his orange VW bus and selling his intricate, India-ink artwork from Santa Monica, Calif., to Pontiac, Ill."

"The Route 66 Alliance plans to put Waldmire's 1972 VW on permanent display at its planned Tulsa, Okla., museum and fund art scholarships and an annual prize in his name."

Rootstock: Peace, Love and Beaujolais Nouveau

"NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - November 5, 2009) - Les Vins Georges Duboeuf will "share the love" for the 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau arrival on Thursday, November 19th -- the official release date of this fruity wine that celebrates the end of the harvest and gives a foretaste of this year's vintage (reported to be one of the best vintages in the past 50 years). In both New York and Miami, "Peace, Love and Beaujolais Nouveau" vintage VW 'Love Buses,' escorted by Beaujolais Biker Chefs and wine-loving hippies, will help launch a week-long food drive and deliver the first cases of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau wine to the official "sip-in" uncorking ceremonies."

You must be 21 to enter, but go here to see an animated version of the VW Bus delivery.


How many days until Christmas?  VB doesn't start counting until after Thanksgiving, but we'll give it a start.  So far - it doesn't look good.

Blue VW Toy Car Ornament by Old World Christmas

Pink VW Beetle Cabriolet Surf Moneybox Ornament - Hand Painted

VW Bus Ceramic Ornament

VW Bus Ceramic Ornament

Open Farm Sunday

Last week we went to Open Farm Sunday, sponsored by Cabot Creamery Cooperative, and hosted by a local farm.  Awesome Daughter was not interested in staying too long, until...they offered her complimentary corn chowder and sharp cheddar cheese.  It was somewhat coincidental, as we were talking about making corn chowder for dinner.  VB presents a short tour of the farm.  We had fun.  And, of course, everyone on the tour behaved like a bunch of schoolkids at a petting zoo!

Below:  The old main barn, where we were greeted and fed.

Below 2 photos:  Cows are hungry creatures.  Some of these animals produce enormous amounts of milk each day, others - not so much.  Added up though, they provide us with our daily intake of main dairy products.  They are also very friendly creatures, or at least that's what VB thought.

Below:  This is a mechanical milking machine.  All cows teats are wiped clean with antibacterial wash, milked, then washed clean again, and given a soothing cream so their teats stay nice and soft - something of that nature.  And for cows unable to get into the milking center, say too pregnant, they have portable milking machines!  Wow, and VB thought she was going to see the real McCoy milking procedure (dude sitting on a wooden bucket, hand milking the cow - VB's kinda behind the times on some of this new technological stuff.)

Below:  The milk tank, with magnetic messages about farming and farming in Connecticut.

Below:  One of the messages, which VB highly recommends - buy local.

Below:  The pregnant cows.  Don't they look overly friendly!  That's because (VB found out,) Awesome Daughter was carrying dog treats in her pocket and they totally wanted to be with her!

Below:  This is a calf barn.  These calves are a bit older, and they get transferred here to socialize after being moved from the greenhouse.  The two calves below are not dairy cows.  They will be on your dinner table one of these days.  This farm also sells beef (Angus), and you can order from them (you know like a whole side, a quarter, something like that.)  At this size, they also have their horns taken off, so they don't injure each other.  Apparently, with horns, when they are hungry and pushing through the throng of other cattle, they poke and injure each other inadvertently.  The horn removal prevents that from happening.

Below: Our last stop was at the calf greenhouse.  We saw a calf, just born the day before.  These are calves that are very young, still nursing, and isolated as they have a habit of mistaking each other for their mothers, sucking, and yes, causing injury.  Here (next 3 photos) we have a female calf, who is absolutely smitten with VB's camera strap!

Below: Awesome Daughter pets the female calf.

Below:  You can see her again.  She's the only one standing, waiting for more visitors
 to welcome.

Below:  After our Open Farm visit, we stopped at our local farm stand to buy corn for our chowder.  The stand was closed, but still open for business.  They have a slot in the wooden windows for money.  Here pumpkins are on display so you can gauge the size when you buy one.  There's a sign with prices on the window.  Many farm stands around here are unattended / self serve.

Below 2 photos:  Our corn chowder and grilled sandwiches.

As VB writes this, she's watching Martha Stewart who is focusing on cheese.

And for some fun, A take off on VB's favorite show Mad Men. This is called Milk Men.

Milk Men - A Mad Men Parody

Atom.com: Funny Videos | Spoofs | TV & Movie Spoofs

Funkengroovin - Terryville, CT Bug-A-Fair 2009, All Tarted Up

More from Terryville.  A lot of car entrants try to make their cars look sexier either with fancy mechanical gadgetry or spicing up the looks.  Here are a few examples of some Bugs that have been all tarted up.

NEWS:

60 years since the trusteeship of the Volkswagenwerk was placed in German hands

1966 VW Bug's Incredible Cross-Country Tour Now Reaches Montana! The Little Bug that Could!

Old-School Beetle Runs on Batteries and Biodiesel

"Students at the University of Kansas have built what may be the coolest hybrid ever — a 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle–series hybrid that burns biodiesel and gets about 50 mpg."

(Check out the photos and video)
Paul Newman’s Mid-Engine, Ford 351 Powered VW Beetle

An Old Landmark In West Charlotte Could Go Away

"CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It’s been a beacon for decades at the corner of Freedom and West Morehead, in West Charlotte an old VW Beetleon top of an old garage. Some neighborhood groups call it a landmark, well the city says it may have to come down."

Krider Racing borrows Bug, takes Beetleball title

Tea guru takes boutique brand to a new level

"In the early days at Stash Tea, he discovered Oregon's exceptional peppermint (used then in toothpaste and mouthwash), and persuaded growers in Prineville and Madras to harvest it to his specifications for tea. "We got a couple of Volkswagen busloads, then graduated to semi truck loads," Smith says. "I would drive the combine and harvest, then drive the semi truck with 25,000 pounds of leaves in it into what's now known as the Pearl District."

Today his palate is just as acute. He'll only buy chamomile from the Fayoum Oasis in Egypt, just south of Cairo. "We need tight heads, a small amount of stems, fresh product," he says."

Home remodel leaves Thorp family living in vans

"The Olliviers have circled up seven of their VW vans and campers in the backyard between their home and the river, somewhat like covered wagons.

Four of vans serve as bedrooms, one each for Jan, Jacques and sons Jordan, 12, and Joe, 15.

Three other vans are for storage and other amenities.

There’s a picnic table in the center with a large umbrella over it for family dining and the boys’ afternoon homework, a power cord from the house for a hot plate and other appliances, and ice chests in place of a refrigerator.

A portable toilet/outhouse, also used by the contractor, serves as a family restroom. A ladder against their house leads to a remodeled bathroom area in the house’s second floor where showers are taken.

All the comforts of home. Well, sort of."

It's Friday: Is this the World's Most Miserly VW Bus?

VW camper van hearse created for funerals

Odd Pueblo: Snappy or Crappy?

"Several folks also voted crappy on a bugged-out VW bug posted many moons ago – but now we got the Volkswagen’s big sister: an awesome Volkswagen bus.
Judging from my calling it awesome, you can bet I think this thing is groovy. Check out the slide show, featuring six ways of looking at a VW bus."

VW Said to Discuss Buying Insolvent Carmaker Karmann (Update1)

Last year VB noted an article about Jay Leno where he mentioned being asked to do an American version of Top Gear.  He basically said, "no."  Apparently he has changed his mind.   NBC has built a race track for Leno's new show:  (from September)    Wheels: Jay Leno’s Green Car Challenge Puts Guests on Racetrack,

"The latest TV reality show is the “Green Car Challenge,” an irregular segment — which first appeared Friday — on “The Jay Leno Show.” Celebrities will compete in a specially prepared electric Ford Focus on a racetrack built just outside the NBC studio in Burbank, Calif."

Funkengroovin - Terryville, CT Bug-A-Fair 2009, Interiors

Here's some photos from the Terryville Bug-A-Fair, back in August.  These are examples of some of the interiors.  Quite a variety.  Some have been reupholstered, while others remain original.  Enjoy.

Restaurants and Motorbikes

Eating in The Capitol is not only impressive, but can also be expensive. VB enjoys eating out, when there's good food to be had. In her little town in Connecticut, every single restaurant offers bad pizza, bad grinders, bad gyros, and just bad food choices, and it's all the same - as if one family owned all the restaurants. (Okay, one has good pizza and another has very good Japanese food, but that's it.) VB enjoys variety, and so last week when we were in Washington, we ate at:

Eric Ripert's West End Bistro. (Below) VB had the Fish Burger with the Macaroni, ham and cheese for two (she shared.) The Fish Burger is like a massive crab cake on a bun. We took a doggie bag of mac and cheese back to the hotel. Coincidentally, as VB was editing this, Serious Eats posted the recipe for The Fish Burger. VB can verify it's incredibly good, and actually looks like it might be healthy, as well (VB has a habit of picking the most unhealthiest foods from menus.)


The next evening we ate at Grillfish. After the waiter annoyingly repeated several times that there was just one serving of wild halibut left, VB raised her hand and said, "I'll take it." Thus reserving it, as someone else mused aloud, "how old is it?" We had already eaten the Ginger Calamari and Fried Calamari at the bar during happy hours, when drinks and bar food are half price. The halibut was excellent. VB should add that she had massive amounts of gin that evening, so just about anything on a plate would've been "excellent".


Friday afternoon, after watching the crazies on Capitol Hill, we ran off to Founding Farmers for luncheon rendezvous. Just about every restaurant we called was booked solid from 5:30 PM until 9:00 PM that evening, so we decided to do a big lunch instead. VB ordered the House Salad with Buttermilk Ranch, but was instead served with Bleu Cheese (she didn't send it back). She also had the Slow-Simmered Sirloin Chili: "48-Hour Marinated and Simmered Sirloin Chili with Beans, Cheddar Crisps, Grated Onions, and Grated Cheese". It may have been marinated for 48 hours, but there's no way that meat was slow simmered. VB likes the sirloin in her chili to fall apart, melt in her mouth, and be meaty. This was tough, and loaded with gristle. We also ordered the Skillet Corn Bread, at which someone commented, "This is just like yours." Yep, VB makes that exact same freaking bread!


That evening we walked to Dupont Circle in search of a place for drinks and small dishes. We found Zorba's Cafe. We were lucky enough to find a seat outside. We had Zorba's combination Plate containing meats and dips and two wedges of pita, another appetizer plate containing numerous dips, and a full carafe of Retsina on tap. The gyros pieces were amazing and done right (not half raw - they grilled it again after shaving it, which is how it should be)!, The retsina awesome! You have to have a taste for retsina to appreciate it when it comes from a tap (most Greek restaurants don't even offer it. Not even those chichi pseudo Greek restaurants in New York City.) Sorry, no photos from Zorba's.

Below: Our last meal in The Capitol, was a Ben's Chili Bowl. Needless to say we had chili. The boys had Bill Cosby's Original Chili Half-Smoke. VB had a bowl of chili (meat) with cheese and onions. We all shared the Chili-Cheese Fries. And, we saw photos of Obama when he visited earlier this year. We sat in the same area. VB wonders, if she sat in the same seat as Obama, will some of that brilliance rub off on her?

As we strolled back to the car, VB then took photos of the neighborhood, and these are two of her favorites.




While driving home to Connecticut, south of New Brunswick, on the New Jersey Turnpike, we encountered some teenagers on their Yamahas (or whatever small bikes they were riding). They descended upon us, at first, one by one, then in twos. VB tried to put a video together (yet another photo album with music). She should have videotaped this on her new iPhone, but she's a camera gal, and grabbed that first. Watch it if you'd like to (1) see what may come upon you as you journey through The Garden State; (2) Identify the assholes who are participating in this. After the first cycle passed, The Boss Man sped up. VB wondered if he was chasing the guy. The Boss Man said, "I'm going 80." As another bike passed furiously he added, "what do you think they're going?" They were going well over 100 miles per hour, and refusing to use lanes (squeezing in between two side-by-side cars) while one was even wearing his team jacket with his name on it! The highway patrol needs to grab these guys and revoke their licenses to drive, even if it's for a tricycle.



For a real taste of what we experienced, look at: this video.