The Rover Joins the Family
Over the next several years, I lived in the woods with the Rover. Colleen dubbed her Beula. I added the tag Beula, the Beastmobile. During this time I used her for a runabout vehicle and worked the major bugs out of her. I also decided what I wanted to do with her and with myself.
I married Colleen, and Beula was right there. I had prepared her for the occasion by stringing cans and a couple of old shoes to her backside. I took off the top, and lined Colleen's side with cardboard and duct tape to keep Colleen's dress clean. After the ceremony, Colleen and I jumped in to leave but her (now mine also) two children wanted to come as well. My best man, Donald Bodenhiemer assisted them into the back. We sped off as a new family, with JT in the lead on his MotoGuzzi chopper to run a diversion. Beula was not road legal yet. Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of this, as everyone was standing with their mouths agape.
As our new family became established and grew, Beula fit right in. Colleen had visited Africa long before she met me, and felt the same allure for this vehicle. Beula became intertwined into our family life. She goes to get things for our home, takes us to the beach, to get our Christmas trees, and she gives my two dogs rides on Saturday mornings.
Beula is a part of me. She waited a long time for her restoration, and I wanted to do it in such a way that she would not be removed from our family life. Sometimes I think that this chunk of aluminum and cast iron just may have a soul. She has never failed me. The balmy nights are the best. When Colleen and I climb in her and ride, we are transported to another time and place that we can now spend together, chasing zebra.
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