Come Together. Right Now. Over me.

[The Bustache]

As another weekend greets us, I thought come back to the original purpose of this blog - To bring people together, just as the Bustache intended.

You might have noticed the "I've seen the 'Stache!" tab on our blog. It's a connection tool that we hope gets lots of use in the future.

The Bustache is like one big "Come say hi. Sit down. Stay awhile. Share your story. Take a Picture." invitation to the whole wide world.

When we are out and about with Bustache, people can't help but come talk to us - to tell us their own anecdotes about having, driving, or riding in a VW bus. They relive these memories right in front of us. Sometimes the reminiscing turns into stories that just have to do with life - about lost love, world travel and outlandish ideas. They look at Bustache fondly, and they look at us knowingly. We are now connected in a weird VW peace-loving, happiness-touting utopia. Most of the time, the conversation ends with them taking a picture.

And these are the interactions we know about, but there are others that occur when we're not around; when Bustache is parked in front of a supermarket or at the beach or even at our house.

We know this because, one sunny Sunday afternoon, after a weekend of camping, Steve and I came back to Newport Beach and parked Bustache along the peninsula boardwalk for a last minute picnic. We found a perfect location for our meal on the sand, far enough away from our bus that we didn't look associated, but close enough to see and hear everything that happened around him. For 30 minutes we watched as people would go up to Bustache, peer in his windows, laugh, and talk about old times. Just as with us, they shared stories with each other, lingered a bit longer than they intended, and left only after they snapped a photo to take with them.

We wanted a way to connect with these people too -to hear the adventures relived when we're not there.

So, we started this blog as a virtual meeting place for storytelling - not just our stories, but the stories of those we meet in person and on the web... AND the stories of those Bustache meets on his own. With some strategic sign placement, bumper-sticker deployment and maybe even a few business cards (homemade hippie-style, of course!), I think we can make this happen.

If you see the Bustache out and about, I hope you'll share your story and, perhaps, even your photos. The Bustache would love nothing more. :-(D

http://thebustache.wordpress.com/ive-seen-the-stache/