[ihc] Another "Good IH Folk" Tale

["Joseph Shaw, II" <josephshaw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, just to let you know what went on with my trip to get my new Scout this
week, thought I would tell you the story of the whole deal.

Sometime right around late September, I was sitting up at my computer at
around 8:00 AM or so (had gotten home from bartending VERY late, after a very
busy night, and could NOT fall asleep), and as I was on the computer, a mailer
to the digest came in about a '68 Scout on a '77 Diesel frame and running
gear.  I am a huge fan of the earlier body style Scouts, but love getting the
later running gear for its many advantages, and had lately been coveting a
diesel anyway, so I called right away, though it was only 7:00 AM in LA where
this truck was.

Got the guys house, where he had not even told his wife he was posting it for
sure yet, and she was surprised, but said, "Well we just talked about it last
night and this AM, but I guess he decided to go ahead and do it!  Call him at
work-it is fine, he won't get in trouble."  So I did.

We talked about it-it sounded great.  He had done a fair amount of work to it,
admitted it was no beauty queen, but said it had run until he had begun having
brake problems with it, and even after replacing many things, still could not
get the brakes ironed out.  So, it HAD to be towed (still no brakes), he
insisted it go to someone that would turn some wrenches and try to bring it
back to life, not someone that was going to tear it apart to sell or scrap it,
and thus we talked for a while.  Well, he decided I was worthy, and, knowing
myself that I was not rich right now, I thought it was likely out of my range,
but decided to bite.  I asked how much it was and he said, "Well, if you come
and get it yourself, I won't buy your gas, but I will give you a room to sleep
in!"

So I kind of stuttered through several renditions of, "Huh?  You sure?  What?
Yes, I will come and get it!"

And I started laying out plans for a trip down to Houma, LA (from near
Atlanta, GA).  Well, as these things go, and having a girlfriend that is
student teaching, I had to delay the trip twice at least, I KNOW he had at
least one buyer offer him cash for it after he had promised it to me, and even
though it took me almost two months to get there and pick it up, he held it
for me, still at no cost!  Then, when we get there, he and his wife throw us a
Shrimp Boil, his wife gives my girfriend a serious beginning to a tea pot
collection (his wife collects them and was thinning out her collection), they
take us on a tour of the town and outlying bayou areas, which was so amazingly
interesting we are still talking about it, and won't even let us buy little
snakcs when we are out running around with them-he keeps telling us about all
these little delicacies, and when we stop to get something, he won't let me
buy it!  And I had offered to take them out for dinner in town, and they
wouldn't let me!  That was when they said, "No, but you can come to one of our
shrimp boils!!!"  Now this whole deal was set up without me ever mentioning to
them that I was no Rockefeller.  Later they knew money was slowing down my
ability to make the trip to pick it up, but it's not like I ever told them I
was in a poor house or something!!!  They simply are the kind of good folk you
meet that simply do things this way.  We had a terrific day and a half in
their town, ate great food, met new friends, learned a LOT about that area and
the people that live there, AND got a FREE diesel Scout on top of it, with a
'68 body on it to boot!!!

I REALLY cannot say enough about it.  I know we often all talk about what good
people the IH digesters tend to be, but I think we REALLY hit the jackpot with
this couple!

So, as not to deprive them of their due, I will simply say, PLEASE don't ever
try to take advantage of them now that you know they are this incredibly nice,
but I nominate David and Kathy Tutor for kindest folk of the year!  I am not
sure if David will stay on this list or not, as he is now Scoutless for a
while.  But if not, we are losing a very valuable member of the community!!!

Thanks-sorry for the long-winded message, but thought it was a story that had
to be told!

Michael