Berlin to Copenhagen Part Two. Bikeway: Mecklenburg Stage

Berlin was a wonderful experience and our stay there too short. As our time there was coming to an end we were already  making plans to return. Much as we were enjoying the city, the impending start of the bike trip leg of our trip began to intrude our thoughts. For us we had planned the 

trip, Berlin and Wetzlar were appetizers, the bike tour was to be the main course and Copenhagen  dessert. The bike tour's title was Berlin to Copenhagen but we were to meet our group in Neustrelitz. Boarding the train at Berlin HBF we were struck by the number of bicycles on board. 

Turns out, the Berlin to Copenhagen bikeway is a major tourist activity. and Neustrelitz, while not part of  the bikeway route serves as a regional train access point. Seeing the wide age, relaxed attitude

and BMI range of the cyclists on board, we began to wonder- what would our fellow tour travelers and guides be like? Kinda like first day of school low grade anxiety. Out of several tours, we've onlyhad one suboptimal experience (great guides, high-maintenance-roadie mindset fellow riders). Otherwise, the company of our fellow bicyclists and guides have made for great memories and are one of the many reasons why bike tours are our favorite vacation format.

Whatever worries were accumulating, were promptly resolved. As we stepped out of the train station street entrance, a millennial couple having figured out we were likely part of the Freewheeling tour walked up to introduce themselves. We then met one of their parents also on the tour and then two other solo members. All of us had been on multiple bike tours and were of a similar mindset about what we enjoyed about them: the degree of engagement  compared to other forms of travel, the company of fellow cyclists, being physically active while at the same time speed/watt output not the priority, good food and nice places to sleep.

We traded bike trip stories and other get acquainted small talk thinking we would be waiting awhile for our van given that we arrived two hours early. The van, however arrived about a half hour later.

On the way to our hotel, the guides filled us in on the remaining group members- an elderly lady who was legally blind and an additional company guide who would ride with her on a tandem. Another bike tour first- two riders had opted for e-bikes. 

Germany

Neustrelitz is a regional tourist attraction in its own right. There's an interesting mix of urban redevelopment consistent with Germany's prosperity along with plenty of reminders of not so benign neglect of many parts of the former GDR.

It was reassuring in a way to see the locals express themselves,although not as proficiently

or as artistically as Berliners.

Some of our group were up for a swim, thus Zeiker Lake was suggested as an activity and a should see item even if not up for a dip. It made for a nice walk and a contemplative setting.

Neustrelitz to Waren

In addition to another tour guide, our senior member provided yet another bonus, her service dog who promptly became a center of attraction and was very much one of the gang. Garnet's manners, discipline and disposition would put any number of humans to shame.

The train ride to Neustrelitz served as a good preview of the bikeway- relaxed riders, family oriented and mostly car-free. One of the contrasts observed in seeing cyclists in general on this trip was the scarcity of roadie culture. One of the irritating aspects of American's approach to physical activity is how wound up people get about it, especially the roadie crowd. As a result, Americans are either professional wannabe athletes or sedentary. Contrast this to the presence of  young and old, BMI's from the low 20's to the 30's, and mostly on modestly priced bicyles, but out in large numbers and it seemed often as families or other social groups.

Day 1 was, to quote our direction sheet, on quiet roads and rural farmlands.  

Our last bike vacation was self-guided. It was a great treat to have three guides, Sophie on the tandem, Frank,  an avowed, self described non-cyclist manning the sag van and Martin, who seemed to generate duplicate at the front of the back, then bringing up the rear, then socializing with the middle pack.

Waren was another small lakeside town with an appealing mix of well-worn and renovated. It was happily busy in tourist season. A great benefit of the bicycling tour format is not having to book hotels during the high season. One of our favorite vacation activities is checking out the local bookstores. Even in Berlin and in Copenhagen, there was so much to do and see that we did not get to do much of that during this trip

This is as close as I got to addressing our bookish bent during the bike tour. As far as reading, the relaxed pace, frequent stops for photo-ops and long, social dinners combined  with a decrease in stamina from what I initially thought was an asthma flare-up due to dusty country roads and the prevalence of smoking in the former GDR made for early bedtimes.

There was more tobacco smoking in Berlin than what I normally have to deal with (basically none in my usual surroundings). It was even more prevalent in these small town and harder to avoid.

It seems one of the legacies of the former communist culture- the memo that smoking is a health hazard arrived much later in this part of Germany. 

Waren to Gustrow

As a tourist one usually is exposed to the more accessible destinations- large cities or resort areas. Here was a more isolated and, while still very scenic and tranquil, more economically modest. East German cars hold an attraction in part as another GDR legacy. 

Like many other material aspects, the
cars were not as well maintained
in the rural former GDR













compared to the former GDR
as a tourist attraction.











The degree to which the land itself was cared for, however, was impressive. Granted, we were on a major tourist attraction; still how well the roads were maintained and marked was a contrast to what we have in the States. Note the e-bike zipping by ever so effortlessly.

The forest trial roads even though not paved could have been driven on 28c road bike tires, although

30-32c would have been optimal. Hopefully Freewheeling will transition to the newer road bikes with clearance for wider tires and drop handlebars. Apropos, I had requested drop bars on this trip and was offered that option but with a different route in some sections as the drop-bar equipped bikes had skinny tires. I went with the standard bike so as to conform to the mean. It was reassuring to find out that another group member had made a similar request for much the same reasons- old cyclotouristes think alike.

The meticulously groomed German forests brought to mind Trump's admonishment of how last summers California forest fires could be have been avoided.  How to pay for that was a detail  left out given the GOP's disinclination for government spending for the public good or a legacy for future generations.

Gustrow to Rostock

Sophie had promptly (day 1) labeled me as a paparazzi . Indeed one of the many attractions of bike tours combining photography and bicycling. To put in perspective, not too many PBP anciens took  two cameras along with them; one of many reasons I barely finished the ride on time. Taking photos is kind of a Fartlek activity when done in group rides- stop, take a photo, then pedal fast to catch up.

As it turned out, most of the group were shutterbugs (Sophie included) and we stopped often for photo-ops. This was fortunate, my respiratory tract being sub-par, as it did not take much added effort to catch up or several of us stopped to take in the sight.

A variety of roadside attractions.



















Before arriving to Rostock, we had fun negotiating this terraced ramp.

Martin our intrepid tour leader was the only one able to negotiate all the turns w/o dismounting.







Churches along with libraries have always held an attraction being cultural artifacts of the highest level yet accessible to and used by the general public. Below is a striking church interior scene- a peek into the mindset of a time and people.

Our hotel was close to the beach which gave it and the surrounding area more of a beach town feel.

We were on our own for dinner that evening. Our priority was healthy food in a quiet, no-smoking setting as my coughing and wheezing were getting worse. Asthma had been severe as a kid, but is now pretty much a thing of the past, except in certain environments. Turns out Northern Germany with dusty roads and lots of second hand smoke was one of them. Fortunately we had brought two inhalers. Finding a restaurant with said criteria in a tourist beach town setting took a while. we made our way in a circular direction and were headed back somewhat dispirited to our hotel when we found what we were looking for less than two blocks away from the hotel. If we had started in the opposite direction, we could have dined at least a half hour earlier.
Due to an order mix-up we wound up having a glass of wine and a glass of port with dinner. A serendipitous event, our very pleasant experience and account of it to our group the next day resulted in port being part of dinner by us and others  on several occasions there after.

In addition to being hungry, the delay in eating dinner was irritating because we wanted to return to our hotel in time for sunset as we had scoped the hotel after cleaning up and found it to be a great location for that. It was a bit rushed but we made it on time.

To be continued...

Berlin to Copenhagen Part One: Berlin

A great incentive to this year's bike vacation was the opportunity to spend a week in Berlin before the tour. We have had great experiences with Freewheeling's lodging recommendations in the past and following their recommendations chose the Circus Hotel. Great location, ambiance and affordability more than offset the noise and cigarette smoke that managed to make its way from the courtyard to our fourth floor room. It was also chosen  due to its proximity to Alexanderplatz. Just as Infinite Jest had been part of my experience in our bike trip five years ago, Berlin Alexanderplatz colored my stay in Berlin. There was so much to absorb in Berlin that DW proposed picking six words to describe Berlin as an organizing context, noting that her students found that useful. So in no particular order.
Bicycling
Copenhagen is well known for it's bike culture, but the bicycle presence in Berlin was a gratifying sight. There were lots of bikes everywhere we went, driven by all body types and ages invariably on heavy clunkers.

Based on that observation alone one would have to think it's not a hilly area. Reading about the city confirmed that. I've seen the clunker predominance in large US cities- LA, SF, Portland and know that it's due to thievery. Unfortunately the locals confirmed that bike theft is very common. I know the feeling having had three bikes stolen over the years. As for riding in foul weather, the locals also acknowledge that common sense prevailed in the winter with the bike traffic much diminished.
Graffiti
Also lots of it and of very high quality. Just by luck, we happened upon one of the densest expressions of it on the street we walked just about daily to get from Rosenthalerplatz to Alexanderplatz.

History

I wished I would have read The Ghosts of Berlin before the trip. For one thing, it was published by the University of Chicago. Instead it was purchased at a neighborhood bookstore on the basis of its title. Marks of Berlin's storied and often tragic past are everywhere. The postwar reconstruction and development are a tug between the desire to remember and to forget.  So there are museum restorations where the interior reconstruction takes care to preserve the battle scars of WWII and the exterior shows the bullet/shrapnel holes as well.

 The are many institutions with Third Reich era themes. We respected the Germans for their unsparing presentation of that unsavory and catastrophic past as we Americans still have not come to terms with the culture and class system that produced slavery and the conflicts between oligarchy and democracy that led to the Civil War.
We spent two afternoons at The Deutsches Historisches Museum collection covering the period starting after WWI to the end of WWII- the contents were so compelling that it deserved the two hours we had initially allotted. My fascination with WWII began in grammar school in Mexico- a three volume collection my aunt bought me is one of the few childhood items I've kept.

As an adult, the Weimar epoch has proved to be just as fascinating. The cultural fertility and impact of Berlin during that era on world history has few equals.
What was truly engaging about the exhibit were the artifacts and artwork showing the development of fascism in Germany. The primary material from the era has a more profound effect than absorbing that information from secondary sources.  Another source of the exhibits power is how hauntingly similar Germany's path to disaster feels to the post Great Recession American zeitgeist to where the US is today; from the observation that the opposition's message was weak and disorganized compared to the more visceral and simple appeal of the fascist message to the bending of facts until information became propaganda. This poster had a particular poignancy in the context of that war and our present times.

On a lighter note, the exhibit also had examples of the Fuhrer's aesthetic bad taste; by what I've seen and read, the Donald also has that trait. What is it about tyrants (or at least wannabe tyrants) and kitsch?
Then there are the communist era legacy landmarks. The transmission tower remarkable in that no matter where we were, there it was. We wondered how the locals felt about it, albeit the thing has monument status.

Wall
DW and I both lived through the cold war era bomb drills, basement shelters and general angst over nuclear war. That background and repeated exposure to remnants of the era as we mostly stayed in the ossi side of Berlin further piqued our interest to explore the outdoor exhibits dealing with that era.
The Ghosts of Berlin was helpful in understanding its impact on the city; again, it's recommended reading for anyone visiting the city.
Cosmopolitan
Our first morning in Berlin began with a walk to Museum Island. I was happily taking photos with my new M10 for the better part of two hours until I decided to check the exposure on a shot by looking at the LCD. Turns out none of the photos were readable for review. Ouch. By training, my differential in assessing the condition includes the worst cause in this case the camera being  defective, or the most likely,  the card that I transferred from the M9 didn't work in the M10. We went back to the hotel so we could find a store that carried memory cards. Googling camera store, I found one less than a mile from the hotel. We walk there and find that the place only sold film cameras. No memory cards, but they had film. I knew then Berlin was my kind of town. Gotta love a neighborhood where there's a camera store oblivious to the digital age within walking distance.

They did make fun of my having a digital M; one of the guys there was a Leica SLR guy who swore by his SL as being much more functional. DW joined in the fun by noting that it took me forever to take a picture. Between DW and I, we spotted 5 cameras we had owned in the past.
Bookstores are one of our tourists-things-to-do. As above mentioned, we stopped by a bookstore that was one of several in the neighorhood and seeing a nice bench in front of the store asked a friendly guy sitting there if he could take our photo. He said sure, then quickly added- "my friend inside is a photographer, I'll go get him".  It turn out his friend was checking to see if the bookstore had copies of one of his books. We left with two books and our picture taken by a published photographer.

We encountered many buskers in our walks and they were high level performers.

Like any self-respecting metropolis, there was a wide variety of food choices and price points. Unlike many of the cities we've visited, we found them to be good values.
Diversity
Democracies have been a balancing act between individual freedom and  government authority. Berlin serves as a stellar exemplar that tolerance for cultural and personal diversity can co-exist with for the most part respect for the rule of law. Yes there is the above bike theft problem and need for being aware of surroundings.

Notwithstanding, we felt safe in all the areas we visited. While on the topic, for a pair of heterosexual boomers, we found ourselves experiencing yet another gay parade. We stumbled onto our latest one while returning from visiting Kruetzberg's open market (which reminded me of LA's garment district- which my mom loved visiting) and stopping at the Hard Rock Café. Collecting HRC's guitar pins is one of DW's ongoing travel-things-to-do and as it turns out the HRC was right on the parade route.

 It was loud,    

             

There was plenty of alcohol and pot consumption and expression of unconventional lifestyles.

But at the same time, other than borderline unhealthy noise levels, without compromise to the rights of nonparticipants.
We also felt that the city comprised a mix of economic classes, ages and ethnicities which  ultimately was its most attractive aspect. The city had so much to offer just by walking around or stopping for a bit to take it all in.

 London, NY and SF all had that quality in years past. I'm grateful that I was able to experience those cities before they became playgrounds for the rich.
Several months have passed since our stay there and our appreciation and fondness for the city have only increased. We look forward to a return visit with our greatest worry being that its blend of all the above will be lost to the economic and cultural polarizations of the 21st century.

Red Dot Tourism

It had been five years since our last real vacation- defined as longer than a week, not visiting family and not involving home improvements. DW and I love bicycling vacations and she had been lobbying gently for one in Europe this summer. Looking at our options, Freewheeling Adventures' Berlin to Copenhagen stood out. Neither of us had been to the Scandinavian countries, Copenhagen is famous for its bicycling culture and it had been 26 years since my initial trip to Germany and 35 years since DW's extended stay there. I had one wee small request- land in Frankfurt for a small side trip to Wetzlar, home to Leica Camera AG and the recently opened Leitz Park. 
My long history with Leica and the transition to digital with the M9 was briefly accounted in https://smortegav.blogspot.com/2013/06/. A visit to the Leica factory was a nerd-sort-of bucket list item going way back. The development of Leitz Park with a nice hotel on the corporate campus, a museum/gallery and store greatly increased it's lure and certainly was a contributing component for my wanting to visit Deutschland. Pitching it in its newly renovated form allowed presenting a 2 day side trip to Leitz Park as tolerable, even attractive, to a normal person-ie DW. She  is much aware of my Leicaphilia and has been a co-dependent of sorts to it (my film Leica MP was a gift from her 14 years ago). She went along with it - a nice hotel and restaurant on campus along with a photo gallery and only an hour and change from Frankfurt.  I focused on that without dwelling on Wetzlar being 4-5 hrs by train to Berlin.
Thus the bicycle tour, plane and hotel were booked. One month prior to departure, the visit to Wetzlar took on an additional purpose.  Leica internet sites had reported that the M10 model had become an optional replacement for M9's with corroded sensors. Leica's less than smooth transition to digital had been tolerated by us old-timers due to the draw of keeping our rangefinder ways while incorporating digital technology. My M9 had worked just fine since the memory card slot malfunction repair that had reduced price to affordable levels (see the 2013 post). I had not assessed it for the corrosion issue partly due to denial and because in its early stages, the defect can only be seen at 100% magnification and was easily fixed in post processing. Unfortunately, if one could not provide proof of sensor replacement, it greatly decreased the value of the camera. Sensor replacement would be time consuming and expensive as the no-charge replacement policy had passed by the time I had been aware of the issue. There was a exchange program subsequently, but the options were not worth it. Subsequent M's had increased in size, had features I didn't need or want, and I just liked the M9's rendering. When the M10 was introduced, the smaller size, improved weather-proofing, live view capability (lenses wider than 28mm are hard to frame accurately on a M9) and much better low light performance outweighed the charms of a CCD sensor. Nine years is analogous to dog years, even worse, in digital camera technology.  Given that the M10 now was a trade-in option, I tested my camera and sure enough there was evidence of corrosion. I was hoping to present the case for a trade in at the factory so I could use the new camera for the remainder of the trip.
The flight to Frankfurt was comfortable and without a hitch. Landing and customs were much faster than anticipated so we were looking at a 3 hour wait for the train to Wetzlar. Fortunately, we were able to exchange the tickets without any hassle for a train that was arriving shortly and were able to arrive in Wetzlar late afternoon on a Sunday. I was hoping that would be the case as the museum/bookstore was closed on Mondays.


It was indeed our good fortune to see that portion of the campus.

 I was able to see some photos I had not previously seen either in reproduced or original form.

Here is a series showing HC Bresson.
On most short lists of GOAT photographers, it's
noteworthy because he hated being photographed.,










The exhibit was an eloquent illustration of  the company's role in photography in the past 100 years both as  witness to the past century and in the evolution of photography as an art form. As above noted DW is not as much of a photo nerd as I am, yet she found it remarkable how many photos she recognized.
 The photos exhibited in the museum and throughout the campus would be revelatory to those perceiving the brand's products as overpriced and obsolete bauble for old rich guys.
We had a very nice and civilized dinner at the hotel restaurant and went for a walk of the campus afterwards. We agreed that the ambiance of the grounds was more than a little clinical- not "warm-fuzzy" at all.

Jet lagged boomers that we were, we were lights out by 21:00.
We were ready and essentially packed up before the hotel restaurant was open for breakfast in order to see the main portion of the park as soon as it was open.

I've been a long time Bruce Davidson fan  and seeing his work on exhibit was another great treat, especially his photos of Los Angeles in the 50's-60's.










 DW was not as psyched about the equipment exhibit; the Y chromosome seems to have the gearhead sequencing. It was great fun to recall all the M models and lenses I've owned through the years.







Then came time to present my case to the service rep. As it turns out it was a very customer friendly experience. He took my word that the M9 sensor was corroded based on my description of the defect.  I would be able to make the purchase there and continue the trip with a new camera. It was so straightforward that I asked for some time to think it over. After taking a walk and conferring with DW who basically said "go for it",  I took a deep breath and returned ready to make the trade. Upon meeting the rep he smiled and said "we have an interesting development". I gulped.  There was a model with a small cosmetic defect that they could offer at a discount. When I saw the defect and heard the amount of the discount, the expense was much more palatable.

With strap and lens minus M9 and waiting for M10.











I left Wetzlar a very happy customer. 
We bailed on the factory tour as the trip by train to Berlin was going to involve four transfers and departures were not frequent from Wetzlar. So we figured we better get cracking.
The trip to Berlin was not as smooth. The Wetzlar station attendants were not fluent in English but were able to get us going to Geissen. There was a 2 hour stopover at Kassel which allowed us to have dinner and people watch.

Then we boarded the wrong train. The train attendant was very nice and reassuring. He changed our tickets and told us the time difference in the revised route would be minimal. We boarded the next train which is where things went worse. Apparently there were repairs needed along the way- we never quite found out why there was a delay as the updates were only in German and it seemed none of our fellow passengers were motivated or able to translate. A 21:30 scheduled arrival to Berlin Hbf turned into a 02:00 one. There was a huge line outside the station waiting for taxis. That went impressively fast given the time of night. We arrived at our hotel at 02:30.

I have to give DW credit for not voicing regrets over our Wetzlar excursion as I would have had it coming. We're old enough to realize that a late but safe arrival is cause to be thankful.  Jet lag compounded by a late and stressful next day did not take away the feeling that the visit to Leitz Park had been worth it.

Pimp My Van Continued

The insulation and paneling mentioned in the previous post made for a quieter vehicle, but it still was a bare bones beast. This-mind you, was what I was looking for.  The excesses SUV's and even pickup trucks came with were irritating on general principle and function. They resulted in vehicles meant to transport people in comfort with screens and cup holders up the wazoo. It's funny how one's prejudices can work against you as I would have never considered a Mercedes Benz to embody utility together with a Spartan sensibility.
So I like bare bones, but not having a place to store stuff out of sight other than a glove box is asking to have your car broken into. Thus I looked for after market storage solutions on Google and in the Metris Forum; none of the solutions fit my needs or aesthetics. The options were a cheap looking metal box designed for file folders or plastic consoles with- cup holders. I wanted something that could store my gym/work bag so that it not be visible from window view. Locks were not needed as if someone broke into the car a padlock would not stand up to a crow bar. So back to the shop.
One of my 2017 woodworking resolutions had been to learn dovetails and this was an opportunity to practice that skill. The BCTW Jointmaker makes the task easier but not by any means fool/newbie proof. A modification specific to the project was to make a taller fence attachment (the purpleheart piece) to hold the panels of the console securely.

 The design had to accommodate an uneven floor, thus the cuts on the left hand side on above photo, and be able to clear the armrest. It should also be able to work as a writing or laptop surface. At the same time sufficiently tall to hold my backpack. Other jigs made themselves useful in the project
My Moxon vise made the fret saw cuts and tracing the tails to make the pins.

It also was invaluable in the glue up of the Cosman wood hinge. This was my third project using this  hinge and, while still having room for improvement, was much better than the previous two.

The La Forge screw jack is one of my favorite woodworking toys- an aesthetically cool object and way useful.

Here it served to help in planning a awkward piece to hold- the part used to wedge the console to the lower part of the dash area

Here is the piece used to secure the console to the front. and another piece as shown below allowed the console to be install without drilling any holes to the interior.

The finished project prior to installation

While not a trunk, there's much more room for concealed storage.

Two weeks later, while filling up at a local gas station, the attendant remarked that my van had a Home Depot smell. More specifically what he was smelling was Watco.

My mom, a cargo van, and the next chapter.

This entry is the second after a  more than year long hiatus. An elaboration of a very brief explanation given in the previous post seems in order prior to continuing hopefully more regular postings. I'm not much on making my private life public, thus this blog has been mostly about my hobbies. The why and the wherefores of what will follow in subsequent posts need the context of the passing away of my mom last year. Like I would imagine is the case for most of us, it was a sea-change event. Anyone who knows me well knows that I was a world class mother's boy. Many of my actions and decisions come by my love of my mom and desire that she stay with me and live on in some way by what I do going to do going forward.
Mom worked her whole life in the Los Angeles Garment District. She worked her way up from piece work to pattern maker- made the prototype from the initial pattern prior to mass production.  In forty some years, she only had three employers. This was despite having to deal with an asthmatic kid  (me) early in her working life- in the era before albuterol and steroid inhalers- who required frequent absences from work.  Aside from the work, what was left behind from that part of her life were her two industrial sewing machines. Toward the last four years of her life, she could no longer use them. None the less, she would not part with the two machines. Despite all practical considerations, they moved with her in her small assisted living room and stayed with her until the end.
Another sad rite of passage is what to do with what is left behind. Newspaper articles, even books are written regarding dostadning. We had already done some of this five years ago when she made the transition from living in her own home to assisted living. All of her belongings were either donated or disposed except a recliner (think Frasier's dad's chair) which sits in my sister's living room and the machines as they were as much a part of her as any material object could be.
We had room for the machines at our home. Further, DW was a pretty accomplished seamstress before she gave that up due to work and family demands on her time. How to get the sewing machines to from LA to Salem was the next step. Family friends kindly offered to store them for a limited time until I could return for them. There were several options involving rental trucks but none were cost or time effective. This brings us to how I came to owning a Metris as that is how they machine found a new home.

A Mercedes Benz had been predicted for me by one of my colleagues at the  LA County Assessor's Office when I left there for medical school. However, John M. foresaw my wife driving it while  I continued to drive the old beaters I was known for. In LA, at least at that time, you were what you drove. One of my supervisors had taken me aside and kind of in jest remarked that I made enough money to get a presentable car as what I was driving was a disgrace to the office.
My Saab had done pretty well as a utility vehicle.

But there was no room for a 4x8 sheet of drywall or plywood. That requirement was a running private joke between DW and I when at car shows over the years. I had ideated on a Ford Transit Connect in the past couple of years although alas it did not have the capacity for 4x8 sheet goods. The price and size otherwise were right, however.
Low mileage Transit Connects were nowhere to be found in several weeks of looking. The local dealers were completely disinclined to negotiate on price- one guy could barely suppress a yawn when presenting his offer. Other small cargo vans were considered "gutless wonders" by their users or not very reliable by consumer ratings. Also, DW was not all that enthused about driving underpowered, high point of gravity, poorly handling and questionable quality vehicles which was her impression of the options I had thus far looked at.
Thus I started looking at Metrises and found a local dealer who was open to negotiating on a low mileage 2016 model. DW wanted rear door windows for visibility. As I could purchase a low miles Metris for the price the dealers wanted for a base level new Transit Connect, it was purchased and we went to L.A. where it came in handy for a number of tasks associated with my mom's memorial service.
I would not have bought a cargo van for that purpose only. When our car acquisition would come up in conversation DW would refer to it as Sal's two seater midlife crisis Mercedes. In a way it an accurate assessment it's role in my life's next chapter will become apparent in subsequent posts.
This project's first stage was posted on Lumberjocks a wood working site.
Soundproofing the interior was not a want but a need as the interior noise qualified as a low level health hazard by OSHA standards. Paying for the paneling and soundproofing is what most owners do. But that would have been boring and expensive. Thus, I made the side panels, ceiling and wheel well covers. 

As they say, when you're a hammer the world looks like a nail.