Teriann,
You have a section on your website hidden away (just a little) from the land rovers, the dogs, the triumphs, the lamps and all the other things that you do. In this section is where one might find all the published knowledge of your life. Your aspirations, your failures, your memories and your feelings.
In specific is this:
http://tjwakeman.net/TWtv.htm
How Television changed your life (for better or for worse!)
I am 27 years old. I grew up watching ghost busters and macgyver on television. I missed out on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. I missed out on the beginnings of land rover and the time when they ruled the unexplored world. The wilds of africa, in my time, were tamed by Toyotas. The back county of the united states was made for Jeep Grand Wagoneers and the amazing four wheel drive Eagle station wagon. The ideas of self reliance, independent travel and simplicity were not part of my schooling or any part of the general knowledge of my generation.
The point of my story is that I somehow still developed a love and subsequently an addiction to series land rovers. By fate, by the gravitation of the stars or possibly by pure raw chance I moved to a house in aptos in 1987 when I was six. At some time during the 18 years that I lived there, you happen to move to within three miles of me. I got my drivers license on monday december 23rd 1996. My birthday was on a saturday.. I had to wait two days extra. My dad gave my his 1987 chevrolet caprice. A retired police car from sparks nevada.
I dont remember the first time I ever saw your land rover. The earliest memory I can come up with was seeing it pull up to the stop sign on Trout Gulch road and turning onto Soquel drive. I was looking at it from the front.
It had already been painted so it was during or after 1998. But ever since that day I wanted one. I wanted to drive one. I wanted to explore in one.
I remember when I was at Star auto supply and you came in having just put a new head on your engine. I bet that was when you still had the 2.25 and had nursed the old cracked head all the way from timbuktu. I was amazed. I wanted one. I heard stories about how you shipped your land rover all around the world and lived in it in africa. I know this isnt true, but I didnt know that then. People said that you competed in races in the deserts, went to australia and drove your rover to places I hadnt heard of.
These stories, your land rover and my imagination created my love for land rovers. I may have missed out on the old 1950s travel shows, but the fantastic thing about people is that they can take things that they have found and share them with others. That is the point of this forum.
Thank you for sharing land rovers with me and with everyone else whom you have helped and inspired.
