Since Friday it's been raining. All day Friday. All day Saturday. So far, all morning Sunday. Per the Weather Service, this will continue Sunday afternoon (60% chance of rain), Sunday evening (69% chance of rain), Sunday night (51% chance of rain), Monday morning (50% chance of rain), Monday afternoon (55% chance of rain) and Monday evening (34% chance of rain but changing to drizzles).
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: "sprinkles."
I'd planned to golf on Friday: rained out.
I'd planned on a drive with a group of Miata enthusiasts: rained down (we went but it was too wet to do any spirited driving).
I'd planned to golf on Sunday after church: rained out.
I'd planned to golf on Monday. Then Tuesday. Then Thursday.
Anyone got Noah's number? Wonder what the trade-in value of a Miata is on a new Ark.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Goodbye Faithful Servant ... Hello New Addition
Well, the great car hunt is over. Today Barb traded in her Volvo (BTW, I mistakenly reported its age -- it was actually a 1994 model) and bought a new Honda Accord EX-L in Carbon Bronze Pearl.
Here's a picture of the new car in its color rendering straight from Honda's site:
And click on this link for more details about the car (again it's the EX-L so you need to page down a bit to see the additional equipment the "L" variation has).
It has some really nice bells and whistles, including 6 CD changer, XM Satellite Radio, heated seats, automatic temperature control including dual driver/passenger zones, etc. I think one outstanding improvement that Barb (and Alec) appreciate is there are real cup holders in the car.
I'm impressed with it ... especially for the money since she was able to buy it for only $200 over invoice through the Credit Union's connections. It rides very nice and the engine/transmission combination make it very quick and responsive. I've heard others criticize Honda for being too bland but I didn't think it felt bland as much as capable and solid.
As much as Barb pokes fun at me for my infatuation with cars, I should note that she told me she had tears in her eyes as the dealer's staff drove the Volvo away. I've never fully understood her depth of affection for the Volvo and I was underimpressed with its mechanical durabililty and its various idiosyncracies (I swear it had arthritis in its front steering linkage and it was one of the slowest 5-cylinders around IMO).
So I'm now the Wagonmaster of the garage (see this link for the story on my buying the Mazda). It's nice having a more reliable car to share the burden of trips.
Here's a picture of the new car in its color rendering straight from Honda's site:
And click on this link for more details about the car (again it's the EX-L so you need to page down a bit to see the additional equipment the "L" variation has).
It has some really nice bells and whistles, including 6 CD changer, XM Satellite Radio, heated seats, automatic temperature control including dual driver/passenger zones, etc. I think one outstanding improvement that Barb (and Alec) appreciate is there are real cup holders in the car.
I'm impressed with it ... especially for the money since she was able to buy it for only $200 over invoice through the Credit Union's connections. It rides very nice and the engine/transmission combination make it very quick and responsive. I've heard others criticize Honda for being too bland but I didn't think it felt bland as much as capable and solid.
As much as Barb pokes fun at me for my infatuation with cars, I should note that she told me she had tears in her eyes as the dealer's staff drove the Volvo away. I've never fully understood her depth of affection for the Volvo and I was underimpressed with its mechanical durabililty and its various idiosyncracies (I swear it had arthritis in its front steering linkage and it was one of the slowest 5-cylinders around IMO).
So I'm now the Wagonmaster of the garage (see this link for the story on my buying the Mazda). It's nice having a more reliable car to share the burden of trips.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
The Adventure Continues
well, we had our first foray to a car dealership. Actually, two dealerships.
Started at the Subaru dealership and Barb eyed the Subaru Forester, the Legend and the Outback.
The Forester is too small, too boxy and too truck-like.
The Outback sits about 6 inches higher than the Legend or most cars. Turns out that extra height makes it a bit difficult for her to get out of it and she's worried about stability when in heels.
She liked the Legend but the salesman told her that the car will likely be abandoned next year and she doesn't want to buy an "orphan" model. I told her I wasn't very concerned about that but she is -- so that's the way it is.
The Outback is pretty nice and Subaru has a $2,000 rebate on it so the price is pretty nice as well. They had only one with a 5spd manual (turns out that manual transmissions are rare cars for Subaru -- a striking comparison to when I shopped for my Mazda6 wagon). It was a nice mid-shade of Blue and had a tan leather interior. Subaru has a really unique moonroof -- the roof comes in two sections. You press the button once and the first section tilts up. You press the button again and the first section tilts up a bit further to become a deflector and then the sunroof slides back to a 7/8ths open position that's supposed to reduce air buffeting. You push the button again and it slides back all the way. I kind of liked the design -- Barb felt it was too complicated.
The salesman pulled the car out of the garage (it had just been in for cleaning) and is going over the various features with the car running. Barb gets in and tries the sunroof and I'm in the back waiting for the test drive. She tries getting out again and the look on her face told me that there was no test drive that day for that car. The salesman is a bit confused but gamely goes on to talk about the features. I finally say "want to take it for a drive?" and she says (flatly) "no." Salesman is really confused now. So I gently say, well, we'll get back to you and hustle us off to my waiting car.
While waiting at the stop-n-go light, I ask if Barb is interested in looking at the Honda dealership just down the highway. We were planning on going to a movie in an hour so had a small amount of time to kill. I figured we'd just have her look at the Accord and then come back for a test drive.
She says "sure" so off we go and pop into the Honda showroom. There's customers everywhere and all the salespeople are tied up ... I just want to find if they have any Accords with manual transmissions and leather interior. Barb is looking closely at the Accord on the floor and I can tell it's appealing to her ... especially when she sees 26/34 mpg on the sticker.
We finally match up with a salesman who takes us out to look at a silver 6-cylinder 6-speed manual. She gets in, fires it up and off we go for a test drive. She's smitten but a bit worried about getting tickets with the six-cylinder ... it does move (ahem) quickly under her direction.
So I think she's leaning that direction but wants to try out the four-cylinder 5-speed manual transmission model first.
I think having a wagon has just lost out to having an Accord.
Stay tuned for more.
Started at the Subaru dealership and Barb eyed the Subaru Forester, the Legend and the Outback.
The Forester is too small, too boxy and too truck-like.
The Outback sits about 6 inches higher than the Legend or most cars. Turns out that extra height makes it a bit difficult for her to get out of it and she's worried about stability when in heels.
She liked the Legend but the salesman told her that the car will likely be abandoned next year and she doesn't want to buy an "orphan" model. I told her I wasn't very concerned about that but she is -- so that's the way it is.
The Outback is pretty nice and Subaru has a $2,000 rebate on it so the price is pretty nice as well. They had only one with a 5spd manual (turns out that manual transmissions are rare cars for Subaru -- a striking comparison to when I shopped for my Mazda6 wagon). It was a nice mid-shade of Blue and had a tan leather interior. Subaru has a really unique moonroof -- the roof comes in two sections. You press the button once and the first section tilts up. You press the button again and the first section tilts up a bit further to become a deflector and then the sunroof slides back to a 7/8ths open position that's supposed to reduce air buffeting. You push the button again and it slides back all the way. I kind of liked the design -- Barb felt it was too complicated.
The salesman pulled the car out of the garage (it had just been in for cleaning) and is going over the various features with the car running. Barb gets in and tries the sunroof and I'm in the back waiting for the test drive. She tries getting out again and the look on her face told me that there was no test drive that day for that car. The salesman is a bit confused but gamely goes on to talk about the features. I finally say "want to take it for a drive?" and she says (flatly) "no." Salesman is really confused now. So I gently say, well, we'll get back to you and hustle us off to my waiting car.
While waiting at the stop-n-go light, I ask if Barb is interested in looking at the Honda dealership just down the highway. We were planning on going to a movie in an hour so had a small amount of time to kill. I figured we'd just have her look at the Accord and then come back for a test drive.
She says "sure" so off we go and pop into the Honda showroom. There's customers everywhere and all the salespeople are tied up ... I just want to find if they have any Accords with manual transmissions and leather interior. Barb is looking closely at the Accord on the floor and I can tell it's appealing to her ... especially when she sees 26/34 mpg on the sticker.
We finally match up with a salesman who takes us out to look at a silver 6-cylinder 6-speed manual. She gets in, fires it up and off we go for a test drive. She's smitten but a bit worried about getting tickets with the six-cylinder ... it does move (ahem) quickly under her direction.
So I think she's leaning that direction but wants to try out the four-cylinder 5-speed manual transmission model first.
I think having a wagon has just lost out to having an Accord.
Stay tuned for more.
Friday, April 21, 2006
The adventure begins...
Tonight, Barb finally acknowledged that she needs to replace her 1995 Volvo station wagon. It's lasted a long time and seen over 185,000 miles of service. But, it committed the unpardonable sin: it leaked water today and apparently spilled onto her suit jacket.
Here's a photo of a similar vehicle:
She announced it by telling me she was giving me a valuable anniversary present: helping her buy a new car. I'll confess: I've been suggesting she replace the Volvo for at least two years as I figured she wanted to retire and not have to make car payments.
So, here's the challenge:
• must be a wagon and no SUVs/mini-SUVs etc may apply;
• must have leather or vinyl seats
• must have manual transmission
• not cost an arm and a leg
hmmm, this ought to be interesting!
Here's a photo of a similar vehicle:
She announced it by telling me she was giving me a valuable anniversary present: helping her buy a new car. I'll confess: I've been suggesting she replace the Volvo for at least two years as I figured she wanted to retire and not have to make car payments.
So, here's the challenge:
• must be a wagon and no SUVs/mini-SUVs etc may apply;
• must have leather or vinyl seats
• must have manual transmission
• not cost an arm and a leg
hmmm, this ought to be interesting!
Saturday, April 15, 2006
In Memory: Ardyce Gilna Horner Mons
My stepmother, Ardyce Mons, passed away on April 15th in the early morning (shortly after midnight). Jim, my oldest stepbrother and Ardyce's caretaker these past three-plus years, called this morning with the news that, while expected and not a surprise, was still terribly sad to hear.
Ardyce was a wonderful person. She became my mom after I was an adult but I'd known her when I was a child. She was very smart, well read and well educated, funny and bright. She looked after others and always inquired about how this person or that person was doing. When I made some colossal mistakes, she overlooked them (or looked beyond them) and extended grace. It's hard to think that she's gone.
One of the best things, fortunately, is that we had gathered in Denver a little more than a month ago to celebrate her 90th birthday. All six sons/step-sons were there and many of our families and it was a wonderful and fulfilling opportunity for us to gather and tell this woman how much we all loved and respected her. While her health had continued to decline, somehow she rallied that day and her eyes had the old sparkle and her mind the same ability to turn a phrase and make a quip. There's a full report on the party here and some additional pictures here.
Ardyce suffered from Multiple System Atrophy, a chronic progressive disease that is similar to Parkinson's. Cause of death was congestive heart failure.
Ardyce lived a rich and full life. Born and raised in Hastings, Nebraska, she graduated summa cum laude from Hastings College and worked for the local newspaper in Hastings after college. During that time she met and married Bill Horner with whom she had four sons: Jim, Burke, Bob and Dave. I recall that she traipsed across the United States during WWII as Bill was a naval officer and was stationed in several areas during the war.
After the war, they settled in Chicago and eventually moved to Lombard, Illinois ... I believe a year or two before our family moved to Lombard. Our families knew each other -- largely due to belonging to the same church: First Congregational of Lombard. I recall that my mom and Ardyce worked together on various church dinners and the like (especially during Lilacia Days when hordes of visitors would view Lombard's famous collection of Lilac bushes).
I believe Ardyce and Bill divorced in 1966 or 1967 -- strangely, I remember both my Mom and Dad telling me about the divorce as they had known how difficult the marriage had become and were glad that Illinois had finally passed a divorce law that permitted "no-fault" divorces. I knew Ardyce both from church and from her substitute teaching at our high school -- plus I still think she taught a Sunday School class or two of mine (which she vehemently denied). I also remember that Ardyce was attending Northern Illinois University and was the librarian at Wheaton High School. She counted Bob Woodward (one of the two Washington Post reporters who broke Watergate) and John Belushi (comedian extraordinaire) as two of her former patrons. (She didn't care much for Belushi, I fear!)
In the Spring of 1968, my mother died. Around Christmas that year, Ardyce and Dad bumped into each other (I believe it was at a Jewel Food Store -- ironic since Dad worked for Jewel for years) and Ardyce told Dad about the memorials the church had received in Mom's name and asked if he had a preference for one of several intended uses. Dad really appreciated her kindness and the way she had talked to him -- plus he had to find a date for a New Years party to which he had been invited. So he asked me if I think he should ask her out! I was unprepared to give dating advice to my own father but that's never stopped me from giving advice of any kind. I do remember that I thought it a bit odd that he'd be dating a woman who at times had been my substitute teacher.
Dad and Ardyce became a steady item. I was pretty much out of the house back then but for summers; my brother Roy was still in high school and tells me that Ardyce should have gotten partial credit for his high school diploma with all the help she gave him on homework assignments, etc. Dad and Ardyce would come out to visit me at Drake and Ardyce and Sharon (my first wife) became fast friends and allies.
Dad and Ardyce married on August 7th, 1971 -- one week before Sharon and I married. (Dad explained he wanted to introduce Ardyce as his wife in the reception line of our wedding.) About three years later, Dad retired and a few years after that Ardyce also retired.
Dad and Ardyce loved to travel via car. Ardyce had a huge network of family and friends across the United States and I think they visited darn near all of them during those years. On one trip back from the western United States (probably in 1977 or 1978), my Dad called and told me that they had found a place to retire to: Leisure World in Mesa AZ. Now this is true confession: my Dad was one of the last people I'd expect to move to a retirement community. And Ardyce was one of the last people I'd expect to accept the name "Leisure World" -- it was just too, well, contrived. So, I was convinced that Dad was just pulling an elaborate ruse (he had that kind of humor, after all) and I kept saying sarcastically, "sure, Dad, uh huh: Leisure World!" And he got madder and madder that I wouldn't believe him.
They moved to Leisure World later that year and moved into their home that was built on the golf course.
Dad and Ardyce loved it there and made a number of new friends. (We used to joke that Ardyce would know everyone's life story within 20 minutes of walking into a room filled with strangers.) Dad became a member of the homeowners association plus a founder of the local Lions Club; Ardyce joined all sorts of social clubs and delivered book reviews. The first summer there they stayed in Mesa (the summers were beastly hot) but thereafter would take off for cooler climes during the summers.
After about ten years there, Dad's health declined and Ardyce became a caretaker for him. He was not the best patient and she displayed both grace and good humor during this time -- I know it was difficult. Dad died in 1989.
Ardyce kept the home for several years and enjoyed her friendships at Leisure World. In particular, she would travel to Twain Hart CA with her good friend Betty Benedixon (not sure of the spelling on Betty's last name). As each grew older, the trips continued but at a slower pace.
Around 1998, Ardyce finally decided that she couldn't maintain the home and moved into the Beatitudes in Phoenix AZ. It was also around this time that the first symptoms of Multiple System Atrophy began to occur although the diagnosis wasn't formally made for several years. We visited her a few times after Dad's death and it became clearer that her physical health was declining and she needed increasing medical care. My brother Roy and his wife Jo visited each year and Roy ended up helping a great deal with coordinating her care and assisting her with some of the related issues.
In 2002, Jim finally convinced Ardyce that she would be better off moving to Denver where she'd be close to both Jim and Bob and where they could more easily coordinate her care, etc.
She started in an independent living facility but then transferred to assisted living care and finally nursing home care.
I was able to visit her more regularly in Denver. Alec, Barb and I saw her shortly after she moved to Denver and saw her small efficiency apartment. At that stage she tired easily but was still able to go out to a shopping mall (we bought her a couple of outfits for her birthday) and was pretty engaged.
Later, I made short trips with Drew and then again with Matt ... each time we were able to take her out for a drive and have a meal, etc.
Last spring, Jim suggested we visit her as it appeared her life was drawing to a close. We drove out in June and timed our visit with Roy and Jo's visit. Her health was continuing to decline and we saw that she was having a difficult time mustering the strength to stay focused on the conversation. After an hour or so, her strength just ebbed away and she needed to lie down and rest.
Because of her failing health, she was a candidate for the hospice program and we sat with her as the nursing home staff explained the benefits of the program, how it would operate, etc. Somehow, something got lost in the translation and Ardyce thought she was being asked not to enter the program but to administer it. She kindly explained to the nursing home staff that she appreciated the offer but she'd volunteered for things her whole lifetime and she'd prefer that somebody else take on the responsibility! It was a priceless moment and summed up her life so neatly -- this was a woman who took on and mastered so many challenges and it only made sense that she'd be asked to take on another one!
We all thought we'd said our last goodbyes to her that summer. But Ardyce wasn't one to give in easily and she survived through Christmas and January. In February, it was decided to celebrate her 90th birthday ane we had another call from Jim. While discussing the arrival of her sons Burke and David, she pointedly asked "and what about my other two boys?" Well, neither Roy nor I could spurn an invitation like that!
She lived a rich and full life. She gave more than she took. She will be missed.
Ardyce was a wonderful person. She became my mom after I was an adult but I'd known her when I was a child. She was very smart, well read and well educated, funny and bright. She looked after others and always inquired about how this person or that person was doing. When I made some colossal mistakes, she overlooked them (or looked beyond them) and extended grace. It's hard to think that she's gone.
One of the best things, fortunately, is that we had gathered in Denver a little more than a month ago to celebrate her 90th birthday. All six sons/step-sons were there and many of our families and it was a wonderful and fulfilling opportunity for us to gather and tell this woman how much we all loved and respected her. While her health had continued to decline, somehow she rallied that day and her eyes had the old sparkle and her mind the same ability to turn a phrase and make a quip. There's a full report on the party here and some additional pictures here.
Ardyce suffered from Multiple System Atrophy, a chronic progressive disease that is similar to Parkinson's. Cause of death was congestive heart failure.
Ardyce lived a rich and full life. Born and raised in Hastings, Nebraska, she graduated summa cum laude from Hastings College and worked for the local newspaper in Hastings after college. During that time she met and married Bill Horner with whom she had four sons: Jim, Burke, Bob and Dave. I recall that she traipsed across the United States during WWII as Bill was a naval officer and was stationed in several areas during the war.
After the war, they settled in Chicago and eventually moved to Lombard, Illinois ... I believe a year or two before our family moved to Lombard. Our families knew each other -- largely due to belonging to the same church: First Congregational of Lombard. I recall that my mom and Ardyce worked together on various church dinners and the like (especially during Lilacia Days when hordes of visitors would view Lombard's famous collection of Lilac bushes).
I believe Ardyce and Bill divorced in 1966 or 1967 -- strangely, I remember both my Mom and Dad telling me about the divorce as they had known how difficult the marriage had become and were glad that Illinois had finally passed a divorce law that permitted "no-fault" divorces. I knew Ardyce both from church and from her substitute teaching at our high school -- plus I still think she taught a Sunday School class or two of mine (which she vehemently denied). I also remember that Ardyce was attending Northern Illinois University and was the librarian at Wheaton High School. She counted Bob Woodward (one of the two Washington Post reporters who broke Watergate) and John Belushi (comedian extraordinaire) as two of her former patrons. (She didn't care much for Belushi, I fear!)
In the Spring of 1968, my mother died. Around Christmas that year, Ardyce and Dad bumped into each other (I believe it was at a Jewel Food Store -- ironic since Dad worked for Jewel for years) and Ardyce told Dad about the memorials the church had received in Mom's name and asked if he had a preference for one of several intended uses. Dad really appreciated her kindness and the way she had talked to him -- plus he had to find a date for a New Years party to which he had been invited. So he asked me if I think he should ask her out! I was unprepared to give dating advice to my own father but that's never stopped me from giving advice of any kind. I do remember that I thought it a bit odd that he'd be dating a woman who at times had been my substitute teacher.
Dad and Ardyce became a steady item. I was pretty much out of the house back then but for summers; my brother Roy was still in high school and tells me that Ardyce should have gotten partial credit for his high school diploma with all the help she gave him on homework assignments, etc. Dad and Ardyce would come out to visit me at Drake and Ardyce and Sharon (my first wife) became fast friends and allies.
Dad and Ardyce married on August 7th, 1971 -- one week before Sharon and I married. (Dad explained he wanted to introduce Ardyce as his wife in the reception line of our wedding.) About three years later, Dad retired and a few years after that Ardyce also retired.
Dad and Ardyce loved to travel via car. Ardyce had a huge network of family and friends across the United States and I think they visited darn near all of them during those years. On one trip back from the western United States (probably in 1977 or 1978), my Dad called and told me that they had found a place to retire to: Leisure World in Mesa AZ. Now this is true confession: my Dad was one of the last people I'd expect to move to a retirement community. And Ardyce was one of the last people I'd expect to accept the name "Leisure World" -- it was just too, well, contrived. So, I was convinced that Dad was just pulling an elaborate ruse (he had that kind of humor, after all) and I kept saying sarcastically, "sure, Dad, uh huh: Leisure World!" And he got madder and madder that I wouldn't believe him.
They moved to Leisure World later that year and moved into their home that was built on the golf course.
Dad and Ardyce loved it there and made a number of new friends. (We used to joke that Ardyce would know everyone's life story within 20 minutes of walking into a room filled with strangers.) Dad became a member of the homeowners association plus a founder of the local Lions Club; Ardyce joined all sorts of social clubs and delivered book reviews. The first summer there they stayed in Mesa (the summers were beastly hot) but thereafter would take off for cooler climes during the summers.
After about ten years there, Dad's health declined and Ardyce became a caretaker for him. He was not the best patient and she displayed both grace and good humor during this time -- I know it was difficult. Dad died in 1989.
Ardyce kept the home for several years and enjoyed her friendships at Leisure World. In particular, she would travel to Twain Hart CA with her good friend Betty Benedixon (not sure of the spelling on Betty's last name). As each grew older, the trips continued but at a slower pace.
Around 1998, Ardyce finally decided that she couldn't maintain the home and moved into the Beatitudes in Phoenix AZ. It was also around this time that the first symptoms of Multiple System Atrophy began to occur although the diagnosis wasn't formally made for several years. We visited her a few times after Dad's death and it became clearer that her physical health was declining and she needed increasing medical care. My brother Roy and his wife Jo visited each year and Roy ended up helping a great deal with coordinating her care and assisting her with some of the related issues.
In 2002, Jim finally convinced Ardyce that she would be better off moving to Denver where she'd be close to both Jim and Bob and where they could more easily coordinate her care, etc.
She started in an independent living facility but then transferred to assisted living care and finally nursing home care.
I was able to visit her more regularly in Denver. Alec, Barb and I saw her shortly after she moved to Denver and saw her small efficiency apartment. At that stage she tired easily but was still able to go out to a shopping mall (we bought her a couple of outfits for her birthday) and was pretty engaged.
Later, I made short trips with Drew and then again with Matt ... each time we were able to take her out for a drive and have a meal, etc.
Last spring, Jim suggested we visit her as it appeared her life was drawing to a close. We drove out in June and timed our visit with Roy and Jo's visit. Her health was continuing to decline and we saw that she was having a difficult time mustering the strength to stay focused on the conversation. After an hour or so, her strength just ebbed away and she needed to lie down and rest.
Because of her failing health, she was a candidate for the hospice program and we sat with her as the nursing home staff explained the benefits of the program, how it would operate, etc. Somehow, something got lost in the translation and Ardyce thought she was being asked not to enter the program but to administer it. She kindly explained to the nursing home staff that she appreciated the offer but she'd volunteered for things her whole lifetime and she'd prefer that somebody else take on the responsibility! It was a priceless moment and summed up her life so neatly -- this was a woman who took on and mastered so many challenges and it only made sense that she'd be asked to take on another one!
We all thought we'd said our last goodbyes to her that summer. But Ardyce wasn't one to give in easily and she survived through Christmas and January. In February, it was decided to celebrate her 90th birthday ane we had another call from Jim. While discussing the arrival of her sons Burke and David, she pointedly asked "and what about my other two boys?" Well, neither Roy nor I could spurn an invitation like that!
She lived a rich and full life. She gave more than she took. She will be missed.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Nauta can breathe again!
Well, at 9:15 this morning, I pulled up to Classic Auto Storage and picked up the Miata, nicknamed Nauta. When I checked my service log, I found that this year I picked her up almost a week later than last year ... I could have sworn I had waited until the 15th back then! I just couldn't wait any longer this year. And I picked the best day of 2006 to pick her up: sunny and temperatures in the 70's!
Nauta had been detailed over the weekend and just shined when I picked her up. The detailer there does a superb job and the price is reasonable ... plus as I age, I find that the wear and tear on my shoulders and arms from the wiping/buffing etc is literally and figuratively a pain. What's really nice is that the engine compartment is steam cleaned and looks like you could eat off the valve covers (well, probably not, but it is really clean).
(Rufus, the Mazda6 wagon, was left behind for just one day while I have it detailed ... its first coat of wax and a thorough interior/exterior cleaning.)
After picking her up, I stopped at HomeDepot to pick up a new remote garage door opener. (The remote that had been with the Miata had to go to the Mazda6 since it doesn't have HomeLink like the Passat did.) The new Miata remote is one of the small key-fob remotes ... very nice and was programmed in the blink of an eye.
Then it was off to AutoEdge in Mahtomedi for an oil change and a "just-out-of-storage" once-over from the techs there. When I talked to the owner there, he suggested I have the oil changed before putting the car into storage next fall ... which is what I had planned to do when the service tech there disuaded me and told me to wait until I took her out of storage.
Apparently that service tech is no longer with AutoEdge and his recommendation to me is symptomatic of the reason he's not there. Swell. But I doubt there was any damage ... it's just that I want to baby this car for several more years when I can afford to buy a newer Miata.
Drove back home and discovered that Barb was taking the day off ... so we went back to White Bear and had lunch on the patio of Washington Square. Also took a drive around and enjoyed a Minnesota Spring.
Alec wanted to play catch ... so we did. Remember the pain I avoided by not waxing the car? Well, I now am feeling it from tossing the ball back and forth for 45 minutes (grin).
So a great day to have the Miata back and to enjoy. Tomorrow it's back to work!
Nauta had been detailed over the weekend and just shined when I picked her up. The detailer there does a superb job and the price is reasonable ... plus as I age, I find that the wear and tear on my shoulders and arms from the wiping/buffing etc is literally and figuratively a pain. What's really nice is that the engine compartment is steam cleaned and looks like you could eat off the valve covers (well, probably not, but it is really clean).
(Rufus, the Mazda6 wagon, was left behind for just one day while I have it detailed ... its first coat of wax and a thorough interior/exterior cleaning.)
After picking her up, I stopped at HomeDepot to pick up a new remote garage door opener. (The remote that had been with the Miata had to go to the Mazda6 since it doesn't have HomeLink like the Passat did.) The new Miata remote is one of the small key-fob remotes ... very nice and was programmed in the blink of an eye.
Then it was off to AutoEdge in Mahtomedi for an oil change and a "just-out-of-storage" once-over from the techs there. When I talked to the owner there, he suggested I have the oil changed before putting the car into storage next fall ... which is what I had planned to do when the service tech there disuaded me and told me to wait until I took her out of storage.
Apparently that service tech is no longer with AutoEdge and his recommendation to me is symptomatic of the reason he's not there. Swell. But I doubt there was any damage ... it's just that I want to baby this car for several more years when I can afford to buy a newer Miata.
Drove back home and discovered that Barb was taking the day off ... so we went back to White Bear and had lunch on the patio of Washington Square. Also took a drive around and enjoyed a Minnesota Spring.
Alec wanted to play catch ... so we did. Remember the pain I avoided by not waxing the car? Well, I now am feeling it from tossing the ball back and forth for 45 minutes (grin).
So a great day to have the Miata back and to enjoy. Tomorrow it's back to work!
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