trinacriabob

Good morning ... This lowers my blood pressure. Hope it does yours too.

Some other good plates are New Mexico, Arizona (they once had a deep red background that was unique, but the current one is also nice), Washington (though I liked the quasi-cursive font I once had there for 4 years at the very end of their having 3 numbers and 3 letters), Florida (good thing that they got rid of the county names at the bottom of the plates), and Rhode Island. The putting of counties on there is mostly a Southern thing, with few exceptions. Georgia, which has started to lean blue/progressive, still puts county names at the base of their plates. That does not help travelers, even within their own state. When they're parked at a hotel or a restaurant, it tells people they're out of towners. Agreed. That is the most unique plate in North America. Other interesting Canadian plates are Nova Scotia, Quebec, and British Columbia, where they spell it out as "Beautiful British Columbia." My cousin from Europe got a kick out of that and took a photo of a BC plate.

Sometimes, foreign countries have it over North America in some things and, then, North America has it over foreign countries in others. When it comes to license plates, we rule. I got over the idea of having a personalized license plate when I was about 25. No thanks. So, what I'm referring to is the latitude and creativity the various states and Canadian provinces have in coming up with designs for their license plates. A few are boring and they keep them, a few got to a good spot and they are hanging on to them, some keep getting better and better, and, with a select few, they landed on a great design and then moved on to a crappy one. An example of the latter would be Nevada, which, in my mind, had one of my all-time favorite license plates, seen below: Simple design, using two colors - dark blue and gray (approximating UNR's school colors), excellent Western themed font in the word Nevada, and a subtle but detailed desertscape with indigenous animal life and plant life and a mountain backdrop. Nevada's current license plate is sophomoric garbage. Do you have any state or provincial license plates you are a fan of?

When I need to put myself in a good mood, I might listen to this, which is in my collection. It never ceases to be amazing. Within this genre, there are a lot of musical artists, many of whom were African-American (some still are!) who had some one hit wonders. Andrea True and "More, More, More" make me chuckle because she was a good Catholic girl that went wild: daughter of European immigrants to Nashville, Catholic high school graduate, got herself into Vanderbilt, left it to become a porn star, and then became a disco singer. However, Donna Summer rules the roost through that incredible voice that is consistent across her work, but this song is her pinnacle. I was in a funk when I learned she passed away. R.I.P. Donna. This lady owned this genre of music in the '70s and the late Tina Turner, with a very different sultry and spirited voice, owned the derivation of that pop genre in the '80s. R.I.P. Tina. - - - - - When we were little kids, my parents would take us to MacArthur Park at Wilshire and Alvarado to walk around, feed the ducks, and ride the pedalboats. Today's MacArthur Park in Los Angeles is far from the wholesome place it once was.

How did I not see this? Perfect score on the driving portion. Possibly 1 or 2 wrong on the multiple-choice written portion. This was in California and the lady I did the driving test with reminded me of a Hispanic Diana Rigg lookalike. I couldn't believe how nice she was for being a bureaucrat. Some DMV employees can be surly. I was ready. I had had my permit for 6 months to a year. Driving meant freedom! I've driven myself across the U.S. and back in my 20s, so I put my license to good use rather fast.

Saw this walking into a supermarket and it interpolates Halloween and Thanksgiving fairly well ... Q: What do you get when you cross a turkey and a ghost? A: A "poultry-geist"

Here's another one of those handy lists I thought of sharing that has to do with renting cars. Assume you've left the rental counter or checked in some other way and now you're heading to your car. The 5 most important things to do, in my opinion: 1. Inspect the car, take photos of it are back up, bring any preexisting things to the attention of the rental agency, and see if there is anything that won't work for you. They once gave me a Malibu Maxx (no prize) where the rear over cover was missing, and I had to buy cardboard at Home Depot to toss around to cover my things. I've rarely had to give a rental car back, but I have done it a few times. Take at least 10 photos: 4 of each side of the car, 4 of each angled view, 1 of the glass, and 1 that pans the interior; if it has expensive alloy wheels, take photos of those that show their position relative to the car (which side, front or rear) 2. Make sure the lights are set to "auto." They're sometimes not set this way by the last driver and you might find yourself driving without lights at dusk until you figure it out. 3. See how many keys you have been given. In some places, they will give you one. In others, they will give you two. Take a photo of them on the hood or in your hand to corroborate that. 4. Adjust your seating position and that of mirrors to what works for you. 5. Then, set up your electronic devices and get an idea of the infotainment and climate control panels. Reset the trip odometer(s) if this matters to you or if they charge for miles. - - - - - Here's an additional 5: 6. Check the stalks, since each brand seems to invert these and the wipers and other functions might be on the side you're not accustomed to. They often invert cruise control and audio/info functions on steering wheel mounted controls, too. 7. Tap the horn as you're driving out, away from the rental aisle, to see how hard you have to press on the pad and what it sounds like. 8. Note what side the fuel goes in and how to release the latch. 9. Figure out where you're going to put things, both in the cabin and in the trunk for security and efficiency. Look for concealed cubby holes and areas where you can put small things (such as hotel magnetic keys, coins, etc.) and keep them out of view. 10. Throw a pen and a small writing pad into the console or, if no console, the glove box.

Needed to slot this one in ... taken in Virginia Beach VA on 9/10 This is a 1997 Olds Aurora. It was painted taxi cab yellow. I didn't ask why. The driver did delivery for a restaurant. I'll say that the first-gen Aurora nailed the dashboard and interior (love those subtle curves, which they rarely do as well anymore) while the second-gen (and last-gen) did a better job with the car's exterior styling. My two cents.

Happy Halloween, folks I think that, even if we have the paper behind our names, not many of us are suits but, rather, business casual ... or just casual. I'm going to be looking for some pumpkin pancakes and, should I see some receptionists' desks offering up free chocolate, that would be good, too. Enjoy this last day of October.

Does this Spark your interest? Maybe not. Multiple sightings of Chevy Sparks October 4 - Saguenay fjord (port), QC A local lady said it was okay for me to photograph her car in front of the QM2, beyond, moored at the Port of Saguenay. October 5 - Quebec City, QC Dang, these units are popular in Canada. I saw a lot of them. October 13 - Mont-Tremblant (near Saint-Jovite sector), QC Will you look at this? Two used Sparks for sale bookending a Buick Verano for sale. Kudos to this area for liking GM cars. I "met" this dealership a long time ago. The last version of the Grand Prix was fresh at the time and they had one on the floor or lot in the metallic orange/rust color. These would have been the very first year - with the trunk lock and the geometric patterned interior fabrics more suited to a Renault Twingo that they dumped the following year. I learned that the French word for cloth (interior) would be tessut(s). I couldn't find a photo with that strange interior, but this was the color of the car. I missed out on not sitting behind this dashboard for a good number of years. It's one of my all-time favorites. I really believe GM could have kept a slot for Pontiac in their line-up. October 22 - local car seen while shopping (U.S.) This is what was obviously one of their funky colors - Toasted Marshmallow. You can tell this car aimed at a younger audience with its unusual colors and low price point. So long, Chevy Spark.

Mutliple sightings of Firebirds/Trans Ams October 9 - Montreal, QC Here's a black pre-New Millennium Trans Am in near perfect condition. I really liked these when they were being sold, and after that, too. I don't know which V8 sits under the hood (Wiki is your friend), but this was the platform into which they put an Iron Duke 4 cyl. into the most basic model for buyers wanting a lower price point and lower operating costs. (Those said "fuel injection" on the door handles!) More Montreal staircases up to flats, too. October 13 - Montreal, QC Here's another great looking Trans Am in red - not my color for any car - but it's in impressive shape.

Multiple sightings of Chargers October 13 - Montreal, QC I see these whenever I'm in town and they belong to STM (their transit system) and are for the "constable special" (which is FR that also works in EN). They're cool: white, no spoiler, and, most likely, AWD October 10 - Saint-Sauveur (in the Laurentians), QC I had parked my rental car and then saw this specimen that was EXAXCTLY how I would have ordered a Dodge Charger, minus the AWD. *sigh*

Like the Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Charger, all the nips and tucks helped the Pacifica become a much more likeable and handsome vehicle. (That's independent of anything that plagues it mechanically and which appears to affect batches of cars.) In that lighter dove gray - possibly with the pearl effect - it's an eye-catching ride .., and a practical one, too. And this is from someone who had a strong dislike for Mopar products until this last decade.

October 27 local sighting(s) - - - - - "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" more so than "out of sight, out of mind." Looking back, these little Skylarks from the early '90s were cool. Buick took some liberties with their swoopy styling that also made its way into their unique dashboards. They came with a couple of 4-cylinder engines, such as the fairly decent 2.2L I-4, and possibly the Iron Duke 2.5 I-4 at the beginning of the run. However, getting one with the 3300 Buick V6 would have been even better. The engines hooked up to simple 3 speed and 4 speed automatic transaxles. These would have been on the same platform as the Grand Am, and possibly something along the lines of the weird Olds Achieva, so, in this platform and in those years, Buick ruled the roost.

October 25 sadly, the trip is over and I'm back home - - - - - Here is a new Buick Encore or Envista in Avenir trim (see door badging) in a nicer color and sporting the new Buick emblem If this is a Dodge, and I think it is, it would be a Polara. If it were a Plymouth, then it's a Fury. These were consummate land yachts, mostly hit with the ugly stick, and particularly unusual in coupe form.

October 14 Montreal, QC - - - - - I was surprised to see this pimped out late '60s Chevy full-size driving through the narrower streets of Old Montreal blasting some music. It was sort of obnoxious. I looked back for the plates and couldn't see if it was a local car or a car that came up from the States. This is the sort of thing you're more likely to see in California, Florida, or Texas. This makes for a great trifecta - this BMW with strange paint and yellow calipers, McDonald's, and a port-a-potty. I'm guessing this is an old school Rolls Royce pulling away from one of the court or tribunal buildings in Old Montreal and, here, someone was definitely getting married.

October 12 Montreal, QC - - - - - I was checking out the park with the point that juts into some white water in the St. Lawrence River near Habitat 67, which was built for their famous Expo of that year. I was indifferent to Hyundai products for years, but, after having rented them and seeing so many still on the road, I've come to respect the brand. This is an older Accent - their entry level car - that is still serving its owner in a relatively cold climate. It was a coupe with no A/C IIRC, a stick, and manual windows. Here's a photo I looked up of Habitat 67, which are expensive condos or apartments near the port of Montreal. I could learn to shovel snow and like the cold if someone gave me the deed to one of these units.

October 10 Montreal, QC - - - - - The Smart car brand pulled out of the U.S. market, but I'm not sure if they pulled out of Canada. I saw quite a few of them. Not to be crass, but there's a cheeky bumper sticker about "pulling out," hinting that some people should not pass on their stupidity. Smart cars have (had) a palette that goes on and on with weird colors and color combinations. They drive and ride better than they look. Their storage capacity is awful but parking them in congested or compact areas is a piece of cake.

October 9 Montreal, QC - - - - - So I'm walking down a street on the Plateau Mont-Royal and I see a car I love. As I try to frame the photo, I see a car I hate across the street and beyond. I think you'll be able to figure out which car is which. I wouldn't mind having a nice, newer Buick Verano stuffed into a Christmas stocking with my name on it. If anything, walking around the Plateau and seeing all the townhomes/condos/flats with the unique wrought iron spiral staircases is alone worth doing

Oct 7 Sainte-Anne de Beaupre - - - - - Here is the timeless Chrysler 300 in the parking lot of the canyon with the falls that is worth a visit Here is a limo at the impressive basilica I never knew about which is a tourist destination and worth seeing. I am hoping this was for a wedding, given that it's more white than black.

October 5 Quebec City - - - - - Camaro convertible driving along the side of Notre-Dame basilica in the Old Quebec city area Porsche (you tell me what kind) Limo - looks like a stretch Lincoln of some kind - 1 Any car with the old school pop-up headlamps (especially if they work) gets my attention - 2 This is a view from the rear - 3 The owner was around and was fairly excited I knew about this car and was asking questions about it ... he told me it is used when the weather is good ... as you can see, it has a manual transmission. It's a good thing I took French in high school because it's like riding a bicycle and it seems to come back. My dad wanted me to take Latin. Who could I speak Latin with? Nissan 240 (I'd almost forgotten about these) 1 - this appears to be the Model S, which is okay looking 2 - This appears to be model Ugly, and possibly what I may have driven for a short while All I needed was to see 2 Teslas in Old Quebec within 5 minutes of each other ... NOT

I saw a lot of cars this month, as I was in Eastern Canada and their cars are about the same, but some are a little different. October 4 - Saguenay fjord (port) / Chicoutimi, QC Another ~20-year-old Olds Alero with some rust still delivering the goods and parked at the port of this now more publicized destination in Quebec; I was walking around the port and saw this Pontiac Wave parked on a hill on someone's lawn. I wonder if it still ran. They didn't bring the Wave to the U.S., but possibly featured it here as the Pontiac G3. Either way, Canada sure took to Pontiac.

It's interesting how GM's intermediates seemingly "took turns" at being the most attractive in a select span of years, though it's all subjective. Something happened in 1970 where this platform's cars changed for the better - their looks were cleaner relative to 1969 and 1968. Taking '70 to '72 into account, I'd say the Pontiac Le Mans was too much and the Chevy Malibu was a little too vanilla. The Cutlass Supreme coupe was fairly attractive, with the rear lamps getting worse (busier) each year moving along from 1970 to 1972, making the Buick Skylark and its clean lines - grille and headlamps, greenhouse, and taillamps and fascia - the nicest GM intermediate (IMHO) during that span of years.

He seems to really like older B-O-P vehicles and he also seems to have a long association with Pontiac products going up through his family tree. He filled the shoes of the resident curmudgeon and I mean that in a nice (humorous) way. Since I've been called pedantic a time or two, and people think it's weird that I remember so many details about stupid $h!+, I'm guessing I fill the shoes of the resident pedant.

We could theoretically arrive at a compromise. With your ski areas being at much higher altitudes than the Puget Sound B/basin, what I was offering would still get you more months of skiing during that much extended autumn.