trinacriabob

Interesting event in SW Florida. They make the news from time to time. A nuisance gator was chasing customers in a Wendy's parking lot! Sadly, I didn't see any footage ... just photos. Why would you even get out of your car if you saw an alligator in the parking lot? A similar sight took place in Texas. Yes, they live there, too. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/alligators-spotted-two-separate-restaurant-154200844.html

True. I can see that. So it's probably better to cut your losses. This happened in 2020 ... and it happened in 2016 via social media. You cut ties with people. I'm even seeing that I probably have to cut ties with some anti-vaccination folks I know. It's a predictable kit of parts. - - - - - On the brighter side, the EU is poised to reopen to North Americans who have been vaccinated. I have watched airfares take a big jump. Nonetheless, it will be reopening and I'm very happy about that.

Most of the people you argue with, but, at the same time, don't want dialogue, tend to be those who don't know how much they don't know. So, yes, there is no point when you look at it in hindsight.

So, I'm at Costco. For Cafe 1.50, of course - a hot dog and a soft drink. Nah. I look at other items and at their new tires. They always have new cars out front to promote their buying program. I have had various issues with new ielly bean Elantra, but the list keeps growing. If I ever need to be reminded not to consider buying one, I can just think of this cheap black plastic "trying too hard" grille. Blech.

Saw a few odd ones this last sunny Sunday. This appears to be a Cadillac STS, which was the alphabet soup replacement for the Seville. There's nothing weird about the car except that different fenders were different colors, including this one that looked like a grapefruit. - - - - - I went to the market. What the hell is this? I haven't seen one of these in a long time! After shopping, I ran into the chick who owned it. She told me it was a 1998 Ford Escort coupe with about 130,000 miles ... that she got with about half that mileage and for under $1,000. And was dependable.

And those are the other ones - the other 10% to 15%. Socialization with people and treatment of the animal are crucial. The only one that is sort of a surprise is the German Shepherd. Dog write-ups speak of them in mostly very positive terms. I think that, of the ones that can be dangerous, they are a beautiful dog. The issue with German Shepherds, they write, is that they can turn if they are being mistreated.

You read/hear the news. Both kids and adults succumb to fatal attacks from dogs. You read/listen on. And most of the time it's a pit bull, or a pit bull mix. Duh. And then people get all pissed off about making generalizations? WTF?

Also, right in that same area, along the Gulf Freeway, and in other parts of Houston, there are several dealerships with the name De Montrond. You'd think you were in Quebec and NOT in the Lone Star State.

And, from driving up and down I-45 (the Gulf Freeway) between Houston and Galveston in February, I can tell you it's still there. Except that it's a Buick-GMC dealership. The owners must have some "cojones" to not change the name. Who that has been on this C&G forum for a while isn't (somewhat) weird? This place is "Quirk Central."

^ *LOL* It's amazing how a post on getting some jeans for $ 14.99 can take on a life of its own.

I am not a big impulse buyer at all. Yesterday, I was at Costco around lunch to have my tires rotated and balanced. I've done fairly well with these so far ... 60,000 miles and more to go. I had a "Cafe' 150" dog and drink for lunch. I got samples (dark chocolate pretzels) from walking around! The "Costco lunch" will return. (Y'all get vaccinated, now.) I wandered over into the clothing. I saw these jeans by Izod for $14.99. I can always use a pair to run errands and for casual wear where labels don't matter. I picked them up and, since they stretch some, they obviously were not cotton. They also have some poly, rayon, and spandex in the mix. The lady working the area wrinkled her nose when I said, "When 87F and muggy in New Orleans?" I guess not, but they would be fine in 67F in Minneapolis. Plus, they're something to wear when you roll out of bed and run errands on the weekend. Costco clothing is one of the few places I may break my impulse purchase rule. I once bought a dark green Gerry down jacket for a kick ass price.

A little late with this one, too. Spotted on South Padre Island toward the end of February. Someone's last-gen LaCrosse with Midwest plates (a "Winter Texan!"), the Sapphire condo tower (the tallest here, yes, but the density is low compared to Miami Beach), and a beautiful day. Looking south along SPI Beach. I believe the Sapphire is the last structure way down at the end. As long as you're here when it's not crowded, and the weather is still good, South Padre Island is wonderfully relaxing.

@oldshurst442 You are preaching to the choir. *LOL* Throwing the U.S. and Canada into the same bucket (North America), Montreal is considered the 2nd best gastronomic city in North America after New York City. Considering its much lower population and density, that speaks volumes about Montreal's excellence in its culinary offereings. I dream of the place constantly - the beauty, the architecture, the culture, the food, the global mindset, and locals who have been very hospitable to me. Chalk it up to 3 years of French in high school. I fought with my dad back then because he wanted me to take Latin. I asked him if he wanted slam dunk As from me in French ... or teeth pulling Bs from me in Latin. Case closed.

Happy Mother's Day - to the mothers in your lives, whether in your immediate family, extended family, or among friends and neighbors. Or to the mothers in your memories. For some, it's easy to be a mother (from the biological sense) ... they almost lack restraint! For others, it has proven to be difficult to achieve. Regardless, being a good mother is hard work. Enjoy this day.

I am not sure about this one. I am warming up to the front end ... some. I liked the previous and more "classic" Buick front end on this car more. Isn't it great how the word "troll" has become entrenched in our vocabulary? So, here we have "lot trolling," which is certainly less invasive than "realtor trolling." I doubt if kids today even know what a "looky-loo" is! The first is unmistakably '75. Without a few clues, the second is either '76 or '77. So cool that Buick pulled off this colonnade that looked good with either the upright Parthenon grilled or the canted back slatted one we see in the sportier model shown. And which you once owned and some cats took refuge in the engine bay to shield themselves from the elements! You can't make stuff like that up. Here's where I have a problem. I don't like that oversized touch screen panel occupying too large of a portion of the dash. With the last Envision, I liked the center area being anchored at the right by an old school chronometer - a la Chrysler 300 - while still having a large enough touch screen area for a lot of features. That one looked good. Concisely stated. Right. It doesn't have to be symmetrical, but it can be what they term "asymmetrically symmetrical." This isn't.

Why hello, darling ... Thought I'd wake you guys up on a Saturday morning.

I will go to Buca di Beppo and then swear that I won't return. And then I get a coupon for 20% off in some coupon packet. That was the case today for lunch. Their food is FAR being from good Italian food. It's caked with this bad and heavy tomato sauce. All the dishes going to adjacent tables looked the same. I just vowed I won't be going back. But then there's the expression, "never say never."

Homes are sparse now, too. It's ridiculous. Things were sort of "normal" around 2017. Now, and even with a (recent) pandemic, certain strata of homes at certain prices are flying off the market.

Saw this at a BBD between Seattle and Tacoma several years ago, so not suitable for a more recent spotting thread. To each their own, but this was/is fairly scary to me.

Thank you for posting this. Aside from the content of the article, the attached photo is a humble but beautiful shrine, too. When in Greece, which I've been to, and Bulgaria, which I'd like to see, I know I will be interested in visiting their places of worship. Edit: I've seen one too many photos of the baked goods and desserts in Bulgaria, and that's only making me salivate more.

Good on the Firebird Formula 400! My favorite F-bird years were 1975 and 1976. I liked the new wrap-around rear windows and their grilles. I liked the whole darn car! I think that if it was Mach anything, it could have been either a 302 V8 ... or maybe a V6. Not sure if they would have had 4s. Vegas only had 4s. And I believe they were 140 c.i. as well. We had the No Va gaffe ... I wonder if anyone could have come up with a jingle that paralleled the idea of M&Ms "melts in your mouth, not in your hands" campaign for the Vega's engine's inability to stave off heat.

When you didn't know any better, you might have thought these were cool, or cute. I'm just talking about the basic small fastback, as opposed to the notchback. Then, when you learned how "reliable" (cough) they were with some of their engines, like the "ping up a storm" 140 c.i. 4 cylinder, you might not have liked them as much. I could hardly see Sean Connery and Jill St. John outrunning and outsmarting the authorities in Las Vegas in one of these - even if in the most potent Mach model.

Haha. As soon as I saw the front grille slats on the YouTube cover, I knew it was an 1984. I'm a little partial to the mid-'70s for sentimental value and, mostly, liked that GM cars then did not have CCC (Computer Command Control), so not much at all in the way of sensors and electronics to control the engine ignition system. The downsized intermediates were actually more attractive, especially with the 1981 reskinning! Their only down sides were that their widths did not allow for the really interesting sculpted dashboards of the mid-'70s and, for those who wanted them, (stock) engines with displacements of 350 c.i. and above. That said, the most comfortable car I've ever owned was also a 1984 (don't know if I'm repeating myself) Cutlass Supreme coupe. And really comfortable because it was the Brougham model. With a measly but reliable 3.8 liter (carbureted) V6, I referred to it as "The Little Cutlass that Could." Here's a scan of a photo taken of it in NorCal. I miss this car.

Too funny. I was not expecting this news. Thought that this graphic might only show Bill, which would have been "drier" in its humor.

Bingo. It all comes down to it being enclosed. Put me at the top of a skyscraper. As long as it has a railing or it's glassed in. I loved visiting the CN Tower in Toronto. I've been 3 times - first in 1996. Being over 100 stories above Toronto and the lakefront is remarkable. I'm easily up there for over 1 to 2 hours. I might agree with your parents if it's a real edgy and substandard road. My parents got wigged out by CA-1. Driving south on CA-1 - a good road - between Monterey and San Simeon is not the place a driver should get overly confident. (Unless it's a chase scene from "Basic Instinct" or something.)