trinacriabob

Thank you. I love the Montreal Botanical Garden ... the whole city and area, actually. Easily my favorite city in Canada. Even before it became cool and the hipsters and counterculture idiots descended on the Plateau neighborhood. I have only seen the botanical garden in the fall. They indicate with signage that the visitor's experience will differ depending on the month and season in which they are visiting. I'm sure that spring and summer might have more ideal conditions in the botanical garden while, in fall, there's a tradeoff because you get peak autumn color instead. That's one of the nicer things about the Seattle area. It gets dusted infrequently, lightly, and it melts quickly but, while it lasts, it's downright glorious. The best view is driving across the floating bridges westward into the city and seeing the snow capped Olympics in the distance on a cold, clear day.

I was just going to put up this song because it reminded me of a discussion I had with someone within the last few months. The song is a TRIBUTE to outgoing FLOTUS Melania Trump. Evidently, Melania met The Donald at a nightclub or party for A-list Manhattanites. He needed to trade up to an even younger spouse and Melania must have fit the bill. They exchanged phone numbers and the rest is history. The person I was having the discussion with agreed that, yes, she was digging for gold, given the age difference and the fact that she was running on fumes and her allowed time in the U.S. might have come to an end. So, we understood why she would marry The Donald. However, she most likely envisioned being a successful businessman and developer's wife, and all the typical duties that tend to go with that role ... with "typical" being the operative word. I think she's slightly cool for her being European, having that accent, and teaching her kid to speak Slovenian. She seems to have done a good job as a mom and seems very proud of that part of her life. I don't think that she would have ever envisioned as much scrutiny and attention she was subjected to, including having to get up and speak at national conventions, pitch her husband, and be thrust into politics. She had to do WAY more than what anyone agreeing to marry someone very wealthy would have had to do. With that in mind:

So, in needing a distraction, I looked at one of the side boxes on the site and noticed that it's NOS's birthday today. Happy birthday, NOS, whatever you are doing and wherever you may be.

Dinosaurs in America. I think about them sometimes. Actually, the most logical ancestor would be the alligator. When I see those bigger, older ones in some photos lazily sauntering across some golf course in Florida, I realize the dinosaur is still here. I could suggest a good golf course or two in South Florida where these alligators can go hang out. And I don't even golf.

Indeed I am, sir. It has been a long time since we've seen people in important roles act the way they're supposed to.

I saw a refreshing and appropriate level of humility and dignity all across the board, and for the whole world to see, today. I felt relieved. It was a good thing.

Thank you! This is the best "Chicago" song, IMO, because of its significant "urbane" stand-alone instrumental segments.

It's a sunny day in our nation's capital ...

Within this last year, I learned that BLM does not mean Bureau of Land Management ... as much.

I definitely know "Gamma." I sort of expected the third letter to start with a "C" sound, though, so I thought Gamma might be somewhere else in the Greek alphabet. And Omega being last makes sense, in line with the religious concept of "Alpha-Omega." As for this photo, what's the likelihood that 1) two scuba divers will illegally drive their Olds Omega onto a California beach, and 2) that demographic would even set foot into a showroom to buy an Olds Omega? Also, I know we have some members here who just love multilingual discourse ...

The Cadillac Catera was a mess, along with its "the Caddy that zigs" ad campaign. Its saving grace might have been that the Cadillac Cimarron was worse! I only knew one person who went out and bought a Cimarron and their head wasn't right on all levels. It's beyond the scope of C&G, though definitely soap opera material.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I see current news photos of this "thing:"

Help me out. Alpha ... beta ... (?) ... delta. I don't want to cheat and look it up: what is the (?)? I'll probably recognize it. I'm not sure if omega is the last letter, as in alpha-omega. It's probably zeta. Well, have I got a "looker" for all of you ...

Oregon plates and green cars go together. Wow to both of these.

Hippiesh, no doubt about that. Incredibly odd but definitely interesting lyrics, though.

However, there is an abundance of lighthouses along the Great Lakes photographed under those conditions to "shock and awe," for lack of a better description. I am always fascinated by the possibilities in icicle formations. - - - - - Ford stock? Upward potential? Or does one just say "F"* it? (* F is its ticker!)

I had to look up what it looks like because I have an "if you have to ask the price ..." situation with Escalades. Well, it gives the expression "long in the tooth" a new meaning.

13 years of sled today! It's officially a teenager. I checked the odometer upon getting into it today - 103,310 miles ... of very reliable motoring across those miles. When my last car hit the 13 year mark, it had approximately 215,000 miles on the odometer. It's amazing how life changes.

I am driving along, minding my own business, and I see this. Is this for real? Unique. I've never seen anything like this before!

You're funny! Is the top photo Victoria Falls? As for the lower photo, that could be the Dolomites in Italy, but also Austria, Switzerland, or Bavaria. If it's the Dolomites, I have driven the Great Dolomite Road twice and it is incredible!

I went to the post office today. In the parking lot exit, a burgundy late(r) model Mercury Grand Marquis was in front of me. It was spotless and there was a beige baseball cap on its rear shelf. It was a tall senior gentleman who had also been inside the post office. Ahead of him was an older BMW where the driver was being overly cautious to go out into the traffic of a major 4-lane road. The Grand Marquis driver began to honk in repetition. The Grand Marquis driver finally got into traffic and chose the right lane. As someone slowed down to turn into a gas station about a block further down, he started repeatedly honking at that person, too. This guy was slightly dysregulated. I pondered the beige baseball cap on his rear shelf. Oh, yeah ... I forgot where I was going. Nice 4.6 liter SOHC V8!

What happened? Comedies are nowhere as good as they used to be. The epic ones like this one stay with you for a lifetime!

I recently happened into this and it's pretty damn funny ... hello Jersey Shore. It brings up the notion as to whether most stereotypes have some accuracy. If enough people didn't notice them, they wouldn't exist. I guess that means "yes."

It seems LaCroix specialty water is now a cool way to go to quench thirst with flavor, no sugar, and no sodium. HOWEVER, some flavors of LaCroix are really, really bad.

As for airline and automaker cards, they encourage different spending patterns. I think the automaker cards are actually safer. With airline cards, you visualize wanting to go on a trip annually. Then, they offer spending bonuses. Airline cards tend to have maintenance fees every year - not to bad, at about $60. I took some good trips and got rid of them. As for an automaker card, they don't kick in until a person is in the market. The only bonuses that seem to come along are top-off offers. Agreed that the ridiculous price points of SUVs/CUVs make the earnings on the card useful. They'd make a top-off offer useful, too. The price points and product lines may push me away from GM products. As for SS-based, I'm guessing you're thinking of the now gone Chevy SS or Pontiac G6, but possibly a little larger. I don't see it happening, though I think that would be decent. I think other automakers will steer clear of the Charger/300 twins rather than muscle in on their proven mastery within that small market. David, I wouldn't even go near a vehicle with a sticker of $ 51 K. Not my thing. Even with a massive discount. The more basic Envisions sticker out at about $ 35 K with FWD and $ 37 K with AWD. It would be easier to consider them when starting the discounting process on those vehicles at around those prices. I also like the outgoing Envision. Simpler, too. I have to warm up to the new one, if I ever will. That said, I'm not in the market. The mileage on my current car is too low. I'm looking out a ways. That's why I am keeping tabs on what Chevy is doing with sedans and on the Charger/300.