bobo

Jason Priestly

Elvis

A bear cub sniffed out a barbecue-chicken-and-jalapeño pizza in the back seat of a vintage red Buick convertible at an upper Kingsbury Grade parking lot on Sunday, jolting onlookers and leaving a cheesy mess behind. About 30 people watched the cub lumber around the Tahoe Village parking lot before it homed in on the Buick and the pizza. Frightened swimmers stayed inside the nearby pool area as the bear - ignoring the car's horn which blew non-stop as the cub pressed the seat into the steering wheel - crawled inside to ferret out the pizza that was on the floor. "The bear was loping along in the parking lot and then decides to get inside the car," said resident Jerry Patterson, who took photographs of the bear. "People were screaming at him, the horn was going off, but he was completely unaware. ... He did what he wanted to do and the people didn't matter." The bear remained inside the 1964 Buick Skylark for a good 20 minutes and at times put his paws on the dash as if he were holding on for a ride, Patterson said. Motorists and onlookers outside the pool area snapped pictures and moved in for a better look. "I knew better than to get too close and so I kept my distance. I respect the bears as wild animals," he said. The owner of the car, David Ziello of South Lake Tahoe, took the excitement in stride. Once the bear left for a nearby Dumpster, Ziello and his son, David Jr., inspected the car for damage. Fortunately there wasn't any - sans some cheese and jalapenos on the seats and floor. But the bear wasn't through yet. He returned to the car from the Dumpster and tried to crawl back in as Ziello was inside. "At that point I was thinking of the $5,000 paint job I had done on it last summer and the new interior I was going to be getting sooner than I thought," he said. "I was like, 'OK. The party's over. Move on.'" The cub stayed in the parking lot for a few more minutes, licked himself and moved on. Ziello quipped to onlookers how the Fox and Hound - the bar and grill on Kingsbury Grade that made him the large pie - has the best jalapeno pizza in Tahoe. "They make a great pizza. Even the bears love it," he said. Fox and Hound Manager Kevin Brent said he was the one who made the pizza for the Buick owner and his family earlier that afternoon. He said the pie was actually a barbecue-chicken pizza loaded with jalapenos. Having worked at the upper Kingsbury bar and grill for years, Brent said he's seen his share of bears, including the one that crawled into the Buick. In fact, the same one is believed to have gotten into a breadbox at the restaurant earlier that day. "I guess the bears find our food pretty tasty and will do anything to get to it," Brent said. Besides the pizza, the cub managed to finish a half cup of a Jack Daniels mixer and half of an Absolute vodka and tonic. There was also a beer missing. "I swear he ran off with the can from the cooler," Ziello said. "The bear's an alcoholic." Between a dozen and two dozen bears live between upper and lower Kingsbury, according to Nevada Division of Wildlife's Carl Lackey, who tracks and relocates bears on the Nevada side of the Tahoe basin. The juvenile bear is one of many whose mothers have dispersed them into the wild this season. While there's not an overall increase in the number of bears in the Kingsbury area, the residential area sees more of them because they've found a primary food source from Dumpsters and people who leave their food and trash in the open. Lackey warned visitors against keeping food inside their cars as bears will find anyway they can to get to it. "When you are in bear habitat, regardless of the time of year, you cannot leave any kind of food out - whether it's food inside the car, trash inside or outside your car, or pet food. Bears will find it and in doing so, it is increasing your chances of serious conflict." http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/2.../NEWS/107040027

Jack Nicholson

This is an old-fashioned Cadillac. I've become used to the looks outside. Before it looked like a cheap knock-off of an old Chrysler New Yorker, but there's heritage in the lines. Inside is attractive if unremarkable. But the soft ride and unaggressive "handling" are geared towards old folk or those who want comfort over all else. Anyone expecting control remotely along the lines of a big Benz or BMW will be disappointed.

homely

honey

melting pot

smog

surgery

The SportCross was available between 2002 and 2005, but I've seen maybe only half a dozen of these things. I got the tan ecsaine fake suede stuff, and I love it. It's much better than leather. Vehicles with limited-slip differential are hard to find. I had to forgo that option when I got my car. I'm not even sure if it was offered on the SportCross.

3 2

Baywatch

The '01 IS has a greenish tint to the black plastics. The '02 got the upgraded plastics, but the '04 got the silver plastic trim. Most people love the engine--it is smooth--but it's not the most powerful thing around, and it doesn't have the greatest fuel economy. But overall, I love my car. I thought the ride was too harsh at first, but it tracks extremely precisely.

I'm planning to see this movie once it shows up in local theaters, and it obviously will not put GM in a good light.

The current CR-V is underwhelming, so this thing can only be better. However, Honda's styling lately has been hit or miss, usually miss, and this is another miss.

It almost goes without saying that I would consider one of these things. It'd be even better if it was a plug-in hybrid.

It looks great. Good choice.

I also think the X3 is a great driving small SUV for those who are into these things. It makes a lot more sense than a lot of the other hulking SUVs, and for the price, the interior is decent. My only real criticism of the thing is its looks, which is subjective, but the exterior changes are going in the right direction.

gored

Michelins. They cost more, but from my experience they provide a good balance of grip and low noise. I got some Bridgestones now, and they wear well, but they are noisy.

The MAXX has always been one of my favorite cars, and the SS model takes care of the deficiencies of the base model. Nice choice in cars, and great color too.

Good choice in cars. Hope you have many happy miles in it and not too much baby puke.

pee

If you're in a part of Palos Verdes that isn't foggy all the time, solar would be a good investment, though there is the aesthetic issue, and big trees can be a problem. You could probably get by with a 5 kW system for about $24K. Rebates are good now but will be dropping slightly next month. I use about 200 kW/hr a month, but there's only one person (me) in my household, and I have eco-weenie tendencies.