A NEEEEW CAR!

Time has come to retire our five year old Kia Sorento. It has been a fabulous SUV and served well. Only complaint was the gas mileage. Vehicle had a lot of character and it is somewhat sad to see it go. But....time for a change, warranty has expired and we need more room so Linda can continue to shop her way through the USA. With any luck we will pick up our new Saturn Outlook Thursday or Friday of this week.

We took a look at the Cadillac SRX but surprisingly the Outlook was quieter, smoother and had better use of interior space. With all the same options the Outlook is about $15k less.

And now for something completely different.

In my travels through the Internet I have discovered 3D printing. This is "Star Trek" technology. Apparently it has been around for a few years but it is new to me. Imagine, creating a drawing of an object on you computer, sending it out to a 3D printer and having a solid object that you can hold in your hand as an end result....AMAZING! For anyone interested in this technology, I have included a link to a demonstration video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyZtBYG0QOg Take a look. Even if you have no interest in 3D modeling, it is a fascinating display of today's technology.

Printers start around $19k, which is not outrageous. It is not quite as simple as it sounds as one has to produce a 3D drawing for the printer to work. I started investigating 3D software and found there were any number of companies willing to offer up a free 30 day trial. I downloaded what I thought would do the job and started mucking around. After wasting hours, I decide that maybe reading the tutorial might be a good idea. This software is nothing like the vector software I am used to. The learning curve for these 'AutoCad' type programs is very steep. After 2 hours of following the tutorial, I had finally created a 3D box with a hole through it. Something I could have done in two minutes in Corel X3. Unfortunately, in Corel it may look like a 3D box but it isn't really and the Corel files are not compatible with Alibre software. Regardless, I will persevere as I am determined to learn and become proficient in 3D artistry.

Two weeks and it is off to Wisconsin for a vintage racing event at Road America. Our Chief of Tech has decided he is going to sit this one out (chicken). We are going to be short staffed for this event and with close to 400 cars to tech, it is going to make for some long days. We stay at the Ostof Resort which makes the trip worthwhile.

Home at Last

Although I am not too sure if that is a good thing. Usual lousy spring weather and $5.60 a gallon for premium gasoline ($4.78 for an equivalent US gallon). And who says we are not getting ripped off by the oil companies? Their 1st quarter net profits of over $400 million make me want to puke. Gas prices in the US are around $3.44 US gallon for premium so it is still a $1.34 cheaper per US gallon States side.

It is nice to be back, just to see the kids and granddaughter.

The trip home was uneventful and the weather held for the whole trip. Made good time.....seventeen hours from Savannah to the front door.

Lots of stuff to catch up on. The yard work this spring is going to be a major chore. Winter played havoc on our bushes at the side of the house and they will all have to be removed. They have been in there for twenty years so there will probably be some resistance yanking them out of the ground. Frost did a good job on our deck so that will have to be re-leveled once it has settled back down. Sitting in Florida, I had made a decision to really get some work done out back this spring. Looking at it now, it seems like an overwhelming task and I may just re-think the whole affair. Think I will go and lie down until the feeling goes away.

The Time Has Come.......

To head for home. It has been a great six weeks here in the sunny south but it is time to head back to the Great White North. Temperature here in Savannah are expected to drop to 41f overnight and we can expect snow on the way home. One looses touch with reality being down here in terms of weather.

We finished our event at Roebling Road and it was another great weekend of vintage racing. Best part is still being with new friends. Staff dinner Sunday evening was at Sam Snead's Oak Bar and Grill. Great food, good service but a little pricey.

Next event is Road`America in May. Northern Wisconsin weather in may can be a little dicey so one dresses for both extremes.

See everybody at home on Tuesday.

Life Doesn't Get Much Better

Today we had a leisurely drive from Orlando to Daytona. A drive which would normally take about and hour took us almost four. We took the backroads, the slow roads, and the scenic roads. We stopped and looked at new SUV's, had lunch at one of our favorite spots, The Cove on A1A in Melbourne. We casually strolled into Daytona and were met with chaos. Good grief, isn't Spring break over yet? The hotel we were booked into was over-run with undesirable type young adults. Fortunately they were not able to provide the room we had booked so we were off the hook and cancelled. We drove north through Daytona and settled on a great resort right at the north end of the beaches. This is an older hotel that has just re-opened after $34 million in renovations. I am sitting here at my computer in our 12th floor room overlooking the ocean. Doors wide open and a good cup of coffee.....life doesn't get much better.

We are here until Wednesday morning then off to Savannah.

Thought for the day: There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

Fun!!!WOW!!!!

$8.00 watery drinks, cheesy bar, terrible karaoke, noisy brats running around at 11:00pm. I am sure it must be somebodies idea of a goodtime. NOT MINE!

A sure sign that I have gone over the threshold into old age, and not very gracefully. Oh for the serenity of Lake June. Even young ladies in scanty bikini's are not enough to tempt me into this type of lifestyle.

The streets are adorned with every type of tourist trap, cheap gift shops, promises of discounted theme park tickets, miniature golf and worst of all....TOURISTS.