just jumped in to say "Happy Father's Day" to all you Dads out there in Subaru land... flying home this afternoon after a nice weekend visit with cousins etc... celebrating the life of my uncle who died last weekend. Rest in peace, Uncle Joe!
Sorry about your loss. Last October North Carolina was the gathering place for my Uncle's funeral. We partied like nobody's business for 3 days at the families estate. It was how he would have wanted it. Hope everything is well with you and your family.
My mom is British, so that prompted some visits. And while born & living mostly in NY, my job changes have moved us to Dallas, TX and Palm Bay, FL. These have served as jumping-off points for multi-state travel and exploration. Plus, the job has taken me (& Beth) all around the USA, to Asia several times, & we adopted Emily from China.
So that gives us: 30+ US States, 6 Canadian Provinces, England (multiple times), Asia: Japan (multiple), South Korea, China (PRC - twice), Hong Kong (as a British Colony), Macau (China coast).
Most of the states except for Alaska, Hawaii, and Pacific NW (sorry, Stephen!) Lived in Israel for 3 years Lived in Italy for 3 years Born in Paris and hung out there for a few months. Countries visited: Canada Israel Italy Greece Turkey Gibraltar San Marino Spain Morocco Belgium Luxembourg England The Netherlands Switzerland France Greek Islands Mexico Puerto Rico Jamaica Bahamas Panama Iceland Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria (by train on the way to Turkey)
You need to get you & the family up the Seattle way. Maybe we could get Ed (Lark6) to come back this way and Paul from Spokane. We could have a mini-Subaru get together. If anything, you could at least cross the Pacific NW off your list, LOL!
I'd love to, but for some reason which goes beyond human understanding, Susan has absolutely no desire to visit that part of the country... - Confused in Seattle -
You bet I'm watching the cup! US and Brazil move on to the next round, the next games will be very interesting. My money's on Brazil over England, but I'm sorry to say that I think US will fall to Germany's greater depth and experience. But I'll be glued to the TV nonetheless... And, how about Senegal? Love to watch them.
I think Susan has resistence because subconsciously she's afraid she'll want to move here... :-; (especially after the 94 degree weather we had last Thursday, ouch!)
Well...leave her at home I say! We could just make a guys' thing anyway, LOL!
It's been a crazy Cup, and fun to watch. Don't count out the USA so quickly, look how much they improved since the Poland game. And Ireland managed to tie them, too.
Senegal has been a pleasant surprise. You gotta love an underdog.
Working for the Brits, there are folks at work by 7:30 a.m. watching the telly. We have several Brazilians here too. I could hear people screaming while I'm sitting at my desk trying to work at 9:00. :-)
Way to go Mike! Did you ever put in Redline gear oil?
Yep I have redline in the MT and the rear diffy. The rear diffy is still whining very bad under throttle, so I'll be replacing that soon, waiting for it to come in the mail.
Nah...that's just a rumor we locals like to propagate when we feel too many people are moving here. :-) We've actually had less rain this year and similar temps as where my sister lives north of Indy. NYC gets more rain then we do as does most major cities.
Finally finished off that tank of gas from filling up on the way home last weekend in the Wisc. Dells. ~200 miles was highway, the rest light mixed, mostly city. 344.5 miles @ 13.685 gallons to fillup = 25.2 mpg. That was all on Mobil's non-reformulated stuff (outside the Milwaukee metro area). So, now it has the 'normal' (reformulated, as was the 1st tank) stuff back in. This next tank should be more of my typical city driving. But, at this point, it looks like the ECM update hasn't affected my mileage.
I agree with what Stephen said. Vancouverites lie about the weather too to keep down immigration. We are having our first rain in 12 days today - about 10 drops so far in Vancouver proper.
Well with the XT6 I got 29mpg last night coming home from upstate NY. 77mph @ nite! Probably could have pushed it over 30mpg if it wasn't night since the 2 pie plates were up in the front. It was also fully loaded to the ceiling with stuff. Including 4 mounted race tires.
As a fellow NY'er, I can vouch for our N.W. brethren. A few years back, Beth & I spent 14 days touring the Seattle/Vancouver Island/Olympics/Mt.Ranier/St.Helens region (yes, a lot of territory in two weeks!), and saw only one single day of rain! BTW, we had an AWD Legacy wagon from Hertz.
I have been back to Seattle/Bellevue twice on business, and can attest to the fact that they tell us about the rain just to help keep the population growth in control. The city (it appears to me) is unfortunately experiencing a rather high rate of growth that is overtaxing the highway system. Seems worse on each visit, although still a great place to live!
Yesterday at lunch, a co-worker asked me to name one player on the U.S. team. I'll have to get back to him on that. Yeah, at least "World" Cup actually involves the rest of the world.
There's lots of Little Italy left. There must be at LEAST 50 ft. on Mulberry Street. :-)
Well we're back, safe, sound, and full of foie gras.
We ended up with a Skoda Octavia 1.8TD estate with 5MT. I was hoping for a Renault Laguna, but oh well. The Skoda (er, VW) was well built, with the trademark rubbery VW shifter; the 1.8TD produced good grunt, although the car was geared for high speed cruising rather than off the line acceleration. I'll post a pic at some point.
So our summer road trip: Paris for 3 days, then a train to Strasbourg. 2 nights there, then drive through picturesque mountains and fun twisties to Riquewihr for 2 nights and a tour of the Zind-Humbrecht winery. Drive from there to Sancerre, with a stop in Dijon for lunch. 2 nights in Sancerre with a tour and tasting at Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy. From there a drive along the Loire River to Vouvray for 2 nights in a 16th century chateau. We visited Champalou winery in Vouvray, and the venerable Charles Joguet in Chinon. Off to Chartres then, to visit my mother's family for 2 days. Lastly, 2 nights in Normandy with a day trip to Honfleur. I could have passed on that in favor of the beaches, but one member of our foursome was pretty adamant about it and I didn't want to cause any tension. Been there once, will take Kirst back on our own next time.
Al the winery appointments I made before leaving were incredible. I think folks were surprised to get a group of 4 young, interested Americans in these more esoteric wine regions, and they pulled out the stops. Great tastings, some fantastic cheeses, and more free bottles than we could carry home. We set up a triage at the house in Normandy and drank the simplest ones, then hauled home the gems. Sadly I got pretty ill in the Loire, and was in bed with a fever for a day. In Chartres the family got me to a doctor...ah, my old friend the sinusitis. We saw a lot of great landmarks and castles, and walked all over Paris ( the only time we had good weather the entire trip save for the last day in Normandy).
It has been 10 years since I have been there. Some thoughts on Europe now that I am more or less an adult:
I understand that politically and socially, France in particular and Europe in general has it's share of problems. That 35 hour work week law is killing France's restaurant and finance industry. Most people assume it will be repealed in the near future. But damn, life over there is a lot more civilized. Even in big grocery stores, most food is still sourced locally, with great produce, dairy, and seafood. Massive agri-business hasn't yet reduced them to a nation of hormone-and-corn-fed grade D burger munchers, that is for sure. We were really stunned by the abundance of fresh stuff at all the open air markets we saw. Sancerre's one outdoor vending machine dispenses...........goat cheese. Yup. If you ever get that 3 a.m. Crottin de Chavignol craving, ya know, like ya do. Of course the culture views the notion of dining as part of the social fabric, so it is assumed you'll need a good 2 hours to have a meal. fine with me of course, and the wine is a given....not a means of getting tanked and escaping, but as a natural extention of the dinner table.
And then there is the driving. everyone to the right. Passing on the left. Moving out of the passing lane immediately if overtaken. Pedestrian right of way untouchable. Everyone on the ball and at speed, so traffic cirlces flow efficiently-far better than intersections with lights. respect for merging traffic. good signaling. well maintained cars. It was a Grand Touring utopia, I was amazed; I 'd never driven in Europe before and it was so crushingly depressing to get on I-95 here yesterday.
Oh well, at least I got my Subie back!! I liked that Skoda fine, but wow was it nice to get into the Soob. My RS seats fit me better, and of course the car is set up the way I like it- taut, firm (but not choppy), and direct.
Final comparison: Got to Charles de Gaulle on Saturday and needed lunch while we waited for boarding. So, to the cafeteria. Kirst and I shared a salad of frisee with smoked duck breast, chevre medallions, and vinaigrette. Also a smoked salmon sandwhich with creme fraiche, tomate, and cold cucumber. Plus 2 whole milk yogurts and 2 Oranginas. cost: 28 euros (airport prices!). Upon arrival in Newark, we needed dinner while waiting for our connection. So, to the food court. The lesser of the evils on tap, we had 2 A&W grease-burgers with processed cheese-food slices on top, 2 fries, and 2 root beer floats (o.k., they were GOOD!) cost: $21(airport prices!) Given what we had for lunch, it was possibly the most depressing meal of my life.
BUT, we're back and getting into the groove again. Along with a renewed commitment to keep cooking great food and to resist the relentless media messages to buy mass produced, mass marketed pre-processed food in massive amounts. Took a while to catch up with all the posts, but I am there in the MTM and the MODS sections. Oh oh oh one more thing- on the way to Normandy we passed a new Maserati, a new 911 turbo, and an Sti Ver. VII. all had GB tags and were tailed by an equipment truck. So look for a comparo in some GB car magazine in the coming months- that had to be what was going on. My 1st real life STi.
Sounds like a great trip! Do you speak French, at least well enough to get by? Was it difficult finding people who spoke English, when you were away from large metropolitan areas?
Ohhhhh yeah...I've been losing sleep watching the games live or taping them to watch later. Today's match between Korea and Italy was something else, and I'm surprised the way it went. However, what team wouldn't be hyped with that many fans cheering for you? And sorry, but the ref made a REALLY bad call on Totti. He did not deserve that second yellow card!
Okay, don't get me started... :-)
Loosh: What a great trip! Thanks for sharing. I so enjoy reading about everyone's road adventures.
I don't mean to be contrary, but I had a very wet experience in the NW. My wife and I took a trip last year to the San Juan Islands and the Olympic Peninsula. The San Juans: rain about once a day, an hour or more at a time. Which was not so bad. I was born in Florida and was semi-amphibious for years. I was used to rain and lots of it certain times of the year -- you live by and around the afternoon thunderstorm. But the Olympic Peninsula...OMG! We arrived under clouds, got the tent up...and it started to rain. We ate in the rain. We hiked in the rain. We slept in the rain. We woke up in the rain. We hiked in the rain again. We sat under an a-framed tarp, at our picnic table, and stared into the rain. We walked in the rain. We walked in the rain again. We stared some more. Like I said, I grew up in Florida -- I thought I knew rain and that it was no big deal to me. But in Florida, the sun comes out some time. In Washington it was a steady, constant drizzle that just went on and on and on and on and on and... Man, I was ready to peal the skin off my arms before it was over! Anything to cut into the constant sogginess of my gray-spongy soul! It stopped raining for about 45 minutes -- we packed up: wet tent, wet everything -- and hauled it out of there, down the Washington Coast (watch out for the killer logs!), into Oregon, across Oregon along the Columbia River, Cascades in there somewhere, back to Idaho, down Idaho to Utah, through Salt Lake City, straight to Bryce Canyon, where, thankfully, it was about 90 degrees and dry as a bleached bone in the desert. We threw the wet tent up under a Ponderosa pine, and we dried out in about five minutes -- BAM! And the blessedly merciless sun burned into my thankfully seared retinas.
Totti may not have deserved that 2nd yellow, but the guy who took out that Korean's nose did. That deserved a red card, and it would have been much earlier in the match, so the handicap of playing one man down would have lasted longer.
So IMO Korea deserved it, congrats to them.
Serge: I got a 6CD changer from a WRX today. A local guy, Drew, thanks for the links folks. Paid $150 and he even delivered it to me at work. If it works well, I'll shop for another one for Sandy.
Welcome back, Loosh. Goat cheese from a vending machine? All we have is cheese-n-crackers, and fake cheese at that. Can we trade?
Thanks for the report. You can't keep a good myth going without throwing in a little fact. We arrange the odd deluge so that some visitors can carry tales such as yours to outsiders. If you had identified yourself as a Subie person, the rains would probably been delayed. Sorry for the inconvenience. :-)
Ross, we were in a lapis lazuli blue Mazda (Ford) B4000 pickup/4x4! A much beloved/hated vehicle. That was the trip where a weld on the exhaust cladding popped and we had a mysterious ringing/buzzing at exactly 1500 rpms on the tach. I was under that truck at every opportunity trying to figure out what the noise was. And I "fixed" it about four times until until I worked my way up to the actual problem -- the busted weld. Triumphantly, I dug into my tools and odds'n'ends, pulled out the circular clamps (that's what I call them) and cinched the cladding piece back tight. My wife looks askance at me when I insist on bringing my tools and paraphenalia on a camping trip - but finally I needed it! Anyway, we got rid of the truck after that trip -- it was a rolling heart-ache. Little did I know that the gods themselves were directing rain and flood at us because of that accursed machine!
Went to England last march .The weather forcast everyday was nice with showers . It rained everyday I was there .It even snowed when we went to Windsor castle. But the day we left the sun came out to say go back to America .
Comments
Cheers!
Paul
Steve
My mom is British, so that prompted some visits. And while born & living mostly in NY, my job changes have moved us to Dallas, TX and Palm Bay, FL. These have served as jumping-off points for multi-state travel and exploration. Plus, the job has taken me (& Beth) all around the USA, to Asia several times, & we adopted Emily from China.
So that gives us: 30+ US States, 6 Canadian Provinces, England (multiple times), Asia: Japan (multiple), South Korea, China (PRC - twice), Hong Kong (as a British Colony), Macau (China coast).
Steve
Lived in Israel for 3 years
Lived in Italy for 3 years
Born in Paris and hung out there for a few months.
Countries visited:
Canada
Israel
Italy
Greece
Turkey
Gibraltar
San Marino
Spain
Morocco
Belgium
Luxembourg
England
The Netherlands
Switzerland
France
Greek Islands
Mexico
Puerto Rico
Jamaica
Bahamas
Panama
Iceland
Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria (by train on the way to Turkey)
-mike
Jim
-mike
BTW, go Brazil! Anyone watching the Cup? USA made the 1/4 finals, too. Both teams face tough opponents though, England and Germany. Ouch.
-juice
-mike
Do they have timers that measure when the tire crosses a certain point? If it's by hand, it can't be nearly that accurate.
-juice
-mike
Stephen
- Confused in Seattle -
You bet I'm watching the cup! US and Brazil move on to the next round, the next games will be very interesting. My money's on Brazil over England, but I'm sorry to say that I think US will fall to Germany's greater depth and experience. But I'll be glued to the TV nonetheless... And, how about Senegal? Love to watch them.
Steve
Well...leave her at home I say! We could just make a guys' thing anyway, LOL!
Speechless in Seattle,
Stephen
Senegal has been a pleasant surprise. You gotta love an underdog.
-juice
Way to go Mike! Did you ever put in Redline gear oil?
-Dennis
-mike
-mike
-mike
Besides, Italy and USA are in it, don't tell me you're not a fan of Forza Azure.
-juice
-mike
In Brazil, there was a prison escape because all the guards were watching a game. The whole country literally closes.
-juice
Stephen
I'm planning to detail my Subie this weekend or next. I fully expect a freak rainstorm in California afterwards.
-Brian
Ross
-juice
-mike
-mike
Stephen
I have been back to Seattle/Bellevue twice on business, and can attest to the fact that they tell us about the rain just to help keep the population growth in control. The city (it appears to me) is unfortunately experiencing a rather high rate of growth that is overtaxing the highway system. Seems worse on each visit, although still a great place to live!
Steve
-mike
There's lots of Little Italy left. There must be at LEAST 50 ft. on Mulberry Street. :-)
-Dennis
We ended up with a Skoda Octavia 1.8TD estate with 5MT. I was hoping for a Renault Laguna, but oh well. The Skoda (er, VW) was well built, with the trademark rubbery VW shifter; the 1.8TD produced good grunt, although the car was geared for high speed cruising rather than off the line acceleration. I'll post a pic at some point.
So our summer road trip:
Paris for 3 days, then a train to Strasbourg. 2 nights there, then drive through picturesque mountains and fun twisties to Riquewihr for 2 nights and a tour of the Zind-Humbrecht winery. Drive from there to Sancerre, with a stop in Dijon for lunch. 2 nights in Sancerre with a tour and tasting at Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy. From there a drive along the Loire River to Vouvray for 2 nights in a 16th century chateau. We visited Champalou winery in Vouvray, and the venerable Charles Joguet in Chinon. Off to Chartres then, to visit my mother's family for 2 days. Lastly, 2 nights in Normandy with a day trip to Honfleur. I could have passed on that in favor of the beaches, but one member of our foursome was pretty adamant about it and I didn't want to cause any tension. Been there once, will take Kirst back on our own next time.
Al the winery appointments I made before leaving were incredible. I think folks were surprised to get a group of 4 young, interested Americans in these more esoteric wine regions, and they pulled out the stops. Great tastings, some fantastic cheeses, and more free bottles than we could carry home. We set up a triage at the house in Normandy and drank the simplest ones, then hauled home the gems. Sadly I got pretty ill in the Loire, and was in bed with a fever for a day. In Chartres the family got me to a doctor...ah, my old friend the sinusitis. We saw a lot of great landmarks and castles, and walked all over Paris ( the only time we had good weather the entire trip save for the last day in Normandy).
It has been 10 years since I have been there. Some thoughts on Europe now that I am more or less an adult:
I understand that politically and socially, France in particular and Europe in general has it's share of problems. That 35 hour work week law is killing France's restaurant and finance industry. Most people assume it will be repealed in the near future. But damn, life over there is a lot more civilized.
Even in big grocery stores, most food is still sourced locally, with great produce, dairy, and seafood. Massive agri-business hasn't yet reduced them to a nation of hormone-and-corn-fed grade D burger munchers, that is for sure. We were really stunned by the abundance of fresh stuff at all the open air markets we saw. Sancerre's one outdoor vending machine dispenses...........goat cheese. Yup. If you ever get that 3 a.m. Crottin de Chavignol craving, ya know, like ya do.
Of course the culture views the notion of dining as part of the social fabric, so it is assumed you'll need a good 2 hours to have a meal. fine with me of course, and the wine is a given....not a means of getting tanked and escaping, but as a natural extention of the dinner table.
And then there is the driving. everyone to the right. Passing on the left. Moving out of the passing lane immediately if overtaken. Pedestrian right of way untouchable. Everyone on the ball and at speed, so traffic cirlces flow efficiently-far better than intersections with lights. respect for merging traffic. good signaling. well maintained cars. It was a Grand Touring utopia, I was amazed; I 'd never driven in Europe before and it was so crushingly depressing to get on I-95 here yesterday.
Oh well, at least I got my Subie back!! I liked that Skoda fine, but wow was it nice to get into the Soob. My RS seats fit me better, and of course the car is set up the way I like it- taut, firm (but not choppy), and direct.
Final comparison:
Got to Charles de Gaulle on Saturday and needed lunch while we waited for boarding. So, to the cafeteria. Kirst and I shared a salad of frisee with smoked duck breast, chevre medallions, and vinaigrette. Also a smoked salmon sandwhich with creme fraiche, tomate, and cold cucumber. Plus 2 whole milk yogurts and 2 Oranginas. cost: 28 euros (airport prices!).
Upon arrival in Newark, we needed dinner while waiting for our connection. So, to the food court. The lesser of the evils on tap, we had 2 A&W grease-burgers with processed cheese-food slices on top, 2 fries, and 2 root beer floats (o.k., they were GOOD!) cost: $21(airport prices!) Given what we had for lunch, it was possibly the most depressing meal of my life.
BUT, we're back and getting into the groove again. Along with a renewed commitment to keep cooking great food and to resist the relentless media messages to buy mass produced, mass marketed pre-processed food in massive amounts. Took a while to catch up with all the posts, but I am there in the MTM and the MODS sections.
Oh oh oh one more thing- on the way to Normandy we passed a new Maserati, a new 911 turbo, and an Sti Ver. VII. all had GB tags and were tailed by an equipment truck. So look for a comparo in some GB car magazine in the coming months- that had to be what was going on. My 1st real life STi.
A bientot,
Lucien
Bob
Welcome back, Loosh!
-Dennis
http://forums.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=202800
Okay, don't get me started... :-)
Loosh: What a great trip! Thanks for sharing. I so enjoy reading about everyone's road adventures.
KarenS
Host
Owners Clubs
So IMO Korea deserved it, congrats to them.
Serge: I got a 6CD changer from a WRX today. A local guy, Drew, thanks for the links folks. Paid $150 and he even delivered it to me at work. If it works well, I'll shop for another one for Sandy.
Welcome back, Loosh. Goat cheese from a vending machine? All we have is cheese-n-crackers, and fake cheese at that. Can we trade?
-juice
:-)
Ross
Yay! SUBIE!
mike k
subaru_team "Subaru Crew - Meet The Members" Jun 21, 2000 10:52pm
Am I alone in thinking that we should do something to celebrate the 2 year anniversary of "Super Patti's" arrival?
Ross