Diesel KLR650

Daddy wants. This is a short article on the diesel version of the Kawasaki KLR650, made only for the Marine Corps. Eventually, I’m going to own one of these, diesel or not.

Airstream Dreams

I know there’s a financial crisis brewing, and money is best left liquid, so is it wrong of me to see this 1968 Airstream Landyacht for $3K and immediately want to go buy it? Not that I have anyplace to put it.

Riverfront.

This weekend, we had the good fortune to be invited to a riverfront cabin in West Virginia to spend the weekend with friends, both human and canine.

We were treated to warm, dry weather, more food than we could eat, cold beer, water only a few degrees cooler than body temperature, and a welcome case of vacation amnesia.

Claddagh the dog showed off her training for the Women’s 500 meter individual medley, rarely leaving the water in favor of chasing dragonflies and herding sticks.

Later, she shipped out for a tour as the first mate of the kayak.

Saturday night we sat around a fire and made s’mores, and I attempted not to ignite our marshmallows into flaming sugar bombs.

Big, big thanks go to Mr. Scout and his lovely wife, who made the whole thing possible. My brain, My wife, our baby, and my carpal tunnel THANK YOU.

Summer Showers.

Somehow, we made it back from New York State yesterday, our jeep stuffed to the gills with new baby gear. Intermittent thunderstorms didn’t dampen the beautiful baby shower my mother held for us on the front porch of the house, and we were overwhelmed by the generosity of our family, who brought thoughtful gifts and sage advice. Thank you, everyone.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing on the porch, eating too much cake, and visiting with my mother’s brother, who I haven’t seen in years (and who hadn’t met Jen yet). As always, the weekend was too short, and we had to head home to the heat.

Laptop searches

Laptop travel security Apparently, some brainless judge decided it was OK to allow broad, warrantless searches of laptops upon entering and exiting the U.S. Here are some tips for safer, private travel.

Car Shopping.

I’ve lately been scouring back issues of Consumer Reports, reading on different cars, determined to find the one that will provide the best balance of mileage, protection, space, and value. Reliability is key, because if we actually do buy a car, it’s going to need to last the three of us a good long time. I started with the Honda Fit, thinking small and nimble meant gas-frugal. When my neighbor found out what I was looking at, he told me to consider an Accord, which he claimed had comparable gas mileage and offered more protection. Consumer Reports put that myth to bed, but I then looked at a Civic, which isn’t that much more expensive than a Fit but offers plenty of room and similar efficiency.

For comparable cars, I’m adding in the Scion Xd due to the mileage and reliability ratings, as well as the Nissan Versa and the Toyota Matrix. Even though Jen’s 10-year-old Saturn coupe gets 40mpg, modern Saturns are out due to reliability issues and lousy gas mileage, and I’m ruling out any other American brands for the same reason. Subarus are out due to thirsty AWD, as is the Mazda3. I refuse to buy a Hyundai, Kia or Suzuki because I already own enough plastic toys.

Note: I also looked at hybrids but I’m not impressed with the available space: if I need to cart baby, luggage, and X-mas presents around, interior room will already be at a premium. I also looked at VW’s TDI offerings, but their cumulative reliability ratings leave me shivering with fear.

To level the playing field, I’m trying to stick with the same basic setup in each car. As much as I hate the idea of a 4-cylinder for durability, it’s the best mileage option. A stick shift is a no-brainer; we both prefer them, they’re cheaper, and they get better mileage. Crash ratings are important to us, obviously, but I understand I can’t own an Excursion and expect to afford the gas, so I’m going with the offense-is-the-best-defense strategy. Each of these cars have standard front and side curtain airbags and ABS brakes.

(All statistics courtesy of Consumer Reports)

So what’s the deal with the Civic getting 22 city and 40 highway? That seems like an awful big spread to me. If I lived in a more rural area, I’d say Civic all the way, but I’m in one of the more congested corridors of the East Coast. I’ll take 33mpg in the city, thank you. I like the idea of a hatchback, and I intend on putting a good-quality roof rack on whatever we buy, as well as a hitch (if I can).

We also have two glowing reviews from Fit owners vs. one from a former Accord owner. My ex used to have a Civic, and I enjoyed that car well enough to consider one of my own. Much of the final decision will involve a test drive.

To be continued…

Hospital Visit.

I’m currently upstate visiting my Dad, who’s recovering from surgery on his ticker. He’s currently waiting to get the stupid tube taken out of his throat so he can talk again instead of us having to struggle to understand his handwriting.

A face only a mother could love

Jen and I took advantage of the one sunny day this weekend to get the hell out of town. We pointed the car at the Bay Bridge and visited Easton, MD, which happened to be hosting a Waterfowl Festival, which meant that the streets were blocked off and filled with people. From the website, I would have expected lots of guns, decoys and hunting equipment, but it felt more like a wine festival in New England. The town itself is pretty, and it’s filled with lots of fussy shops filled with potpourri and “new antique” furniture—it’s obvious there’s lots of money there, which I would not have guessed. After walking around the town and checking out the sights, we stopped into the Restaurant Local to get out of the chill and have some cocktails, and stayed for a delicious dinner.

US Route 40

Interesting. From an entirely different post on another weblog, I found a link to the Wikipedia entry on US Route 40, which (back in the day) used to connect Atlantic City with San Francisco. I left a comment about making a road trip out of this route, and I think the idea merits further investigation.

Use a wristwatch as a compass.

How to use a wristwatch as a compass. I keep forgetting this one, but I love it.