Year: 2025

I Made The Cut

 I really tried to go for a walk today. I got my usual hot Salted Caramel Latte and went over to walk around the Salish Ponds, which I haven’t done in a couple months. It was a sunny day, but the temps felt like the low 30s because of the 10 MPH winds (gusting to 15), and now that the leaves are off the trees, there was no respite from the winds. I lasted a whole 1/2 mile before getting back in the car and coming home.

The highlight of the day is PDX Wraps posted a yearlong recap of some of the stuff they have done in 2025, and I’m proud to have made the cut. Go watch it on Insta; they do a wide variety of stuff besides my humble GTI.

“Exciting Day”

It was a Buckie kinda day. I took her out for a short drive and a fill-up. It was a nice sunny day, but the temps were only in the upper 30s, so the top didn’t get dropped.

I also swapped out the gas gauge portion of the gauge cluster. Ever since I put in the new gauge faces, the gas needle has started high and dropped or started low and risen to what I can only interpolate is the current gas level. I’m going to try the one from that broken ’99-’00 gauge cluster I bought for some of its parts.

And ever since I put the Clark plaid background on the GTI’s Fuelly.com icon, above, Buckie’s been saying, “What about me?” This afternoon I set about trying to give her what she wants. The only thing that makes any sense and is iconic for a Mazda, is the Renown race livery of the Mazda 787b that won Le Mans 35 years ago.

10 Years Ago Today

As part of the Moss Motoring Challenge for 2015, one of the “Destinations” was something called Coffee shop (with friend) and I still needed it late in the year, so I sent out an email blast to the Miata Club saying I’d buy them a cup of coffee if they came over to my favorite coffee shop and be my friend. I had two cars show up. I’m standing in front of my 2003 Garnet Red along with Rita and Larry Garner and my fairy godfather, David Adcock. Larry and Rita’s car is on the right and the car in the middle belongs to David. Little did I know that 8 months from then I would own that 2002 Silver car of his.

On a side note, when the Moss Motoring Challenge asked for the same “Destination” in 2017, I put it on the club’s website as a club event, and a lot more people showed up for that one:
 

The Party’s Over

This is what the view from my deck was this morning; it looks almost like it did a decade ago.

Had a good day with the fam doing the Christmas Day stuff, opening presents, watching football, and overeating. I was not expecting gifts, but they bought me a few things anyway. I’ve got some very manly Harry Potter fluffy socks, a bunch of different candies, and a round jigsaw puzzle of the Seattle skyline.

I’m going to see all six of them again in ten days; they are coming down to see the Professional Bull Riders event that is in the Moda Center in Portland. It was the request of the oldest daughter, Maddie, so she, her sister, her older brother and his girlfriend, and, Mom & Dad. The show starts at 7:00pm, and who knows how long it will go on (couple hours at least); afterwards they are all going to crash at my place before heading home on Sunday morning.

Merry Christmas

Rear Three Quarter

Please accept – with no obligation, implied or implicit – my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable tradition of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your preference.

In addition, please enjoy a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2026.

Thanks WordPress

I keep getting a 403 Forbidden ever since they implemented their authentication scheme. I’m using a VPN in the browser to type this post and I’m afraid to hit publish…here we go…