Miata Washings – Life of Brian

Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls

Thursday, December 11, 2025

Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls

First thing I did this morning was to return the GTI hatchback to stock configuration. I don’t know what I’m going to do with the hatch pop kit – return it or just trash it. Next up was to move both cars to the street and get the leaf blower to clear all the pine straw and fallen leaves off the driveway.

I backed the Miata back onto the clean drvieway and removed the dedicated summer tires and put the all-seasons that I ran on the now gone 2024 Miata. Once that was done, I washed the dust and such off before it returned to the street. Next up for a good washing was the GTI. It was a lot dirter because it had been on the road for around 4,000 miles.

Move the VW back to the street and I got the keys for the Miata and took a 20 mile drive before ending up at the new Chick-Fil-A that is in the Lowes parking lot just a mile and a half away from home. I just drove straight in with my food, so when I parked the GTI afterwards I pulled it straight in too.

At The Car Wash

Sunday, September 21, 2025

I just can’t help myself; if I see some kids doing a car wash to raise money for something and I’m not in a hurry, I’ll stop. Mostly to help the kids out, but also there is a small part of watching them do something they might not have ever done before.

Today, when one girl was rinsing the driver’s side of the car off, she was apologetic about getting water on the seat. I told her, “No worries, that window does leak some.” When I got in, the seat was dry. What she was seeing were the shadows of the water drops on the window…

After today’s four post offices, I now have under a hundred left to do. This also wraps up the southwest part of the state, except for those along the coast on US101.

: Glide – This is one of two post offices I took a picture of on an early morning run into the Cascades from Roseburg. (9/21/25)

: Idleyld Park – This is one of two post offices I took a picture of on an early morning run into the Cascades from Roseburg. (9/21/25)

: Murphy – It was over a month ago when I took this photo, and I can remember absolutely nothing aboutit. (9/21/25)

: Williams – Offstage left is a local in a pickup who stopped to ask me if I wanted him to take my picture with my car. I said no thanks and told him what I was doing, and he thought it sounded like a fun adventure. (9/21/25)

1 Car Wash & 15 Post Offices

Saturday, July 12, 2025

At the Car Wash

To eliminate what happened 2 weeks ago, me missing a post office and having to go back, today I wrote down the names of all the post offices I was after. And it was a good thing too because I would have missed Falls City. And not only would I have missed the post office, I would have missed getting the car washed by a girls softball team.

Today’s post office total of fifteen is the largest daily haul so far in Oregon. I want to say when doing the South Carolina post offices, there were a couple of days where it was in the twenties. But then again, South Carolina has about 150 more post offices and has 1/3 the land area, so everything is a lot closer. I did some chipherin’ and there is 1 post office for every 71 square miles in South Carolina, and Oregon has 1 post office for every 252 square miles!

Now I’ve got to go back and write something about each of today’s fifteen post offices…

: Amity – I’m going to take a wild guess and say this isn’t named after the island that a great white shark terrorized back in 1975. (7/12/25)

: Sheridan – Sheridan counts the prison population of the Federal Correctional Institution as part of the city’s official population. (7/12/25)

: Willamina – The town was named after Willamina Creek, which in turn was named for early settler Willamina Williams shortly after she fell off of her horse and into the creek. (7/12/25)

: Grand Ronde – The only thing of any substance in this town of 1,600 is the Spirit Mountain Casino. (7/12/25)

: Rickreall – Rickreall was often referred to as Dixie during the Civil War and for some time after because of the Southern sympathies of the local populace. (7/12/25)

: Dallas – Unlike Scio & Monmouth, I’m betting the founders of this town didn’t name it after where they came from. Folks from Dallas, TX, weren’t moving here in the 1840s. (7/12/25)

: Monmouth – Like Scio, this town took its name from the town the early settlers came from, in this case Monmouth, Ohio. (7/12/25)

: Falls City – I almost missed this one like I missed Odell two weeks ago, but this time I had written down all the POs I planned on photographing and realized I’d skipped it, so I went back for it. (7/12/25)

: Independence – Hooray for the red, white and blue. Red Ford Explorer, white Toyota RAV4 and a blue Mazda Miata. (7/12/25)

: Turner – My good friend Mark Turner from the ASCO days was a CNC programmer and machinist and in spite of his last name, he was more of a miller than a turner. (7/12/25)

: Aumsville – I don’t know how the residents of this town pronounce its name, but all I hear in my head is “alms for the poor.” (7/12/25)

: Sublimity – The blue lettering on the building goes sublimely with the blue of the Miata. (7/12/25)

: Stayton – Instead of my usual, standing across the street and clicking away, I backed off a bit to get the mural in the photo. (7/12/25)

: Scio – The town was named by one of the original residents, William McKinney. He used the name of his former home, Scio, Ohio. The Ohio village is, in turn, named for a Greek island called Chios; the Italian version of the name is Scio. (7/12/25)

: Jefferson – The first name for this locality was Conser’s Ferry, for Jacob S. Conser, an Oregon Trail pioneer of 1848 who ran a ferry across the Santiam River. (7/12/25)

Trying To Get Back On Track

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

East Salish Pond

When I went on the 2025 Jumbo Road Trip I blogged every night and for the 49 days prior to going on the trip I posted on 48 of them. In the 12 days since I’ve been back, today included, I’ve posted 7 times, so I’m having trouble getting back on track of the everyday posting.

Can’t really blame it on the COVID, because after a 3 days I’ve felt normal. I just keep testing positive. Including today because I had a dentist appointment tomorrow. I have been out walking a mile or two for almost every day. The picture above was from Friday as well as the first two below and the third image is from Sunday.

: Little Flowers

: Littler Flowers

: Power Pole Base

I walked again this morning, but didn’t take the phone/camera out of my pocket. Before I took these last three walks I stopped in at the Stomping Grounds and picked up a 16oz Salted Carmel Latte to carry with me. Hypothetical question: Does my walking 2-1/2 miles in an hour, while drinking that latte, do I manage to burn enough calories to offset that tasty coffee consumption?

Fairview, OR – Day 61: Home & Post Offices Again

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Umatilla, Oregon Post Office

All three of today’s Roadside America photographs happened in my home state of Oregon. Both the first two Metal Men on a Roof and the Large John Wayne Figure, although I see no resemblance, are located in Umatilla. Number three, the Tugboat On Land is grounded in the town Boardman.

: Two Metal Men on a Roof

: Large John Wayne Figure

: Tugboat On Land

Today is Day 61, and like I did on Day 1, I took the opportunity to take a few Post Office photos. I grabbed the first three upon entering the home state. And because I really got to Fairview pretty early I should have stopped at the other two, Rufus & Arlington, that are right off I-84.

: Umatilla – Is the first town in eastern Oregon I came to when returning from the 2025 Jumbo Road Trip. (6/17/25)

: Irrigon – This kind of looks like the Post Office in Umatilla. Maybe they both started from the same set of plans? (6/17/25)

: Boardman – The directions from Google sent my on what seemed like the long way round. I’m it was my fault for having “Avoid Highways” checked, but that’s how I roll. (6/17/25)

Morning Walk

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

This morning’s sunrise appeared like normal, but after breakfast and I stepped outside to go for a walk, the unusual higher temps turned that into a lot of low level fog. By the time I finished my 2 mile trek around Salish Ponds the fog was gone. And the sun sort of came out, there was scattered blue to be seen. After making a coffee I hopped into a Miata and went for a short drive east of here where the roads have more curves.

After lunch I went back out and gave both the boys a bath, even though the rains returns tomorrow and will probably reverse the cleanliness in short order.

Making It Mine

Saturday, March 8, 2025

First order of business was to wash the dirty car. It crossed the country, probably three quarters of it along I-80 in January, on an open car carrier and then spent a month in a car mechanic shop.

Next up were a couple of quick and easy modifications that I waited to do until I got the car home. I changed out the stock one-piece sun visors with a set of the old school folding ones for the 1st generation car. This is one of the first things I did to the 2003 when purchased new. Also back then, I put the Voodoo shift knob on the car in the dealer’s lot, but this time I did it half way home from Eugene. I wasn’t going to, but I think I will add the matching e-brake handle.

Then I put in this nifty phone holder that goes into an eyeball vent from Etsy.

I pulled out the OEM floor mats because they were filthy and the script Miata was faded to nothing. I’m not sure if I’ll buy Coco Mats for the car, but I will get some new mats.

I was originally thinking that I would pull the stock stereo out and send it off to have a guy to put a Bluetooth module internally, so you can keep the stock head unit. Now I’m thinking not. I bought a little gizmo that plugs into the cigarette lighter and transmits to the radio. I’m sure the audio is crappy, but I’m riding in a convertible listening to mostly all familiar music so all I need is 50% data recognition factor and my brain fills in the rest.

I put a RevLimiter’s Retro Shift Plate on. The stock knob has the pattern on it, while the Voodoo does not. I would say the odds of this being actually needed an almost infinitesimal, but it came in handy for the fellow who drove the open car carrier that brought the CTBNL from Aiken to Klamath Falls because that car also had a Voodoo knob.

My last mod of the day was adding an official third generation Mazda Miata Club Badge on the front left fender. The parts guy at the dealer gave it to me. He said his manager wanted him to toss it out, but he thought it was too cool to do that to it. I had been purchasing a bunch of OEM parts from him for the Blue Miata so he offered it to me. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but I thought it was cool too.