Miatatude

Top still down. No heater this morning, but I did turn the defroster on to heat up the windshield so I didn’t get a repeat of the window fogging of yesterday.

Went to the post office in town this evening to mail the Aiken Bicycle Club newsletter. Of course we didn’t take the direct route, we went about 30 miles to make the 4 mile trip. About half way through we pulled over to the side of the road and watched the moon rise. It is just past full, but was huge and orange in the sky as it came above the cotton field. After about 15 minutes it was up high enough that it looked like the plain old moon again, so we got back in the car and finished the journey.

Started Down, Still Down.

Top still down. The trip to work required the heater though, the back roads stay cooler than in town. So cool that we popped up the last 60′ hill by work and back into the warmer air that it was instant white out. The windows fogged up so quickly I had to come to a complete stop. Got the windshield wipers on but they only worked for a bit. Got the defroster on too and in a bit I could see using the bottom 3 inches of the windshield. Almost had to stick my head out the window like a dog to see.

Just got confirmation that my picture of me in the car fender was added to The Mirror Project. See it here.

Started Down, still Down.

Drove to work this morning with the top down. Heater was on though as it was mid 40’s. Had to put it up when we got there though as there was still a slight chance of rain in the morning. It was positively spring-like on the drive home – mid 70’s, so of course the top came back down.

Got tired of staring at the naked rear end of the car, so I put the one remaining white 5″ diameter sticker in the same place I used to have one.

Started Down, Up, Down.

Made a bagel run early this morning. Well, I think 9:00 PM is early on a weekend. The sun was out and it was somewhere in the 40’s, so before I backed out of the garage I put the top down. Really pleasant drive, didn’t even need the heater. As I slowly turned into my neighborhood on the return trip I startled a couple of birds in the magnolia tree in the median. Well, I think 30MPH is slow for a 90 degree turn. The second one misjudged my approach so that he ended up sort of scrambling up the windshield, I heard his feet scratching the glass. The blow was glancing enough that I don’t think I killed him. At least I wasn’t showered in feathers or anything. I know I scared the shit out of him, because he left that on the window.

Started Up, now Down.

Made the run to Evans, GA to check the Miata Club’s P.O. Box. I has been nearly 2 months, but we never get any mail unless it is renewal time anyway. There were 5 pieces of mail, a credit card come-on, a flyer from a grocery store, a returned newsletter, a group buy offer on windstops from Serious Auto and a Christmas card for the P.O. Box just to the left of us. Almost put the top up when we started as the temps were in the upper 40’s. My wife said, “That’s what heaters are for.” So instead I put the boot on. When we got back from the drive it was after lunch and it was nearing 70 degrees, so I put the top up. I wanted to wash and wax the car.

Starting yesterday, I think I will list the status and the changes to that status of the top here in the last line. Might be fun to go back and count ’em up for a week, month, year…

Started down, now Up.

Started today with the top down, but put it up for the drive to work. They were calling for a 40% chance of rain and we must have been in that 40, ’cause it was raining now. We went out for lunch with the gang for a co-worker’s birthday and put the top down for the drive to eat. When we got to Ruby Tuesday it looked kind of threatening, so I put the top back up. After lunch it wasn’t raining, so the top came back down for the return trip. At work in the parking lot I put it back up, just in case. By quitting time the skys were clearing, so back down the top went for the drive home.

Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Down. No wonder my tops only last 3 years.

As we left to go to work this AM, I looked at the scratch and it isn’t as bad as I originally thought. The first 1/4″, ground zero, is through to the primer. Then it skips another 1/4″ before scratching just the clearcoat for an 1″ or so. That still doesn’t change my feelings for umbrellas.

Good day to own a convertible. Dodged the drops from falling trees on the drive to work. Put the top up when we got there, just in case. After work we had to drive over to the Mazda dealer to run the Master’s Miata Club’s newsletter throught the postage meter. Lower 70’s in January. That is a little unuusual even for here. Not complaining made for a nice drive. Saw 2 other Miatas, both had their tops up – for shame. Saw 2 other convertibles, one of those new Volvos and a newer Chrysler Sebring and both of them had their tops down.