New Old Car

Well, about a month ago I mentioned that I would tell you all more about a new (to our family) car that Don was off acquiring while the kids and I goofed off with Nan. Sorry that it has taken me so long to debut it here, but the wait is over.  My apologies in advance, I've had little time to get out the real camera, so iPhone photos it is!

You probably don't know that Don bought a motorcycle last year. You probably could guess that I wasn't a fan, and Don would probably tell you that is putting it nicely.  At any rate, boys like their toys and a motorcycle it was.  And don't get me wrong, if I liked motorcycles, I would have liked this one. It was stylish and cool. But unlike bicycles (which I favor strongly), it was quite a bit more dangerous (although, if you know Don, you know he's quite good at making bikes pretty dangerous too). And as much as I didn't like it, it made Don happy, and, well, there's a lot to be said for that.  Ok, so here was the Triumph (motorcycle).

So, Don, for multiple reasons I believe, decided to sell the Triumph and buy a.... Triumph!  Yes, we traded one  for the other, and I think you'll see quite a few similarities here.

But, the one difference that makes me happiest is that this new one has 4 wheels. And a top (sometimes).  It is a two-seater convertible, and before you wonder if Don is having a mid-life crisis, please remember that this is his third two-seater convertible in the past 15 years. Two seats and the fact that it is a British car, means that we kept the trusty Escape. It comes in handy for a) carrying the entire family in one car, b) transporting various outdoor gear to and from the wildnerness, c) cold weather, rainy weather, weather.

There are are two spots behind the driver and passenger seats where someone with a sense of humor put some upholstery, and one might think that they were seats.  They are almost too small for two small children, but we know that they're just big enough to drive them around the neighborhood (slowly) for fun.  Usually they go for a ride one at a time, but we did squeeze all of us in for a round trip once.

I'm not sure why (maybe the lack of seatbelts or car seats), but they treat it more like a rollercoaster. "Look out!! There's a car!" Um... we're in a car.

The other thing about this car is that it requires maintenance that Don claims he can do all on his own (fixing the heater is near the top of my list).  Here is what a ride looks like with the top down in early November.

Still unsure how it made it back from Chicago with the spark plugs looking like they did (further proof of divine intervention), but that has been fixed, and it runs pretty well. Keep in mind that I am NOT a car person, and after Don explaining it about 10 times, I think I might finally understand what spark plugs do. So it will be fun to tinker on, and not just for Don. Remember that little guy we have who loves to "fix" things and flips over his cars to "work" on them? Yes, he is all about working on this car with Daddy.  We drove in the driveway the other day while Don was wrenching away and I was concerned Mason might bust through the car seat straps. "Daddy! Car! Get me out Mommy! Get me out NOW!"  And he now has a proper toolbox (not a doctor's kit) to help daddy.  Another engineer in the making. I continue to be amazed by his natural affinity for cars and trucks.

And there you have it! Our new old car. And I think we're in the perfect city to enjoy it!