RichC | September 29, 2022
Really, this is just an excuse to include #TBT images of the sales brochure for our 1999 Chrysler Town and Country that we affectionally called the “Goobermobile.” While going through the boxes of collected junk and deciding what to keep and what to toss, this brochure reminded me how much I enjoyed owning this minivan […]
RichC | September 6, 2022
Having a few extra “rainy” hours over the Labor Day weekend, I decided to tackle an office closet project that I’ve been pondering. The plan was to either build in a few permanent shelves with holes for wiring to primarily hold the electronic equipment feeding the TV or add a small shelf to replace the […]
RichC | August 20, 2022
My social participation in automotive groups and forums that were common for me decades ago (CinciTDI, TDIClub, etc) have shifted to social media friends on Facebook groups (not so much anymore) and Twitter (daily). Those contacts include a bunch of automotive journalist as well as people just interested in cars and trucks. The conversations has […]
RichC | July 24, 2022
UGH! Gasoline may have dropped 40 cent per gallon as American consumers cut back on travel and driving due to inflation and the likely coming recession, but diesel prices continue to remain elevated. There are very few options when “you need to get to go, and need to be able to get where you need […]
RichC | July 2, 2022
In one of my social media automotive threads, I saw this comparison graphic and it triggered my thinking … both from a “freedom to choose” and “work need” perspective vs a “forced to comply” based on ever-changing environmental concerns or fiscal reasons … usually by politicians (regulation, taxes, dis-incentives or incentives). People are likely to […]
RichC | May 26, 2022
I have put off buying diesel fuel for the Kubota mower and John Deere 330 as long as possible … but inevitably the reserve of 25 gallons stored in fuel jugs gets used up. It looks as if it is time to pay $$$ the inflated prices on fossil fuels — elections have consequences (pre-Russia invasion […]
RichC | May 19, 2022
Posting a couple of memory photos as a Throwback Thursday #TBT filler post after a conversation with friends last week. One had to do with text messaging, “distracted driving” and remembering my road warrior days of driving back and forth from Cincinnati and NE Ohio while trying to remain connected and productive. Thankfully all ended […]
RichC | May 16, 2022
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RichC | May 10, 2022
Depressing as it may be, our vacation in Delray Beach is over, but it was a perfect and needed rest and relaxation trip. Our old 2002 Honda Odyssey is still surviving … although I did pondering a new Florida vehicle after having to jumpstart and fidget with the flakey AC. Yet it still didn’t convince […]
RichC | May 7, 2022
It is definitely spring and as with many growing families working hard and fortunate enough to be living in the United States, ours are pursuing the American dream of building or owning a home. Katelyn and Drew sent perhaps a final undeveloped photo of their beautiful NW Ohio property on a wooded cul-de-sac. I say […]
RichC | April 24, 2022
For a better reference to the subject line, see this post! (tweet below) 😊
RichC | April 20, 2022
In keeping with this graphic, here’s a recent LA Times article highlighting a growing California crime problem … 17 L.A. gangs have sent out crews to follow and rob city’s wealthiest, LAPD says More than a dozen Los Angeles gangs are targeting some of the city’s wealthiest residents in a new and aggressive manner, sending […]
RichC | April 19, 2022
After filling up the 2010 BMW X5 35d with diesel … ouch … I drove to the least painful Ohio DMV location in my area according to the online wait times. Thankfully I came prepared with my passport, address verification and requested ID information. After $56.40 … I came out in less than 30 minutes […]
RichC | March 31, 2022
If I were going to do a little traveling around the U.S. and Canada by vehicle, I’d like to look at something like the Bundutec “Electric Rooftop Tent” for our BMW X5 35D or maybe the minivan? Of course IF I were going to travel in the older 2002 Honda Odyssey, it might be a […]
RichC | March 30, 2022
A few weeks ago, Megan’s car was hit will parked on the street outside of Taylor’s apartment in East Walnut Hills (Cincinnati). The damage was shockingly substantial and totaled the older car she was driving. So the search for a new car began … something fun for Taylor, but others find it stressful (especially with […]
RichC | March 27, 2022
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RichC | March 19, 2022
Sometimes people are too politically invested in climate change and environmental policies that they “can’t see the forest through the trees,” as John Heywood’s 1546 proverb propends (an idiom). This is not to say we can’t improve … or that we should be resist/thwart the shift towards renewables and improve our environmental footprint, BUT we ALL […]
RichC | March 12, 2022
Nobody wants to really hear or see anymore written about inflation. We’ve all seen it with our own two eyes and our wallets have felt it since the Biden administration took office. No more though than the last couple of weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine as the West’s political miscalculations and head-in-the-tar-sands polices have made […]
RichC | February 26, 2022
Well according to the calculations by automotive journalist Lauren Fix, if it is the financial calculation that triggers your decision, you might want to hold off a little on buying that new EV … even with tax incentives.
RichC | February 5, 2022
No longer am I driving 2000 miles a month back and forth to NE Ohio for work or traveling to and from western New York to check on Brenda’s parents, but I do still enjoy driving and owning a diesel vehicle. The Volkswagen Jetta TDI fuel economy isn’t a big deal anymore either, but I […]
RichC | January 27, 2022
Well I don’t enjoy dealing with insurance companies or claims … that is for sure! Brenda’s Acura RDX was backed into in a Kroger parking lot last week so the insurance adjuster phone tag begins (a previous time it was the Honda Pilot and a CVS parking lot). This time the young driver who backed […]
RichC | December 26, 2021
Before the year 2021 disappears, it is worth highlighting Time magazine’s pick for Person of the Year – although I generally just roll my eyes. This time in picking Elon Musk, it is hard to disagree. The pick of Musk, the richest man on Earth, is a good one as he is not only an […]
RichC | December 14, 2021
Looking at the rear brake wear on Brenda’s 2010 Acura RDX is not a sign that I’ve been taking good care of her car, but she did mention her brakes were squealing a bit last month. By the time I got around to ordering brakes and discs for both the dual-piston fronts and rears, it […]
RichC | October 26, 2021
Let’s start with "we had a great time in Florida" this past week" (more to come) … but the cleanup weekend ended with a couple gremlins. I blame it on the "uncarved" pumpkins left by the granddaughters. HA! Actually there were no unexpected problem while they were in Delray Beach with us, but after they […]
RichC | October 24, 2021
When your state takes pride in home of the Wright Brother’s and their “First in Flight” Wright B Flyer, you’ve got to at least get the flying direction correct. (Thanks for the link, Drew!) Ohio had to change the design of its new license plate because of an error discovered after it had already had […]
RichC | October 14, 2021
Although I’ve highlighted our 1987 Mercedes Benz 560 SEL before (see photo in front of my parent’s house in Sidney) and this fall photo at West Branch State Park reminds me that autumn is the perfect time to take my current 1982 MB 300D Turbodiesel out for a drive. The ‘87 was one of those […]
RichC | October 6, 2021
RichC | September 28, 2021
Look out on the roads … and no I’m not talking about driving dogs. HA! FSD Beta is an unfinished version of Tesla’s premium driver-assistance software, FSD, which the company sells in the U.S. for $10,000 upfront, or $199 a month. Tesla has rolled out a software update for their controversial Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD […]
RichC | September 26, 2021
What does it take for a country to switch from left-hand to right-hand driving? Sweden did just that in 1967 … with a lot of preparation. It was called Dagen H or “Högertrafikomläggningen.”
RichC | September 12, 2021
Older photo of my 2010 BMW X5 35d from “fuel economy post” in 2016 after modifications Catalytic converters have precious metals that can be recycled, so I’ve been saving back a couple of the parts from the BMW X5 35d thinking that I might get a chance to see just what they might be worth. […]
RichC | August 10, 2021
It is always interesting to see the handful of other 1958 Packard Hawks changing hands considering the one passed down to me was originally my father’s Uncle Ed’s car (bought new in Toledo), then DadC’s from 1973 until he passed away and became mine (Dad loved taking it to car shows). I’m still dragging my […]
RichC | July 3, 2021
As we transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles, the discussion I had with a German tourist on our cruise to Alaska continues to replay in my head. I am an advocate of free-market capitalism and smaller, less intrusive government … but have been known to stumble a bit and have supported government using incentives […]
RichC | June 25, 2021
Currently, we attempt to pay for infrastructure by taxing drivers at the pump when they fill their cars and trucks with gasoline and diesel fuel … but vehicles are becoming more efficient while the cost of infrastructure and maintenance continues to goes up. In other words, there isn’t enough money being collected. The politicians answer […]
RichC | June 24, 2021
Brenda and I have always admired art and after 39 years of marriage have collected quite a bit of it. From antiques, carvings and sculptures to paintings that likely have only meaning to us. When I saw the self-portrait above, I was immediately drawn to it. Hm, an artist painting himself, painting himself? I like […]
RichC | June 3, 2021
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RichC | May 25, 2021
This past weekend was a busy weekend and won’t likely let up for a little while – full schedule … and I’m not even really back to traveling for work! It started with getting the mowing finished up on Friday night so that I could spend time on getting the initial pool cleaning and pump […]
RichC | May 23, 2021
RichC | May 20, 2021
Car clubs and automotive aficionados have been getting together for years to talk about their vehicles with like minded folks. For my dad it was his local “in-person” Vint Car Club, car shows and museums. For me it started as just a couple friends working on restorations or rebuildable salvaged junkyard cars … then evolved […]
RichC | April 21, 2021
Thankfully no one was hurt at this Sprint car race, but this is too close of a call for any flag person’s comfort. Yikes!
RichC | April 14, 2021
Since Ford once-upon-a-time paid a solid dividend, it was one of those stocks I felt comfortable trading in and out of or just sitting on for a while … but after the company suspended the dividend in March of 2020, I had to re-think $F stock. Owning Ford in 2020 and so far in 2021 […]
RichC | April 1, 2021
While cleaning up one of my old Flickr accounts where my Palm Treo 700p photos were backed up, I stumbled across one of the first photos with it I took and posted to this blog – June 2006. Even though the camera was lacking by today’s cellphone standards, I still think the Palm PDA turned […]
RichC | March 29, 2021
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RichC | February 2, 2021
Earlier in the years, this image of a “Three on the Tree” manual column shifter-pattern was tweeted by a automotive friend and it triggered memories for me. Younger people nowadays might not even remember manual shifting on the column with a clutch .. or for that matter ever shifting a “Four on the Floor” … […]
RichC | January 14, 2021
While shuffling through a bunch of old scans and photos and uploading stuff to my Miami University .EDU Google Drive account for free cloud storage after downgrading my subscription to OneDrive (they refused to renew the 1TB of space at my previous 4-years of discounted service), I ran across the window sticker from my black […]
RichC | November 21, 2020
Personally I don’t want my tools looking like this, but I do admire the effort and creative talent it takes to do this. It does remind me of my grandfather who always painted the handles of his tools bright red .. I still have a couple of them. Also the new relay arrived for the […]
RichC | November 21, 2020
Check out rbwevcars.com
RichC | November 12, 2020
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RichC | November 11, 2020
Tweak by tweak I’m staring to enjoy working on my dad’s Packard Hawk. For the past five years I’ve been unmotivated or shy about calling the car that was my dad’s and before that his uncle’s, mine, … but as the list of non-working repairs and fixes grows, I’m seeing a path to making it […]
RichC | November 9, 2020
The music of the late Gerry Rafferty hasn’t appeared on Music Monday and I’m disappointed not to have yet included him in my heavily 70’s mix of musicians. Having to pick one song out for today’s listening is a challenge, but “Days Gone Down” (Night Owl) is a good one since it triggers a memory […]
RichC | November 8, 2020
Although I’m embarrassed to admit forgetting to put the diesel fuel cap back on my 2010 MW X5 35d during the last fill-up, replacing it was far less painful than I had imagined … both in price ($11.70 total), finding one that fit correctly and in the few seconds it to to pop back in […]
RichC | November 7, 2020
After a long time in a repair shop, I brought the 1958 Packard Hawk back from some transmission repair work. It came back very dusty, but I didn’t notice any damage to the paint or body (yet). The entire process from initial quote to final bill and slowness was a bit disconcerting. It was not […]
RichC | November 5, 2020
I’m officially “slipping” upstairs. For the first time in my life I forgot to put the fuel cap back on and lost it (don’t want to admit it to Brenda). I could try and blame it on distraction since I was also filling up the diesel jugs for the John Deere and Kubota mower, but […]
RichC | October 21, 2020
A group of #carspotter buddies on social networks often share cars they admire .. so last week I included this Porsche 99CarreraS last weekend while in Florida. Nice!
RichC | September 29, 2020
My mother’s birthday isn’t one that I mark with a blog post every year, but since I ran across this old photo of my mom in East Tawas Michigan, I set it aside (along with one from me in my new suede coat back in high school). I spotted the Kodachrome slide of Mom next […]
RichC | September 24, 2020
We had our first taste of cooler fall weather for 2020 last week as the hot 80+ degree days of August and early September gave way to pleasant mid-to-high 70s and cooler evenings dipping into the 40s. Brr, my body has not adjusted yet. As autumn approaches and the temperatures are more tolerable in the […]
RichC | September 23, 2020
The weather has been just perfect for evenings in the garage or outside, so it is a good time to be checking off a couple of to-do list items – it was enjoyable. Although I’ve been slightly overdue for an oil change, the Ravenol oil I have been using is high quality synthetic oil so […]
RichC | September 12, 2020
With a few miles of driving this week (nothing like my years of back and forth to NE Ohio) … I kept an eye out for anomalies in diesel fuel price. prices. It just so happened that Sidney and Wapakoneta prices were a bit lower than either Toledo or home in Cincinnati, so I planned […]
RichC | September 10, 2020
Nine lives, fate, stroke of luck, divine intervention? Here’s a Throwback Thursday #TBT shocker. One never knows just how “forgetting to put on a safety belt” could be seen as the smartest thing someone would do when racing. On September 17, 2000 it would give racer Nigel Corner another day on this earth. After seeing […]
RichC | September 3, 2020
I shared a question to a few of my automotive friends on a Twitter a few weeks ago … prior to my WordPress post disappeared due to a mysql crash (grrr!) … A question for #Millennials: What is this automotive “thing” and how does it work? So much of what we remember from our youth […]