This post, which I suspect will be a little shorter
than what you normally come across in this blog, could have easily been written
as a series of comments to other posts already published. However, it turns out
that there is a common theme even if you have to look hard to find it. We have
just dodged another snowfall – somehow it’s taking place well to the south of
us – but it is mid-January and we have weathered seven snowfalls so it seems as
though we should be preparing for the worst to happen deeper into 2021.
The picture above may have appeared in previous posts,
but I am not sure. Its inclusion here is for no other reason than I wanted
something that depicted changes and this kind of fits the bill. Taken less than
two years ago, we no longer have anything depicted here; not even the trailer
in the background or the garage itself. But then again, spending as much time
at home as we have now done, we keep wondering if we should have held on to the
RV. And what about the motorcycle? As for the Corvette its replacement is
already in the works. The reality is that it simply was time to start a new
chapter and clearing out this garage and getting rid of its contents was simply
a starting point.
Pictures do tell a story and the photo above is what really triggered this post. Returning to our local Costco, I was pleasantly surprised to see an attendant stocking a shelf with Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz. My surprise was a result of Costco continuing to add Penfolds to its wine offerings. You may recall in the previous post my excitement to discover Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz blend being offered and how I bought six bottles. Well Bin 28 was priced at less than half of what Bin 389 cost us and while nowhere near the quality of that Bin 389, for everyday Shiraz, Bin 28 more than adequately fits the bill.
Coming home with yet another six bottles of Penfolds
was quickly remedied as I returned a matter of a few hours later to buy six
more bottles. Somehow, we had almost cleaned out all our Penfolds stock so it’s
brilliant to be able to purchase this fine wine once again. Many thanks
extended to the Chinese government for somehow thinking the local drop of red
was superior to Penfolds. Need I say more? Now, if only Costco began carrying
Magill Estate or RWT that was reasonably priced and Margo and I could feel
comfortable drinking the remaining bottles we have stashed away in our wine
fridge.
There are just two items I would like to address before
wrapping up this short post. We acknowledge we have a new Corvette on order –
what the industry is calling GM’s latest offering as the C8. Our particular
Corvette will be a hard top convertible otherwise known as a HTC and we have
added the Z51 Performance option. What struck us is that even as we changed our
minds about getting another Corvette, once we had sold our previous Corvettes,
the garage just didn’t look right. It wasn’t balanced, so as to speak. What do you think of the color?
When I arrived in Edmonton, Alberta, in March 1976 –
almost 45 years ago to the month – my first order of business was to walk into
a Chevrolet dealership and order a C3 Corvette in silver with a similar
interior. But it didn’t work out as the dealership wasn’t all that keen to
prioritize and order – why wouldn’t I buy the Corvette on the showroom floor? So
off I went to BMW who were only too happy to take my order on a 530i that would
be built to my specifications. Who knew? In North America, as soon as you look
to order a car you pretty much abandon any possibility of negotiating a more
competitive price.
Starting later this month, I will be republishing my
series of articles published in Speed News, the digital magazine of the
National Auto Sports Association otherwise known by the acronym, NASA. I
suggested it might be worthwhile to include a column aimed at first-timers to
NASA that simply spelt out what you may want to consider taking to the track
and probably more importantly, what tasks you needed to complete before taking
your car on track. NASA staff agreed and so began my exploration of what NASA
calls, High Performance Driving Events (HPDE). Signing up for HPDE will see you
start at the bottom and with time being given an opportunity to move up the
ranks.
First time participants typically start with HPDE 1 where an instructor is provided and depending upon which NASA region you join, you will pass through HPDE 2 and HPDE 3 before topping out with HPDE 4 which is all about time trials where the competition becomes more intense. I have elected to repost these articles to Margo’s and my blog as many of you have asked to read them, but the magazine was restricted to only NASA members. So, in a matter of a few days’ time, expect to see that firs post. If you have any interest whatsoever in taking your Mazda Miata or Honda S2000 to the track, these articles may just be what you need to read that will get you all fired up to turn a few lapses on your favorite road course.
You may recall this picture, too. It appeared in our
second ever post to Buckle-Up back on June 6, 2008 – a post I simply titled Off to the races …
And that is me behind the wheel of our blue C6 Corvette heading up to the top
of the Omega at Willow Springs. Yes, so much has changed – our garages have
been cleaned out. We are restocking our wine as they too (for the most part) had
disappeared for all intents and purposes. You might even say I am cleaning out
old posts and articles and that may be true as well.
Altogether, it’s winter and a time to take a deep
breath, enjoy winter’s snowfalls as and when they occur and to entertain
thoughts about what new chapters are to be written. The beauty with seeing life
as a series of chapters is that there is always the opportunity to begin one
more chapter. From Margo and me, all the very best for 2021 and may this year
relegate all thoughts of 2020 to a place where we can best leave them,
undisturbed, forgotten and yes, not to be dragged out for many years to come!
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