buckle-up

There are snobs and then there are wine snobs. Fortunately, neither Margo or myself falls into either category but throwing up a photo like this to capture an important time for us both seemed to be the right thing to do. It’s a season that includes our wedding anniversary, Margo’s birthday and then my own. Enjoying a Penfolds Grange that had lost a little of its “body,” slightly watered down through the years, accompanying Margo’s cooked chicken – with the wine, there was no need for sides – a 1996 vintage bottled in 1997, mind you, and the year 1997 was the year we became engaged.  Around this time of year, we like to plan an escape from the chilly temperatures of the Florida panhandle. When we witnessed the thermometer dropping below temperatures being registered at our old address in Colorado, it was cause for considerable head-scratching. What were we thinking? Familiar as we were with Florida’s Keys, we thought these would be what we would encounter in the panhandle but no, n...

Shortly we will be boarding flights to take us back to Europe for a major industry event. I have elected this time to prepare a completely new presentation and when I go down that path there is always that small fear that it just doesn’t click with the audience. Following the introductory presentations by the primary vendor I take to the stage as the first representative of the independent vendor to present, so I will just have to see how it goes. But there is no escaping how at this time of year, it seems like the race has begun and the starter's pistol has been fired! Margo and I can now report that within the family there is a fully electric car. Margo’s daughter, Anna, made the brave move to purchase the Mustang Mach-E and I fear it is the start of a cycle that will see additional electric vehicles begin to pop up in our collective garages. With seven cars between the two families – yes, it is America but it is also out of necessity with family and business commitments – to h...

A view to sunny days ahead Back in August of last year we were involved in a multicar traffic accident. It happened in a work zone where the highway lanes were tight and bounded by concrete safety walls. Unfortunately, when the traffic had cause to slow down, so much so that we had come to a stop, a pickup truck, towing a caravan, then careened into us at 70 mph.  Our Range Rover did its job but sacrificed itself in the process. Giving of itself to save us - Li'l Pumpkin Hand over a check, sign some papers and then, don’t call us, we will call you to let you know when to expect delivery. As for bargaining then no chance; indeed you are lucky to close a deal on a new car without being pressured to pay a market adjustment fee.  Last time I checked, this is America after all. The land of instant gratification! Of being able to walk onto any car dealership’s lot to simply wander along the aisles of parked cars to determine what color you liked best. After which the bargaining pr...

  As Sunday night crept over the golf course alongside our home, the falling snow finally abated. On more than one occasion I had stepped outside to first clean snow off the roof of our ragtop Range Rover Evoque as concern mounted that two plus feet of snow might be too much to bear. It was then a case of knocking down the “flow of snow” building up on the entrance to our front door. By “flow of snow” I meant that; the more snow that fell the more the snow began forming what looks like a small waterfall. All around us trees were sagging under the weight and close in to Ft Collins the big cottonwood trees began losing branches onto homes, cars and the sidewalks. Photos soon appeared of snowplows stuck in drifts along with news that the main interstate highway, I25 was closed just north of us all the way to the Wyoming border.   As the news updates late last week informed us all to hunker down for a storm of historic performance, we elected to drive to Ft Collins for a Friday ...

  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 mo...

  While it would be so easy to launch into an examination of all the poorly executed recent initiatives that are mostly reactive to decisions being made outside of China, there is one program that for Margo and me stands head and shoulders above all others. Believe it or not, China is restricting its import of Australian wines and indeed penalizing the Australian wine producers. After years of investment in the China marketplace, often times at the expense of catering to other markets, China has now snubbed one of Australia’s best industries putting in place a trade embargo. Many of Australia’s wines are world class have been caught up in this action with perhaps none more highly regarded globally than Penfolds. China may have something to do with fireworks as I recall, as they invented the firecracker but even so, they cannot put on a show to match that of Sydney when it’s time to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Once again, China Pandemic not withstanding – and yes, I have to admit, I...