buckle-up

There are few words in our household that generate more negative press then when I suggest I have a hobby! That’s right, should I even suggest pursuing something that I could call a hobby, then it’s lights out. The problem isn’t so much the particular interest or pursuit so much as it’s the costs involved. My passion for taking cars to the track, for instance, has evolved to the point where to even my misguided sense of right or wrong, something has to give, so yes, this year, there will not be as many events on the track calendar as in previous years. Imagine then my surprise when I begin flipping the pages of one of my favorite motoring magazines – Vette. In the editorial of the July 2014 issue Steven Rupp introduces himself firstly as “not new to the automotive hobby” and then compounds his obvious mistake when he adds, “Which brings me to my philosophy on our hobby (or lifestyle if you want to use the hipper terminology): it’s about having fun and driving.” Lifestyle, eh? Hi...

March came with the promise of warmer weather, but in the end, it didn’t deliver. It was a very busy time at work and there were few opportunities to look too far ahead, but we did find time all the same to plan a couple of business trips that we felt we could do by car. Most likely the Jeep SRT, of course, as at this time of year who knows what Mother Nature might throw at us next. Our home is for sale but it will take much warmer weather, I suspect, before the crowds flock to check out the house, but our fingers are well and truly crossed on this occasion. If there’s one quote that regularly comes to mind at this time of year, however, it’s the line by Steve McQueen from the 1971 movie, Le Mans. “When you’re racing, it... it’s life. Anything that happens before or after... is just waiting,” and it pretty much sums up what the end of winter means for Margo and me. For someone who likes cars, but is not a racer, it’s still all about waiting. Watching Le Mans should be le...

The month of February proved even more depressing than January for anyone who enjoys the sun as much as I do. Who would give up living in Sydney, Australia, for this kind of weather – something former colleagues now living in Sydney remind me, frequently. Oh well, when summer rolls around I will likely have forgotten just how cold Colorado can become. Colorful Colorado? More like Chilly Colorado! The picture above I used recently in a post to Facebook – but it’s worth duplicating here. I’m not a reliable fan of Facebook and don’t turn to the site as often as I should, even as I see email notifications in my inbox encouraging me to take time to check what others have said. As a full-time writer, being paid for my opinions and commentaries, I feel it’s almost a betrayal of my clients’ trust to simply put down my thoughts in a medium such as Facebook, and do so for free! However, it was quite a different experience earlier in the month. As mentioned in my previous post, Margo...

  Too long in the cold, and too many afternoons looking through the windows at the falling snow, and yet it’s what is expected in our village. Good friends dropping by, even as the stillness emanating from the frozen landscape, each time I open the door reminds me that yes, I was looking forward to this time of year only a few months earlier. But now, with a brief break in the weather and temperatures a little more spring like, I can’t wait for winter to end. Casting an eye around the garage only to see cars feeding from battery tenders isn’t an image that cheers me up. It’s time to explore the highways of America! We will be making the drive back to California and the picture above of our Jeep SRT outside a Hotel California pretty much sums it up – we just have to check it out. It will be a brief trip this time but it will take me to both, southern and northern, California. Margo will share the trip with me and is just as interested to be back on the highway, as for almos...

Margo and I have just returned from spending a couple of days In Denver. Two different locations with two different weather conditions, our last night coinciding with a light snowfall that dimply turned Denver into a fairyland of twinkling lights. In the past, we have spent the break between Christmas and the New Year at much warmer places including Key West and Palm Springs but this year, we wanted to check out Denver to see if it warranted closer inspection. Many of you may have already noticed the small item concerning our home in Niwot. Yes, it’s up for sale and officially will begin being advertised late January. In the meantime, the “honey do” list that seems to come out of nowhere with such a decision has us interacting with tradesman as we attend to tasks we have simply ignored for the last couple of years. New under counter icemaker for the bar, dish disposal unit for the kitchen, flat screen TV for the utility room (and yes, the then-current TV elected to fail almost th...

It’s the holiday season, once again, with a new year’s looming. For us both 2013 had many highlights, perhaps none that shone brighter than becoming grandparents for the first time. We welcomed Ella into the world in the spring and nothing has been quite the same since. We are doing our bit with babysitting, of course – more Grandma than Grandpa we have to admit – and are watching (as all proud grandparents do) all the signs of Ella growing and becoming more in tune with her new world. Travel was once again high on our list of activities but perhaps our trip back to Australia was the highlight. After an absence of four years (unbelievable), we managed to spend time with the family including Lisa, as well as with Richard’s Mum (Mom). However, another highlight was just being able to drive to Wellsboro, Pennsylvania where Richard’s Dad spent several months in 1965 learning electronics, a pursuit that in all likelihood influenced Richard in ways he didn’t immediately recognize all ...

I t’s so easy to finish a year and simply acknowledge that yes, it flew past and already it’s the next year that will be important. However, for Margo and me the adventures that were pursued in 2013 really did count for something. Several significant milestones were passed, as were numerous personal relationships that blossomed. Buckle-Up may have started out as a place where we chronicled our adventures in a race car, just a place to capture memories from trips abroad, but it has developed into more than that – it’s where we ensure all those with whom we interact know just how much their presence in our lives means to both of us. The picture above dramatizes the impact friendships have had on us in perhaps the most tangible, indeed recognizable manner. Before meeting Brian and Jan Kenny, we wouldn’t have considered driving a race car at Laguna Seca, for instance, nor put plans together to drive Der Nürburgring Nordschleife and share a simple lunch together at the German track’s...