Poem Conundrum

I post poems I write on Facebook. They are up for a few days, then I delete them.  Originally, I had thought to try and develop a market for them, but the effort doesn't seem to have born fruit.

However, a few people seem to like them and writing is a hobby of mine.

I am aware that people make assumptions based on what I write, so often I will add a disclaimer at the bottom for clarity sake. For instance, if a poem I post is particularly dark, I may say that it was just developed from an idea that I fleshed out and not due to any circumstances I am going through at the moment.

I don't need people concerned for my state of mental or spiritual health unnecessarily.

A recent poem I posted was titled "Candy" and it basically talked about a girl who used to be more of a friend, but isn't any more and the narrator ends it with calling her "poison Candy." Just a typical jilted lover kind of piece. I am happily married, so it doesn't reflect anything of my life.

I had a Facebook friend named Candi and I placed a disclaimer at the bottom stating specifically that the poem was in no way referring to her. That I was just playing around with an idea.

Her husband messaged to tell me that she was really upset by the poem.

I promptly deleted it and apologized.

He said he appreciated it.

Later, I unfriended him and her. They were people I knew a long time ago and the chances of seeing them again are slim to none. We just don't run in intersecting circles.

But I found myself irritated by the whole thing. It made me wonder about the whole getting offended thing and whether there's any real responsibility by the 'offender' who takes great pains to try and make people understand that they aren't the target. That the target is, in fact, fictional.

The mindset of living as one offended can really stifle expression. And what right do these people have to wreak that kind of oppression?

Welcome to today.

A 10-Year Retrospective

As we approach the turning of the year, I decided to look back over the last ten.

This is what I came up with.

In 2008, my father-in-law passed away. Other stuff happened that year.

In 2009, my mother-in-law passed away. Other stuff happened that year.

In 2010, I took my wife and sons to Fenway Park for their first (and only) Red Sox game. Too expensive to do regularly. Other stuff happened that year.

In 2011, my wife had a brain tumor which was successfully removed. My oldest son graduated from high school. Other stuff happened that year.

In 2012, I had prostate cancer and had my prostate removed. Other stuff happened that year.

In 2013, my youngest son graduated high school and I was diagnosed with a degenerative condition. Other stuff happened that year.

In 2014, we made our very last trip to North Carolina after doing it yearly for over 20 years. I had a hip replaced. Other stuff happened that year.

In 2015, my oldest son moved out. My wife and I flew to Jacksonville, Florida to visit relatives. Other stuff happened that year.

In 2016, my youngest son moved out AND got married. My wife and I flew to Savannah, Georgia - the first time we have been there since 1986.  It was for our anniversary and where I asked her to marry me. Other stuff happened that year.

In 2017, stuff happened that year.

In 2018, my wife had both knees replaced. We left the church we had been attending for 20 years. Other stuff happened this year.

So the big question for me is, are the years defined by the big stuff that happens or the other stuff?

Here's to 2019 and whatever stuff it brings.

Reflections of a Dead Website

Written in March 2007.

 

I got self-indulgent the other night. Logged in to poets.com, the old poets.com - it can still be
done if you know where to look.
 

Had to sign up as someone looking to try it out, so I came up with a name that has never been me, never been used and gave an email address that looked appropriate for a porn site, all xxx's with a @ and .com at the end.
 

And once I was in, this time as mrscrubs, I gave a review of utter nonsense to someone I don't know.
 

Doesn't matter. That person will never see it.
 

I saw the top 10 lists still populated with names familiar for so long. There are a few people who keep trying to work the site like old times, but once you log off, you can't go back again unless you sign up again as someone else looking to try it out.
 

I looked up old friends, all the names and pictures are still there as well as the poems they left behind. I imagined reading and reviewing them, messaging them,
 

...receiving both back in kind.
 

It was a little strange, a little sad.
 

Like going back to the old house you grew up in and it's still there, but abandoned. All the same furniture remains in the same place as when you left it, but no one sits in it anymore.
 

If you are like me, you will walk around that house, sit in your favorite chair and remember what it used to be like.  You will explore all the little nooks and crannies, trying to discover memories long since buried in musty time.
 

Eventually you will stop and realize that all the sounds and laughter you were hearing were in your head, that the reality is much more quiet.
 

And it will become a bit spooky as the memories turn into ghosts instead, leading you down the paths less pleasant as you wonder why you went there in the first place.
 

It is then that you will look for the way out. But you know that you will return again and again until you can't return any more. Until you lose the connection altogether.

Offended on Facebook? Tell me it ain't so....

So I had a back and forth with one of my Facebook friends. Never met the guy, but we have a lot of friends in common and I once purchased one of the items he made. He is a phenomenal craftsman, and the pen I bought from him was a Christmas present.

He recently shared a meme that I have seen before. It is this one:

This conversation then ensued....

(His side of the conversation in bold)

Me: C, you should know this....

Screwtape's ‘fixated on politics’ quote, is not by C.S. Lewis

C: What did you think of the content even if not written by cs lewis?
 
Me: I think it's spot on as did the article writer who refuted the attribution of the quote. I don't think it does our cause any favors by spreading quotes incorrectly attributed. It lends to the increased promulgating of fake news which means nothing can be trusted.

C: I apoligize this is so offensive to you. So sorry to rock your world.
 
Me: Um.. you didn't offend me. I'm sorry if I offended you by posting this correction.

C: You didnt offend me in the slightest. In my vocation im used to critics who spend their time making sure others are in line.


Apparently, "C" was offended if I read his words correctly. They kind of drip with sarcasm.

I do respond to inaccuracies in quotes on Facebook regularly. The same with hoaxes, scams and other such nonsense which floods social  media. Most of this stuff can be quickly researched by the person intending to 'spread the word.'

But, they usually don't.

If we allow untruth to become accepted truth, then our culture will have nothing to base itself on that is solid and, well, trustworthy. I see it as a big problem.

I just wish everyone else did as well.

The Office vs Parks and Recreation

I have watched the entire series' runs of The Office and Parks and Recreation.

The Office aired for nine seasons from 2005 to 2013.

Parks and Recreation, an ostensible spin-off (though not in the technical sense of the hyphenated word) of The Office, ran for seven seasons from 2009 to 2015.

Both are ensemble shows which follow, more or less, a mockumentary format. I believe the original premise of Parks and Recreation was to sort of mimic The Office. Producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur worked on both series.

Given the shared DNA of the shows, you think there would be more synergy. But there isn't and that's okay. Each show should stand or fall on its own merits.

Rashida Jones, who played Karen Filippelli on The Office, had the role of Ann Perkins on Parks and Recreation.

Where the similarities are slight or implied, the differences are significant. In The Office most of the storylines took place in the office. Some of the episodes ventured off campus, but for the most part the show took place in the annex, the lunch room, the conference room, Michael's office, at reception, and so on. This made the actual physical space of The Office a character in its own right.

Parks and Recreation however, broke out of its office setting early on and took place all over Pawnee and other parts of Indiana, not to mention San Francisco, London and Washington, DC.

The locale for The Office is a real city in Pennsylvania - Scranton.  The building for the show was actually located in Panorama City, California and that is where most of it was filmed. The only Scranton scenes came in the introduction.

Pawnee, however, is a fictional town in Indiana. The show was filmed in southern California and the exterior shots of the government building are actually Pasadena City Hall.

The Office was about people working in the private corporate sector and Parks and Recreation was about people working in government. As such, many of the episodes revolved around political events while the folks in The Office just tried to sell paper.

Both shows are funny and, like any television series, have high and low points. Sometimes there is drama, but it's usually book-ended by humor and/or silliness.

Most of the primary characters in both shows are either single or divorced. The exceptions are Stanley in The Office and Tom in Parks and Recreation.  Tom's marriage was an arranged green card marriage. Stanley's was a normal marriage.

To have that many single people working in one area is quite unrealistic, but it does allow for romances to take place between the characters.

The iconic romance in The Office was, of course, Jim and Pam, and it was teased from the start as she was engaged to Roy, a warehouse worker. It was obvious throughout, until season six that the two actors had a chemistry that made their connection very strong. Jenna Fischer (Pam) stated in an interview that the Pam and Jim parts of the actors really loved each other.  Sounds a little schizophrenic to me, but I sort of understand what she was saying.

Many would probably point to Leslie and Ben as the main romance in Parks and Recreation, but I wouldn't,. Andy and April were, by far, the best couple on the show. They played off each other very well in ways that made them realistic and believable, particularly for the types of characters they played.

Perhaps an even better relationship in Parks and Recreation was the one between Leslie and Ron Swanson, her boss. It was a close friendship built upon working together, mutual respect and opposites attracting as both were polar opposites in terms of political views.

The only other The Office relationships that mattered were the ones between Michael and Holly who ended up married after Steve Carell left in season seven and Dwight and Angela who finally married in the series finale.

I have watched The Office for years, have seen it many times over. It was at its best and in full stride for the first five seasons, in my opinion. The seminal moment of Pam and Jim's wedding in season six changed the dynamic of the show quite a bit, and though there were decent episodes to be had, I think it started going downhill.

Parks and Recreation was a relatively recent undertaking for me. I had tried to watch it several years ago, but couldn't get beyond the first couple episodes. I just didn't see what others had been telling me. Then my son and a co-worker recommended I start with season two and the rest is history, so to speak. I think that the show tended to get bogged down in political campaigns and machinations, but the producers seemed to be trying to build something through them. Maybe they were using it as a platform to express their own political leanings, but they did keep Ron as a strong character throughout, so that was a plus.

I like to catch an episode or two of either show now and then. But I am finished plowing through them from start to finish. Now, it's a more leisurely activity that allows me to look in on some enjoyable and familiar storylines.

Kinda like skimming through an old favorite book.

On Essence

It is very difficult, if not impossible, to capture essences in word, image or song.

They stir deep inside and connect on levels that go beyond mere sensory stimulation. Think on the experiential times when a subtle or overwhelming  sensation accompanied all that was seen, heard, smelled, touched and/or tasted.

It may have been the first real spring day after a long, hard winter that evoked such essence. It may have been the first time seeing a spouse wearing nothing but a smile. There are many potential triggers that set off essences, both positive and negative.

They may be called many things: excitement, dread, elation, peace, fear. But even these are rather shallow descripts of the true sheen taking place in the inner worlds. The word 'ecstasy' comes closest as it contains a spiritual element as well as expressive.

The artist, the writer, they know this and spend their creative time trying to capture the ephemera.

Because, if it can be captured and bottled up in a work of prose, poetry, painting or sculpture, it will be bestowed with a timeless quality. If music can touch the soul, it will be remembered forever.

Basho knew this and strove to trap essence in his haikus. Elizabeth Barrett Browning knew this and published Sonnets from the Portuguese to that end.  Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night was a strong effort to elicit essence, and the capture of the death essence was the motivation behind Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

Did these crafters of word, image and song succeed?

I believe they did.

If an artistic work resonates with the viewer/listener, does that not speak essence?

Writers, in particular, seek through word choices and phrasing to create resonance. It is done with metaphor and simile as the juxtaposition of those with the subject matter can truly turn the mundane into something much more.

For instance, I could spend a few paragraphs describing a Saturday morning in the summer of my childhood and many may nod their heads with understanding.

Or I could say,

Saturday mornings were warm cinnamon.

And it would open up a whole new world of potential.

The downside to this would be the reader that doesn't care for cinnamon. In that case, the metaphor would be lost on that person.

But do you see how a simpler statement can create more resonance than a lot of description and listing of events? Do you see how essence is awakened?

I have written over a thousand poems in search of this essence. I have attempted at each turn to make them resonate. Mostly, I have failed. But I like to think a few of my pieces evoke essence.

That should be the goal of every artist, writer, musician.

Without essence, everything rings hollow, everything is flat.

Move along, folks. There's nothing to see here.

I used to look at the pictures and sigh.

That which had been another home for over 20 years still called to me.

Time slowly, but surely, took away the bonds that tied me to that land, but there were still the memories.

And the pictures.

And both were rich in meaning, in sentiment.

But now, it's different.

The images which filled me with such yearning have become distant.

I know that it hasn't changed. It is I that have changed.,

It's like having an ex-girlfriend. The cuts still remain even after a period of time. They may bleed a little. And viewing pictures of her may wash the mind with want, with sadness.

However, when enough time has passed, that which draws to her becomes weaker.

The weakening brings about new waves of desire now and then as the realization grows that moving on has taken place whether wanted or not.

And now, many years later, the sight of her on Facebook or yearbooks or snapshots doesn't stir any more. There are the memories, but they have become cold. Sterile.

This severing should have come as no surprise.

I have been through it before. Many times.

But even though I own a piece of that distant land, it still remains distant.

Perhaps even more now than ever.

Why the lot purchase?

Oh, there were thoughts of a retirement home. There was the dream of forever holding onto a piece of that which was a part of our lives for so long.

Now, it's just become about the investment, I suppose. There's no other reason to keep those two acres.

I have written many things about this. Those things, whether poems, essays or stories, have been recorded in book form so I have words as well as the pictures.

But each writing drained a little of the attachment from me. Like a weed it would grow back, often as strong as before. However, if you hack away at a weed over time it will stop trying to grow.

It will die.

Experiences in life are weeds.

Hack away at them and eventually they will die.

And all that will be left are pictures, words. Distant memories.

That is one of the sum totals of life.

My Cookie Journey

Grocery store bakeries do not create product that is anywhere near as good as a small, local bakery. However, among the grocery store chains, the baked goods can be compared and rated as to their quality and flavor of product. 

For major chains, we have Hannaford's, Shaw's and Walmart. I like the breads at Hannaford's and Walmart has a good variety of pastries. However, for cookies and cakes I have found Shaw's to be superior to the other two.

I found some chocolate chip cookies at Shaw's that blew me away. They were a good cookie, chewy and flavorful, not processed tasting at all. But the pièce de résistance of these cookies was that they were dipped in chocolate which coated half the cookie. They were marvelous.

I introduced these cookies to many people and they all liked them as well. There was a problem, however.

They aren't made with any sort of regularity of schedule. When I asked one of the bakery people about it, he told me that he didn't know when they would be making them again. I asked if they were seasonal and he said no. Apparently, it's just a random thing.

So I decided I would try to make those kind of cookies myself.

Using frozen cookie dough from the store and a bag of chocolate chips to melt, I came up with these (bottom picture)....

My first problem was using the frozen cookie dough. I tried it a couple times and didn't get the results I wanted as the cookies baked rather flat and didn't rise. My second problem was that I caused the melted chocolate chips to "seize" when I put some vanilla flavoring in them. The smooth, almost liquid chocolate became chunky and grainy. I did some research to find out why and discovered that you don't add liquids to melted chocolate. People told me they tasted good, but I wasn't satisfied with that. I wanted good form as well.

So I kept at it.

Next attempt was by using the Toll House cookie recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag. They turned out looking like this:

 

These were closer to what I wanted and I knew I was going in the right direction. 

For my next experiment, I tried putting macademia nuts in the cookies and using white chocolate disks for the melt. Turns out you can purchase chocolate just for melting and in the store it comes in dark chocolate or white. They are made by Ghirardelli. 

This was the result of that effort:

Esthetically, my cookies were looking better with each attempt. I nailed down ingredients, baking times (which I experimented with), and equipment for mixing and baking. I found that a double layer cookie sheet gives me a better result than a single layer. 

For the next attempt, I tried making Snickerdoodles and I used eggnog in them because I had some left over and wanted to get rid of it. The dairy in eggnog and butter made the cookies very cakey which was nice, but I still preferred chewy over that.

I tried Snickerdoodles again, but this time I used a white chocolate drizzle on top of them. This is what they looked like:

Some people on Facebook commented negatively about my doing this, but I didn't really care. I thought they were good and some skeptics tried them and agreed.

Another batch I made was to use up a bunch of M&Ms I got for Christmas. No chocolate coating on these, I did however, add some cinnamon to the cookie dough and rather liked the flavor.

My most recent two batches were done within a week of each other. The first was to send to a friend of mine, and I also took some to my parents. They were dark chocolate chip cookies with a white chocolate dip.

These had mini semi-sweet chocolate chips in them and their texture was a little different from what I had been getting previously. I tend to think it was because instead of using 1-1/2 cups of brown sugar, I used 1 cup brown and 1/2 of white sugar. Not sure though.

And the last batch I made just a few days ago, I used peanut butter chips and totally coated the cookies with chocolate. I was very pleased with the way they turned out.

Not pictured or mentioned anywhere here was a batch of Snickerdoodles I made with dark brown sugar.  They were good, but the dark brown sugar made them taste like molasses cookies. I also used butter in them which made the cookies cakey.

All in all, I have enjoyed the process of experimenting with cookies and tweaking the recipes to get desired results. 

I think now that I never have to go back to Shaw's and buy their cookies again.

Gone Are Places We Played

A common experience among those who have put some miles under their feet is the loss of old, familiar places. I covered some of this in the post Greater Portland Ghosts. But there are more intimate places that get replaced by something else and the intimacy stems from places where we recreate.

Fields that we played in as children, amusement parks where we experienced carefree fun, campgrounds where most of the time was spent in the great outdoors with friends or family; these are places that are fondly remembered even when current residents or neighbors have no clue as to their former existence..

It is my intent to talk a little about some of the playgrounds that still come to mind. Most are from my childhood but a few are from teen and adult years.

1. Neighborhood fields where we used to play baseball in the summer and sled in the winter.  They have all been developed now closing off the open spaces.

2. There used to be woods behind a friend's house and we spent much time exploring those woods, making forts, etc. Additionally, his folks installed an in-ground pool where we swam in the summer. Those woods and pool are gone. The house is on the left. The pool would have been to the right of the fence. Behind and to the right of that were the woods.

3. For several years, my family spent a couple weeks at a camp at Highland Lake. Those were memorable years. Unfortunately, the area where the beach used to be for those camps without lakefront access no longer exists.  Unable to find any pictures of it, I am just including a Google maps satellite view. The white circle shows where the beach used to be. Now there's another camp.

 

4. I played on the tennis team in 9th grade. The tennis courts weren't next to the school. There was a little walk over Mill Creek and through some woods to get to them. There were three courts in this spot and it sat just above the creek which flowed under Broadway, into and through the Figure 8 Park and then on out to Casco Bay.  In the summer, I used to meet Don Hendren, the youth pastor at my church, to play tennis. Now the area is a parking lot and I don't know what Mahoney Middle School does for tennis courts.

 

5. In Old Orchard Beach, there was a place you could pay a fee and ride horses on woods trails. A guide wasn't needed and it was a great group activity. It was called Judy Ann Stables. It's no longer in existence. The photo here is of a more current business somewhere and apparently riders are required to wear helmets. That requirement didn't exist back in the 70s.

  

6. In Hull,Massachusetts is Nantasket Beach. Standard beach on a cold Atlantic Ocean, it used to abut Paragon Park. My last memory of Paragon Park was coming down here from college and spending 30 minutes on a water slide. Dave and I would slide down as quickly as possible and run back up the stairs. I think we got close to 20 runs in. Afterwards, we went swimming in the ocean and then hopped over to a bar on the main strip for a beer. Paragon Park was closed in 1984.

7. Seminole Point Lodge was a lovely retreat located on Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire. It had a rustic meeting room with large fireplace , a small theater, a game room, and sleeping quarters. In the winter you could ice skate on the lake, ride a toboggan down a chute and slide out onto the lake, have snowball fights with other groups of people staying there. I don't know when it closed, but all I've been able to find is vintage postcards of it for sale on Amazon.

8. Lake Delores Waterpark (aka  Rock–A–Hoola Waterpark and Discovery Waterpark) was located in the Mojave Desert not far from Barstow, California. After an NTC rotation at Fort Irwin, we were invited to spend the day at the park. There were waterslides, rope swings, other activities I don't remember all centered around these manmade pools in the desert. It is now abandoned but went through a few permutations as new owners tried to make a go of it.

 

9. The Why Not night/dance club in Hinesville, Georgia was a regular hangout spot for many when I was stationed at Fort Stewart. Even after I was discharged from the Army, it became a customer of mine as I sold newspaper advertising in Hinesville for a year until my wife was discharged from the Army. Now it is a large pawn shop. I've been inside and spoken with the owners. They told me that a lot of people have come in telling them about the Why Not. I guess it left an impression on others as well..

10. And the granddaddy of them all is Camp Wakonda in Richmond, Maine. I spent several years there as a camper, counselor and worker. It holds a special place in my memories for all the time spent there, the people met, some of whom I still stay in touch with. It was sold to Central Maine Power sometime after I left Maine for college. When I went back to look, there was nothing but a bunch of tree debris from clearcutting. I have very few pictures of Camp Wakonda and what I do have came from someone else.

These are places I remember, and there are probably more. Seems you can't live a life without a good portion of your past getting erased over time.  I guess that's why there are historians.

Children's Books Then and Now

I was thinking back to books from my childhood and did so with fond remembrance. Books like A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson written in 1885 or The Wind in the Willows (1908) by Kenneth Grahame are indeed classics not only for the distant time in which they were written, but also for their enduring styles and content that lit up imagination. 

Even if we look to something a bit more recent, we can find Where the Wild Things Are (1962) by Maurice Sendak and Mr. Pudgins (1951) by Ruth Christoffer Carlsen to name just a couple. Both books are wonderful reads that evoke magical worlds of rich storytelling.

I have purchased a few books I remembered from my childhood and still find them fun to read.

Then I thought about what passes for children's' books these days, and I had to wonder if those who read them will look back on them fondly in 40-50 years. Books whose titles are Everyone Poops, Heather Has Two Mommies, or Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth probably reflect the current times and worldview. However, to me they seem to lack the timelessness of the well-known classics of yesteryear.

I confess that I haven't read the contemporary titles I listed. but if I had to make a choice between The Wind in the Willows and Everyone Poops, I think it would really be no choice at all. The former would win out every time.

Cars Through the Years

For an exercise that will interest no one but myself, I've decided to list all the cars I've ever owned. I found my memory to be surprisingly good on this even to the point where I can remember the year, make, model, body style and color of each. With the exception of the first car, the pictures I posted are examples only and not of the actual vehicle. However, most of them do reflect the color of my former vehicle. 

The cars are listed by model year, not in chronological order of ownership. Timeframes are difficult for me to recall. 

My first car:

1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

This car cost me $1000. I bought it after college, when I was in the Army and had the income to be able to do so.

It had a 350 V8 with a 4-barrel carburetor which gave it a nice growl when accelerating. The previous owner gave it the odd paint job. Originally silver with a vinyl roof, the sides were painted black, the vinyl removed and the roof painted blue.

 It was a gas hog and cost $100 to drive it from Georgia to Maine with $20 fill ups per stop. That was a lot back in 1983.

I owned it for about a year. Then I sold it and bought the next car.

1981 Mazda GLC

This car was priced around $4500. I bought it before a trip to Fort Stewart, Georgia where I was stationed. I was home on leave, left the 73 Olds on my parents' lawn with a For Sale sign and purchased this Mazda at Maine Mall Motors.

It had nothing. It was a 4-speed manual with no air conditioning, no power anything and no radio. However, it was much cheaper to drive and the $100 trip down the east coast turned into $35. I ended up totaling it in a freak accident.

1979 Ford Mustang II

I inherited this car when I married.  My wife had bought it in North Carolina when she lived there.

It was a 4-speed manual with a 4-cylinder engine. The color in the picture is accurate to our vehicle. 

It made the trip from Georgia to Maine when we exited the Army and served us well for many miles. I don't remember what happened to it.

1984 Honda Accord Hatchback

This was a short-lived ownership. My dad gave it to me and my wife. He was done using it and wanted to help us.

We were rear-ended while stopped at a traffic light by a high school student in a larger car. It totaled the Honda.

The color of ours was a sort of burgundy.


1985 Honda Civic

The only things I remember about this car is that it had a sunroof which made it impossible to get out of the mid-day sun.

And the timing belt broke which bent all the valve stems. It cost about $600 to repair and never seemed to run the same after that.



1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham

This car cost about $4000. I had purchased  a Chevy Corsica from a used car lot in Windham. The Chevy stalled all the way home, so I turned around and returned it and told the dealer I was cancelling my check.

In the meantime, a salesperson I knew and liked in Auburn told me about this car, so I went there and bought it.

It was a terrible car.   In the course of 5-6 months we dropped about $500 in repairs in it. My mechanic told me that even though it had very low miles on it, they must have been hard miles given its propensity to break down. The salesperson through whom I bought asked me how we liked it. I told him we hated it and why. He immediately told me to bring it back and trade it for something else. The trade amount offered covered the original cost of the car and all the repairs, so I was happy to do it. That's how we ended up with the next car.

1986 Toyota Camry

Not much to say about this car. We ran it until the clutch failed. I assume we got it fixed, but that's all I can recall. 

It was primarily my wife's car. I drove the next vehicle.





1986 Nissan Pickup

Standard shift. Standard radio. Crank windows. No amenities. It did have a cap. Cost us $5000 through a personal classified ad. We had this truck for 7 years. It started rusting out before breaking down.

Ended up donating it to a charitable organization and took the tax benefit.

It was only 2-wheel drive which made it fun in winter. Seriously.

1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera

This, too, was a private sale. We didn't have this car for very long. I don't remember it as being particularly reliable.








1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera

I liked this car. It gave us very few problems and for some reason it was fast, much faster than its trim level suggested. 

Unfortunately, it had an untimely death in December 1998. I was headed out to do some Christmas shopping and someone pulled out in front of me at an intersection where I had the right of way. I T-boned him and totaled the car.  

All I could think at the time was that I had it paid off and now would have to go back into debt on another vehicle. I think the insurance company gave us about $2000 for it.

1992 Ford Aerostar

I called this our butt-ugly pig van which delighted my sons to no end. Despite its ungainly looks, it turned out to be a decent vehicle. It had AWD so was good in the snow. In fact, I took to pushing snow banks back by ramming into them during one particularly prolific winter.

In the end, I donated it to charity when it started requiring too many repairs.

1993 Ford Taurus

This car was loaded with features.  Turns out it was also missing some features - two motor mounts, and the head gasket blew which was a common problem with Tauruses at that time.

I traded it for the next vehicle.



 
1994 Toyota Camry

This car was loaded as well. It became my wife's car while I drove the butt-ugly pig van.

I sold it through a magazine classified ad when it was time to part ways.



 

1995 Ford Escort Wagon

I bought this from a friend for $1500. He had a relative who kept it in a barn for years. Didn't have it for very long before the crankshaft on it snapped.  

The mechanic told me of someone who would buy it, so I sold it as is.




1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager Espresso

I got into minivans after renting one for our annual trip to North Carolina.  The Aerostar was the first one we owned. This was the second. It had captain's chairs in the first and second row which gave my two boys their own seats. It had front/rear heat/air conditioning and a slew of other features. It made for grand road trips.

However, the transmission eventually went on it which was endemic among Chrysler vehicles. After spending $2200 on having it rebuilt, we drove it for another 4 months when the oil pump went.

2001 Honda CRV

In 2005, my wife's dad had a stroke. We drove down to North Carolina in the Grand Voyager. The AC condenser on it had failed, so it was a very warm trip with the windows open. 

When my wife told me she wanted to stay longer to help her dad, I knew this would be a good time to do some car shopping. We could've flown her home, but she hates flying. And I couldn't stay as my vacation was running out.

So I went car shopping and found this Honda at Watkins Auto in Forest City. I dealt with the owner and he took enough off the price to make it make sense. So when my wife was ready to come home, she would be able to drive. This CRV was an AWD vehicle which made it perfect for her in winter time. In fact, I've kept her in 4-wheel drive vehicles since. It gives me peace of mind. Her too.

When it was time to move onto the next car, we gave this to our oldest son. He drove it to over 200,000 miles and has since traded it for the car he owns now.

2003 Mazda MPV

This van wasn't good at all. When it rained the spark plug coils would short out. 

And the windows wouldn't go all the way down, either.





2005 Toyota Camry

My wife really liked this Camry. I found it difficult to enter and exit. Seat and steering wheel positioning made it a bit of a contortionist act to do so. However, when finally in the driver's seat it was fine.

In winter my wife had a hard time driving it in snow. It may have been due to the fact that it was quite fast. Whatever the reason, I had her trade vehicles with my youngest son who was driving our Pacifica (next car)

He was rear ended by a young lady which ended up totaling this car.

2006 Chrysler Pacifica

When I bought this car, I made sure I had a warranty. That ended up paying for itself when the transmission blew. The replacement cost over $5000 and a rep from Boston had to drive up to make sure the replacement went as was supposed to.

Even with that issue, I still think of this car fondly. In the winter it was a tank due to its weight and all wheel drive. It just wouldn't get stuck.

There was a lot of room in the back seat for my sons who were getting quite big. It had a leather interior and I think the driver's seat was heated. It rode well and made for comfortable road trips. A friend bought it and still owns it, though he is looking to sell it.

2003 Toyota Matrix

I drove the Matrix. It is white, just like this picture. I enjoyed it for its fuel economy and the acceleration is quick for a 4-cylinder. It was fairly reliable in the 80,000 or so miles I've put on it.


 



2008 Toyota RAV4 Sport

My wife's 4-wheel drive for the last year or two. It is a good vehicle and well equipped.
   
  



 


2012 Nissan Maxima SV Sport

This year we replaced the Matrix with this Maxima. It's a nice car, loaded with goodies. But what really grabbed my eye was the less than 20K original miles on it. I can envision some long distance road trips taking place over the next few years.





2012 Honda CR-V EX-L
Well the RAV4 was totaled in a rear ender when my wife hit a pickup that had stopped in front of her. No one was hurt, thank God. But the damage estimate was greater than the value, so the insurance company closed out the claim and sent us a check. As it was her fault, insurance wouldn't cover a rental and we had to return the loaner from the body shop. I got her a rental and had to start looking quickly because the car was going to cost over $300 a week. I test drove four vehicles, a 2015 Toyota Venza, a 2015 Nissan Rogue, a 2009 Subaru Forester and this CR-V. Hands down, the CR-V was the better vehicle of them all for various reasons I won't cover here.

  
So this is our fast and furious vehicle life. And while I can't boast to having owned any exotic sports cars or rugged off-road SUVs, I can say that we have been able to get where we needed to go with relatively few problems, especially when considering the amount of miles we rack up over the course of a year.

The only vehicles where I couldn't match colors were the Aerostar, the 90 Cutlass, the 85 Cutlass and the Accord.