Sync my ride, or chatting with a guy from Calcutta

Upon re-entering the US at the Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls, we promptly missed the turn-off for the by-pass to I-90 East. I-90 takes you clear across New York State. Things I learned on I-90 included how to tailgate, passing on the right is the law of the land, if 20 cars are bumper to bumper traveling at 75 miles an hour some asshat will pull up behind and flash his headlights for you to pull over so he can tailgate the person in front of you. And it works. I saw very agressive guys in huge trucks move 20 cars in minutes. It was truly amazing to watch.

 I-90 is a four lane divided toll road and got boring after a while. Punkin Head called to let us know that we were not required to attend the rehearsal so we decided to take a side trip. Big Mistake. It made the getting lost in Tonawanda look like child's play. Out first clue should have been the Sync my ride operator from Calcutta. I did ask myself why we were asking someone in India to route us through the Adirondacks, but Big Daddy wanted to use the technology. Then as a back-up he also figured out how to route us through my phone. The route was from Utica, New York to Middlebury Vermont.

We of course picked the most desolate route through the mountains. No tourist stuff here. Also no gas stations, restaurants, human beings, etc. Only snow plow turn-arounds and deer. Lots of deer. I only almost hit the deer once. Missing them was a vast relief. I did however pummel Peter Cottontail with the underbody of my Ford Fusion and I had to duke it out with Tom Turkey. Tom Turkey was the largest wild turkey BD had ever seen and he was sitting in the only lane open on a bridge in an abandoned construction zone. I did not swerve but I did hit the brakes to avoid hitting him. He was taller than my front end. BD said if I had hit him at speed he might have flipped up and broken the windshield.

Just when my blood sugar hit bottom and I was ready to cry we stumbled onto the Oxbow Inn. It was pretty scary but at this point I was beyond caring. I was reminded of those horror films where the innocent tourist goes inside and is never heard from again. After some fried clams, french fries and a glass of Pinot Grigio I was much better and we continued forth.

And we only got lost one more time. We made it with 45 minutes to spare before the rehearsal dinner. And a good time was had by all.

Phineas's Face

Photo of Phineas's face

I have taken a page from another Blogger's Blog and named our cars. It makes it so much more congenial to have a face to put with the name. Big Daddy's car is Phineas Ford and I drive Finola Ford. We like the Fords as they are not pretentious, just plain folks on the Freeway of Love and Eight Mile. Personally I fell out of love with the auto industry after they did me wrong back in the 2008s, and truthfully if I could do without Big Banking I would tell them to take a hike also. So the Fords are the least of the American car company evils, and in Detroit you better be driving a UAW natural born American car. The only foreign car I never got shit for driving was a Jaguar. That was a great car until you needed to fill the gasoline tank in the winter. Or unlock the doors.

Anyway, I was standing at the front window talking on the phone, a bad habit of mine, when I saw this car coming down the street and said to myself, "I wonder who that raggedy piece of shit belongs to." Well, when it pulled into my driveway I had my answer. Big Daddy gave me a funny look when I inquired as to who/whom smashed Phineas in the mouth. It is a mystery that may never be solved.  So into the shop he must go.

We finally found a movie worth finishing last night, Hope Springs with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. It was a tad cliched but the acting was good enough I laughed out loud a few times. Magic Mike and Dark Shadows did not make it to their endings.

Busy Saturday as next week is another trip to West BFE for BD.

Freedom

We are now Ford people. This is my new ride.

It is almost impossible to drive any non-union car in Detroit. It just makes life difficult. I drove Saabs for years and I did take some guff and damage but it was worth it to drive down Lakeshore with the top down. Now we are Ford people as they did not get caught up in that financial mess, no Government Motors or Tony's Transportation for us. And it has heated seats. I loved my Ford Edge but at 19 MPG and gasoline out of control I can't take that bet again. I would not be surprised if they start rationing gas again.

I went to the hairdresser yesterday and was told I was too blond. I did not think that was possible.

Punkin Head came for dinner, his request was burgers and spinach. I taught Big Daddy how to do a mean sauteed spinach and it cracks me up that Punkin Head loves it. He was the pickiest eater as a child and hated both of those items.

Just a few weeks and Eastern Market has the crazy flower sales, y'all will love pictures of that place, every Saturday it is a madhouse and BD likes to get there a 6 AM to get a parking space. So I better get busy outside. And we have to find the pull cart and radio flyer and clean them up.