Car Wash Adventures

You may think that I made this up about washing my car, but I assure you that this really has happened. 

(Some background first) I think at some point when my kids were young I went to a couple car washes, but I'm not sure.  A couple years ago here in Colorado, I went through a car wash with the assistance of my wife.  I'm used to taking a bucket out, putting some car wash in it, and filling half of it with water. Washing the car seemed always easy and the car came out pretty clean.  I never felt the need to go to a car wash. Why pay for something you can do easily yourself?

Last month our son and daughter-in-law generously gave us a six month gift certificate for unlimited washes as an anniversary gift.  The car wash is two miles from our house. Since our neighborhood is still being built, there is dust and dirt that is always on my car which is on the driveway.  My wife has always regularly gone to car washes.

                                                      

My adventure began when I arrived at the car wash to find out that our gift was not set-up yet in the system.  It was ordered online and the manager let me go through and was very nice.  I walked into the office and he could not find it in the system at all.  I gave him more information from my son and I was told we should check with corporate.

Going in the car wash I was nervous.  As I approached the area I saw these instructions above: Close all windows and shut off wipers was easy to do.  Getting on the track and being waved to the right or left was a little more difficult.  The kid at the car wash signaled to me and I had to put the car in neutral which I never do and I struggled doing it.  Take my hands off the wheel?  Are you kidding me? I'm a driver and have driven maybe a million miles in my life, where do I put my hands?  I did it and then the car moved itself.

I've driven in a hurricane, a blizzard, and recently a hail storm and now the water was pouring down, soap all over, and brushes in every direction.  I wanted to grip the wheel tightly, but I didn't dare touch it.  As I got to the end I watched for the go light and I saw this sign in front of me which says, "Stay shiny." The sun emoji with dark glasses I used to put near my signature as The Sunshine Man years ago. 

I wasn't done yet, because I could use the free vacuums. The instructions were on this but I was confused.  Do I use the vacuums on the left or the right? Or do I use the large vacuum closest to the left side of my car and the smaller vacuum on my right? I don't have a clue and I've been "winging it." The first time I took the small vacuum which is supposed to be for mats and tried to use it on my car.  This week I went to take the big vacuum off and it was stuck.  I watched the guy next to me and I realized it wasn't the whole piece I should be grabbing.  When I took it off, the vacuum was so strong that it started sucking up my shorts.  No one was watching fortunately.

                                                   

And just this week I took the big vacuum out and there wasn't much suction and this below came out? It was only costume jewelry, but this car wash thing is not easy.

CONCLUSION: I'm starting to get used to going to the car wash, but our gift certificate has been an adventure in itself.  The manager told me the gift certificate is only for one car, but he gave me two bar codes. Their corporate office confirmed that and my wife and I decided I would use the gift certificate.  Last week the code worked one day and the following day it did not.  This week it did not work and I was told I could come into the office and get another barcode.  I'll be ready to do that this week, it's almost like having a job!

I'm still able to get in, but I think most people have an easier time going to the car wash.  Of course, I can always take out the bucket and car wash, but maybe not in the Colorado winter.

An Old Hat For Me?

These days it's more important than ever to protect yourself from the sun.  I'm living in Colorado and I know I will have to get a sun hat, what do you think about this one?

This is a wool hat that is 2,000 years old.  It is a Roman hat that goes all the way back to 30 BCE after Cleopatra died.  It was used to protect Romans from the sun and it's really my color.  It is being displayed in a British museum.  It was worn in Egypt to protect Romans also from the windstorms.  We have windstorms in Colorado, but not as intense as 2,000 years ago.

They did spend some time on this hat preserving it after moths destroyed it. It is in excellent condition after they re-created the shape of the hat.  It was first discovered about 100 years ago and it has been held in storage before they started working on it to display it.  

You will not find this hat on Amazon or in any store, I think it's too much hat for me anyway. I can't see myself Ubering in it.

Random Thoughts and Questions

Do you ever have these things that go through your head and you never bring them up to anyone? Well, I decided to make a list of ten of these things and pass them on to you, so they can run through your head also.

1. Our dog's name is Odin, but we frequently call him, "Buddy." Does Odin think his name is "Buddy" too?

2. My wife went to the DMV to get her Colorado license plate. In line was a man with a long tail. Would it be better if I don't look that up to see what it meant and just assume he was playing a cat in a play?

3. How many times a year does the average person butt-dial someone?

4. Am I the only one who has never heard the word, "Gerd?"  I looked it up and here's the answer,

"Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition in which the stomach contents leak backward from the stomach into the esophagus (food pipe). Good travels from your mouth to the stomach through your esophagus. GERD can irritate the food pipe and cause heartburn and other symptoms."

5. When a solicitor comes to your door, how nice can you really be?

6. How long does it take to get a picture like this of a dog jumping in the air? This picture was taken of our dog Odin by our dog sitter. I think he's smiling.

7. Since Costco is now selling a Star Wars pinball machine for $4,700, can I just stop in anytime and play some pinball for free? Below my wife and I celebrated our anniversary with some free pinball. (Before I got my chicken)

                                   

8. Is there such a thing as getting "Car Wash Training?" I don't mean to work there, I mean to regularly go there and get your car cleaned.  More on this another time; I am experiencing difficulties.

9. My one-year-old granddaughter bought a book on kindle using her mom's phone.  Is that a good thing or not so good?

10. When you're watching a one-year old you sometimes have to be wearing four hats.  She constantly wants me to wear a hat in her house. Would you be comfortable doing that for hours and hours?

                                                                              

The Oldest Person in the World

Recently, she had another birthday and Ethel Caterham is now 116 years old.  She lives in Surrey, England and resides in a care home. Although she did not do any interviews on her birthday, she has in the past shared her secrets for her longevity and here they are:

1. Take an agreeable approach to most things in life.  "Never argue with anyone, I listen and do what I like."

2. "Say yes to every opportunity, because you never know what it would lead to."

3. "Have a positive mental attitude and have everything in moderation."

Ethel was a mother of two girls and she has outlived both of them. She's also a grandmother of three and a great-grandmother of five.

Having read a number of articles about how older people have lived so long, they usually say similar things like this.  It's probably a good idea to be reminded of this every once in awhile.

The House That Wasn't

 

When you look at the picture above you know it is a house.  This was supposed to be the house we bought in Colorado this year, but instead we bought the house below at the end of May. Sometimes the best plans just don't work out, which is why we didn't buy this house.

Last September we put money down for this house to be built. They weren't ready to build it yet, so we knew it would be one of the last houses in the neighborhood to be built this year.  Things got delayed and pushed back and when we arrived at the beginning of May we were told it would not be ready until mid-August.

We had made plans to stay with family for a couple months, but we felt over three more months was too long to wait.  It was disappointing, but the way things had gone it could have been September also.

If you look at the two houses there are similarities.  Our house below has a large extra room and a bigger backyard. It is also in a farm-like area and half of the houses are not moved into yet.  It has better access to everything around and it has a bigger porch area.  

The house above has a bigger driveway and was on a cul-de-sac.  It's a nice looking house which would have worked out, but it didn't. Although the other houses are not sold, "The house that wasn't" has a sold sign on it.  Somehow it is listed as sold before May which makes no sense.  It looks like it is ready for someone to move in. 

We have no regrets and how we bought our house was all about, "The house that wasn't."

Almost Anything is Possible

I always enjoy reading about something unique and inspiring and this story is certainly both.  In Cleveland City, Utah, 11-year-old Rosili Olson drew the picture below of a playground.  The local playground wasn't built for kids as young as her sisters, so she thought this would be better. I think she was right.

Her mom liked the idea and the two of them spoke with the head of the Department of Recreation in the town.  They had a budget to build a new playground and thought this would be perfect.  Rosili worked with them on building the playground and her picture is below:

It took about a year, but Rosili got to cut the ribbon at the grand opening.  How did she feel about it? She said, "It's even more beautiful than I imagined."  It's a great story because she got to watch it from beginning to end and it's something she made happen.  Imagine how much fun her sisters and other kids will have because of her initiative.

What can you do that others might consider impossible?

MY MOST MEMORABLE RIDER COMMENTS IN AUGUST

Driving the Lyft driver she said, "A few months ago my rental car was hit by an Uber driver who didn't see the red light. My car got pushed on the railroad tracks and I jumped out when I saw a train coming. It stopped just before hitting the car."

Young guy: "When I saw your mannequin it creeped me out at first, but some people are creeped out by the things I collect: knives, swords, bows, and lighters."

Jewish guy from Alaska told me(also Jewish) There are a lot Jews in Alaska. For Hannukah they don't burn eight candles, they burn eight bonfires."(kidding)

Talking about her older sister she said, "She's a grouchy little mess who doesn't come out of her room."

After 5-10 minutes of great conversation on an hour ride with him, he said, "My future ex-wife needs to take a nap." (She was sitting behind him)

He: "Haagen-Dazs coffee ice cream is the best ever.  Have you ever had fried coffee ice cream? It will change your life."

Former flight attendant: "My favorite story was when I was going around and taking meal orders and for one flight it was beef and chicken, but we were out of chicken. A woman said to me, 'Is there some way we can stop somewhere and get some chicken?' I told her it doesn't work that way."

The young woman said, "I'm a knife collector.  My mom bought an axe at a flea market that had a knife on the handle and she gave it to me."

He moved from North Carolina to Colorado: "In my first month it snowed five feet and I shoveled my driveway for three straight days.  It was the first time I ever shoveled snow."

She's a civil rights investigator and she said, "It's universal, beyond time and space: women bring a lot of drama and jealousy to work. I've found that happy women are well-rounded and more emotionally stable."

From Egypt, we talked about the roads in Egypt and he said, "It's chaos there, here everything goes magnificently, according to the rules."

After 15 minutes of great conversation, the young guy in his 20's suddenly said on the hour ride, "I've enjoyed the conversation, but I don't want to take my frustrations out on you, or be uncouth. I'm exhausted, we're done talking now." At the end of the ride he thanked me and gave me a generous tip."

Grandmother of two: "My two girls said they would never have kids, but they changed their mind and it changed my life."

Her initials are "TLC." (Tender Loving Care) She: "It's the small things that matter most, the acts of kindness." With a minute left in the ride, she started to throw up in my car.  I gave her some towels to clean herself up and then I gave (TLC) something to eat for the ride home in her car.

He told me about the Spanish Peaks which are in southwestern Colorado. He: "When I was a kid my mom used to tell all my friends that the Spanish translation of the name is, "Spanish Boobs." I was so embarrassed." (The name is really interpreted as "breasts of the earth.")

The hair stylist wanted to go in the back door of the salon. "I don't want all those eyebrows looking at me and saying, 'Hurry up lady.' " Me: "Is that what they are really saying?" Her: "It's my anxiety."

After telling her my "Good Karma" story where a woman gave me her mom's ring to change the karma, she told me this: "Just last week I found a gold chain I had for twenty-four years from my first love. After two years of dating he proposed with a ring and a chain and said if I said no I should keep the chain, but we shouldn't date anymore.  At eighteen, I thought we were too young and I just gave it to a friend to enjoy."

MORE RIDER COMMENTS

He said he moved from California in the 90's. Me: "Where in California?" Him: "I forgot."

The elevator inspector said, "In the rotunda (the center) of The Mall of America there are about 40 elevators and 40 escalators-they used to be my account."

She: "I love to ski, but I don't like snow-I don't like it on me."

He: "My job at Amazon is boring.  I work only with a robot who hands me a container of items."

I wondered how they could name a convenience store, "Stinker." On the same day I picked up an assistant manager there and someone who was an assistant manager there.  One said, "The two owners were arguing and one called the other, "A stinker." The other assistant manager said, "The father of the owner used to call his son, "Little stinker."

At the beginning of the ride the 77-year-old Egyptian asked me: "Are you liberal or conservative?" Me: "Why do you ask?"  Him: "I'm interested in politics."

Former food manager for The Dallas Cowboys: "I wore my two Super Bowl rings (inherited) to an exclusive party for players and I enjoyed it."

The Jacksonville Jaguars fan said that their quarterback, "He has to either step in up or hang it up."

He: "The CEO of my company is 94 and he shows up every day driving his own car."

She: "I got my first job selling shoes without any sales experience.  My boss said that she had a feeling she should hire me and I'm her best employee."

He: "I had an accident at work, a piano fell on me and I broke both legs.  It took me six months to recover."

After giving marriage advice to the bride going to her wedding, one girl in the wedding party said, "I have to remember that advice."

She: "We went to Greece during the COVID shutdown and no one was there. They were very happy we were there."

He's in college: "I want to be an addiction counselor, because one saved my life." 

He: "When you get hired by the company I work for, you have to go out to lunch with the CEO and he buys you Subway."

From Iowa, she told me, "I love Denver, it has a very different vibe than Iowa City and the people are great."

Woman who grew up in Hawaii and lives now in Colorado: "When I need a surfing fix I go snowboarding."

Successful guy: "I'll probably be done working till the day I die to pay off all my bills."

She: "The houses in my neighborhood look like a John Mellencamp song."

I asked, "How are you doing today?" She said, "I'm deeply tired."

She: "People call my mom, "Fun Fact Lisa."

She: "I enjoy working with autistic kids and being the adult for them."

Getting in the car, the older man said, "If I was any better, I'd be you."

He introduced his son or grandson by saying, "This is the biggest Bronco fan in the world."

I asked him what his two favorite places he had visited and he said, "New Orleans and New York because of the culture and food."

"My husband and I were both too cheap to get on a paid dating site, so we met on a Christian site."

"If you plan your day, you can make it happen."

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT COLORADO?

"I love the fall weather."

Tall guy: "I love the mountains, because they make me feel small."

"It's beautiful in all seasons."

"The mountains to hike."

"My mom and I were going to leave Colorado for a year and a half but we couldn't leave the mountains."

UNIQUE OCCUPATIONS:

Landslide Stabilizer

Sells French bulldogs and is a barber

Works 15 hour days in Texas oil fields

Local Patrol Sergeant

Business owner as personal chef

Civil rights legislator

Mining Engineer

Exotic Reptile Caretaker

Elevator inspector

Equipment sales for miners

WHAT COUNTRIES WERE MY RIDERS FROM:

Sudan, Mexico, Columbia, Eritrea (Africa), Egypt, France, Morocco, Guatemala, Iraq, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan.

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT ME AND MY CAR

"When you are touched by the world you can't tell me that there is not a living God."

"I'm in love with your car-I love this!"

"This Uber should be in "The Hall of Fame."

"Thanks for being a ray of sunshine."

"You found a way to love life."

"Glad the Lord let us to cross paths."

"You bring light to the world."

"This is too good."

"This is a cash cab."

"This is so sick, crazy."

"I loved it-I had a great time."

"When I think of an Uber, I'm going to think of you."

"This made my day."

"I like everything you're doing here."

"I needed this positivity."

"Keep being amazing."

Older man: "I've been in a lot of cars in my life, but this one takes the cake."

"I adore you."

"You have a lot of fun, don't you?"

"This is a great set-up."

"This is super cool."

"This was the best Uber ride ever."

"This was a great way to start my month-I am so happy!"

"This was a very cool ride."

"This is awesome."

"This is the most interesting Uber I've ever been in."

"This was one of the best Ubers I've ever had."

"This is a cool adventure."

"This is the most unique Uber."

"Very interesting car."