Florence became the owner of a whole new home today, 8 acres of beautiful birch and pine forested land with a babbling brook.

More to follow… stay tuned!
Florence became the owner of a whole new home today, 8 acres of beautiful birch and pine forested land with a babbling brook.
More to follow… stay tuned!
I love this story about how this entrepreneurial woman decided to live and operate her store out of her Airstream trailer!
Read the entire article at: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/a12831800/petite-tenue-alexandra-archibald-airstream-interview/
House Tour: A Vintage Airstream Finds Home in New Orleans | Apartment Therapy
The best thing about this story is that she named her trailer Ann after her grandmother… just like Florence is named after my great aunt! The redesign is stunning as well.
Read the original article at:
My mom tells me that tomorrow is a super blue blood moon—that means that it’s the second full moon in a month, AND a full lunar eclipse. It has happened only once in the last 152 years! The moon looks plenty full tonight, and on such a chilly night, Florence is looking very warm and toasty, thanks to her newly repaired Dyson Heat + Cool Link.
While I would never ever trade my Bambi (Florence IS, after all, a dream come true.) It’s interesting to see that Airstream is aiming their newest product at a “small” market.
Basecamp takes the iconic Airstream streamlined style in a new, exciting direction. The same quality and unrelenting standards that made Airstream famous has now been applied to creating one of the lightest, most versatile, and adventure-capable travel trailers ever. It’s smart, it’s spontaneous, and it’s the spirit of Airstream – the spirit of adventure.
The Basecamp is lightweight and towable with an SUV. Comfortably seats five and sleeps two. Just as comfortable in the campsite as it is off the beaten path. The new Basecamp packs everything you need into one versatile trailer that’s ready for anything this wide world has to offer.
Interesting to note this new Basecamp is a re-imagined version of our original 2007 version that was designed in partnership with Nissan Design America. Since that first iteration, Airstream has paid attention to details and conceptualized new ideas to equip the new Basecamp with fresh innovations, more functional design features, and materials designed with comfort and convenience in mind.
I wound up buying the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport GT 2.4 AWC.
Here’s my breakdown of features and reviews of the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport GT.
Drive/Handling
The Outlander Sport handles REALLY well. It is among the best cars I’ve driven and is on par with my first Subaru Legacy. The steering is responsive and the car turns on a dime and the turning radius is tight. It’s possible to make a U-turn on a very narrow street, which is handy and impressive.
The car rides smoother than any car I’ve ever had (including my first Subaru Legacy), it takes bumps and potholes like a champ and steers perfectly.
Acceleration can be a bit sluggish if you just push on the accelerator. Instead, using the paddle shifters to engage the CVT is the way to go. Using the paddle shifters gives the car a significant boost and ranks it amongst the peppiest and most powerful cars of any that I’ve owned.
I particularly like how the Outlander Sport grips the road. The base feels secure, stable, and dense.
The nightlines are clear and the side mirrors feel generous. I like that I can see 360º around the car. Plus, the backup camera has a very generous 180º range of view. It’s handy and makes backing up a breeze.
I give Drive/Handling an A+
Comfort
Hands down the best ergonomic design of any car I’ve owned. The seat doesn’t have lumbar support (which is called out in several of the “pro” reviews. However, the way the seat fits the body makes lumbar support a thing of the past. The seat cradles the lower back and is both comfortable and suitable for small and large drivers alike.
The heated seats are perfect and heat up quickly.
Climate control is simply the best I’ve encountered (all those air conditioners Mitsubishi makes must have paid off in this area.) Just set the temperature and forget it. The car keeps you cool or warm and keeps the windows from getting foggy… even in really humid and foggy conditions.
Switches and buttons are large, well labeled, well located, and easy to see. Illumination can be customized and is not overdone.
I give Comfort an A+
Gas Mileage
Is on par with my Subarus. About 27-30mpg. Definitely not bad, and much better than most cars I’ve owned.
I give Gas Mileage an A (there’s always room for improvement until we’re getting 100mpg).
Sound System
I had never heard of Rockford Fosgate until I purchased my Mitsubishi. The sound system is OK. I am not a big audiophile, music person, or radio person. The FUSE system seems clunky (compared to Apple CarPlay) but the screen is responsive. There’s some peculiarities and oddities, but it gets the job done.
I do hope that Mitsubishi will upgrade the software soon to accept CarPlay!
I give the Sound System a B-
Engine Sound
The “pro” reviewers complained a lot about the engine noise in the Outlander Sport. I’ve been driving the car for some time now, and the engine makes noise. Just like EVERY OTHER ENGINE on the market. Mitsubishi doesn’t employ any weird masking/noise cancellation like other manufacturers. Personally, I don’t think the engine makes any annoying or distracting sounds, and I find it to be reassuring that I can actually hear the engine working.
I give Engine Sound an A
Features
This is where the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport really shines. Smart, easy-to-use features abound.
The AWD feature is smart and operates at the push of a button. It clicks into use when the vehicle senses that it needs it.
Wipers are automatic and triggered by speed and rain volume. They work flawlessly.
Headlights are the best I’ve ever encountered. Clear and a wide 180º spread.
The panoramic sunroof is stunning, and the accessory LED lighting is cute and fun.
I love that the driver side window doesn’t have that stupid “touch” feature (that I never seem to be able to use). Instead, push down for the window to go down, up for the window to go up. Easy.
Features definitely earn an A+
Service
The purchase and service for the vehicle can’t be beat. a 10/100k drive train warranty and a 5/50k overall warranty is the best in its class.
The purchase was straightforward, no haggle, and fair.
Service definitely earns an A+ as well.
So, I am happy to report that the “pro” reviewers are wrong and the owners are spot on. Overall, my grade is an A, nearly an A+. The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is the best car I’ve ever owned!
Find out more about Mitsubishi.
So, when I decided (at my Father’s suggestion) to consider Mitsubishi, I did some online research and found a few interesting things:
Despite these interesting factoids, one glaring issue remained: the Outlander Sport just didn’t have great reviews. Edmonds gave it a D, US News gave it a 6.9/10, Kelly gave it a 6.5/10, Car and Driver gave it a 2/5. But keep this in mind; those reviews are written by people who write reviews for a living. They compare hundreds of cars, and, at the end of the day, are the opinions of one person who drives the car for a day or two before penning the review. Moreover, the pro reviews focused overwhelmingly on odd metrics: the lack of chrome trim, the density of the foam in the seats, the quality of the sound system.
Where Mitsubishi and the Outlander Sport really shines is in the REVIEWS to those comments, they are from actual folks that OWN the car, and drive the cars every single day. These reviews focus on the nitty-gritty details of owning the Outlander: reliability, comfort, handling in different weather conditions, cost of ownership, durability, etc. The actual owner comments—across the board—are stellar.
So what matters more… the opinion of the pros or the actual owners?
Next up: The decision.
So, in my last entry, I listed every single car that I’ve ever owned. I did this for a specific reason: I’ve driven a number of cars and have a pretty good sense of what’s good and what’s not.
Here’s a breakdown of my car-owning stats:
37% American (if you consider Saturn an American car)
42% Japanese/Korean
16% German
The Japanese carmakers have—from my experience—the best cars on the road. They drive best, are reliable and are easy and inexpensive to repair. Winner: Japanese. The German cars are decent drives, but are difficult and expensive to repair. American cars have a lot of “play” in the wheel and tend to “float” when they drive. I’m not a fan. Ford cars tend to drive tighter than GM cars, with the exception of Saturn (which is probably because they were mainly made from foreign platforms and components.)
37% Black
21% Green
21% White
5% Blue
5% Burnt Orange
5% Tan/Beige
Black cars are my favorite, hands down. Even if everyone says they look dirty. They also hide all kinds of imperfections and are easy to touch up.
42% 4-Door Sedan
32% 2-Door Coupe/2-Door Hatchback
21% Wagon/SUV/Crossover
I have spent most of my time driving in Sedans, and most of my time poking fun at people that drive SUVs. I disliked my Kia, but as I’m growing older, I prefer the Crossover. They are still small, but you sit up higher and can see the road better. My days of driving a little 2-door (with the exception of the Smart car) are probably over.
Next up: The review of reviews.
I have been driving for nearly thirty years. My father owned an automotive company when I was younger, so growing up, we never drove the same car for more than a few days. We had cars that were Dad’s toys, and then cars that we drove to get groceries and things like that. My friends’ families had cars that they owned for years (I remember going to the store with my neighbors across the street and being flabbergasted that they could leave things [like a box of Kleenex] in their car.) In my family, if you left something in the car, it wasn’t only lost forever, but chances were slim you’d ever see the car again.
Coming from a “car” family, my 16th birthday gift (that arrived at Christmas) was a green Buick SkyHawk. I promptly totaled it (about a month later)… but for the most part, I’ve never paid more than $3000 for a car. I just trade up, pay the difference, and enjoy the car.
In order, here’s a list of all the cars I’ve owned:
Next up: The Stats.
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