Sacramento's Annual International Auto Show

As is my habit at this time each year, I attended our city's display of new vehicles, spending roughly six hours time taking in the nuances of all things mobile - from Segway Human Transporters to sophisticated gasoline/electric hybrids that are postured to radically change the whole mix of what will be offered to consumers over the coming years. To say the least, it was one of the more interesting shows that I have attended.

You will see from my show pictures that there was not only the new 2010 models on display, but some rather interesting older cars as well. I found myself checking out several cars from a half century ago and comparing them to today's vastly different autos. I've got to say that the simplicity of a '57' T-Bird with an AM radio and roll up windows is quite a contrast when compared to today's all electric 'Volt", but they both have their own appeal to the many people who still love cars and appreciate their impact on our culture and our economy.

My first auto show was in 1957, the year Ford introduced the Edsel. I was only twelve years old, but I was hooked on cars after attending that show and my interest has grown over the years. I probably spend as much time checking out a Versa as I do a Rolls, even though a couple hundred grand or more separates them in price. I just get a kick out of learning what I can about cars.

As to my favorites this year, below is my top five (in no particular order):

Acura TL - love it or hate it exterior, very high tech interior

Mazda 3 - high tech vehicle with a low tech price, grill that resembles a blow fish (it grows on you)

Honda Accord Crosstour - if you like hatchbacks, this one has great lines and doesn't resemble every other car on the road

Honda Element (Dog Friendly Model) - the badging alone makes it worth the additional money over a standard version

Hyundai Genesis - give Hyundai a little more time and they really will build a Lexus for half the price

There are others that I could easily add to the list, such as the Taurus SHO which I got to test drive while attending the auto show, but the one thing that you discover when you look at so may vehicles in one sitting is that there are some cars that appear as better values than others, when it comes down to the bottom line, but there probably isn't a terribly bad car in the entire show. It basically boils down to one's preference and whatever stirs the consumer's emotional buttons. I'd like to have a really big garage full of them myself (not likely). Enjoy the pics.

Happy Halloween

Halloween "09" was a lot of fun. Nancy bagged candy and did the indoor decorations, while Dave and I decorated the exterior of the house. The weather was great and because Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, we had a record number of trick or treaters - three hundred and eleven to be exact. How do we know, you might ask? Well, we count the bags that we give to the kids. Of course, there may have been a couple of kids who came back twice, but I'm sure that the total number is still over three hundred. That's a lot of trick or treaters! It kept the three of us going for about three and a half hours.

Dave and I managed to watch a little of the USC vs Oregon game while all of this was going on. The Mighty Ducks prevailed. Go Quackers!!!

Oh! - and I have to mention that Nancy prepared a delicious meat loaf for our dinner meal tonight. Superb meat loaf - the best around. Just ask Dave, he ate half of it! Afterwards, we had coconut cream pie for dessert. Yep, a good time was had by all. Check out the pictures to the right and at the bottom of the blog page.