Tangential Thoughts

Sunday, September 27, 2026

49,000 miles

The GLI hit 49,000 miles on a gorgeous, sunny fall day.

49,000 miles!

Allison, Luca, Enzo, and I had taken a trip up to Grand Rapids to see The Odyssey in 70mm IMAX. It was completely worth the drive! The massive screen is immersive, the closeup shots of the actors provides great detail, and as the camera panned down to the ocean shots, it really gives you a feeling of being on the ocean. It's such a cool technology.

People have come from all over!

Pretty cool to be within driving distance!

600 pounds, 1l miles long!

One of the coolest things about the trip was seeing the projection room. The mechanics of the machine were fascinating. It was a great thing for Enzo to see, the physicality of the film. We talked to the projectionist for a while, and watching him handle the film after the movie was over made it obvious that routine and a mental checklist were at play. It got me thinking about shipping and distribution of a 600 pound film. How many physical copies of the movie are there? How are they produced and shipped? How long do they last? Where do they go after the movie is done with its run?

The car rolled 49K on the way home. It was a football Saturday, and Luca experienced a first - listening to a Notre Dame game on an AM radio station. Even though he's been driving it a fair bit, he'd never tuned the AM radio in the GLI before. Which makes sense, since he's plugged in, CarPlay streaming whatever he likes to listen to.

Naturally, I can't let this post go without a bit of commentary on the GLI. 6 years later, it continues to be a phenomenal machine. Potent, quiet, and comfortable, the car simple devours miles. It's an effortless, efficient highway hauler, with plenty of torque in 6th gear to propel the car into triple digits with a partial prod of the throttle. Its steering is fluid and precise, and it just feels good to drive. What a machine! Its goodness reinforces itself every time I get some seat time, I really, really, really like this car!

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

70,000 miles

The CR-V hit 70,000 miles sometime in the past couple of weeks.

70,000 + 159 miles

I'm sure this happened when Madeline was out driving around. Possibly to school, or possibly to the gym, or possibly on the way home. Who really knows? She might, but that's not very likely.

One thing I absolutely love about Madeline is that she really enjoys driving and opening up the sunroof. She frequently text me pictures like this:

That's my girl!

I love that she enjoys driving around with an open roof. As we like to say, "No DNA test needed." That's my girl!

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

48,000 miles

The GLI turned 48,000 miles towards the end of last month.

48,000 + 77

Luca has been driving it pretty exclusively for a month or so. It's really such a phenomenal car, and I'm glad he's enjoying it. Maybe he was on his way to class, or on his way home, or who knows. But, he was certainly behind the wheel, probably oblivious to the milestone.

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

40,000 miles

The C4S rolled 40,000 miles taking Enzo to school this week:

40,000 miles

It was a gorgeous, cool, sunny morning. We had the sunroof cranked back and were just putting along, in no particular hurry, just enjoying spending some time in the car on the way to school. This was one of those times when I knew exactly on which drive the odometer would spin, because when I parked the night before, I saw:

991!

I get a little thrill every time whenever a car-related number happens to find its way into my life. When I parked and saw 991, that just made me happy. When Madeline and I were rolling home earlier this year, the fact that it was 9:11 made me happy. It makes me happy that I'm going to hit publish on this post at 3:56. Yes, numbers are important!

Of course, since I knew 40,000 was coming, I also captured:

997!

I am a total car nerd.

But more important than being a car nerd is getting to savor time together in a car. I feel very, very lucky indeed that I get to drive Enzo to school every day. It's just so delightful to get some alone time for 20-30 minutes. Impossible to value.

964ing to school

991ing to school

107,000 miles

The blue van hit 107,000 miles in the last week. No idea what was going on, I'm presuming Allison was running around town, possibly taking the kids somewhere, possibly shopping, possibly running one of the myriad errands she runs to keep things running like clockwork!

107,000 + 14

Saturday, July 25, 2026

106,000 miles!

The van turned 106,000 miles on Friday, July 17, as we were skirted Toronto on our westward journey home.

106,000 miles!

We were coming back from a trip to Pierce Pond to spend time with family. Pierce Pond is unlike any other place on the planet. There is simply nobody there, there's no cell coverage, the spring-fed lake is crystal clear, and the swimming is sublime.

The placid waters of Pierce Pond

When we arrived, Allison's aunt picked us up on their pontoon boat. We spent a lot of time just sitting and talking and enjoying.

Intergenerational contact is essential

A perfect spot for sitting and thinking

While at Pierce Pond, Enzo has his first experience as a boat captain!

Enzo's first captain experience

Meanwhile, Luca became the Sunfish Skipper, taking Madeline, Allison, and me for a sail.

Enjoying the sunfish

Our time there was lovely, and yet we had to depart for Rangeley and the main (har har har) reason for our trip.

Arrivederci Pierce Pond!

In Rangeley, we took Grampa's ashes to the Height of Land and sprinkled them on the Appalachian Trail, per his request.

Grampa's view

Buon riposo Grampa

Later that day, we ascended to The Nest and had a really lovely celebration of life. There were some tears and lots of laughter, it was a great event that could easily have lasted for another two or three hours. After the celebration, we descended by chairlift and were treated to a magnificent sunset.

Allison practicing her speech

Stunning sunset from the Saddleback chairlift

Bidding "a domani" to the sun from the Saddleback chairlift

Allison and Luca marveling at the sunset

Maine's lake district is stunning

The next day we enjoyed some cousin time on the lake.

Rafting the pontoons

Cousin swimming fun

At Pine Tree, they serve fantastic ice cream, and outstanding lobster rolls! Only in Maine!

A last visit to Pine Tree in Rangeley before leaving for Québec!

Only in Maine do you get lobster rolls like this at an ice cream shop!

We also collected some new stickers for the Thule:

We've yet to see a moose in ME...

Rangeley is a lovely place to visit

Grampa tribute sticker

Where Grammy and Grampa met, and where we had Grampa's celebration of life!

We had never been to Québec before. It was sort of (not really) on the way home, so we decided to explore the city. Unintentionally we arrived during their annual summer music festival, so we got to enjoy some eccentric music in the evenings.

Cool African band

Night stroll in Québec

Fulfilling Madeline's poutine fantasies!

Departure day was also Allison's birthday, and we had a really enjoyable lunch at a rotating restaurant. We concluded that we hadn't eaten at that many revolving places, and that the experience is totally worth it.

Rotating lunch in Québec

Homeward bound, we made a stop in Kingston, Ontario. It was basically a good place to stop, and we found a really outstanding restaurant. It ended up being one of the best meals of the trip, and a great place to celebrate Allison's birthday.