Going to Wisconsin

 Since the 981S was in Wisconsin and it coincided with the kids' spring break week, we decided to make a bit of an adventure out of going to get it.  The 911 was due for its annual service, so I worked with my brother to schedule it for when we were going to Wisconsin.  One wonderful thing about working with The Exchange for service is their loaner fleet of Cayennes.  The Cayenne is an excellent SUV, and made for the the perfect accomplice on this mission.

To The Exchange!

Knowing we had no hope of fitting all of our luggage into the 911, my brother graciously agreed to take some bags to The Exchange with him when he was visiting for the weekend.  On departure morning, we stuffed the trunk full with our remaining luggage:

and prepared to fold our tall bodies into a pretty small space:

Once aboard, the drive to Chicago felt like a regular road trip...

...and before long, it looked like one, too!

Who says a 911 isn't a family car?  I think it's perfectly practical!  That said, it was nice to have a 2 hour hop instead of being in there for the 5 hours that we'd need to get to our final destination...

The Nuthorn Quest

Whenever we go to Wisconsin, we make a point of visiting the New Glarus Bakery, which is a little over 2 hours away from The Exchange.  As long-time patrons, we know that it's completely worth pre-ordering nuthorns because in addition to being amazingly delicious, the sell out quickly.  Since they're delicious, we ordered a dozen so we could enjoy some on the fly and save some to bring back to share with others.

After a delicious lunch, saddled up for the final ~2 hour ride to Appleton:

We got to the hotel in time for the kids to frolic in the pool, which they loved!  There was no hurry to get to bed early or get up early because we didn't plan on picking up the car until after 9 the following day.  Of course, I couldn't sleep.

Delivery Day

We got up leisurely in the morning and grabbed a family workout in the hotel gym before searching for a tasty coffee shop in Appleton.  Allison took the time to fulfill one of my fantasies by painting her nails to match the red belts in the car (remember, I am a strange man):

Fulfilling the "taking delivery of a Porsche at a dealership" fantasy, Allison also was cool with wearing the awesome Martini Racing sweatshirt she got me for Father's Day, and I chose the F.A.T. International hoodie I got while traveling with my brother in 2024 when we visited F.A.T. Mankei on the Grossglockner Pass.  

Decked out and ready, we found a coffee shop, headed in that direction, and enjoyed a good cup of coffee and some tasty breakfast:

After breakfast, it was time!!!  We piled into the Cayenne, drove to Porsche Fox Valley, and with wide smiles and a lot of excitement, got ready to fulfill the dream:

Part of the joy of the purchase experience was the actual purchase experience.  Nothing compares to taking delivery of a Porsche from a Porsche dealership.  I did it once before, at The Exchange, back in 1997.  I really wanted Allison to have that experience - of being shown the car, all the features, pairing her phone, really making it feel like it's her car.  Which it is!

The kids were immediately smitten.  Heck, who am I kidding, we all were.  It's a really pretty car.

James, our salesman, was fantastic.  He spent plenty of time with us, never making us feel rushed or like we were consuming too much of his time:

We all loved exploring the car, and I'll never forget how wide the smiles were!

I particularly love the red belts!

My brother, ridiculously generous person that he is, had Porsche winter floor mats waiting for us at The Exchange, so I took out the stock mats and snapped in the more durable, rubberized versions.  I mean, this car is going to get a fair bit of use, so it makes sense to protect from crumbs, potential spills, etc:

After chatting and exploring the car, it was time for the first drive.  I loved every second of it!  It was so cool to see Allison's level of nervous excitement:

I really love seeing her excited smile:

Of course, Allison insisted we trade places so I could sample the car:

For me, the greatest joy came from seeing the wonder and happiness on the faces of my family:

And from driving lazily south, close to Lake Michigan:

And seeing Madeline get ready for her first driving experience in this car:

We has deliciously beautiful weather for the pickup, sunny, cool, perfect top down/heated seats weather.  For whatever reason, the weather gods were smiling on us, and it made the trip that much more delightful.

Homeward Bound

After overnighting in Sheboygan where we enjoyed an unexpectedly delicious Italian meal at my brother's suggestion, we cruised into Milwaukee to visit Colectivo Coffee Lakefront.  I'm a massive fan of the Dark Sumatra.  The weather greatest hits album kept playing, and we were able to sit outside in the crisp sunshine.

After a leisurely breakfast, we made our way back to The Exchange where the 911 was waiting with fresh oil.  It was the first time that the siblings got to meet each other:

I like to observe how cars evolve over time.  I think this photo from the rear is particularly telling.  Look how high the bumper is on the Boxster, and how low the lights are in the 911.  Admittedly, the 911 has been lowered, but you can't get away from the fact that in the 1990s, legislation hadn't gotten to the point that higher bumpers were mandated.

Afterwards, we went to one of Faris' friends house for dinner.  We got to park next to each other, and I love the top view of the cars next to each other.  You can see that the Boxster is longer (172.2 inches vs 168.3 inches).  The difference in width is much more pronounced, with the Boxster coming in at 70.9 inches vs only 65 for the 911.

I've been reading Mom's book to Enzo as his bedtime story.  In the book, he was introduced to Cat's Cradle, and has gone down a YouTube rabbit hole learning a variety of different designs.  Steve, Faris' friend we had dinner with, is of a vintage that he remembers playing Cat's Cradle as a kid.  His muscle memory kicked in, and soon he and Enzo were swapping the string back and forth.  It was such a delight to see, such a high entertainment value from the simplest of things:

'After dinner we made the trek home to South Bend.  On the way, the 911 hit a significant milestone:

140,000 miles and still running strong.  Over 27 years later, the car still pushes all of my buttons.  The Boxster is 11 years younger, much more modern, and the car I'd choose if I had to be in Washington, D.C. tomorrow.  That said, I have super fond memories of a pre-GPS world when Faris and I took multiple days and blue line highways to get to the same destination.  I really like the 911 for just driving.  They're so different, these two cars.  That's probably a post for another time.

After a brisk drive through the night, we got all the cars safely tucked in for the night, where they could murmur to each other through the wall:

Since the winter mats will live in the Boxster, I brought the original floor mats into the house, where two very curious animals sniffed them and felt very safe "in the box."

All in all, I can't overemphasize how truly wonderful it was to have our kids part of a magical pickup process.  I love their open-mouthed wonder.  Allison's smiles and laughter are burned into my psyche.  And joy of joys, the Boxster is working its way into our daily life.  I had the pleasure of following Allison this morning as she took Enzo to school and I made my way to the gym.  I love how the Boxster is reflected in the hood of the 911:

I love plotting and planning, and top of the list is a raid to Cedar Falls to enjoy pizza at The Brown Bottle.  It was a childhood treat, and I really have a major hankering for their pizza, it's outstanding.  With a little creativity, we can fit the seven of us (my family and my brother) into the 911, the Boxster, and his Spyder RS!  It should be epic!!!!