New Auto

On Saturday Kat and I ordered a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid. This vehicle is much more roomy than either Kat and I thought it would be. Because of the timing of our order we will be able to take delivery of the car in time to take advantage of the $2,600 tax credit that becomes $1,300 beginning in October. Funny thing about Toyota is that they have one of the highest resale values of cars on the road and the demand is such that MSRP is the price you have to pay. Used hybrids do not make any sense to buy unless you need the car immediately. The tax credit makes a new purchase more attractive than a used vehicle purchase. The best part is that the rated mileage is 40city/38hwy. That is fantastic for a mid-size sedan. The average midside sedan mileage rating is 21city/28hwy.

There is really no way to identify the car as a hybrid from the outside of the vehicle (except for a few badges that indicate it is a hybrid). We opted to go with a sedan for the time being and we will likely upgrade to a crossover or SUV once the family grows a little.

New Dinghy

Yesterday was the second time I was able to use my proper dinghy to get to and from my boat. One of the dock dwellers "the Mayor" was hosting a party and a friend of Katherine's joined us. When we were getting ready to return to shore, Kat and I boarded the dinghy (with Cosmo the dog and Bailel the dog) and I told Kat's friend to step in the middle of the dinghy. She misinterpreted these instruction to step on the side of the dinghy and sit on the side of the dinghy. We all became very wet imediately after the boarding mishap. Kat and I swam out from under the boat while her friend came up underneath the dinghy. Both dogs were trapped under the boat and Kat was able to reach under and grab Bailey. Kat couldn't find Cosmo and became very upset. Also, because Kat is pregnant everyone on the dock was most concerned about getting her out of the water. Cosmo is deathly afraid of water and being trapped under the dinghy had to be the most traumatic experience of his life. When I looked under the dinghy to see if he was okay, he had climbed to the underside of one of the seats and he had a white-knuckled death grip on the seat. I figured that I had better not try to remove him from his perch because he was so terrified...the added fear of going into the water would have probably cost me skin underneath his nails. We righted the dingy and everyone came away okay. We did lose the use of our cell phones and Kat may have lost the use of her iPod.

Lessons Leared: The least experienced boater enters the dinghy first. Step in the middle of the dinghy. Put small electronics in a watertight container.

update: The iPod was the only piece that surived. It was out of power when it went in, so that is probably why it made it. Both phones have been officially deep-sixed.

Not just a puppy daddy...

I recently discovered that my little puppy will have a new human playmate soon...

To visualize what is on the screen... imagine a "teddy bear" lying sideways inside a jelly bean and you get an idea of the anatomical layout of the baby. It was really neat to hear the heartbeat while this ultrasound was performed.

This little one has already turned out to be a trooper. This image was taken the day after my lovely wife deployed the airbags in the car. The car in front of her slowed her down much faster than the brakes. Now we are in the market for a new car for the fam.

Boring note from author: As much as I despise the big 3 automakers, I find myself looking at Ford products. Specifically the Escape Hybrid. 0% financing and $5k less than the Toyota Highland Hybrid financed at 4.9%.

Trip Recap

The trip started out great. I covered over 150 miles on Saturday. The weather was beautiful albeit rather hot, but I didn't get too sweaty. My nutrition level was good and I finished the day with several hours to wander around Whitewater State Park in Altura, MN. On my approach to the park, there was a VERY steep hill. I accelerated to over 40 mph while carrying my load of gear...a little unnerving. At the base of a hill there was a convenience store that had all of the necessities a weekend camper may need. I picked up some pasta, sauce, peanut butter, jelly and a loaf of bread. I asked the 15-year old clerk if there was a hill similar to the one I descended if I continued east. His comment was there are no hills in the area like the one I came in on. He may have been correct about the grade of the hill, but certainly not with respect to elevation. When I embarked on Day 2, I was absolutely frustrated with how slowly I was travelling. After about 45-minutes of slogging along at about 12 mph, I checked the altimeter log of my GPS. Sure enough, I have been climbing for over 600 feet and a distance of over 10 miles, and there was more climbing to go. The issue with this was that it was really humid, the air was still and I was soaking wet after the first 10 minutes of riding. After about 35 more miles of riding, the effects of a saturated cyclist began to take their toll. I'll put it this way, I didn't crash, but I am missing skin...from areas in contact with the bike. The agony of continuing was too much and I aborted the trip with approximately 210 miles under my belt. A little dissappointing, but I covered more distance in the first day of riding that I have ever done in my life.