Musings from my driveway, my home and my heart
My mother poses next to my dad’s two-tone 1958 Ford Thunderbird in the driveway of our home in northwest Detroit. She’s dressed in a shimmery gold outfit with a quadruple strand of white beads and a wide-brimmed hat trimmed in colorful cabbage roses. Her outfit is the perfect complement to the coupe’s aqua-and-white exterior. Clotheslines... Continue Reading →
When my friend Ted’s dad died in hospice last summer, Ted’s family asked if he had any final words to say at his father’s bedside. “Yes,” he said, turning to the corpse. “Dad, I’m the one who turned you in to the DMV.” Ted swears he heard a voice from beyond the grave muttering, “You... Continue Reading →
I’ve been moping around lately, mourning the end of the line for the iconic Volkswagen Beetle – even though I contributed to its demise (crossovers and not Beetles are parked in my garage today). Volkswagen is halting production of the Beetle in July 2019 and says it has no immediate plans to replace the storied... Continue Reading →
We’ve had a parade of test cars in our driveway this year, but the one that got the biggest reaction from friends, neighbors and strangers was the 2018 BMW 430i Coupe in Snapper Rocks Blue Metallic One neighbor, a former BMW owner, physician and Gen Xer, got her first glimpse of the eye-catching color, a... Continue Reading →
I had two significant experiences with self-driving vehicles on June 26 in the Detroit area that brought me closer to trusting these robot rides. In the morning I attended the May Mobility launch of its fleet of six-passenger electric vehicles designed to carry property management company Bedrock’s employees to work in a short loop in... Continue Reading →
The toddlers at my granddaughter’s Detroit area birthday party were absorbed in painting pumpkins, so the parents – all millennials with professional jobs – had a chance to chat. Inevitably, the talk turned to cars and their dream rides in a post-SUV world. It seems that millennials are open to all sorts of vehicles. They... Continue Reading →
When I was a rookie reporter at the Oakland Press in Pontiac, Michigan, the chief photographer snapped a picture of me hugging my silver 1976 Volkswagen Beetle, a car I loved for its counterculture vibe and cute looks. The picture and the car meant so much to me that I got out my craft supplies... Continue Reading →
Several years ago, an Audi executive told me he wanted to recruit the British musician Sting as the company spokesman. “He’s older, but he’s how I want to age,” the executive said. “He’s not sitting in a rocking chair, he’s racing around Aspen in some hot car on his way to the slopes.” I thought... Continue Reading →
I consider myself fortunate because I hate chocolate and love minivans. After spending a week in the redesigned 2018 Honda Odyssey Elite minivan, I found that I’m in the minority among my girlfriends — and not just when it comes to Dove bars and other sweets. My odyssey in the Odyssey took me from the... Continue Reading →
NORTHFIELD TOWNSHIP, Michigan – There’s a different take on the speed trap in my neighborhood. We call it “the sunflower trap” and it’s not about getting a ticket from the cops for having a lead foot. It’s about slamming on the brakes and impeding traffic as you come off of the highway and encounter what... Continue Reading →
Anita's Way 