Musings from my driveway, my home and my heart
On a two-lane country road not far from my house stands a stark and simple reminder of how desperately the world needs self-driving cars. It’s a “ghost bike” that’s spray-painted white and nestled among the tall grass and wildflowers. A sign hanging from the bike says it was “placed in tribute to a bicyclist killed... Continue Reading →
It’s been a relief for me to take the ferry every summer to Mackinac Island in northern Michigan, where cars have been banned since 1898. No traffic jams, no exhaust and no noise, just an estimated 10,000 bikes, along with pedestrians, horses and horse-drawn carts and taxis. The downside: Distracted “driving” and road rage now... Continue Reading →
When parents in my rural Michigan town want to raise money for the local school system, they don’t hold a traditional bake sale or car wash. Instead, they unlock the barns and outbuildings, and haul out their special vehicles for an under-the-radar August car show that’s our modest version of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance... Continue Reading →
Google the phrase “fun to drive” and you get 114 million results. The phrase is a cliché in many test drives, although some reviewers take pains to explain exactly what they mean by it. Some say it can be boiled down to a single statistic: 0-60 miles per hour acceleration. “You want to smoke the... Continue Reading →
It annoys me when automakers and car reviewers pigeonhole vehicles, suggesting they’re aimed at Baby Boomers or Millennials or some other monolithic group. Case in point: the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, an all-new gasoline-electric compact hatchback that takes aim at the Toyota Prius. More than one reviewer has called the Ioniq a good choice for... Continue Reading →
My neighborhood is becoming a Mecca for car spy photographers and curious consumers. Trips to the local Dairy Queen, party store and post office invariably end up with the sighting of future vehicles swathed in black-and-white plastic camo and undergoing real-world testing. On Saturday morning, my husband and I were headed out for a bike... Continue Reading →
I’m often jumping in and out of test vehicles with my sister-in-law Jean Jennings, a longtime automotive writer and editor. So when she showed up at my house one afternoon last week, it was only natural for us to get behind the wheel of the redesigned 2017 Mazda CX-5 compact SUV and go somewhere. (Hint:... Continue Reading →
My sister Claudia spent the last three years living in Saudi Arabia, a country where women are not permitted to drive and her family did not even own a car. So when she and her husband moved back to the U.S. in June after his work assignment ended, shopping for a new vehicle was high... Continue Reading →
I took my 20-month-old granddaughter to story time last week at the local library, where the theme of the day was “cars and trucks.” Librarian Joyce peeled off yards of black sticky tape with yellow dotted lines to make a pattern of roads in the room and then hauled out tiny street signs and vehicles... Continue Reading →
My family spent the Fourth of July weekend with two of the stellar subcompact SUVs in the General Motors’ lineup, a test 2017 Buick Encore and our own 2017 Chevrolet Trax with its dealer-installed bike rack. They were great companions for an active extended family that did everything from fireworks to a 16-mile trek on... Continue Reading →
Anita's Way 