European Delivery, 1997

I served my two year mission in Germany, and since then I have been partial to all things German. For instance, I always root for Germany in international soccer tournaments, such as the World Cup. And I am very partial to German cars, especially BMWs.

I never thought it practical to actually own a BMW, but a combination of a company stock windfall and a planned visit to Austria in November 1997 brought it about. I was in the market for a new car and test drove and researched many models. The BMW 328i was the clear winner and a 7% discount for taking delivery in Munich, Germany, was the clincher.

BMW offers a European Delivery program, where you work with a stateside BMW dealership to order a U.S. spec car for delivery in Munich. BMW provides insurance for driving in Europe, and there are a number of locations to drop the car off for shipment back to the U.S. dealer. BMW includes shipment and all other fees in the price of the car.

Here is the German license plate for the car:

We really enjoyed driving the new car in Europe, and it saved us car rental expenses. We picked up our son, Blair, from his mission in Austria and toured the country with him. It was a wonderful vacation overall.

One downside is the long wait after dropping the car off until it is delivered in the states, normally seven to eight weeks for the west coast. But along with the car come the memories of the European delivery experience.

Here is the car almost ten years later as we prepared to sell it.

And the original window sticker.

It took nearly ten years, but we decided to repeat the experience. Stay tuned for episode 2.

Lost in Budapest

When we visited Budapest last month, we parked the car at our hotel and bought all day tickets to use the public transportation. Here is a photo of "Moscow Square", a major transportation hub in Budapest. (Suzanne already commented about the Communist architecture of the building in the center in her blog: http://topomountain.blogspot.com/2010/11/one-of-these-things-is-not-like-others.html)


I enjoy not only the economy and convenience of public transportation in large cities, but the increased feeling for the people, the city, and the sites which is gained by "rubbing shoulders" with the locals and travelling as they do.

At the end of the day we made our way back from the Parliament building, across the Danube River, and to Moscow Square. We then took a side trip back to Castle Hill to view the city at night. Then back to Moscow Square and to the tram to our hotel. However, now it was dark and we couldn't recognize the correct stop. A slight panic set in as we worried about being lost at night in a foreign city with very strange sounding and spelling of street names. We studied the map and tried to make out street names, went past the stop, and got on a tram to reverse our course. Fortunately, we guessed right on our second pass and soon found ourselves safe and sound back in our room. And with another fond memory from our trip.

The Year of Flats

There are many things to recommend commuting by bicycle. One irritating thing, though, that has plagued me to an unusual extent this year is getting a flat tire, and having to change it, on the road. Like yesterday morning about half way through my 45 mile ride. And this on a brand new tube I installed the previous night (to replace a tube with a slow leak).

I can go months and months without a flat, and then have three in one week. I haven't kept track but I may have had as many as 15 flats this year. And they usually come in bunches.

The most common cause is picking up glass or some other sharp object (like a staple) that punctures through the tire into the tube. While a bike lane on a busy road is a godsend, one downside is that debris migrates to the edge of the road into the bike lane, and bikes don't have enough mass to sweep the debris further off the road. I hate it when I find myself riding through small specs of shattered glass, either from a car accident or carelessly tossed liquor bottle.

I had another rash of flats due to defective tubes near the valve stem. That was sure discouraging, with multiple flats in one week. Another time I had a couple of flats due to the rim strip not covering the spoke hole edge completely.

On one group ride I had two flats on the road and had to borrow another spare tube. Turns out I didn't find the source of the first flat so it punctured again (small piece of glass). In a pinch I could try to patch a tube on the road, but that is a pain. I carry a spare tube, tire irons, and a pump to get back on my way. Then I try to patch the tube when I get home to salvage the tube for further use.


Here is a nicely repaired tube.


May the fates keep yours and my bike tires fully inflated day after day!

Bye bye 335xi

In 2007 I purchased a BMW 335xi for European Delivery in Munich. The discount was fabulous, and the opportunity to drive it in Germany was uber fun. Here I am picking it up at the delivery center in Munich:


Three years and 23,000 miles later the lease ended and here it is being turned in.

This was the funnest and most competent car I have ever had. If I hadn't purchased a new BMW (see future post) I would have bought this one at lease end.

So now our garage went from this:


To this:

Welcome to the 2004 Toyota Corolla, previously owned by Blair and Bridget. This is one practical and economical car.

I know it is a guy thing to take pictures of and write poems about your cars (in addition to your kids), but here goes:

It's time for goodbye

to my 335xi.

After three years of fun

sorry to drop you and run.

Fall Colors

I love the colors at this time of year. Here is a Nov. 2 view outside Intel in Hillsboro where I work. On a sunny day the colors can really pop. I'm sure my cell phone camera looking through a window doesn't do it full justice.

And just outside my window.


Here are photos I took Nov. 11, 2006, around the neighborhood. The colors and variety can be striking.

A Manly Lunch

For several decades, beginning in grade school, I have been a sack lunch person. I like the flexibility and economy of it. I can eat my lunch all at once, or spread it out. And whenever I want. At my desk or in my lab. Or on an errand. If I'm heads down and swamped with a task I don't have to take timeout to go to lunch. And I'm sure over the years I've saved thousands of dollars vs. buying lunch.

For the great majority of that time the anchor of the sack lunch menu has been peanut butter and jelly on wheat bread. For a while it was home made wheat bread. Now it is Oroweat outlet store wheat bread (sometimes less than a dollar a loaf). These days I add yogurt and an apple. And perhaps grapes, or carrots. Or some random leftover. I keep a large bag of vegetable chips at work to munch on. I used to keep a large tub of outlet store potato salad in the frig at work, but Suzanne convinced me that wasn't healthy.

Here is my lunch being assembled in the morning.



I used to eat Tillamook yogurt--yummm! But Suzanne convinced me this "Light and Fit" yogurt was healthier. I'm sure she is right, but does it have to come with a pink label, and advertise the fight against breast cancer? Not my idea of a manly lunch item.



In the past I reused the actual brown bag for my lunch day after day. It would get pretty worn, and I wondered what people would think of a professional going to work carrying such a bag. Today I stuff it in my waist pack for convenience with my bicycle commute to work.



I confess, I also keep a bag of trail mix (my favorite Costco/Kirkland brand) and, these days, a sack of Snickers in my drawer at work to munch on late afternoon.

Coupons

For over a year now I have had this obsession with buying Wheat Chex on sale, and applying a coupon for additional cash back. I really scored big last year, as you see in this post:
http://acraigwalker.blogspot.com/2009/11/more-frugality.html

I had a few $3 coupons remaining from last year that expired in October, so as my stash of Wheat Chex dwindled I was constantly on the lookout for a sale (especially at Winco), but it never happened. Finally, last week, I saw Chex on sale, but only other flavors, not Wheat Chex. Since my coupons were expiring I just used them to buy Corn Chex (for 98 cents net), which I like, but which don't quite have the mass to hold off my morning hunger until lunchtime.


However, there was a bonus attached. New coupons!

These aren't as lucrative as the previous $3 coupons, but they will prolong the hunt up to another year while I await a Wheat Chex sale.