I had the opportunity to look over a Chevy Impala yesterday. Someone had one at a family gathering so I picked her brain a bit. Nice-looking car, woodgrain trim in the interior, decent gas mileage... might have to dig a little deeper. My dad and husband both like the newer Impalas.

Would have had a fit if I'd seen this... the boys were out target-shooting, and after one unloaded his gun he parked it against the fender of my Bronco. No scratches, and hubby moved the gun before I saw it, so all's good. I don't buy into the "it's a TRUCK" mentality when it comes to the Bronco. My dad told me that when I refused to drive it up to his house because he hadn't trimmed the bushes back away from the lane. The TRUCK is my husband's. It hauls wood, tools, the occasional appliance... it was purchased to be used as such. Bronco was bought so we'd have a reliable vehicle to drive long-distance and/or in the snow whan my Buick couldn't get up the hill. It was a bonus that it happened to be immaculate and I intend to keep it that way. Most of the guys in the family don't understand that... if someone buys a truck, it's because they need a truck. Scratches and dents are proof that they're getting their money's worth. I want to keep my beast looking sharp so someday when it's a classic collectible I can sell it and buy a muscle car. *sarcastic laugh*

Bruce Bronco was a bit dusty here, but ain't he just sweet? I have a feeling, though, that Bruce is going to be getting a facelift in the future. I made the mistake of telling hubby when we bought it that once it was paid off we could start tweaking it... he's already looking at lift kits, fender flares, and bigger tires. Pipe dream at this point but I think he eventually plans to go through with it. He believes that once I'm safely ensconced in a new(er) car the Bronco is fair game. I guess I could go for it... I like the fender flares... brush guard... tube steps... we'll see. Never had a vehicle I could play with like that before. Of course we can't afford it now so I don't have to worry about it for a good while yet.

Speaking of... the Fords at Carlisle show this year is spotlighting 40 years of the Bronco. I considered entering ours into the original category but we'd have to be there Thursday thru Sunday. Neither of us can take that much time off work. Guess we'll drive down on Sunday like always, spend the day in auto-induced euphoria and come home full of chatter. Oh yeah, former wrestler Bill Goldberg will be there with one of his collection, a '70 Boss Mustang. I've met him and he's a nice guy. More info: http://www.carsatcarlisle.com/schedule/ford/index.asp

Tread Marks (the last item for the day) :

Hubby and I are always joking about Wal-Mart, in that every time we go there we see some car or truck we like in the parking lot. Often we'll see ones we don't immediately recognize and kinda angle past them on the way in to look closer. Now, I tend to be attracted to smaller wagons/hatchbacks. No idea why. Last night we parked next to a small silver thing that caught my eye and I had to go read the tail. Mazda Protege'??? There's one that's never been real high on my list. Mainly because Mazda is not a marque I pay attention to, with the exception of the RX7/RX8. I'd buy a Ford first and get the same thing with a name my husband would agree to. (He isn't fond of imports, even after reading the build sheets on so-called domestics anymore.) So I'm off to read reviews on Mazdas now. I'm learning more every day!