Yesterday @ the L.A. Auto Show

I've been a car buff for years. There's no question that it was more fun when every car had a distinctive look, but even though it's often hard to know what car you're looking at these days, there are still a few standouts.  

Three Morgans---Me and two cars

Of course I was drawn to the Morgan display. Back in the early 80s my then-boyfriend had traded for all kinds of classic cars, and one was a beautiful Morgan that looked much like this one. After it sat in his driveway for months he lifted the tarp only to find that squirrels had eaten the interior. This is a 2003, but is retro and more like the one the squirrels viewed as a feast.

 

Unfortunately so many people were milling around the Cadillac hybrid Ciel convertible concept car , I couldn't get a picture, but here is one I found on the web. It was an eye-catcher. The model at the show was a beautiful bronze metallic. In my estimation, it's sleek styling set it apart from the pack. I looked more like an Italian or German status car. Cadillac says this won't be the design for its new flagship car, but it well could be.

Moving on, I stopped to look at this Ferrari. There's no way it wouldn't turn your head as you cruised along Rodeo or the PCH. As a former interior designer, high peformance cars have always intrigued me. They look more like a beautiful objet d'art than a car.

Hubby particularly liked the A6 Audi, but I found it a bit strange that in this day and age a luxury car with a base price only a few dollars less than $50,000 didn't include a navigator. Other options plus the almost $7,000 package that included a navigator, brought the sticker price for the car at the show to a little over $60,000. Yet, many other manufacturers whose cars had base prices in the low $30,000s included a navigator.

Oh well, Sales 101: I guess if you can get those add-on dollars, go for it. After wandering around the convention center for a few hours looking at cars in every price range, our feet informed us it was time to go home. Since I'm a Mustang owner and aficionado I dragged him to the Ford display to see the 2013 model before we trudged back to our own car.

Thanksgiving with Barbie and Warren

My Mom, stepdad Max and  the aunts and uncles we thought of as the older generation...are all gone now, and my cousins and I have replaced them. We've become the older generation and now we are the keepers of long-held family traditions.

I remember the days when we called Mom and her two sisters "The Three Graces." Well into their elder years they gathered in the kitchen to cook the dinner and clean afterwards. I can picture their synchronized dish washing team as though it was yesterday. No one ever would have thought of using paper or plastic plates. It was china and glass or crystal all the way though to dessert time. Our family was big back then and sometimes we'd have as many as 30 or 35 at our dinner. That was only the L.A. branch. There were many more in Chicago.

The "kid's" table is gone now. Only my cousins David and Audra bring a tyke to the table, so Kai who is nearly 3 sits with the big folks.

The numbers have dwindled, but we always try to at least get together for the holidays. Generally I take Christmas and my cousin Barbara and her husband Warren take Thanksgiving.

This year Barbara hurt her back and we explored the possibility of having our dinner at a restaurant. Somehow it seemed too foreign in comparison to the wonderful dinners of the past. Our zany dinners are always filled with antics, laughter and joy, so it just didn't seem like something you could recapture in a restaurant.

Some of the family at our Thanksgiving table
Ralph's Grocery and potluck additions to the rescue. The turkey and ham were purchased fully cooked and spiral sliced from their local Ralph's. The package included side dishes. With contributions of desserts, yet more side dishes like my husband's killer cranberry/ sausage stuffing and lots of cheer and, yes, the requisite laughter, our Thanksgiving tradition continued.

To those who have family, try to keep the bonds strong. Reach out to friends who find themselves  without family, particularly during  the holiday season. It can be a lonely time for some. For us, our friends Judy and Kitty have become part of our extended family and we welcome them right along with cousins and their offspring. You can often find them at our Christmas table.

Holiday cheer to you and yours. MORGAN

My bad!

I ran a whole column about blogging and how it is important to post at least three times a week if you want visibility. Well I do that on Writers Tricks of the Trade, but when I looked at this I saw I hadn't posted since September. Shame on me!

Look for posts in the next few days.