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Around here....

We've really been enjoying our new Tesla, which we picked up from the local dealer in late December.  Our friend Raymond bought one a few months ago and after driving it Ben decided it was the car for him.  I think its cutting edge technology was the main appeal to both men; high time to leave fossil fuel behind! 

 I didn't know a thing about electric cars or about Teslas.  To say the least, acquiring one and learning how to operate it has been very interesting.  I've often thought of the old Gary Larson cartoon "He was an old dog and this was a new trick."    

There's  been a lot of new tricks to learn!  When you buy a Tesla you don't go to the dealer, look over the offerings, choose your car and features and haggle over the price.  Instead, you go online and just order one.  When Ben did, he received a message that his car would be available in February.  But for some reason, we soon got another message, this one saying that the car would be ready in two weeks.  After Ben arranged for payment we received a specific date and time for the pick up.  

Ray dropped us off at the dealer's and I expected to be there an hour or more working with a salesperson who would show us all about this new-fangled car.  Instead, we met briefly with someone who said they only handled the paperwork and, after he did indeed, check the paperwork, he pointed us towards the car and basically said "have fun!"  It's been an adventure ever since.  And it has been fun.  The Tesla is unlike anything I could have imagined.  Here's just a few examples of all the tricks we've had to learn.  

As you approach the car it recognizes you from the Tesla app that you've loaded up on your phone. (There's a credit-card like thing that acts as a backup in case you've manage to lose your phone.)  So as you near the car it is busy turning on all the settings --such as mirrors and seat adjustments -- that you've previously established as your personal choices.   You can also let it know you're coming from inside your house or office or store and ask it to turn on the heat or a.c. and get the seat and steering wheel warmed up for you and your passengers.  

There's a steering wheel and an accelerator and a brake pedal, but you don't use the brake pedal very much.  In fact, the way you're supposed to brake is to ease up on the accelerator.  When you do that, the car comes to a natural stop all on its own.  Sounds odd and it is certainly unusual, but once you try this new technique out it feels so natural that you quickly wonder why all cars don't brake this way.  And this braking mechanism actually helps recharge the car as it works.   

See that big iPad type screen?  It's used for lots of necessary and fun things.  There are several layers of screens that you click through to set the navigation, play music, run the air vents, and so on.  A few of these can also be done using controls on the steering wheel, like turn up the volume on your music, but the screen is clearly the control center of the car.  We have only just begun to figure it all out.  The other day we learned how to turn on "dog mode" so if we have to leave Turbo in the car for a short while he will sit in a temperature controlled environment with good air flow and soothing music.  And a printed notice on that big screen will let everyone who looks in the car know that the dog is just fine and the driver will be back soon.  

When you're done driving and are ready to leave the car, you just leave it.  It shuts down and locks up as you walk off.  This is still hard to get used to.  You can turn on a "sentry mode" that will watch your car while you're away and record any "security event," like taking a photo of the license plate of the car that just hit you in the parking lot.      

And then, of course, there's the amazing fact that you don't gas this car.  I'm still not used to this new trick.  Going to the gas station is very low on my list of things I  like to do, and once we had the electrician install the home charger in our garage, plugging it in the recharge is fast and painless.   Not only do I avoid the dreaded gas station, but we aren't using that old-fashinoned, bad-for-the-earth fossil fuel.  Hooray!  I love it and I'm all ready to replace our other gas guzzlers with EVs.  I have my eye on the new AWD EV Tiquan that VW plans to release in a year or so. 

I almost forgot to say how fun the Tesla is to drive.  It hugs the road and can zoom into action at the touch of the accelerator.  Quite a great sports car feel, which I love. 

Around here....

We returned from Hawaii just in time to catch a spell of very cold and snowy weather.  Let me tell you, getting Turbo out for his morning walk in 8 degrees isn't fun, but the snow sure makes everything pretty.  Today was the turning point, with much warmer temperatures in the forecast the next few days.

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I finished quilting a top that another quilter had made to give away as a charity quilt.  It's very sweet and I  I sure enjoyed quilting it.  

And I finished a top I've been creating using leftover pieces of hand-dyed fabrics.  It's about 36"x45" and I've got it all ready for quilting.  I got the basic idea from quilter Timna Tarr and had a lot of fun designing my own version using batik strips inserted between the dyed fabrics.   I think I'm going to do straight line "matchstick" quilting on it using a variegated thread that changes colors as you stitch. 

 

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Like so many people I've been following the news from Ukraine. 

In addition to to feeling anger at the prospect of yet another European war -- good grief, haven't we learned anything? -- and sorrow for victims of this war, I've acquired a bit more knowledge about Ukraine, adding more to what I gathered during the "former guy's" first impeachment.  The documentary, "Winter on Fire," available through Netflix, provided a stunning account of the Ukrainian uprising in 2014 against the then-president Viktor Yanukovych, who was supported by the Russian government.  After watching it I had a better understanding of recent Ukrainian history and also why the Ukrainian people were described as "brave" even before their courageous fight against Putin's invasion.  I highly recommend it.   

Around here....

I'm looking forward to spending the next few days in warm and sunny San Diego!  A friend and I are off to see several art galleries, including the wonderful Visions Art Museum; Contemporary Quilts + Textiles, and to have some fun exploring the beautiful downtown waterfront.  I'll try to take a few photos to share with you!