My Wife Is Easily Amused

My Wife Is Easily Amused

Mont Saint-Michel

My wife has been doing this for years, but I just started noticing recently. For some reason she finds it quite amusing when random people ask me to take a picture for them when we're traveling. She feels the need to take a picture of me taking a picture, and seems very pleased every time it happens. If I went back and sifted through old trip photos I could probably find lots of these, but here are a few that I caught recently. 

Bristol, Tennessee

I think part of her being entertained by this is that she feels I don't usually come across as the most approachable person in a crowd. With all the options in most of these places, she finds it hard to believe that people think "let's go ask that guy" - but they do all the time. 

Paris

This one was really funny. Nel and I were heading out to dinner late one evening in Paris and outside our restaurant there was a large group of women - maybe a dozen or so. They wanted a picture and it was a wide one so I got back as far as I could. This seemed to concern at least a few of the women. I think they thought I was going to run off with their camera. They didn't think I could understand them, but most interesting (and confusing) was that they seemed to be very concerned that I was Swedish - as if that made me more likely to be a camera thief?  

South Dakota

Truth be told, I don't mind taking a picture or two for folks. In fact, I'm probably a lucky person to ask because I will commit to getting the best shot I can for anyone that asks. I've even been known to climb something or lay on the ground if it improves that shot. Anything worth doing...., right?

Versailles

Anyway, bottom line:  I don't mind doing it - I agree with Nel in that I am surprised by how often I seem to be asked - and I am extremely amused by how much it amuses her.

1997 Audi A8

1997 Audi A8

I really liked this car, but not many of my friends or family shared in that appreciation. In truth, this A8 was a fantastic machine but most people struggled to get past the color of this particular example - not really purple, but not really maroon either.

I had this car for years and drove it quite a bit. It had its share of rather expensive problems, but when operating as intended was a pleasure. The downside of owning these older Audis is the maintenance, or more specifically, the cost of that maintenance.

The car was loaded with advanced technology and options (for the period anyway), had a great motor, was all-wheel-drive, and had a rather comfortable and handsome interior. Unfortunately for me, when I stopped driving it much I agreed to owner finance it to someone I knew and that just never works out. The couple split and the car stayed with the girl, who I didn't know. I wasn't getting paid and then it broke down and I just went and towed it away. I was never compensated for any of the payments or repairs so I was out thousands. I decided to just dump it as-is and take my beating. It still looked great and only had about 50K miles but it needed a transmission and other items and I had too much going on to want to deal with it.  

Should you buy one today? Probably not. If you want an older and cheap luxury car to use as transportation, buy a Lexus or Infiniti - for the love of God don't buy anything German! Don't get me wrong, I love these things and I loved this car, but I'm kind of a different animal. I buy cars because they're interesting and I want to play with them, not because I have to. Sadly, it's not collectible and it's way too complicated and unreliable to make it financially feasible to own. That said, they don't cost much to buy, but there is a reason.

Georgia Aquarium Dive

Swimming With Gentle Giants

When hurricane Harvey hit Houston, it stranded Branelle and I out of town for nearly a week. We were on a plane on final approach into Hobby Airport when the storm forced us to divert to Dallas for the night. It quickly became apparent that we weren't getting home anytime soon so we decided to fly to Atlanta to wait since it's the largest airport in the world and has the most options for flights back to Houston when they start going. We decided to make the best of our "extended trip" and looked for fun things to do around the ATL. One of Nel's co-workers had commented on one of our FB posts something about swimming with whale sharks. What!?! That sounded awesome to me so we investigated.

Here is the link to about a 6 minute video of my dive that was shot by the aquarium (Hanna to be specific). It's fun and they edited it with nice music, etc. I'm the only diver with blue shoulders on my wetsuit. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_PguNseUgQ

I looked it up on their website and sure enough, they have a program that allows you to dive with whale sharks. I didn't have my dive certification card with me but I had my mom - who was back in Houston with our daughter - send me a picture of it. We headed to the aquarium in downtown Atlanta. I have to mention that the Georgia Aquarium is a lot more than just whale sharks. It's a great facility with lots of really fun shows. We especially enjoyed the dolphin show and the sea lion skit. The people working there could not have been nicer either. When I asked them about the whale shark dive, which I didn't have a reservation for, they were beyond helpful and took me to the right people to make it happen.

They have four whale sharks in a tank about the size of a football field. There are great places to view them even if you aren't going for a swim, especially the feeding times.

They allow eight people a day to dive in the tank. They also allow snorkelers but I didn't ask about that program. At a designated time you go to this waiting area to be taken back to the orientation room. They also check your credentials to make sure you are an experienced diver. They were able to use the certification number from my card to verify that I was qualified.

Next they take you to this room where they go over the dive rules for about 30 minutes. It's pretty straight forward. They mostly just go over the equipment briefly (which is all theirs by the way - and really good stuff) and give you instructions on how to interact with the residents of the tank. The most important rule is not to touch any of the critters - if they touch you that's okay (and they do) but you aren't allowed to reach out and touch any of the swimmers. They also talk about what the dive is going to be like. The guy doing our orientation was called James - he was very good and made it fun.

Next, you go suit up in the locker rooms. They have all your equipment laid out for you and ready to go. When you have your wetsuit on you head to the pool where your BC, mask, fins, etc are waiting along with what I would call your "dive concierge". They help you gear up if needed and then it's face first into the pool.

You head straight to the bottom and you'll spend the majority of your dive there, primarily because there are fish the size of a bus that like to just cruise around the top. There is a lead diver (ours was Lani) and there was another guy (Scott on our dive) that kind of just cruises around keeping an eye on everyone. He carried what I think was a piece of PVC pipe which I assume was to tap anyone getting too close to something they shouldn't - diver or fish. 

Whale sharks wouldn't hurt a fly, but they also probably aren't going to stop just because you're in their path. Even though they are slow moving, they do carry a little weight so it's best to just stay under them.

One of the cool things about the program is that they will take your family - in this case my wife - around and put them in the right locations to see you during your dive. They had two volunteers named Art and Gary that were basically tour guides for our non-diving family members. Branelle isn't a diver, but she was also pregnant so it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Basically during our entire trip, due to her "affliction" she had to just watch me do all the fun stuff. At least this time they made it a little more fun for her as well.

This is kind of interesting. Our hands are both touching the glass here, but it's two feet thick!  It's an illusion when you're in the tank. It looks like I could just reach out and hold Nel's hand. When you're on the outside looking in you can see where the acrylic wall starts. In the tank, you can't see it at all so they tell you to hold your hands out when approaching so you won't scratch the rather fragile acrylic surface with your equipment.

It made the dive a lot of fun for me because you could interact with the visitors outside the tank, especially the kids. I hammed it up a bit. You can see everyone as clear as day on the other side of the glass so it's easy to pose for pictures (or ruin some by photo bombing them) and tell when people are smiling.

In addition to the four whale sharks (Alice - Trixie - Yushan - Taroko) the 6.3 million gallon tank (largest in the world) is home to thousands of other fish. There are four giant manta rays in there as well that really love to hover above the divers because they apparently like the bubbles.

The tank is about 30 feet deep, and roughly the size of a football field. When you're on the bottom it doesn't feel that open because there are obstructions everywhere that you swim around like rocks and the giant viewing tunnels. 

The whale sharks are awesome. You kind of forget about them from time to time because there is a lot more interaction with stingrays, sharks, grouper, and other bottom dwelling fish, but then you feel them swim buy or see a large shadow right over your head and quickly remember whose house this is. 

When the dive is over you head up and take a shower and dress in the locker rooms and then they bring your family to the top of the tank and then into the briefing room where you watch the video they shot of your dive. 

The Georgia Aquarium is fun for everyone, whether you dive or not. It's a great facility with top notch people as far as I can tell. If you're a diver, you should definitely give this a go. You don't need any equipment - it will be the easiest dive you ever take. 

1974 Jensen Healey Mark II

1974 Jensen Healey Mark II

My wife would tell you that this is one of her favorite cars we've ever owned. It's explained to a degree by the fact that she likes anything small and cute (clearly why she married me), but it also has a certain something that will always put a smile on your face.

Her poor posture and ridiculous flip-flops aside, I get the appeal (of the car, not my wife...she's appealing too of course - I'll shut up now). There is something charming about a simple and fun to drive vehicle. Only about 10,500 of these British roadsters were built between 1972 and 1975, and it's a fascinating story that I won't get into here. The Jensen was ultimately killed off by a combination of inflation-tied supply costs and labor unrest.

I have to admit that when I bought this car I knew almost nothing about them. It was at an auction and seemed cheap, looked great, it was late in the day, etc. I snatched it up for very little money and have been thrilled ever since. I've done almost nothing to it other than tighten a few screws here and there. The fuel gauge and radio are about the only things that don't function as they should but the car drives fantastic. When I got the paperwork I realized that the previous owner was only blocks away from me. In a city of six million people I bought a car from someone two streets down in my neighborhood - and I had never even seen that car once! I tried contacting the owners but they wouldn't return any of my messages for some reason.

One thing that made the Jensen stand out from other British roadsters at the time was its Lotus twin-cam four-cylinder motor. It put out about 140-hp, which wasn't bad for the period considering the weight of the car. Mine has an upgraded carb setup that probably pushes that hp rating up, but I have no idea by how much.

The interior is in fantastic shape. Clearly much of it has been replaced (things I would have loved to have asked the previous owners had they not been so aloof). Another really cool thing about the Jensen is that I fit - kind of. I'm 6'2" and most British sports cars from this era are tough for me - we have an MGB that I barely fit in. With the Jensen Healey I can get in and out easily (although it is very low) and lean back enough to actually look through the windscreen without having to decide whether to look over or under the frame. It seems longer inside to me. 

Don't get me wrong - I still look ridiculous, but I'm at least comfortable doing it. 

Another thing I like about this particular car is that it came with all the little extras that are hard to replace but you really want to have, like the tonneau cover and manuals. 

It also has a nearly perfect and very hard to find hard top. It's never on the car, but great to have for resale and collectible purposes. 

For years these cars languished in obscurity. A small but passionate core group of enthusiasts has kept the mark going and now the market is starting to take note. They still aren't expensive, but considering how drivable the car is compared to other British classics I would say it's an up and coming bargain.

If you're looking at one of these the main thing to concern yourself with is rust. It's a problem for anything built in the 70s in the British Midlands, and the JH is no exception. The Lotus motor can also be problematic, but later units are reportedly better due to in-production improvements. You could also get a much improved and desired 5-speed starting with late 74 models. Sadly, mine has the 4-speed.

The only thing I would prefer to be different about this car is the color. The paint is fantastic, and black is usually my favorite color for almost anything, but I feel like the Jensen Healey is more of a "fun" car and should be a fun color. Red, yellow, blue - anything really. It's too small to take the serious approach that black conveys.