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@Drew Dowdell @Robert Hall @trinacriabob @A Horse With No Name @ccap41 @surreal1272 @oldshurst442 And including all of the C&G members that are here that I do not interact with often enough or those I have forgotten their handles. Wishing each and every one of you a Merry Xmas Eve and Merry Xmas. To those that do not celebrate Xmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, Happy time off. Wishing each and every person here a restful end to the year, one of love, respect, relaxation to you and your families. Wishing all the best!

Back home from my vacation. 9 days, 7 states, 2300 miles. The CT6 performed flawlessly and proved to be a great road trip car. Got a lot of rest and relaxation, a lot of beach time. Enjoyed Myrtle Beach and Charleston, SC, loved the Outer Banks of NC. First pic is in Rodanthe in the Outer Banks after driving through torrential rain (AWD and traction control helped a lot), second pic is this morning in Maryland. Saw a lot of interesting places, lots of good food.

Oh I LOVE to engage in politics and talk politics. It is difficult for me to follow my own rule here. But there are other places on the internet for that and I would rather we keep this a friendly place. Politics can, especially of late, ruin relationships and friendships. I've left car clubs over politics and the general bad behavior associated with older white straight men of a particular political party. For a time, I considered shutting down C&G because every thread devolved into an "I love EVs"/"You're a dumb liberal if you do" fight and it really killed my love for this hobby. It has been difficult for me to return to it.

Albert made me a checkerboard cake and it was delicious.

Thank you very much. For my birthday last year I got a gift card for a spa day package which I booked for my birthday this year. So I spent the day yesterday getting a facial and a massage and it was fantastic. Little did I know when I booked it how needed it would be.

Hello Everyone, You have probably NOTICED that I have not been posting much and especially this summer have not been posting any auto news. That will change as I move into the fall and get back to my hobby of my passion for the auto industry. What have I been doing you might be wondering. I had a major yard project that consumed every day all my spare time. I installed a 33,000 lb commercial grade retaining wall and a new heavy duty 6ft fence on my back yard. Last winter storms took down my fence that was part of the house when I bought it in 1999. The yard was also on an angle from 5ft height to the east to ground level on the west. Since my wife and I have decided to eventually in 20 plus years retire here, I decided to level the yard, install a retaining wall and replace the fence. We love to garden so 1/3rd of the yard is at the higher level and the rest is ground level with the base of the house. After my company Trade Show, I came home on Friday May 24th 2024 and took delivery of 33,000 lbs of retaining wall stones, toppers and corner stones. As one can see, I did make a mistake in that I had them left double stacked and as such had to lift all the stones multiple times to get them down and stagged in the back yard. Each stone weights 90lbs, corner stones are 110lbs and the toppers are 45lbs. I also had 6 tree stumps to remove as these trees which where my neighbors had grown across the property line and would if left, over time rot and cause the wall to possibly shift and sink. I also ran into this huge green granite boulder which was buried again once I had removed the tree stumps. Here is a picture of the west side corner looking back, the excavation I did for prepping for 5/8th crushed rock bed and installation of the wall. With the crushed rock bed in place and packed down, I could also install the draining line and start to install the stones. From filling in the stones with crushed rock to building the corner, things progressed nicely I felt. To keep dirt from clogging the drain field behind the wall, I used commercial grade fabric that lets the water flow but holds the dirt back. Toppers are glued on after I cut them to give me a presentable corner. The green sticks you see is where I will have the galvanized fence post base installed into the wall with cement. Here is the section with the tree stumps removed and the wall built, dirt packed and all secure. Now comes the coring part to create the holes that will allow me to install the fence post bases. The toppers where the post go is not glued on yet. To do this, it takes a strong 18V drill, 5" core bit, water and strength. I used OZ-Posts bases which are great. Here is the upper section with them cemented in. The best thing about these is that in my lifetime I will never have to worry about having to replace them. If a tree falls and damages a section of the fence, easy to unscrew the posts and replace the section. Best part is I never have to worry about rotting as you install them up 1 inch to allow all water to run off the post and onto the topper and go away. With the bases installed and cured, I was able to install all the fence posts and start building. View from the neighbor's side of the finished wall/fence Finished view from my deck. I still have an interior wall to finish that will support the raised area where our garden will be and build an easy walk ramp up from the lower section. So, this is why you have not seen much posting from me or heard much from me over the last 5 months or so. Still have much to do, but at least the biggest part of getting the yard secured with a new wall / fence is done. I will be working on the rest of it over the fall/winter/spring. If ya have any questions hit me up, always happy to share my experience with ya. Yes, I lost 35lbs doing this project, nothing like a ton of manual labor to get into shape. ?

Happy Birthday @smk4565!! Sorry @surreal1272 I have some ongoing health issues that are keeping me away. After a year of tests, I finally might have an explanation and path for treatment.

In this latest war with Canada (we'd been bros since like 1813), this American is taking the Canadian's side. That's all I've got to say on it.

Talking, in general, about politics is not taboo. Talking politics where politics are not wanting to be talked about, is taboo. Nobody is going to specific group pages (Corvette, Mustang, Dallas Cowboys, Montreal Canadians, Dale Earnhardt Jr) groups and wanting to talk politics. Go to political pages that are dedicated to talking that stuff. There are sooooo many pages/sites available if you want to talk politics. Talk politics with people who want to talk politics. That seems fair, right? Personally, I don't want to be talking about the new Silverado EV's multiple trims and battery sizes and have somebody cram some political garbage into the comment section.

Damn, that is so true…. Hard not to when it comes to cars… But it’s much more relaxing to come to places that don’t talk about those “things”. I’m sadly down to a few forums that still enjoy talking about cars…….

While I'm as angry over the current state of things as anyone, I'm going to gently steer the conversation away from politics given the no-politics rule we've had in place for years. If you've got something political to talk about, it must be related to the car industry somehow.

It’s been a cold, snowy January. Highs have been in the 20s since the 1st, flurries every day. I always start my Mustang once a week, got it and the Caddy out this morning. Roads are salty so they went back in the garage…

I wonder what people will think when they see 25% tariffs on Chevy, Ford, Ram, Dodge, Jeep, Nissan and VW vehicles? People think cars cost too much now, just wait. And if you deport all the illegals and loose construction and agriculture workers, housing prices will go up, produce prices will go up. The inflation will hit hard, which will probably lead to recession like 2008. Good chance Nissan goes bankrupt in the next 2 years, Stellantis is a mess (I have seen $26,000 off brand new Grand Cherokees or lease for $299 a month with $0 down, and $19,000 off 2025 Ram trucks already). When these big companies fall it has a trickle down effect. The only positive will be Elon will have pissed off all the liberals that used to buy Teslas before he went "dark MAGA" and once Trump turns on him for failing to cut money from the deficit, the MAGA people will turn on him too.

Happy Birthday to @ccap41 and @William Maley!

Magical night be it in the city or away for the Solar storm that hit. Coworker said we would wake up to killer plants. ?

* Anyone remember me!? Been almost 2 years since I visited and posted. Life is short and unpredictable; treasure every moment. I logged into social media Saturday afternoon (09.14.2024) for the 1st time in over a year and quickly discovered a few more friends had died. One in particular from my "heart circles", Lorraine, was 1 of the 1st to meet up with me after Dan's death because she knew we'd be laughing hysterically as usual from our conversational topics; laughter was surely needed. Another, Rich, from my automotive and Route 66 circles, had shown me his 1973 Monte Carlo he bought brand new when I visited him the 1st time during my 2009 Route 66 road trip (15 years ago now); at the time, it was in his barn and covered in dust, but he'd recently gotten it out and I never had a chance to see it in person. NEW LAW Read about a new piece of legislation I sparked with inquiries about processes following a death: https://patch.com/illinois/elgin/rep-moeller-sen-edly-allen-work-save-lives-fentanyl-law-nodx BACK ON WRMN I am sssoooo excited to announce I have returned to the airwaves, LIVE every Saturday night, 7p-9p US central, on my hometown radio station, Elgin's 1410 AM. You can hear me ANYWHERE online or via mobile app. Check out the details, along with the playlist from the 1st broadcast last Saturday, 09.14.2024: https://www.cdshowcase.com/2024-cd-showcase/ PEACE | Cort, pig and cow valves with pacemaker 2003 MGM LS + 1981 cmc SC; need 1975 Chrysler Cordoba "I ain't ready for the junkyard yet" | George Jones | 'I Don't Need Your Rocking Chair'

Kind of feeling like 2020 again... holding off on excess spending..though I do have some home remodeling projects I want to do in the next year... no car payments, Jeep (80k miles) and Cadillac (60k miles) running fine... will be a while before I need another vehicle (also have my sister's Equinox w/ 10k miles for around town driving). Work is going well, 5% raise for this year, got my annual and quarterly stock grants laid out for this year, company stock staying stable for now.

In true Stellantis fashion, they should make the Compass about $55k to compete with the Land Rover Evoque so that when they don't sell they can discount then $13k like the Dodge Hornet and still not sell any. All they have to do is put the Hellcat in the Wrangler for $130,000 and then all of a sudden that $60k Wrangler with a 4-cylinder looks like a smoking deal.

He wants to start a war with Canada not realizing that most of us south of the border would fight on the Canadian side.

Do me a favor. Pick up some N95s just to have. This new bird flu. The timeline of cases is eerily similar to the start of Covid. First a case in Vancouver. Now 60 cases in California. A case in Louisiana. Lions and tigers in an animal sanctuary dropping dead. It’s clearly made the jump to mammals. All 50 states have chicken farms vastly infected. It has a higher mortality rate than covid.

Having done so much driving coast to coast due to my son's Gymnastics from age of 5 to college before he retired in college. I would say the following: British Columbia is equal to the west coast in many ways till you take the Highway and head north in BC and hit the Yukon's and then you truly have an Alaska Conservative equal. Having not spent any time in the NW territories, I cannot answer but would suspect it is far more conservative due to sparse population and tight nit communities of both native Indians and other groups. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba I find to mirror the U.S. mid-west and Texas. Antario and Quebec I find to be a mixed pot of southern politeness with backstabbing rudeness in some areas and others if your white to be very polite period. I did find in various cities some amazing multi-cultural city areas. I also hit up against the same French BS I hit when I was working in France. A very narrow mind set of society or a very liberal one that was more relaxing to how I was raised. Two sides of a coin. Have never been to Newfoundland and Labrador but would love to see the area. So, no comment on the folks there. NB, Prince Edward and Nova Scotia have been over all very polite and friendly when my wife and I visited about 5 years ago. Like the NE corner of the U.S., lots of friendly people and the occasional narrow-minded turd. If money was no object, would love to visit the rest of Canada including Nunavut and the NW Territories to explore and photograph the area. Would love to experience the drive over the Ice Highway too. So much of North America to see and yet so little time. Could the People Benefit from a single currency with a open free North America, meaning Canada, U.S. Mexico become the North American Union of States. SURE, but will it? NOT in OUR LIFETIME!!! Too many selfish, fascist pricks that hate society if it does not benefit them to allow such a Great Multi-Cultural Union. IMHO

I was kinda rooting for him NOT to get caught. But in today's technological and connected and photograghed/video capable world, I knew it was highly impossible for a regualr citizen to commit murder in broad daylight and get away with it. I had the same WTF moment as you regarding his education. Im actually shocked it took that long. Im actually shocked he was able to leave NYC WITHOUT getting caught. We do live in a highly internet connected, always getting second by second updates and armed with a cellphone with camera/video capabilities. The brothers that bombed the Boston Marathon were caught immediately BECAUSE of second to secong Twitter updates of where those brothers were headed. The obvious corrupt insider trading of that insurance company that was under investigation, the fact that that insurance company scammed and denounced MANY claims from needy people and the fact that that CEO was the head honcho of such a dispicable corporation. I had another WTF moment in that the gun he used was a 3D printed one. Another political opinion of mine coming up, so brace yourselves... The ATF and NRA better figure out what the hell to do with the 2nd Ammendment because 3D printed guns have FINALLY entered the chat with public shootings in America. Thoughts and Prayers to everyone.... (Ill repeat what I said above) Thoughts and Prayers to everyone.... And you are a good man for thinking this way. I took the sarcastic path, but Im with you in that sentiment 100%

Robert, I truly hope your investments do you well to be able to live the lifestyle that you want. I tend to think that many of us that think and research and invest will have a comfortable retirement. Sadly, there are far too many that must rely on SS and if Idiot47 gets his way, SS will die fast as he with the stupid DOGE wants to make everything private, so it costs the taxpayers more. Privatize under the message that we are reducing the size of the government but will then outsource services where one will pay 3 times what it is costing now. Social Security has many changes coming January 1st 2025 and this covers all but one big important one. Social Security's Largest Changes Coming in 2025 You can read about it here if you want, but the biggest change is pushing out the date of retirement where one can claim 100% SS payout and the max payout at 70. One can start collecting reduced benefits at 62 and your stuck with it for life. Currently depending on when you were born you can get 100% payout at various ages from 65 to 67 depending on birth year. After January 1st 2025, those born 1960 and later cannot claim 100% SS to retire till the age of 68. GOP is wanting to push this to 70 with max SS at 75 or 80. Benefits Planner: Retirement | Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction | SSA Amazing what one looses by retiring too early. Benefits Planner: Retirement | Born in 1960 or later | SSA While I should not need it, it will make life easier for me and what i can do for the grand kids and I love my work, so I can see working till 70 or beyond if possible. But here is what one gets when you delay taking SS. Delayed Retirement | Born in 1960 | SSA

I am saddened by the shrinkage in the U.S.'s middle class. That was something that really strengthened this country ... and it did the same for other developed economies that also had a solid middle class population. Those at the "new" bottom are in a state of despair. Those at the top - even though they say they do and make promises - don't seem to care.

I"m getting the Avalanche inspected today at the dealer where @HoLottaBuicks works and he let me test drive the Denali EV on a short jaunt. I came away very impressed... as I should since the sticker is $102k. But beyond all the stats we know of about the EV drivetrain, the interior was very nicely made with nice materials and finishes. The exception being parts of the door panels felt a bit plasticy. It rides like a luxury sedan, though I didn't put it into sport mode or anything to see if the suspension firms up. I would need more time to explore the screens. It's a bit hard to navigate the main screen because a lot of the icons are the same color, so you have to actually read what the app does. The back seat is much roomier than my truck. I still object to having to buy a separate data plan just to use the apps I already use on my phone. Overall it is a great truck, but $102k is a bit steep.

Since the late 1950's most presidents have shared their tax returns for the last few years and education information allowing the public to view if they are competent and deemed educated enough to handle the job of President. Idiot 47 / 45 has refused to allow anything to be reviewed about his life and I would have to say this is probably based on his own criminal nature, lawsuits lost that he still tries to overturn and his blatant disregard for our laws, constitution, etc. Most voters have not ever paid attention to the education validation and tax returns, but with Idiot he has brought this on himself by trying to hid everything behind lawyers who many have lost their ability to be a lawyer due to lying for him. Why would anyone risk their own integrity for such a buffoon is beyond me, one can only hope that he truly goes 6 feet under asap as I think many can then better deal with the idiot vp he choose. Nice, Nice self-portrait olds Sarcasm, yes I know our famous PNW person.

The LC500 is just a damn fine looking car, regardless of who makes it. Lexus mucks up a lot of exteriors (and not just with the "predator" grill) but the LC500 is not one of them. I feel you on that. A year ago, it was my right hip (post surgery) and I was doing the same thing as you for a few weeks lol. Rest and recover.

@G. David Felt is such a lazy ass bum, isnt he? He sleeps all day that &@#%*!@$ bum!!! We arent supposed to speak about Toyota problems. You'll be called an @$$hole, be questioned of your ancestry and citizenship...

Still alive, sleeping allot, taking my pain meds and watching a little TV when not sleeping. Sorry I did not get to posting a story on the Huge Kia reveal at the LA Auto Show or the Reveal on the Hyundai Ioniq 9. Will tey to get caught up once I am not sleeping so much. Right now only on my cell phone.

I really find this stand quite attractive. Would probably do well for my Stereo equipment.

Pour one out for my grandmother who passed away Monday evening after a long hospice stay. She passed peacefully and pain free in her sleep. If you trace things back far enough, she is a big contributor to me being here on Cheers and Gears and thus C&G still existing. It was her and her 1979 Olds Custom Cruiser Diesel like the one below that got me into cars around the age of three. At three, it was my job to tell her when the Wait To Start Light went out so the could start the car and I got to press the garage door opener buttons.

it will exacerbate inflation. Tariffs will do that, unless a nation is on a gold standard. Then again, currently few people actually care about the results until it hits them in the wallet.

Palo Duro Canyon in Amarillo When you need a little more height for the photo... Steam locomotive on Display in Amarillo. Paris, Texas. Broken Bow, Oklahoma.

Like you, I am very embedded in the PNW with two kids, the grandkids, etc. While I think I will be fine to retire at 70, I am pretty much figure due to the cost of living in the US, going to work till I die. Plus, I like Tech and with my love of winter sports, technology and home movie system with big screen, yes currently at LG 77" C4 OLED TV, but have seen the new 83 and 97 inch OLED TVs that would pretty much make the whole wall a TV. Talk about TOTAL IMMERSION in a Home Theater setup. Yup, I think I will always work unless I move to the Philippians. I have a friend that retired at 60 and moved there, his $8,000 a month goes so far, beautiful house on the beach, easy sway style lifestyle. But then I have Grandkids. Latest edition this year is my Cutiepie Kai, he loves tech too.

We now also have a status monitoring page. https://status.cheersandgears.com/ This is independent of our web server and will let you know if things are out of whack and I can put a status message there if we're down. There is a link at the bottom right of the page if you ever forget.

Of course there's this CTS 3.6 with a manual and low milage on Auto Trader right now..... taunting me.

The Costco parking lot. I like the 300C and I like the Avalanche, but sometimes navigating them around in traffic and parking lots is a bear. The 300C isn't even drastically larger than the CTS, but the CTS was much more nimble and had a very tight turning radius. It was also ~3,400 lbs, 200 lbs lighter than a base 2025 3-series. It was just light and nimble, but every bit as comfortable on the highway as the 300C is. It's a shame that most of that generation have been trashed. Put a nice CarPlay unit in one and I'd be happy.

Join me in wishing @Drew Dowdell a happy birthday. Have a great day!

I do love fall in Ohio. Nice cool sunny day, going for a scenic drive in a bit.

Socrates and Plato said something similar about democracy and voting and allowing uneducated and untrained people to decide what is for the good of the polisfor everybody. Also, one of the two mentioned how easy it is for corrupt politicians to fool and to manipulate the dumb populace on what the corrupt politicians would want to influence. Also both mentioned that perverse democracy leads to tyranny. And to know what really is mind blowing is that what is happening in the US and Canada right now and for the past 40 years with its stupid populace voting and especially voting for blatant corrupt leaders that dont even hide their agendas is that this very thing happened in Athens 2500 years ago and Socrates not only called it but he witnessed it with his own death... Plato preached the faults of democracy and despised idiots voting. Democracy is not a bad thing per se, its a very good thing. But its severely flawed when the general populace is dumb as phoque and dont realize how they get played by the ruling class they keep on voting in. In North America is quite evident that EVERYBODY including us...yes us right here posting right now, are just stupid pawns. At least in France, Greece, Spain, Italy and maybe a couple of other European countries, the populace riots when their governments get out of hand. Us here in North America, we wait in line like a bunch of jack asses for thext iPhone, or we cause a ruckus when Taylor Swift tickets are too expensive for us to attend her concerts or we cant get FM radio on our Teslas (yeah a while back there was a slight backlash) or when GM decides that they dont want to offer Apple car play in their cars etc... We listen to Youtubers and podcasters that make money on the monetized internet for clicks but we crucify legit scientists. We are blinded by and worship corrupt politicians but we question the legit ones. We idolize monetized Joe Rogans and Alex Jones and basterds like that... And for the last 40 phoquing years North America has been on the decline.

Yeah, it was nice pretty dry most of the summer but fall is coming in wet. I love the green. My backyard as seen from the edge of the woods:

They are ugly Living good has done the man good! Run, don't walk away. Cool, but I think a newer ride would better suit you. Happy Birthday to both of you. Political but posted for Comedy value only. Food going into NC by helicopter. They are telling my family maybe 3 weeks to get water, electric.

Today, a presidential record is made. Jimmy Carter becomes the first American president to become a centenarian. Happy 100th birthday, Mr. Carter!

It catches the eye alright...like how pink eye catches your eye. For the same reasons, it needs to be gone lol. And Happy B-Day btw!

Long time no see on this one. The fairing has been incredibly difficult to source, but about three weeks ago one turned up in the UK in great condition. I bought it and had it shipped over. On Saturday, I rode 2 1/4 hours out to State College, PA, area on my 2019 BMW R NineT Scrambler to test ride some Moto Guzzi bikes. After riding there for a few hours, I rode the 2 1/4 hours back. The seat on my NineT is horrible for long-distance riding and by the time I got home I was exhausted and everything hurt. Some of the Moto Guzzis were touring bikes and were really comfortable to ride, making me think that I might like having a touring bike instead. But wait.... I already HAVE a touring bike. So as soon as I got home, and before I even got my riding gear off, I went and pulled the R1100 RS out of storage, put the battery back in, and it fired up. By Sunday, I started cleaning the grime and grease and finished up like this. Yesterday I ran around getting some bulbs, small parts, and fluids for a fluid change, but you can't do a fluid change on these bikes until they've been ridden for at least 20 minutes and then cooled for 20 minutes.... so, my next step was clear. Put it back together. As of last night: I took it for a short shakedown cruise this morning and it ran great. It still needs the fluid changes, and I'm going to replace the valve covers (I already have them), and a few other odds and ends, but it's getting pretty close to being ready to ride.

I miss him and Balthy...they were...amusing.and CaminoLS6.

I know a Greek guy in New York and he was just telling me that he used to take Olympic Airways to and from Greece. He said that it was Aristotle Onassis's airline ... I didn't know that. He told me they had a 747 named Olympus and another one named Zeus. Olympic never put out much of a reach to North America ... just NY and Toronto, I believe. They bankrupted sometime post-9/11. Now, Greece only has much smaller Aegean, but they stick mostly to Europe, the Middle East, etc. Here's one of their 747s approaching Athens Airport next to the sea at Ellinikon. In looking up this airline and jet, they had a write-up on Olympic Airways Flight 411 which was using the 747 Zeus in 1978, so this was a fairly new unit. Fairly shocking for a veteran crew - 418 people on board - close call ...

I just noticed something about the Aviator. That armrest flips up to a storage container underneath, a Lincoln-specific feature that dates back to the 80s Lincolns, Continental specifically. I loved that extra bit of storage in my Continental. It was a tidy and easy to reach place for me to store fuel and turnpike receipts to turn in for reimbursement without stuffing them in the glovebox or wallet. The car didn't have a center console, but even then, mine in the Avalanche can get messy with receipts.

Today spotting---my '87 Mustang GT. Got it out this morning and took it for a spin on my birthday. I still enjoy driving it, doesn't quite feel the same as it did when I was 20, though. But for better or for worse, I'm not the same as I was at 20...

My baby Giant Sequoia showed up yesterday, finally. It got lost in transit for about five days.