trinacriabob

What I was really going to say: "Buona Festa della Repubblica" "Happy Republic Day" Today, June 2, is to Italy what the 1st of July is to Canada, the 4th of July is to the U.S., and the 14th of July is to France ... more or less.

Mt. Etna on the island of Sicily. Approaching it from the urban plain to its south gives this more complete view of it ... about 10,000 ft. and an active volcano.

Good morning ... ... this was my morning. I love looking at this thing.

This was probably the first time I’ve gotten downgraded and it wasn’t on my part. I rented a compact (icon showed a Nissan Versa) at LAX to keep costs down and was given what could be considered a subcompact. Their number of cars was slim. I felt I was downgraded in more than one way. I had seen these cars at auto shows and didn’t pay much attention to them. At the time, they were the only car sold in North America that I knew of being sold with a 3-cylinder engine. The guy at the rental lot didn’t believe it and lifting the hood – to count manifold ducting – is what convinced him. Spark plugs which depended on a coil are no longer in the sides of engines as they once were. Getting into the car told me that this would be a little challenging in terms of comfort and motoring. As for the instrumentation, that part is easy. The center pod has the minimum – speedo, tach, fuel gauge, info square, and lots of idiot lights. The center stack is also simple, with infotainment above and climate control below. In this infotainment system, they are able to fit in Android Auto, and the display was small, but big enough to work with. As for songs, there is very noticeable delay if skipping forward or backward to tracks you want to hear. The system has to think and think. I’m not at all a sound expert, having found "The Immigrant Song" very trying, so I was just glad to have this feature. Pulling away instantly tells you that this is basic transportation and that it’s not a particularly able vehicle. To get the most out of this vehicle and keep costs low, the 1.2 liter 3 cylinder is paired to a CVT automatic unit. I was not able to see a turbocharger under the hood nor does the price point call for it. Pulling away also foretells the noisiness of the engine. There is no graininess as much as there is loud revving that’s especially noticed when accelerating to maintain speed on a hill or up a grade. I don’t even want to think about how this car would fare on the Grapevine, especially with several passengers. The car is small, so it’s nimble and easy to park. Tire drone and wind noise intrude, with the suspension sending jolts into the cabin on any pavement less than perfect. In terms of parking, with the small camera to boot, it's a snap ... almost even fun. There is nothing wrong with the finishes, really, except that they are spartan and not aesthetically pleasing. At this price point, the fabrics are the tough kind, which aren’t that comfortable, but usually durable. The spartan nature extends to the rear cabin where the windows are fixed and do not go up and down. That said, only the front passenger windows do and there was no “A” that I could see. Power locks and power side mirrors are also included, as is a tilt wheel. Anymore, these come standard on all cars. That’s where the niceties end. The console has no armrest above it and the front cupholders and one rear cup holder are too far forward and too far back for the driver. The trunk is bigger than that of a Spark, but, for the luggage I had, the trunk was not that much more usable and I couldn’t stand up the standard and rollaboard pieces side by side. Surprisingly, it has a remote fuel release. Great … and I mean it. And it has auto lamps and cruise control, both which work well. The air conditioning did not blow cold enough so the temperature had to be lowered and the fan speed raised. I’ve done fine in rented Fiestas and Sparks, and even Sentras, but this car was a challenge. Three cylinders are finding their way into European cars and some rentals over there were smooth and powerful enough that I was surprised there was a 3-cylinder engine under the hood. That didn’t apply to this vehicle. Fuel economy is reported to be spread across a broad range. In the first tank (9.2 gallons), the mpg, mostly on city, it came in at 30 mpg. A Malibu can get that. This car had less than 5,000 miles. On its one highway trip to be taken where it would be dropped one way, it came in at about 44 mpg. I would have liked to have seen 35 in town and 50 on the open road. Incidentally, the only time this car is at its best is at about 50 to 60 mph and when the pavement is level, so fuel economy seemingly goes up and rpm are at around 2,500 rpm. The car’s selling point is its budget price and it isn’t even as cheap as I remember it being. This car epitomizes simple A to B transportation and, as far as trips go, it could be used for nearby weekend getaways but not for long hauls with people sitting in the back or more than 2 small pieces of luggage. It’s meant for someone who needs the bare essentials and has a budget aimed at getting those … and get a new car at the same time. I suspect that maintenance costs, with fewer moving parts, niceties, and smaller items such as tires, would be low. I would have much preferred a Fiesta, or even a Spark, which were the bottom of the food chain for the domestics, and, comparatively, not all that bad, really, so that speaks to what driving the Mirage was like. - - - - - Edit: photos forthcoming

Re "their" signs: Their signs often show their stupidity, their rigidity, or both.

Good morning ... ... a quick quiz - 3 guesses and the first 2 don't count. Match the following: 1. state governor a. b. 2. to the vehicle they are likely to pilot a. b. - - - - - Don't think too hard now.

Some 2024 anniversaries for Los Angeles CA - how time flies 40 years since the 1984 Summer Olympics - cities seem to have growth spurts - not all good, with spikes in home and apartment prices - and the same seemed to have happened in Atlanta after it hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics 30 years since the 1994 Northridge (MLK Day) earthquake - I believe it did a lot more damage than the Sylmar Feb. 9 1971 earthquake since Sylmar is at the very edge of the built-up part of the metro area while Northridge is more in the thick of things in the San Fernando Valley. In both quakes, high overpasses connecting freeways I-5 to CA-14 came down. In the 1994 quake, a critical raised portion of the fairly distant Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) came down,

What I had really meant to say ... Happy Cinco de Mayo from my hometown (a coincidence ... already here to visit high school and college friends) arguably a contender for one of the most authentically Mexican cities (on one or more levels) in the U.S. tonight calls for some El Torito somewhere.

Good morning (Pacific Time, that is) ... This shows up in a box on my homepage. Whoa. Who is it? It's none other than Heather Locklear. Could she be on her way to a casting call to play the following individual?

Just last week, I saw a few newer Traxes. They are more sloped in the rear than the Trailblazer and there is no protuding "ridge" over the rear window. I'd say they are more attractive than the new Trailblazer. I know next to nothing about them.

MECHANICAL PHOTOS The engine bay is neatly arranged as it typically is in GM products, with dipsticks, reservoirs, and an easy to reach battery ... someone would have had to help me find the turbocharger One can see 3 exhaust manifold passages below the engine shroud The engine placard says 1.3 liters and long running OBD II diagnostics - - - - - END OF PHOTOS

INTERIOR PHOTOS This is what the driver sees upon entering and the light switches are in their own small panel (set to auto) This is the view from the passenger's door and this provides a good view of the outlets above and buttons below the cubby space at the front of the console The dashboard is very sensibly arranged, easy to learn, and easy on the eyes ... note several push buttons for drive mode, traction, etc. right ahead of the shift lever and various plugs right below the climate control panel. The touch screen is engaged and the vents above the center stack provide excellent air circulation. This shows typical Chevrolet gauge graphics, a fuel gauge with graphic bars, and an always useful coolant temperature gauge. Key lights for driving modes (traction, following distance, etc.) are above the graphic display box between the 2 round gauges. This is the typical graphic box in various Chevrolets and, once it has been learned, toggling between trip, vehicle, and eco. becomes easy. Trip has the most options while eco. rarely needs to be used. To the left of the odometer is the graphic which shows AWD or 2WD. Cubby hole for phone, outlets for plugs, and push button controls (partial, at the right) sensibly arranged as well as honeycomb hatch to look like it could have been fabric Rear seat legroom appears to be respectable. The two-tone effect on the fabric is fairly nice and there are map pockets behind both front seats. This shows the rearward view from the driver's seat which would make lane change and parking assists helpful The rear seats follow a "60-40" (long running car jargon) split back, a courtesy lamp, and a groove for the rear cover (which was not present in the vehicle) This gives an idea of the cargo space with the rear seats in their upright position as well as 2 usable storage wells at each side of the rear cargo area

EXTERIOR PHOTOS The side view shows the more compact shape and the sheet metal accents, attractive alloy wheels, and a roof rack The angled rear view shows taillamps which look fairly true-to-form for Chevrolet, but the liftgate is slightly heavy to pull up and push back down ... a person also has to make sure it's fully shut The angled front view shows attractive (LED) lighting

I was in a situation where I had rented a car – a category with a trunk – and there weren’t any available. Their running out of certain categories happens frequently nowadays. As such, I was assigned a 2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer. This didn’t look like any of the Trailblazers I remember. For one, it was a lot smaller. It was also badged as AWD. I assumed there would be a Chevy 1.5L T I-4 under the hood. Previous Trailblazers of the New Millennium ran with a 4.2 L I-6, possibly the modernized, aluminized version of the same 250 c.i. I-6 of the last century. A friend bought one of these in the early 2000’s. I was once given one by a rental agency and its 4.2L I-6 was incredibly smooth, but given how quickly the fuel gauge headed west, I took it back for an exchange within a day. Before even settling into the car, I looked under the hood to find a 1.3L T 3-cylinder engine. Three-cylinder engines have become a lot more prevalent in Europe, even in small SUV-CUV types but typically in econoboxes. As for initial impressions, it looked like the car would be sensible to drive and operate its functions. This turned out to be true. The seats are supportive and comfortable enough, together with some attractive stitching, The materials are not high grade, with the same tougher fabric which might be in the Malibu. In fact, except for some minor differences, transitioning from a Malibu to a Trailblazer is easy. The width of the cabin, the gauges and switches, and the urethane steering wheel and its controls are similar. In fact, in the Trailblazer, some things are better. The touch screen is engaged in the dash, with the center vents above it, providing for excellent dispersion of what the air conditioner was dishing out - which was very cool. Further down, the cubby for electronic devices is flatter and larger and the outlets and switches are all linearly arranged next to each other for easy use. Also, with the inherently higher seating position, the view is better and the shifter and console height are in a more user-friendly position. The exterior sheet metal shows good taste, and the character lines are nicely done. The front fascia with its lighting set-up is its strong point. Even the rear taillamps look good as they wrap the rear corners. Returning to mechanical specifications, the transmission was a geared one. The interwebs and its owner manual revealed this. If a new Trailblazer is AWD, the transmission is a 9-speed automatic. If it’s a 2WD, the transmission is a CVT. This is a very utilitarian and practical package, and it couldn’t be described as refined. However, the engine is not grainy but its rhythmic but not hushed hum is always present. When pushed, it just hums more audibly. The engine does what it’s supposed to do. With around 140 horsepower, this is not a powerplant with which to riskily pass, sprint up long grades, and think it’s a jackrabbit, despite its having a turbocharger. The transmission is a “humorous” one. I can’t think of another word. There’s the expression “children should be seen and not heard.” In this Trailblazer, it’s more like “children are heard but not seen.” As the gearbox marches through its 9 gears, the spool-ups are quick and you hear them, but the unit slushes into the next gear as if it was a CVT and you don’t even feel the shifts. However, if throttled, you will definitely feel the shifts and, in stop and go driving at lower speeds, it can hunt within the first 3 gears and do it in a jerky way. However, in composed linear driving, the shifts are seamless but the short intervals for each gear, complete with the “sound effects,” was humorous … at least to me. The Trailblazer is a nimble enough vehicle. It rides fairly smoothly, but can quickly become unsettled. Its ride quality is not as budget-like as that of the now gone Chevy Spark and Sonic, but not as pleasant as that in the Malibu or even what they were able to accomplish in the final-gen Cruze. Wind noise is reasonably controlled, but tire and suspension related noises aren’t as effectively soaked up. The road surface is always being communicated to the cabin, telling you this is not a premium vehicle. In the CUV-SUV category, I’ve only driven the much larger Chevy Traverse with a 3.6 VVT V6 … and we’re talking two different worlds. With the higher seating position, front and side visibility are good. The thick rear sail panel makes angled rear visibility challenging. This seems to be the norm in this typology of vehicles. This unit did not have parking or side traffic sensors, which are much needed, and a few lane changes were more challenging since I like to mix up looking over my shoulder and using the mirrors. With the rear seat up, storage space is good … thanks to the Trailblazer’s the boxy shape, and it’s very good with the split rear seat folded forward into the cabin. It would come in handy to move boxes or a bundle of items. There was a slot for a rear cover over the storage area, but it was missing. This is one of the reasons I try to avoid this typology at the rental counter. The windows are more tinted toward the rear, but I was still not comfortable with that. The rental agency said ‘but we sell insurance for your personal effects.’ I doubt someone has the time to replace apparel and items that have been purchased over a span of agent while traveling. Rental agencies don’t do a good job of monitoring this item. I’m sure that a private owner would keep the retractable cover in its place as needed. Inside, while the controls are logically placed, there is no remote hatch or fuel filler release. However, if the vehicle is locked, the fuel door cannot be opened. Fuel consumption can vary a lot and the instant fuel mileage readout will clue in the driver to that. I set the drivetrain to 2WD and “eco” mode, but it still has to lug around AWD hardware. The readout goes from unimpressive city driving fuel efficiency to very plausible mileage at steady highway cruise. The 9-speed automatic allows the Trailblazer with AWD to cruise at 65 mph at about 1,900 rpms. That’s why it can attain the higher fuel mileage, but it took going to 3 cylinders to attain that. It was very easy to transition to the Trailblazer from several other Chevrolet models, and especially the Malibu. Thinking of the similarities and differences, the Trailblazer could almost be viewed as a higher sitting and less refined riding 3-cylinder Malibu turned CUV-SUV. For a consumer at the intersection of needing the packaging this vehicle provides and its price point, the Trailblazer could make sense. - - - - - PHOTOS FORTHCOMING

The incoming rectangular lamps on many GM cars in that era made them much more attractive. They made a big difference. Now, as far the powerplant went, the notion of 500 cubic inches was mindboggling even during the malaise era. If you want to see someone's jaw drop, tell a European that their engines have 8200 cc or 8.2 liters. For those who aren't driving the occasional Mustang or Camaro you see, they freak out at anything over 2,500 or 3,000 cc.

Thank you for the response. I want to reinstall them into the computers, especially the "newer" one. The old one has been a real champ. The reason for not leaving them in the desktop is that the basic tower might have to be transported ... and not by me. That means it will be out of my possession for a while. Since the HDs would be traveling with me, they'll have to get scanned through airport security a time or two. I'm guessing that shouldn't mess with the data. I've already backed up the C drive on several large 1 TB portable hard drives. I don't want to touch the basic functions and files on the computers since I don't know how that all works. I stay away from the drives and files I am not familiar with. I tend to donate other things to charity. I did give the Regal I once owned to charity. A good friend told me that, about a month or two later, he saw it being driven around the city by its new owner and we had a good laugh. This is what I want to do. I'm just trying to figure out if the guy or gal at Office Depot can size a case based on looking up the unit and the HD in it. Any ideas on that part? Or should I do that and approximate the size and weight of the part to get the cases?

I'm wondering about a lot of things related to this. I am sure that, sadly, the passengers inside were jolted. This is way different from a rough landing. Why was it even necessary to do it? What was going on at the airport property at that time? How does one even pull this off? I've seen some vids of where they barely touch and then go off again, but this one looks way more complicated.

The site clean-ups on C&G have been nice and look cleaner. In the process, it appears they even purged that one warning point I got for some heavy handed arguing with ocnblu back in 2009.

This was on my homepage. This is possibly the weirdest go-around I've seen on video. It was Lufthansa's big bird (latest version) at LAX. (Leave the sound on) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/moment-lufthansa-plane-s-touch-and-go-landing-caught-on-live-stream/vi-AA1nysOo?ocid=socialshare I was on one major go-around about 20 years and, it too, was on an older Lufthansa 747 going from Munich to SFO to connect up to Portland. He was still some 200 feet off the ground when he announced it, the engines started purring strongly, the plane started climbing, and the go around from my window showed San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, then on down south next to Stanford, and then back up over San Francisco Bay to land.

Tech help needed prior to going in to Office Depot or other store to inquire ... or conducting research and spinning my wheels: I have 2 HP Pavilion desktops ... one is circa 2019 and the other is circa 2009, and it still works. They are boxed up. Questions: 1. If I needed to get hard drive carrying cases, how does one go about sizing the one they should buy? 2. I have never seen one before, but I'm assuming the construction of the case is thick and tough enough to protect the hard drive, yes? 3. How much do hard drives in typical household HP Pavilions weigh and are they easy to remove so they can be transported? THANK YOU!

This is what I also spotted yesterday. For a while, I thought that most of America wasn't moving away from Craftsman style housing fast enough. It lasted for at least 2 decades in areas they don't use the Mediterranean stucco look. Well, America did move on ... to this. I don't know what it's called ... American white farmhouse? There isn't much variety in it at all. And this is mostly what you see anymore. Can't we do better?

The beauty and the beast: ... just seen while running errands

I love it. No surprise there. Sure, an Oregon plate, because they appreciate their Subarus and Volvos more than American iron. I'm going to say '83 or '84 because we knew someone with an '83 Eldorado in that nice shade of medium to dark metallic blue. That color also stuck around for '84 Cutlass and its GM stablemates. - - - - - @Drew Dowdell Some of those photos are interesting, but there are only a few I'd be excited about. The "problematic" ones have beltlines that are too tall, grilles that are beyond exaggerated (and making the '04 to '08 GP grille look tasteful), bodies that are too long, rear ends that look like rocket fire should be spewing out of them, and even some weird kinks in the simpler volumes. What I notice is that the experimental renditions are more daring and, then, when the car is released, they take some of that edginess off. I'm going to say that I like about 3 or 4 of them - - - - - I saw this yesterday ... I pulled over to get the photo. The care of the lawn carries over into the care for the car. When Riv/Toro had their short period of stubbiness, I'd say I liked the Riv (above) more, save the trestle shifter in the Toro. When they got lengthened in ~1989 (through ~1992), I preferred the Toronado. Yep ... light driftwood metallic, beige (cloth) bucket seats, vaned alloy wheels, and a 3800 V6 that wasn't quite Series II.

Random thought - word of the day: smarm(y) Great word!

Coincidence, telepathy, 6 degrees, or something ... I've got one right now ... a white one.