Habemus Papam

Cold, clear days on the BQE have made for spectacular exhaust plumes.

Hey, it's better than snow.

Wandering Apostrophe

Stuck in pothole repair traffic. The DOT giveth and the DOT taketh away. I had time to think about this bumper sticker on this car service car.

The misplaced apostrophe makes it a story. What is he (or she) wanted for? By whom? What am I supposed to do about it?

Oscar Drives

The nominees for the BTB Oscar's "Best Use of Car" category are...

The 1965 East German-made Wartburg 312/1 from the Polish film (and Oscar winner) Ida,  the vehicle for the improbable road trip of Ida (a novice nun) and her aunt (one-time state prosecutor).

The '59 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz driven by Shasta in Inherent Vice.

And the ensemble cast of early 80's police cars, Mercs, LTDs, and oil delivery trucks from A Most Violent Year, the underrated and underseen movie about oil business shakedowns and reprisals in New York City in 1981.

Note: I didn't see many movies last year, so please suggest your favorites.

Dripline

Melt today, freeze tomorrow.

Happy Day

Cheer up. You could be in Boston.

Red Fish, Blue Fish

It's Dr. Seuss time on the Arthur Kill.

Seen through the windows of the college's shuttle bus from the ferry.

Northern Boulevard

Landing at JFK at 4:21 a.m. on the coldest day of the year. Wishing I could have stayed a few days--at least--in Bogotá, where summer is just coming to an end.

Here is a display from the tractor store and the fountain from our hotel in Chia, a prosperous town just north of the city. Across the Autopista Norte, the rooftops of Chia and the mountains that surround Bogotá, which is already pretty high, at 2640 m (8661 ft) above sea level.

A Sunday afternoon walk to Usaquén, an old town incorporated into the city of Bogota, reveals a grittier (and artier) section of the Autopista.