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Driving

My relationship with Ford truly started 25 years ago when my Dad brought home a 1978 Ford LTD II. It was, to put it mildly, a boat. And when you just get your license the last thing you want to do is steer a giant boat into the parking lot at school, but for the sake of laziness I did it. I could also pack it full with friends and head to the local burger joint for lunch. It had a great stereo and the back seat was huge! Not that I am implying anything, but when you are 5’10” you need the leg room. It also took a lot of gas, and even back when gas was $0.40/L it was expensive.  As we said good-bye to the old LTD, I hadn’t really driven a Ford since.

Last summer, while at BlogHer ’11 in San Diego, there was a lot of talk about Ford. Ford seemed to be making a comeback and I was interested to hear about it. When I was asked if I would like to test drive the new Ford Explorer last Fall on our road trip to She’s Connected in Toronto, I said, ‘sure’. We were originally five women heading to Toronto, but with the extra seat in the Explorer we were able to bring our total up to six. Six women with luggage and goodies, packed into the Explorer and I am pleased to say, it was very roomy! We managed to fit everyone in with a bit of room to spare. The seats were comfortable that the ride was smooth. I found a lot of the new safety features like the back-up camera with voice assistance and the blind spot lights very helpful. I am an avid believer and supporter of shoulder checks and safety, but driving a different vehicle out on the highway always leaves room for adjustment. The added features helped assure me that I was in the clear. One thing that I cannot abide by is a car that has no passing power. I need to know that when I am passing an 18 wheeler, in the left lane that I have the guts in the car to get past without taking half an hour, nothing turns me off of a car more than no guts. The Explorer passed in that regard with flying colours. I knew when I was passing that I would get past without worry. Nothing I hate more than sitting beside a huge truck.

Our Explorer in the rain last Fall

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When I was invited to a Ladies Night out with Ford Ottawa at the Ottawa Auto Show, I was excited to hear what new fun things they had in store. I was told we would get to see the All-New Ford Focus Electric, so I was excited to attend.  We were a room full of Bloggers, and Social Media personalities. We all love our cars and there was just the right mix of questions to keep Ford’s resident expert Steve Ross on his toes. He did a wonderful job telling us how Ford was doing in making changes to the way we drive, something I might have to consider in the future. Ford is now offering gasoline only vehicles, Hybrid vehicles and fully Electric Vehicles. A commitment to the future they are proud to withhold. In hearing about the new Ford Focus Electric, I have to admit that it will be a long time before I personally could commit to one. I drive way too much and at unplanned intervals, so I couldn’t be reliant solely on electric with a 160km range. However, Hubby could certainly make the switch for commuting to and from work. When the time comes to switch up his car, it is something we may consider for sure.  In the meantime, I would gladly drive one of the amazing Hybrids, like the Explorer Hybrid, which would give me the big car that I love and the added bonus of a better on the environment and gas usage.

@SteveRoss – Ford Canada, @CapitalMom @MissFish @Ammar_Ammar, @JenButson @ErinBlaskie
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A few iPhone shots of the event for Tweeting purposes
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Ahhh, now we get to see the All-New Focus* Electric, and I have to say it is pretty sharp! Ford has been designing the new cars so that they are the same whether they are gasoline powered or electric powered. They are on the same platform and have the same touches that you love in both, one just has a battery instead of a gas tank. As you can see the Ford Focus* is very nice. Gone are the days that I can play around with the engine though. But, we did all have a collective sigh when Steve opened up the hood. I was proud to be with such an awesome group of women who know their way around cars and could appreciate the work and technology behind it. Some of us are after the rumbling sound of the engine, and other appreciate the quiet that comes with fusion and electric vehicles. Some of us love having power behind the wheel while others just want to get to where they need to go. But all of us appreciate the look of the cars as well as the storage for hockey bags, groceries or suitcases.
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Of course for those of us that love a good muscle car there is the 2013 Ford Mustang. It has gorgeous new lines and looks just like you would want a Mustang to look, classy, but hot. I personally would take it in a Navy Blue, but I certainly wouldn’t mind going on my next road trip in this one, just saying.
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We got to see the Explorer and the Edge and the new kick bumper that allows you to open the back hatch with a tap on the bumper if you have your key in your pocket. Awesome for those of us carrying packages after shopping, or camera gear after a shoot.
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A huge thank you to Ford Canada for inviting me out to the Auto Show and get a sneak peek at all the new and wonderful things you are bringing out for 2013. It was a great Ladies Night and I look forward to doing it again with you. And a special thank you to Samantha Hartley of Thornley Fallis for putting it all together.

*Edited: Apologies, I had to edit this to correct that it was the Ford Focus Electric car, not the Fusion as I had previously accidentally typed.

1 comment
Categories: Driving, Road Trip, Travel

Perspective

I know I have been a terrible blogger lately, and truthfully, I am just uninspired to write.  This is a first for me in the six years of blogging. I don’t expect it to last forever, but I also didn’t want to bore you with tales of work, work, work and not much play.  Add to that the bad weather we had this Spring, I really was just not up to it.

And then, as life goes on, something happens to put it all in perspective for you once again.

I will start this by saying no one was hurt.

My Mother, who has never had an accident other than a little tap on a fender back in the 1960’s when fenders were made of steel, was in a pretty major crash up yesterday.  And the saddest part is that I didn’t know about it until 9:30pm.  Maybe not the saddest, but sad to me because life went on.  At 3pm I was picking up J at school and we were sitting outside in the long awaited sunshine, while my Mother was being crashed into and spun through an intersection.

Just like that, in a blink of an eye, it could have been all over.

Happy Birthday!
I would have missed her almost daily calls, all her love and advice all because someone didn’t take time to realize their light was red.  As my Mother turned on a green arrow through an intersection, a van with four passengers came flying at her, realized they were going to hit and slammed their brake.  They skidded 28 feet into my Mom’s front as she was turning, sending her into a 180. She was left sitting facing the opposite way she was heading wondering what on earth had happened.

Now, I wasn’t there and there is another side to this story, the one where the other light was green and my Mom wasn’t turning on an arrow, but since my Mother is probably the best driver I know. And has never had an infraction and is so all about shoulder checking, obeying the law and doing the right thing, always. I believe her 100% that she was turning on the green arrow and that the other car was also doing that (but in the opposite direction) and changed their mind into the intersection with the red light.  As for the other 10 or so cars in the intersection at the time, you would think one witness would have stopped to a) see if everyone was alright and b) bear witness to the incident. But, nobody did.  An off-duty fireman stopped after the fact to check out my Mom and the other passengers and offer assistance until police and my Dad showed up.

This isn’t a post about who was right and who was wrong, this is a post about putting it all in perspective.

She will be needing a new car, it would seem. And I suppose I should send a shout out to GM for this baby down here.  The Impala, built tough and strong, kept my Mom safe yesterday. I shudder to think of her in our little red car getting hit like she did. I know it doesn’t look so bad in this photo but when you are standing next to it and see the engine on an angle and hanging out the bottom of the car you realize just how hard she was hit.  Something I just had to do today was go and take a look at it, to gain just a little bit more of the perspective around me.

Today could have been a much, much different day for me. I could have been laying my Mom to rest instead of thanking God that she is alive. Give your loved ones a squeeze today, be thankful they are home with you and try to keep it all in perspective.

Perspective

7 comments
Categories: Cars, Catching up, Driving, Family

In Support of Toyota

I will state for the record before I even begin.  I have NEVER owned a Toyota.  I do not work for Toyota nor do I have any association wtih them and the following is my opinion and my opinion alone.

For eight years I drove a Geo Metro Convertible LSI in white.  This is not my car, I have only film copies of me and my sweet ride and they are in Apples room and she is asleep.  This photo is courtesy of Wikipedia .

As much as I loved my sweet convertible and the fact that it only cost me $15 in gas for two weeks worth of driving, it wasn’t without it’s faults.  For a three cylinder I quite often found myself driving on only two.  The locks would freeze up for most of the winter, causing me to have to crawl in through my trunk to unlock the doors. But, in the summer when the roof was down and I was tanned and loving my ride all the winter faults were long forgotten.

With all the recent talk about Toyota and their stuck gas pedals, I feel that I should come out and share my experience with stuck gas pedals.  It used to happen to me with my Geo, all the time.  Yes, ALL THE TIME.  Mostly in the wintertime when the throttle would get frozen. But, there is a safe way to get yourself out of this situation.  Turn your car off.  It didn’t matter if I was still in the driveway or on the highway when my gas pedal would get stuck and the engine would redline, I would turn the car off, coast to safety and put on my hazards.   I am not saying this is fool proof, but when your car is speeding out of control, instead of going into panic mode and trying to beat red lights, just cut the gas to the engine and coast yourself to safety as best you can.

Too many drivers these days don’t know how to get themselves out of situations.  I am not sure if it is because they grew up driving new cars or what but, my Dad always had beaters and us kids learned how to drive in them.  Over the course of the last 23 years of driving I have had my share of strange situations.  Stuck gas pedals are just a small part of it.  I have had to change my alternator on the side of the highway, too many flat tires to count, open the hood to spark the starter, timing belt blow out on the 416, power steering cut out on me, clutch cable snapping (Downtown in Winnipeg and yes, my Dad can drive without a clutch) and many more that I am sure I am forgetting.  Back in High School my Sister and I were known for the beaters we would show up with, but it never stopped anyone from asking for or taking a ride. Just remember not to panic and you can usually get yourself out of a situation.

So be gentle on Toyota if you own or were thinking of owning one of their cars.  And remember that the company that makes those apparently faulty gas pedals??  They don’t just make them for Toyota.

2 comments
Categories: Cars, Driving