Subaru Warranty Finally Pays?

Our 2016 Subaru Forester has served us well so far for the most part. It gets routine care and has had a couple of visits for recalls. It has been driven to just about all of the states when we took cross country road trips twice to the west coast and back. And we drove to Florida many times to visit my mom. A couple of weeks ago the key started getting stuck in the column. It’s the one safety feature we don’t have - a keyless entry system. Since it was time for an oil and filter change we asked them to check the key problem. I also remembered that we had an extended warranty through Subaru. Thank goodness we did because the price to fix the key issue was close to $600! We ended up having to pay a $50 deductible. I also requested the $10 coupon for oil and filter change. So it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. But it got us thinking that we might want to start considering a new car - if and when we think we need to go that route. So while we were waiting for the car to get fixed we visited the showroom and checked out the 2025 Forester Touring. In the end we have decided that we can afford to wait a bit since the car only has 88,000 miles and is on very good shape. Of course the new cars look inviting, but we just don’t travel like we used to anymore unfortunately. At least we got away with paying less - although the warranty hasn’t paid for itself yet. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it. Regardless, it made our day that it was covered. 

52Frames Rule of Thirds Photo Trending

The subject this week for the 52Frames photo challenge was “rule of thirds.” My photos have not been selected in the top 52 for quite some time - even though many the comments are most complimentary - it doesn’t seem to matter. After all, it is a contest of sorts and it is nice to get selected. However, since about April of this year when a fellow framer pointed out to me that my photo was trending on the main page website, my photos have consistently trended since then. It usually occurs on the day after the album opens, sometimes sooner. And it stays trending for about 8 hours or so. I think it has a lot to do with the number of likes it gets. I’ve spent a lot of time building up a base of fellow framers who live all over the world. Additionally this is a great hobby that keeps me occupied in so many ways. The subject matter dictates where we will go on a morning walk in search of something that might work. This subject took us to downtown DC near the White House. This image of the tattooed couple was my husband’s favorite. Sometimes I should overrule his choice even though it is usually right. Several people said they preferred the alternate to this one. Maybe that would have made the difference? Probably not. 

Chick-fil-A Breakfast

We had an appointment for our Subaru. Of course, routine oil and filter always turns in to something more and this time was no exception. So our hour wait turned in to three. Rather than catch an Uber home and back, and since we already took a two mile morning walk, we decided to stick it out and get a bite to eat. So we walked over to the Chick-fil-A that was just down the street. We never had breakfast at Chick-fil-A and the menu was a lot like any other fast food place including Waffle House. We decided to get the scramble bowl with sausage meal for one and just a bowl for the other. We sat outside in front of the store and enjoyed what would have been a long wait at the dealership. The food was okay and we were sorry that we didn’t get some sort of bread. I am always amazed how organized Chick-fil-A is. Anyway, this morning turned in to an adventure. I don’t want to do it again anytime soon. 

Car Key Keeps Getting Stuck in the Ignition

It’s time for a routine oil and filter change for our Subaru. It is a 2016 model and has about 88,000 miles on it. This car has driven all over the country. We took a southern cross country road trip to California the year I retired. And the next year we took another cross country trip to Washington state and back along the northern part of the country. And we used to visit my mom in Florida at least a couple or three times a year. Since the pandemic and my mom’s passing we haven’t been anywhere. I never thought our road trip days were over. But I digress. Within the last two weeks the ignition key keeps getting stuck in the ignition ans we are not able to remove it. Luckily if you put it in reverse and drive a couple of times back and forth it usually works. But these are the sorts of things that start to happen when the car begins to deteriorate. We waited much too long the last time and ended up having a major repair in Pennsylvania. That’s not a good thing. So we are starting to figure out what car we would update to when this one is ready to be traded in. I wanted a hybrid because we don’t have the where with all for electric plug in only - and it’s just not ready for prime time yet - especially when you only have one car. But Subaru Forester is not hybrid until 2025/26. I chatted with our Subaru dealer asking when they expected to start getting the hybrids. And since then I have had phone calls, texts, and email messages. We are not stuck on a hybrid but the Toyota RAV4 might be worth exploring. Maybe I can use that as a carrot to get a better discount on a new Subaru. This would be our fourth. So tomorrow we will get that routine service completed and hopefully the stuck key issue will be resolved. We’ll find out about the overall health of the car and see where we go from there. I really don’t want to buy a new car but I also don’t want to get stuck in a less than safe situation like the last time. 

52Frames Rule of Thirds Weekly Photo Challenge

The subject this week for the 52Frames photo challenge was “rule of thirds.” So we drove in to town to see what we could find in the White House neighborhood. We parked at the end of the National mall and started walking past the Smithsonian American History Museum, and down to Freedom Square along Pennsylvania Avenue. As we approached the White House there was a group of Asian visitors that looked dazzling - it looked like a fashion show. I really liked this photo and turned the background black and white but kept the actual color of the girls for a bit of contrast. But there was also a couple - full of tattoos - that passed by us on our way back to the car. I immediately turned around and got a photo of them - walking in sync - next to the commerce building. The blue toned background matched their jeans and they stuck out like sore thumbs against it. My husband loved this photo but I didn’t. But I submitted it anyway with a simple edit - there was no composite or interesting editing like I usually do. We rarely agree on which image to submit. We will find out if I should have overruled him!

Which Dinner is More Appealing?

My husband and I are different in every way - except on the most important issues. What I mean by that is he is an early riser and I am a night owl; notice everything - he doesn’t until I bring it to his attention; he likes dark meat and I like white meat; he wants to knew the detail while I just want to solve the problem; if he doesn’t know what a word means he needs to find the definition while I’m good just having a general idea; he loves the rain and I have three different types of umbrellas depending on the type of rain and I hate walking in it -  to name a few. It actually works out quite well as we benefit from each other. So when we made dinner the other day it was composed of shrimp, rice and broccoli. I ended up mixing all of the ingredients to make a casserole per se; he likes to keep all of the elements completely separate. It isn’t a big thing - just an another example of ying and yang. Somehow it all just works even though it all seems a bit odd. 

52Frames Rule of Odds Photo Trending

The subject for the 52Frames weekly photo challenge was “rule of odds.” That means getting items in groups of 3, 5, etc. We found the perfect subject in the National Gallery of Art. Sometimes all you need to do is stay in one spot and something interesting might turn up. We stood a while in the Monet gallery when a father and his two daughters arrived. And, there were three Monet paintings, three seat cushions on the couch, three legs on the couch, and three people. I always look to see if my photo trends on the 52Frames website and I haven’t been disappointed since April when a fellow framer told me about it. This time the photo started to trend on the first evening that the album opened, and stayed on through the next early afternoon. I got a lot of compliments on this image, but it wasn’t enough to garner a spot on the top 52 this week. I was a bit disappointed because my photo was also critiqued and got two thumbs up. I’m not sure what the criteria is for trending, but I think it must have something to do with the number of “likes.” I’ve spent the last three years building up a base of friends from around the world. In the end it’s all about having a hobby and spending time doing something you enjoy. But it’s also nice to get noticed!