OK, first the car gets a good spray of high-power water
The line between indoors and outdoors blurs sometimes, doesn’t it?
For example, is washing the car an indoor or outdoor activity? Some might say that you opened the door and walked outside to reach your car, opened the car door and sat inside, then visited the car wash where you either a) opened the car door and got outside to high-power wash the car yourself (in which case in would definitely be an outdoor adventure unless the garage doors remained closed) or b) sat within the car and let the car wash do all the work. In which case it’s iffy whether this could be considered an outdoor activity by any stretch.
I certainly wouldn’t count it as the day’s activity, but I liked taking pictures during the soapy sudsy experience. Especially since the car wash took place at a business called the “Wilderness Car Wash” complete with fiberglass deer and bear out front. I’m sorry to have forgotten to take photos of the animals for you.
Bubbly soap action covers the front window
Today’s actual outdoor adventure (and the reason I’m using car wash photos from this weekend, for goodness sake) involved sitting on the deck and talking with friends while we sipped ice water, ice tea and hot tea, depending on who you were. The company actually was Cheri and AJ, folks I met through this blog. They own a place down the road a bit. We enjoyed some time getting to know one another.
More soapy streaking bubbles
Tonight might also be spent outdoors. Nancy is hosting book club at 6:30. She’s one of my friends with magnificent gardens. It’s a potluck. I am bringing some sort of rice-black bean-pico de gallo-corn salad. It is a sad fact that the California women aren’t coming to book club anymore, as they like my food. Some of the others very cautiously put a portion on their plates and say polite things.
My personal favorite photo of the day
Back to car washing. How many folks wash their cars by hand in the driveway? With a good hose and bucket of suds? Anyone a fan of this method of car-cleaning? That would definitely qualify as an outdoor adventure.
Time to rinse
Want to know a secret? We don’t wash our cars very much. Alas. They have to look really dirty before we’ll go to the car wash. When they suddenly strike you as looking absolutely filthy, you put your $7.00 in the machine and let the specially-treated water do its stuff. It is especially good in the under carriage department.
A final rinse and blow dry and we're outa here!
Thank you for joining me in the car wash. I hope this was interesting to you. Now go check your car. Is it filthy? Is it time for a wash?
Opening the door, walking outside 
17 comments
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August 17, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Gerry
If I were to wash my car in the driveway my neighbors would bring lawn chairs and their favorite beverages and watch the proceedings. Towards the end they would lean forward in anticipation, longing to know what color my car will turn out to be.
I have denied them this entertainment. I patronize the car wash in Elk Rapids, which offers opportunities for Accidental Art.
August 18, 2009 at 6:30 pm
centria
Oh my goodness, Gerry. I must have missed YOUR car wash blog. Guess we’ve been thinking along the same lines. Or, rather, the same soapy windows…
August 17, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Gerry
P.S. Your personal favorite photo of the day is mine as well. I think it might be Dancing Salamanders.
August 18, 2009 at 6:30 pm
centria
glad we have the same tastes in fave soapy window shots. 🙂
August 17, 2009 at 10:04 pm
susan
I love, Love the car wash photos!!! So intriguing! Felt like I was in there with you.
I am sad that I missed (and that Sonya and Andrea missed) your fresh, refreshing, yummy cuisine at book club. And missing the company, as well. Hope you had fun and that the women liked your dish.
P.S. My car is pretty doggone dirty – inside and out. I think I will drive her directly into the bay for a good cleansing 🙂
August 18, 2009 at 6:32 pm
centria
Dear Susan, you KNOW how much I miss you and the twins at book club. Actually the women LIKED my dish. Someone suggested it wasn’t as “bland” as usual and actually had a lot of flavor and taste. I personally think that’s because the veggies are at ate their most flavorful peak and the cilantro and lime juice dressing tasted rather stunning. P.S. do we know who’s driving on our hike on Thursday? Whose dirty car will it be?
August 18, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Susan
Centria, Love –
We are taking Denise’s dirty car to our hiking destination 🙂
I hope we have a great adventure on our day – a peaceful one!
August 18, 2009 at 8:20 am
bree1972
Love everything about your blog, especially those fabulous pictures. Question – what kind of camera do you have? Also, would love that salad recipe!!
August 18, 2009 at 6:36 pm
centria
Brenda, you love everything about my blog?? You have absolutely made my day. Hands down. The camera is just a kind of cheapie Sony Cybershot 8.1 megapixels. (It was my anniversary present last September.) As for the recipe…oh dear…oh no…I actually have mostly ceased following recipes. That is a good thing when the recipes don’t work out but not always so great when Barry or others want a repeat performance.
Here’s the gist: take some leftover brown rice and add cooked black beans (make your own or use canned). Cut off corn from corn on the cob. Add pico de gallo made with lots of cilantro and fresh tomatoes, onions, green pepper, hot pepper, garlic and whatever else sounds appealing and toss in the bowl. Then use Newman’s Own Lime dressing. Very good! At least it was last night… 🙂
August 18, 2009 at 9:18 am
Cindy Lou
My favorite? “Time to rinse” – it almost looks waves on the beach! What book are you gals reading? And your salad sounds wonderful – maybe a photo of it to whet our tastebuds?!?!
August 18, 2009 at 6:38 pm
centria
A photo of the salad! What a thought. I’m sorry, though, it’s simply all gone. I ate the last of it for lunch; there wasn’t much left. Poor Barry didn’t get any more than a mouthful, although I offered to sacrifice my lunch. We just read “Old Man and the Sea.” by Hemingway. Most of the book club didn’t like it, although one of our number thought it was the best book ever. I was kinda neutral on it. Ever read that one?
August 18, 2009 at 9:54 am
flandrumhill
We live on a gravel road that’s off another gravel road. Dust and mud make our vehicle always look like it needs a wash. Regardless, we never seem to wash it as often as we probably should.
A local business operates a year-round car wash that hand washes vehicles. It’s totally outdoors. They do an excellent job and always seem to have a line-up.
August 18, 2009 at 6:40 pm
centria
Yes, Amy, it’s the gravel roads that challenge our country cars so much. We’re a little bit fortunate, in that we’re on blacktop. The blacktop ends just past our house. BUT the blacktop is so filled with pot-holes that we’ve nominated it as the worst blacktop road in the county. Not just us. People say that all the time. Your cash wash sounds great. I like the hand wash idea.
August 18, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Amy
Any idea why half the photos didn’t pop up for me? Just a blank screen . . . this happens regularly with the blog. I wonder if I just need to wait 30 minutes before looking at it . . .
August 18, 2009 at 6:42 pm
centria
No idea, Ms. Amy! Well, actually, Gerry doesn’t have DSL and she says it takes forever for these photos to load on her computer too. They load in about five seconds on my computers, but I noticed it took maybe one minute for them to load on Kiah’s computer in NYC. They loaded in about the same time in Florida, but took maybe two minutes in Yale. I don’t compress the photos here because I like the quality better, so maybe that’s why it takes longer on some computers.
August 19, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Jessica
We very rarely go to the car wash. Those rare occasions occur in the winter. Otherwise, my husband is very fond of pulling the vehicles to the middle of the yard and washing them by hand. We have a fancy micro cloth mitt, wax, special cleaners etc.
August 20, 2009 at 8:06 am
centria
Jessica, kudos to your husband! When our daughter lived at home, she did the same thing to her car. It looked so beautiful and shining when she finished. And, yes, we Michiganders should remember to wash our cars in the winter. With all the salt on our roads, our vehicles tend to rust out too soon… Our son is living in San Diego now. He brought his perfectly nice car out there, but a couple years later it’s showing signs of Michigan rust. The Californians gasp! They have never seen anything like it. Alas, he probably will not be able to sell it there.