Pillow talk

Yesterday Spouse & I were out and stopped in at a store that often has cute stuff that's affordable (ie: impulse buys) when lo and behold we see this pillow:

Yes, it is a pillow with the rear end of a '59 Cadillac the same color as Big Ella!  We looked and looked in hopes of finding a 2nd one, since a pair is always nice, but could only find this one.  But at just $5.99 it was such a deal we bought the single pillow anyway.

How cool that the only pillow they had like this was the 'correct' color??

Busy weekend

Wow, what a full weekend!

It actually started on Fri evening, as I left work early and met up with 2 friends to sing Christmas carols (in costume) at a charity event.  I love Christmas music so it was fun, and I saw lots of friends.

Rick, Magnolia Applebottom, and me in our caroling costumes

Then I met up with Spouse & Steven for a late dinner.

Sat I worked until 3:30, then ran home to change clothes and get Big Ella lined up for the Christmas parade.

While this parade is always popular, this was probably the best-attended I can imagine.  I've never seen so many people crowded into our fair little hamlet.  No doubt the moderately cool temperature and the absence of rain were contributing factors.  I saw lots of friends and even several clients as I inched down the main street.  After the parade, Spouse, Steven & I had a quick dinner and then I headed to perform in the holiday Legends Show as Elton John.  I got home about 11:45pm and after talking to Spouse, we decided to begin making some of the food that night for our party the following day, so we didn't get to bed until shortly after 1am.

Sun morning we met Steven for breakfast, picked up a cake, and then returned home to prepare for our annual Christmas tree trimming party.  Spouse picked the menu this year:

• Greek-style beef sliders with hummus and tzatziki
• Pork sliders with hot mango chutney
• Curried chicken salad sliders with cranberries, apple, and pecans
• Homemade potato salad
• Homemade bowtie pasta salad
• Peppermint bark dip with cookies
• Coconut layer cake

The holiday table, before the 2 salads were added

We made everything ourselves except the cake and it all turned out great.  We had 16 friends who joined us for food and hanging the ornaments on the tree.  Since it was only in the 40s out we were able to have a fire in the fireplace which, along with the Christmas music, added some nice ambience to the evening.  We had a great time and the tree looks gorgeous!

When the last guests left Spouse & I packed up the left-overs, emptied the trash and collapsed on the sofa with the dogs.  They did really well with the house full of people and activity!  Even Walter who usually teases people with his cuteness but doesn't let them touch him, allowed some people to pet him last evening... a Christmas miracle!  The boys were exhausted and both were asleep within minutes of settling in on our laps.  We watched the season finale of 'WestWorld' and went to bed.

Amazon

We bought a sofa off of Amazon!!

It was becoming more and more apparent that we needed to replace the sofa in our TV room.  I convinced Spouse to join me and look at some styles/fabrics at a local furniture store.  After about 10 minutes he declared that "everything is ugly".

In reality he just didn't want to continue looking at furniture.  He said "shopping in brick and mortar stores is passe" and that it takes so much less time to shop online.  I think this is true in some cases, but not for everything.  I'd really like to sit/lounge on a sofa in person before buying one.

But we didn't.  We were looking for something pretty specific so we checked a couple of furniture store websites and then ended up looking on Amazon and found this:

This is not a photo from the website - this is our sofa in our TV room.

It is "bonded leather", which I'm still not quite sure exactly what that is, but Spouse was keen on it because of the ease of removing dog fur with a quick swipe.  Its a deep red, which looks ok with the rug but I don't like the curtains with it.  No worries though - the curtains were super cheap and almost 10 years old so I'm happy to replace the curtains with new panels.

The best thing about this new sofa is that we don't have to fight over a chaise or ottoman because both sides are recliners!

This is a stock photo from the website, showing one side in the process of reclining.

Some might think its odd or risky to make a 'major purchase' like a sofa online, without having touched or seen it in person.  But this sofa was the same price as the sofa it replaced, which we purchased almost 12 years ago, and came with free shipping, so we decided to take a chance on it.  At least so far we've not been disappointed.  Its quite comfortable and reclines to almost a lying down position if you want.  I normally just put the leg part up.

When Steven & Thad learned that we'd bought a sofa off of Amazon they were barely surprised.  When I questioned them about it they said "You bought a 1959 Cadillac off of eBay sight unseen, so why would we be surprised at this?"

I guess they had a good point.

Sunday drive

Yesterday it was bright and sunny and in the low 60s.  I was off work and it seemed like the perfect day to take Big Ella out for some exercise.  A 'Sunday drive', if you will.

My buddies Steven & Thad had nothing to do so they came along for the ride, figuratively and literally.

We drove out to a spot where the road dead ends at a small river.  Most people would call it a creek or stream, but I'm calling it a river because its name has 'river' at the end of it.  When we got there we saw a single car parked and a man standing near it, talking on a cell phone, with a banjo strapped to his torso.  

I said "Now, THERE'S something you don't see everyday:  a man with a banjo talking on a cell phone down by the river!"  They both laughed.  

When the man finished his phone call and began playing his banjo, I snapped this picture.

My inquisitive mind wouldn't let it go, so I had to ponder this situation out loud.

"Do you think he just woke up this morning, looked out the window, and said to himself 'this is a great day to play the banjo outdoors by the river'?" I asked my friends.

"His wife probably won't let him play it at home" answered Steven.  "We've only been listening to him for 30 seconds and I'm already tempted to smash that banjo over his head."

Alrighty then. 

So before roaring up the engine to leave (preventing Steven from violently destroying the man's banjo), I took 1 more picture of 'the river' from the drivers seat of Big Ella. 

Drives like this are a good reminder of the abundant natural beauty that exists so close to home for us.

Great weekend

On Sat I worked until 4pm.  Just a few minutes after I got home, our dear friends Hugh & Kerry and George and Kelly arrived!  Hugh & Kerry typically visit every year on the 1st weekend in Feb in order to participate in the Polar Bear Plunge, but this year it didn't work out since Spouse & I were on our cruise.  Hugh & Kerry were kind of looking for an excuse NOT to plunge into the cold ocean this year, but didn't want to skip a visit with us, so we mutually agreed on this past weekend.

After sitting around and talking for a little while, we decided to have dinner at Dos Locos.  It was busy that night and our friends the owners weren't there, so we ended up having to wait quite a while for a table.  But it was worth the wait as we all really enjoyed our food.  That night we returned home and talked and laughed some more until 11:30.

The next morning we lingered over bagels and coffee, discussing real estate, the presidential campaign, and hypothesizing about Obama's potential Supreme Court nomination.  When it was nearly noon we hugged our friends and said goodbye as they headed back to VA.  Can't believe I didn't take any photos while they were here.

Spouse (who has been sick with a cold all week) decided to take a nap, so I decided to take Big Ella out for some exercise.  Steven & Thad decided to join me and we enjoyed a Sun afternoon joyride.  Later that evening Spouse & I met up with them for dinner at Serendipity, an Italian restaurant we like that overlooks the Indian River.

It was their last night before closing down for 2 weeks, so our entrees were obscenely large.  We decided to take a piece of homemade almond pound cake home for dessert, which was likely the best pound cake I've ever had!  The owner's mother makes all the desserts.

It was a great weekend!

Holiday highlights

All things considered we had a great Christmas.  In some ways it was the best Christmas because it felt the most relaxed due to our early online shopping, early tree trimming, and wrapping done a week in advance.  It was kind of a weird Christmas because of the weather.  While it rarely snows here on Christmas, its usually in the 30s or 40s.  This year Christmas eve and Christmas day it was in the 70s!!  Unfortunately it also rained so we couldn't really enjoy being outside during the warmer than usual temps.

Since "a picture is worth a thousand words" I'll recap my holiday mostly with pictures.

Wed morning we packed up the dogs and gifts and headed to Spouse's mom's house in Northern VA.  It rained the entire way.  We visited with her; Spouse's sister Mary came over for a while, and then we met up with our dear friends for our annual Christmas gathering.

George, Spouse's mom, Spouse

Hugh, Kelly, Kerry modeling their new hats

Carl and Lisa, modeling her new hat with the gloves still attached!

Me and Carl

Our wacky group photo

We had our traditional menu of pizza and hippie rolls, of course.  We had such a good time that the 2 hours just seemed to fly by!

Thurs morning after we had a light breakfast with Spouse's mom and then drove west about an hour to visit my cousin, Inez.  She and her husband Steve live in a 230 year old stone house that's just as cozy as can be.  Typically we love to visit them on Christmas eve and sit by the fire with Christmas music in the background and talk.  This year there was no fire since it was 70+ degrees, but we still enjoyed lunch with them and 2 of their kids who stopped in.  I can't believe I didn't take any pictures.

That evening Spouse & I met up with much of his family at his sister's house to celebrate his mom's 86th birthday.  Then menu consisted of roasted pulled pork with rolls, artichoke dip, queso dip, homemade crab egg rolls, carrots and hummus, barbecued meatballs, and assorted cookies, pies, and brownies.  Oh, and a birthday cake.

The birthday cake (made my our sister-in-law Karen) has "16" instead of "86" because Spouse's mom is a little vain.

Spouse's mom, Gabriella, Randy, Anna

Nephew Eric's clothing illustrates the weirdly warm weather

The dessert table.  The peanut blossom cookies are my favorite!

Nephew David taking a break from all the excitement

Christmas morning I made a breakfast casserole.  It was very easy and tasty.  Combine frozen hash browns and pre-cooked sausage links (cut into pieces) in a greased baking dish.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Whip 10 eggs and 1/2 cup of milk together and season with salt and pepper, then pour over the hash brown mixture and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

breakfast casserole

Around noon Spouse's sister Mary and nephews David & Eric came over for a short visit and to pick up some items.  Then I picked up my aunt Mary and brought her back to Spouse's mom's house where we exchanged gifts with her and visited until it was time for Christmas dinner.  Then we all met up at Spouse's sister Mary's house.  The menu consisted of stuffed shells, chicken parmigiana, rigatoni with meatballs and sausage, salad, baked chicken, brussel sprouts, green beans, and sweet potato shuffle.

Selfie in front of sister Mary's Christmas tree

Nephews David and Eric with Spouse

Aunt Mary being silly and me

Sister Mary with granddaughter Gabriella

David, Gabriella and Eric on the floor experimenting with the new selfie stick

Aunt Mary's famous hummingbird cake - my all time favorite cake

Sat morning after breakfast casserole leftovers Spouse & I packed up our stuff and headed home to DE.  We had dinner at Steven & Thad's house (Christmas day leftovers) and then I went to the Blue Moon for the final Christmas Legends performance.

Sun we had breakfast and took Big Ella out for some exercise.  It was almost 70 degrees again so we went for an extra long drive with all 4 windows down.  It was a great way to finish up a long holiday weekend.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post. 

One of my friends posted an idea he'd seen on facebook for getting some sensible gun control laws passed:

Speaking of facebook, a friend of mine posted this little ditty which gave me a chuckle:

Tomorrow is going to be a crazy/busy day for me!  I'm working from 9am-3pm, then running over to a friend's house for a holiday between 3:30-4:30, and driving Big Ella in a Christmas parade between 5:00-6:30, then grabbing a simple dinner between 6:30-8:00, then arriving at 8:30 at the Blue Moon to get dressed and perform in the Christmas Legends show.  I'm already exhausted just thinking about it!  I'll post some photos next week.

On Sun evening we're going to have some friends over to help us decorate our Christmas tree.  Spouse & I are making some snacks and desserts.  But of course this means we'll also need to be sure the house is picked up and presentable, so another busy day but it will culminate in a fun evening with friends and a lovely Christmas tree.

Speaking of Christmas, my friend Steven sent me this:

Here's wishing everyone a terrific weekend!!  What do YOU have planned?

Parade season

Last night was the area's 1st Christmas parade.  I say '1st' because all of the neighboring towns (5 in total) within a 30-minute radius of here has their own Christmas parade.  Fortunately they coordinate them so they aren't on the same nights.

Last night was the Rehoboth Beach parade and Big Ella got lots of love from the crowd of young and old spectators.

This coming Sat evening is the Lewes parade and Big Ella will appear there as well.  This year she and I aren't participating in the other 3 towns' Christmas parades due to schedule conflicts.

Big Ella always gets lots of compliments and accolades at the parades, as she is the epitome of what many feel was the American auto industry's zenith.

Weekend recap

Since I'm a Realtor, I normally work on Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays too.  Since I'm a member of a team and we rotate our office coverage, it is possible for me to have a full weekend off now and then.  Most of these off weekends are scheduled for specific events though, such as weekend visits with family and friends.  So, it was a pretty rare occasion for me to be scheduled off both days, have no client appointments, and have no family or friends visits this past weekend.

Spouse & I decided we would tackle a couple of home projects as well as have some fun this weekend.  Sat morning we met up with Steven & Thad for breakfast, then came home a pulled the power washer out.  Our front porch, sidewalk, and lamp post were in real need of cleaning, as they tend to get grey mildew on the undersides where the sun doesn't reach.

Power washing really gets that grey mildew off!

We also power washed the 4 white rocking chairs and 2 small tables that occupy the front porch.  The results were amazing!

Then we moved around to the side of the house where the other driveway and side entrance to the house is located.  We power washed the side entryway, back exterior wall of the garage, and the sidewalk to remove some green algae.  It took about 3 hours from start to finish.

After showering and relaxing for a little while, we met up with Steven & Thad, Joe P, and Betsy & Bob for dinner at Dos Locos, and then I walked over to the Blue Moon to get ready for my performance as Elton John in the Legends show.

The audience was really 'into' the show and many were singing along with me, which was really fun!  Immediately after the show the Legends mix and mingle with the audience for a little while, and I was asked to pose for photos with several customers.  It was great!

Sun morning Spouse & I picked up Steven & Thad in Big Ella and drove to a small car show in Ocean City, MD.  We had breakfast, looked at the cars, and then headed back home.  It was a nice weather for the drive.  Then Spouse & I moved the dining table and chairs out of the dining room so we could shampoo the dining room rug.  That went pretty quickly, and while the rug dried Spouse took a nap and I watched TV with Marvin & Walter at my side.

That evening we decided to have a picnic dinner at the beach.  We met Steven & Thad at 6:00 and shared cheesesteaks, potato chips, fries, and drinks.  (Yes, I went off my eating plan but it was worth it.)  It was a gorgeous evening and we stayed until 8:30.

I really enjoy it when we have a fun and productive weekend.

4th of July

Since Sat was the 4th of July, I got to drive Big Ella in the Doo Dah parade!

This is always fun for a couple reasons.  I love driving Big Ella, people love to look at Big Ella, and she is just a great example of American auto production, and Independence Day celebrates America.

Steve & Thad came over to watch the parade with Spouse, and then the 4 of us had dinner on the screened porch.  Spouse made bacon-wrapped filets, homemade macaroni and cheese, and a broccoli slaw.  For dessert he made a strawberry blueberry peach pie.  Later that evening I slipped away from the group to go perform in the Legends show.

It was a nice day!

Joy ride

Yesterday was my day off.  Since I worked at home painting all last week, I decided not to make myself a long 'to do' list as I often do.  

But 1 thing I definitely DID want to do was to take Big Ella out for a drive.  It seems like months since I'd been able to do that, since I try not to drive her in the rain.  Yesterday was a mostly sunny day so it was perfect for an afternoon drive.

Click photo to enlarge

While I was out I stopped at Subway to have a sandwich.  A man came into Subway and asked if he could show my car to his grandson who has a passion for classics.  "Of course" I said, not surprised at all that Big Ella drew their attention.  While I ate I saw the man and his grandson walking around the car, pointing, and talking.  It was cute.

Afterward I made another stop, this time at a store to pick something up.  As I returned to Big Ella, a man sitting in the car next to Big Ella began asking me friendly questions about what year she was, how long I'd had her, did I restore her myself, etc.  As we wished each other a nice day and I opened the door, another man came up to me and said "I just have to talk to you about your

Click photo to enlarge

car."  He went on to tell me this story about how many years ago he bought a car 'just like this', only it wasn't turquoise and might have been a different year, but to him it was 'just like it'. 

So many people have a connection to this iconic car.  An uncle had one, a neighbor had one, they used to have one, they learned to drive in one, they went to 3rd base in one - it never ceases to amaze me.  (Seriously, a man once told me his child was conceived in the back seat of a car like mine.)

It makes me feel really fortunate that I get to tool around town in Big Ella, my stunningly beautiful piece of drivable art.

Click photo to enlarge

Fri fragments

I just realized I haven't done a Friday fragments post in a long time, and since I have several small topics to share today, its entirely apropos.

I'm not a person who gains pleasure from cooking, but I recently 2 very easy and very tasty dishes that are compatible with my Fit for Life plan.  I made a soup with Great Northern beans, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans, ham cubes and rosemary.  It was delicious!  I also made turkey chili with beans which was also delicious.

I had a cold/sinus congestion earlier this week.  Fortunately Clariton-D took care of that within just a few days.  However, now Spouse is starting to have the same symptoms.

On Tues I took both dogs for their vet visits.  Marvin was due for a rabies booster and his annual exam.  Walter had his neuter surgery, or as I call it his "big boy surgery".  Both boys were terrific at the vet - no barking or 'scared' behavior.  Walter was groggy for the balance of the day, but was completely back to normal the following day.

I took Big Ella to the DMV to be inspected and have the tags renewed.  It was a pleasure to do this since our DMV is so well-managed.  There was no line at the inspection lanes and only 1 car in front of me at the drive-thru window, so I completed the inspection AND renewed the tags within about 5 minutes and never got out of the driver seat.

I've been trying to get Spouse to agree to go on a winter trip.  I'd love to return to Puerto Vallarta, or go someplace new that's warm.  He has been reluctant and has cited every excuse he could think of.  "We just went on a trip in July" which is true, but doesn't mean we can't go on another one in Feb or March.  "We don't have the money" which is NOT true, because I pay all the bills and manage our finances.  He wouldn't know where to begin to find out how much money we have.  I haven't given up yet though. 

So that's what's going on in my life this week.

Holiday fun

This morning I was showered, dressed, and in the Kmart at 7am.  That sounds like the opposite of 'Holiday fun', right?  Especially since I am not a morning person.

But the reason for this oddity is because I was shopping for a needy family for Christmas.  Kmart opens the store to us an hour earlier than usual (hence 7am) and generously takes 10% off the totals.  I arrived on time, armed with a thermos of coffee to help me wake up.

About a month ago my local realtor association had a big Mardi Gras-themed fundraiser to raise money for this specific shopping event.  As in years past, I paired up with my friend Joey and we accepted the need/wish list for a family with 7 kids, ages 1, 2, 4, two aged 5, 6, and 7.  The family's profile indicated the family was homeless; all 7 kids staying with their grandfather (whose probably younger than me considering the children's ages), and there was no mention of the parents.  While their situation is sad, we did feel joy in shopping for them and getting as much as possible from their list. 

The 5, 6, and 7 year olds needed coats, so we got those.  All 7 kids needed shoes or boots so we got those too.  Each child got a complete outfit (pants and shirt or sweater), and all the kids got toys except the 1 year old.  Since the kids likely don't have their own beds, we also picked out fleece throws with matching stuffed animals for them to curl up with at night like this one, possibly on a sofa or recliner.  (The arms and legs open to release the fleece throw.)  Next week I will participate in wrapping these and other gifts for the needy families.

After shopping I headed to work, but left early in order to get ready for dinner and the Rehoboth Beach Christmas parade.  Spouse & I met Steven & Thad and Joe P and his 2 friends from PA for dinner first, then I slipped away to adorn Big Ella with lighted wreaths and bows. 

It rained all day long and we anxiously awaited the official word from the parade sponsor to see if they were going to cancel the parade.  Fortunately they decided to keep the parade on schedule since the radar showed the rain moving away from the area.  However, it didn't really stop raining until minutes before the parade, which caused some participants to cancel and resulted in a much lower than usual attendance.  But we had a great dinner together and still had fun at the parade.  At least it wasn't bitter cold like last year.

Holiday weekend recap

On Fri morning, July 4th, tropical storm Arthur blew through the area.  But my office was open 1/2 day, so I had to dash through the puddles to get to work at 9am.  Arthur was pretty much over by 11am, and the office closed for the holiday at 1pm.  Spouse & I had lunch together and picked up some things from the grocery store.  About 4:30 folks began to arrive at our house to watch the Doo Dah parade, have dinner, and then watch the fireworks.   I took Big Ella for a spin to make sure she was running smoothly, then got into the parade line-up.  Steven & Thad, Joe P, Jack & Alisha, Mike, Dan, and Spouse walked over to the parade route together.  The weather was absolutely dreamy and the parade was really fun, as usual.

Big Ella was a big hit, as she always is at this parade.
Afterward we all returned to the house and had dinner.  Spouse grilled chicken in advance which he warmed up and served with tzatziki, hummus, olives, feta, warm pita bread, and Greek salad.  We ate on the screened porch since the weather was so nice.  It was delicious and a nice change from all the burgers and dogs we'd been eating since Memorial Day.  Joe P brought chocolate cake and apple pie for dessert.  After dinner we drove down the street to the public beach and settled in to watch the fireworks.  They were good, but not as good as last year's.

Sat I had to work again, so Spouse went to the beach with Steven & Thad and Joe P.  Late that afternoon we stopped in briefly at our neighbor's open house (they bought the old church on the corner, gutted it, and turned it into a home) so we could see how it turned out.  It was nice but too stark and modern for my taste.  After that we met up with some other neighbors for a little BBQ.  We took my special barbequed baked beans.  We had a nice time and again, the weather was delicious.

Sun I had to work yet again, but we invited Steven & Thad and Joe P over to eat left-overs from Friday's Greek dinner.  Again we enjoyed being on the screened porch since we knew it was the last "nice day" we'd have for a while.  (Today and tomorrow are scheduled to be well into the 90s.)  

So it was a nice holiday weekend of fun, food, and friends despite my having to work all 3 days.

Watch-athon results

So this year Spouse & I watched the entire 3rd season (12 55-minute episodes) of "Spartacus" and 2 full seasons (16 55-minute episodes) of "Magic City".

Normally I wouldn't be interested in a show like "Spartacus" because of all the fighting, blood and gore.  But we watched 2 seasons last year and the 3rd and final season this year because "Spartacus" is full of hot, buff, scruffy men wearing little more than leather diapers.  Call me shallow and see if I care!

And there's a fair amount of male and female nudity too, so there you have it.  Plus the fighting scenes are done in a sort of video game style, where the camera slows down into slow motion and the blood spurts out of the wounds with an unnatural force, as if it were being viewed in a video game, so it really makes it a lot more watchable and less real.

I'd not even heard of "Magic City" before.  But after finishing "Spartacus" I was looking at what else Starz had on-demand and I read that "Magic City" takes place in 1959 - the very year my Big Ella was born.  Spouse & I love mid-century furniture, architecture, clothing, and of course cars so we decided to give it a try.

Its about a Jewish beachfront resort owner and his family who live in the hotel in Miami Beach.  We liked the series a lot, and I would recommend it to anyone who liked "The Sopranos" or "Mad Men", or both.

Do you have Comcast?  Did you watch anything new or different during "Watch-athon" week?  I'd love to know!

Exercising Ella

Yesterday the weather was beautiful and I took Big Ella out for a nice long drive.

Click to enlarge

I didn't really 'go' anywhere, I just drove around, and ended up at the beach.  Driving Big Ella is like a mood elevator for me.  Guaranteed smiles.

Car show

On Sat Ron & James and Mike & Clark went with me and Spouse to the gay car club's annual car show.  I brought Big Ella, freshly washed just 2 days before.

There were lots and lots of fabulous flivvers!  Here are a few that stood out to me.  (Click to enlarge.)

Check out the license plate

Bath time

Today I gave Big Ella a bath in preparation for this weekend's car show.  Yep, she's a big lady so it took about an hour to wash and dry her, and about 45 minutes to scrub her white walls.

She looks great, huh??

This coming weekend is the Straight Eights Car Club's annual car show.

Small town living

On my day off today I needed to go to the DMV to renew my drivers license AND to get Big Ella inspected and her registration renewed.

When we lived in northern VA the thought of needing to accomplish both these tasks on the same day would have been terror-inducing.  Because northern VA is so densely populated, the DMV lines are long and I would expect to spend at least 1/2 a day trying to accomplish 2 things. 

The unpleasantness of the northern VA DMV was compounded by the fact that it must be a requirement to be completedly devoid of personality and compassion in order to work there.  When trying to register a car I'd purchased, the zombie DMV employee told me I could not get my registration and plates without the bill of sale.  I explained that I had given the bill of sale to the credit union when I'd obtained the loan, but the employee simply repeated with that vacant look on her face that I had to have the bill of sale.  Desperately trying to remain calm I told her I was not leaving without a registration and plates for my new car and asked her for a recommendation.  Only then did she suggest I call the credit union and have them fax copy of the bill of sale to the DMV.

In stark contrast, one of the many benefits of living in a small town here in DE that is not densely populated is the ease and pleasantness of visiting the DMV.  Today I was able to get Big Ella inspected, renew her registration, take an eye test, and renew my drivers license all within 40 minutes.  All of these actions were performed by living, breathing people who seemed to have an actual desire to help!

Although living in a small town sometimes means fewer choices, it also means a significantly easier, faster time at the DMV.