Tag: Transportation

Categories
Living in Society

Personal Transportation

2019 Chevrolet Spark LT

Our 2002 Subaru reached the end of its life. The frame is dangerously rusted and other repairs are needed. We can’t get parts for it. If we could find used parts there is no assurance of their quality. If repairing it was possible, what else might break that we couldn’t find parts to repair? We decided to replace the vehicle as quickly as is practicable.

The fact we need motorized personal transportation is a result of our 1993 decision to live in a rural area. Back then, living within commuting distance of Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty and the Quad-Cities sounded good. I wanted the flexibility for work. Over time, I worked in all of these places. When in February 1999 I took a job in the Quad-Cities, gasoline was $1.029 per gallon. We inherited a 1989 Cadillac in excellent condition and I continued to commute rather than relocate there. Things have changed since then. We retired and turned our lives inward.

Our need for transportation is real. We have the same existential errands as other septuagenarian retirees: getting groceries and other household items, medical appointments, and occasional trips to the county administration building to take care of business. With the coronavirus pandemic, our trips for socialization have diminished, yet that may change going forward. It all takes transportation.

We spent time researching what kind of vehicle we wanted to purchase and first decided on a new plug-in electric hybrid like the Toyota Prius Prime. A number of friends drive a Prius and they recommended it. The future of personal transportation is electric and we were ready to make the transition.

After family discussions I called the dealer to discuss ordering a plug-in electric and secured a loan to pay for it. It turns out dealerships are subject to allocations from the manufacturer, all Prius products are made in Japan, and the waiting time for a Prius Prime to be delivered is well over six months. In fact, the dealer said he couldn’t accurately predict how long we would have to wait after specifying and ordering a car. For other Prius models, the wait time is less, three to six months according to the dealership. We couldn’t wait that long with the issues affecting our auto.

Our go-to dealership for used cars is the Ford-Chevy dealer in a nearby small town. I arrived around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday and they had my contact information in their computer database from the last purchase. We discussed new vehicles and they have the same problem Toyota does: allocation of vehicles from the manufacturer is less than demand and there is a long waiting time. We looked at used vehicles.

Their website had 147 used vehicles in inventory, but the in-person inspection revealed only a couple of them were suitable for us. The sales representatives at this dealership are paid on salary vs. commission and made a conscious effort to be honest and straightforward about the cars without exerting any kind of sales pressure. I identified two options and went back home to discuss. We returned to the dealership later that evening to buy a 2019 Chevrolet Spark LT. Used cars are currently expensive and selling quickly. We didn’t want to miss the opportunity on this particular vehicle. It took longer than anticipated to finish the paperwork so we returned the following day to meet with the business office and finalize the deal. The vehicle was delivered to our home less than 24 hours after I first arrived at the dealership.

On Saturday we went on a day trip to Des Moines in the Spark and it meets our expectations. As a subcompact hatchback, the cargo space is less than we would have liked, yet it will serve until we are ready to go electric. It drives well and there are a number of electronic gizmos to figure out, including how to display Google maps on the touch screen using my Android mobile device. When I bought my first auto in the 1960s, accessories like that didn’t exist. The fuel economy is better than our 2002 Subaru. We were able to make it to Des Moines and back without refueling. Importantly, we can start planning trips again.

I don’t want to contemplate the day when I have to give up driving. I have octogenarian friends who continue to drive and hope to be able to go at least that long. I don’t relish the thought of moving into a city to be closer to amenities. We navigated this crisis in personal transportation and reached a point of stability for now. That may be all we can ask in June 2022.

Categories
Home Life

Soup Night

Fallen apple, September 2021.

I brought a generous pound of potatoes and two pints of canned vegetable broth from downstairs. There was an almost forgotten patch of leeks in the garden so I made leek and potato soup for dinner. With some sliced apples from our tree, spread with peanut butter, it made a meal.

It has taken some work to get the soup right. While sauteing the leeks and diced onion, seasoned with salt, in some of the vegetable broth I peeled and cut the potatoes into a half-inch dice. I added them to the leek-onion mixture with enough broth to just cover them. The Dutch oven simmered on low heat until the potatoes were soft.

Next I added a tablespoon of arrowroot powder mixed with water, then a cup of oat milk, and then two cups of frozen corn. It simmered a half hour. I added sliced chives from the garden and it was ready to serve. We don’t blend the soup to get a smooth texture, although one could. The key is reducing additions of cooking liquid so the soup thickens. Arrowroot helped.

I finished reading Poet Warrior: A Memoir by Joy Harjo this morning. Harjo is poet laureate of the United States. It was moving in a way other memoirs have not been. It had me thinking about my own life and how it differed and was similar to hers. Now that I’ve tended to my mother’s death bed, reading her story about her mother’s death resonated. I had not previously known of her connection to the University of Iowa Writers Workshop. Maybe what she learned there makes it easy to relate to the narrative. Highly recommend.

Our vehicle is in the shop getting a wheel bearing changed. The mechanics work was made difficult by rust formed on the chassis and undercarriage during our 20 years of ownership. They can do this work, but parts are becoming less available. “It’s not a long-term keeper,” my mechanic said of the vehicle. This is the second or third conversation we’ve had about the rust. Now I’m asking the question, “what kind of vehicle does a septuagenarian need to make it until he can no longer drive?” No answers yet, but thoughts.

The future of transportation is electrification, especially for passenger vehicles and light trucks. If I planned to keep a vehicle for a few years, then trade it, I would have no issue going electric now. We didn’t win the lottery last night and can afford to buy just one car to last. Electrification of automobiles is in transition presently, so as technology develops, who knows if what goes on the market today will be eclipsed by newer technology tomorrow? Well we do know. It will be eclipsed because there will be issues. I’ve worked with Original Equipment Manufacturers enough to know this.

I’m leaning toward a new Toyota Prius which operates with excellent fuel economy and has been on the market long enough to have bugs worked out of it. It is the right size for the two of us and I’ve ridden in them with friends on many occasions. We have a dealer in the county seat that posted a starting price of $28,814. Pricing is negotiable and dependent on specifications. I’d rather just keep the car we have but if repair parts are unavailable and the undercarriage rusts through, our hand is forced.

Once the wheel bearing is replaced we should be good to go for a while. A while may be all we have.

Categories
Environment Sustainability

Coralville Parade

CORALVILLE— The Peoples’ Coalition for Social, Environmental and Political Justice walked in the July 4 parade here. The photos don’t include everyone, but you can get the flavor. The Peoples’ Coalition forms once a year for the purpose of getting peace and justice people together to interact with and get our messages to everyday people in the community. The parade entry was strong, with folks from Veterans for Peace, Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility, PEACE Iowa, Yahoo Drummers, Green World Biofuels and others, all committed to peace, and social, environmental and political responsibility.

The Yahoo Drummers provided background during the entire parade route, and the group sang songs that included “We Shall Overcome,” “If I had a Hammer,” and “This Land is Your Land.” The songs were familiar and uplifting. Parade watchers joined in singing from time to time, and provided positive feedback to the group.

Contact Paul Deaton at paul.deaton@gmail.com if you would like to get involved with any of the groups, or be part of next year’s parade.

2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.
2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.

2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade. Theme was "Blast from the Past"
2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade. Theme was “Blast from the Past”

2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.
2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.

2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.
2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.

2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.
2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.

2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.
2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.

2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade. Veterans for Peace was present in force.
2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade. Veterans for Peace was present in force.

2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade. Theme for the parade was "Blast from the Past."
2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade. Theme for the parade was “Blast from the Past.”

2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.
2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.

2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.
2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.

2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade. Biodiesel powered vehicle pulled the trailer.
2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade. Biodiesel powered vehicle pulled the trailer.

2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.
2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade.

2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade. Michael, Dr. Maureen McCue and Dr. John Rachow, a nuclear family.
2013 Coralville Independence Day Parade. Michael, Dr. Maureen McCue and Dr. John Rachow, an anti-nuclear family.

Categories
Work Life

Getting Wheels

MOUNT VERNON— While test driving a 1997 Subaru Legacy Outback along the Cedar River Road, the river looked ready to jump its banks and flood the pavement. With the ground still frozen from winter, the recent rain had nowhere to go, and a river that was near empty a few weeks ago was now flowing strong with the runoff. The soil needs moisture, but so do the arterial waterways of North America. With a sense of new hope, I bought the car.

One never knows about a used car. Will it last? Will it break down? Will parts be available? How much more should be invested in repairs when needed? My decision to buy a used car was based less on these questions— given my budget, a new car was not an option. The local car dealer web sites had little in the price range I wanted to spend, so for convenience sake, I upped the budget rather than spending time to find a cheaper alternative. The trade-in Outback was well used, but everything appeared to work, and the wagon space will prove to be useful.  The dealership delivered it to our home last night around 5 p.m.

This car is a beater. It is not intended for long trips, but for getting around the community to run errands. A reliable vehicle is essential to finding and getting to work, and easing some of the challenges of being a one-car family when both of us are still active. To the extent a car represents one’s personality, it will take me some time to getting used to a red vehicle. But I can already imagine myself as an Outback kind of guy.