I miss my Cheesy little cars...

Man, I miss the Toyotas I used to drive. I don't mean the actual cars
themselves, but what drew me to Toyota in the first place; an inexpensive
little car that would run all week for $5 in gas, didn't have a lot of
refinement but was a blast to drive.

Those cars are gone, I guess. The current crop just doens't meet my
expectations.

I haven't had a chance to drive too many Echos; they seem nice and are
roomy and still maintain that 'cheap' quality I love so much...they kind
of feel cheap (by this i mean the seat-of-the-pants ride; calm down, Nat!)
The Corollas are OK, the Matrix is a nice little wagon. I only have had a
chance to drive one Solara, and it was an auto. Nice, but not buzzy
enough...

The Camry trying to compete with the Taurus in particular has lost it's
soul. Very nice car, but too plush for my liking. The Camry XLE has all
the bells and whistles, leather interior only, V6, etc and has a sticker
of $28,880. Not a bargain at all.

We won't even talk about the Avalon. My 83YO mom loves them...


The rest are SUV's. The RAV is a riot! I love it, as much as I hate SUV's.
The Highlander surprised me; I had one in the shop parked next to a
4Runner. The 4Runner seemed bloated and out of proportion next to the
sleeker Highlander. Both of these are made solely in Japan, BTW.

The Sequoia? UGH! Bloat to the max. Not at all like the Land Cruiser it
replaced in the US. The LC had a sportier feel, the Sequoia is just a
lard-ass SUV for people who will never click 4Lo (or if they do it will be
to take them to the ski lodge...)

The Celica; still a bit of what it was and a blast to drive; soon to be
gone at least in the US; see Scion tC.

The only pleasure I have had driving a recent Toyota? A 'lavender' '95
Corolla wagon. The 'spirit' was still alive in '95; car had 57,000 miles
on it. Only two problems: it was already purchased by the time I saw it,
and it was Lavender (I'm not sure the official color name; "Ashes of
Roses" comes to mind...). But the old Toyota seat-of-the-pants feel was
there; that's what I miss...


I miss my buzzy little Jap cars...

"hachiroku" <ae86@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
news:pan.2005.07.20.01.56.18.414278@Trueno.GTS...[color=blue]
> Man, I miss the Toyotas I used to drive. I don't mean the actual cars
> themselves, but what drew me to Toyota in the first place; an inexpensive
> little car that would run all week for $5 in gas, didn't have a lot of
> refinement but was a blast to drive.
>
> Those cars are gone, I guess. The current crop just doens't meet my
> expectations.
>
> I haven't had a chance to drive too many Echos; they seem nice and are
> roomy and still maintain that 'cheap' quality I love so much...they kind
> of feel cheap (by this i mean the seat-of-the-pants ride; calm down, Nat!)
> The Corollas are OK, the Matrix is a nice little wagon. I only have had a
> chance to drive one Solara, and it was an auto. Nice, but not buzzy
> enough...
>
> The Camry trying to compete with the Taurus in particular has lost it's
> soul. Very nice car, but too plush for my liking. The Camry XLE has all
> the bells and whistles, leather interior only, V6, etc and has a sticker
> of $28,880. Not a bargain at all.
>
> We won't even talk about the Avalon. My 83YO mom loves them...
>[/color]

Hey, I'm not 83 yet!
[color=blue]
>
> The rest are SUV's. The RAV is a riot! I love it, as much as I hate SUV's.
> The Highlander surprised me; I had one in the shop parked next to a
> 4Runner. The 4Runner seemed bloated and out of proportion next to the
> sleeker Highlander. Both of these are made solely in Japan, BTW.
>
> The Sequoia? UGH! Bloat to the max. Not at all like the Land Cruiser it
> replaced in the US. The LC had a sportier feel, the Sequoia is just a
> lard-ass SUV for people who will never click 4Lo (or if they do it will be
> to take them to the ski lodge...)[/color]

That bloated Sequoia had enough room for me, my climbing gear, camping gear,
4 teenage girls, 1 21 YO female, plus all the crap they brought camping -
teddy bears, huge pillows, hair driers, curling irons, etc. this past
weekend. I just got back from picking up 6 teens from downtown Chicago, the
Sequoia was just as nimble as a Chicago taxi in traffic! I have not used
4Lo because it hasn't gotten stuck in 2WD yet, even in some pretty out of
the way camp sites.
[color=blue]
>
> The Celica; still a bit of what it was and a blast to drive; soon to be
> gone at least in the US; see Scion tC.
>[/color]

Isn't the MR2 still available?
[color=blue]
> The only pleasure I have had driving a recent Toyota? A 'lavender' '95
> Corolla wagon. The 'spirit' was still alive in '95; car had 57,000 miles
> on it. Only two problems: it was already purchased by the time I saw it,
> and it was Lavender (I'm not sure the official color name; "Ashes of
> Roses" comes to mind...). But the old Toyota seat-of-the-pants feel was
> there; that's what I miss...
>
>
> I miss my buzzy little Jap cars...
>[/color]

--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

On Wed, 20 Jul 2005 01:25:35 -0500, Ray O wrote:
[color=blue]
>
> "hachiroku" <ae86@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
> news:pan.2005.07.20.01.56.18.414278@Trueno.GTS...[color=green]
>> Man, I miss the Toyotas I used to drive. I don't mean the actual cars
>> themselves, but what drew me to Toyota in the first place; an
>> inexpensive little car that would run all week for $5 in gas, didn't
>> have a lot of refinement but was a blast to drive.
>>
>> Those cars are gone, I guess. The current crop just doens't meet my
>> expectations.
>>
>> I haven't had a chance to drive too many Echos; they seem nice and are
>> roomy and still maintain that 'cheap' quality I love so much...they kind
>> of feel cheap (by this i mean the seat-of-the-pants ride; calm down,
>> Nat!) The Corollas are OK, the Matrix is a nice little wagon. I only
>> have had a chance to drive one Solara, and it was an auto. Nice, but not
>> buzzy enough...
>>
>> The Camry trying to compete with the Taurus in particular has lost it's
>> soul. Very nice car, but too plush for my liking. The Camry XLE has all
>> the bells and whistles, leather interior only, V6, etc and has a sticker
>> of $28,880. Not a bargain at all.
>>
>> We won't even talk about the Avalon. My 83YO mom loves them...
>>
>>[/color]
> Hey, I'm not 83 yet!
>
>[color=green]
>> The rest are SUV's. The RAV is a riot! I love it, as much as I hate
>> SUV's. The Highlander surprised me; I had one in the shop parked next to
>> a 4Runner. The 4Runner seemed bloated and out of proportion next to the
>> sleeker Highlander. Both of these are made solely in Japan, BTW.
>>
>> The Sequoia? UGH! Bloat to the max. Not at all like the Land Cruiser it
>> replaced in the US. The LC had a sportier feel, the Sequoia is just a
>> lard-ass SUV for people who will never click 4Lo (or if they do it will
>> be to take them to the ski lodge...)[/color]
>
> That bloated Sequoia had enough room for me, my climbing gear, camping
> gear, 4 teenage girls, 1 21 YO female, plus all the crap they brought
> camping - teddy bears, huge pillows, hair driers, curling irons, etc. this
> past weekend. I just got back from picking up 6 teens from downtown
> Chicago, the Sequoia was just as nimble as a Chicago taxi in traffic! I
> have not used 4Lo because it hasn't gotten stuck in 2WD yet, even in some
> pretty out of the way camp sites.[/color]

But YOU used it for what it was actually DESIGNED for! Like I said...ski
lodge...
[color=blue]
>
>[color=green]
>> The Celica; still a bit of what it was and a blast to drive; soon to be
>> gone at least in the US; see Scion tC.
>>
>>[/color]
> Isn't the MR2 still available?[/color]

I haven't seen one in this area for quite a while. And I didn't like the
current rendition; the last one was juuuust riiiiight.
[color=blue]
>[color=green]
>> The only pleasure I have had driving a recent Toyota? A 'lavender' '95
>> Corolla wagon. The 'spirit' was still alive in '95; car had 57,000 miles
>> on it. Only two problems: it was already purchased by the time I saw it,
>> and it was Lavender (I'm not sure the official color name; "Ashes of
>> Roses" comes to mind...). But the old Toyota seat-of-the-pants feel was
>> there; that's what I miss...
>>
>>
>> I miss my buzzy little Jap cars...
>>[/color][/color]

"hachiroku" <ae86@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
news:pan.2005.07.21.01.24.27.803163@Trueno.GTS...[color=blue]
> On Wed, 20 Jul 2005 01:25:35 -0500, Ray O wrote:
>[color=green]
>>
>> "hachiroku" <ae86@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
>> news:pan.2005.07.20.01.56.18.414278@Trueno.GTS...[color=darkred]
>>> Man, I miss the Toyotas I used to drive. I don't mean the actual cars
>>> themselves, but what drew me to Toyota in the first place; an
>>> inexpensive little car that would run all week for $5 in gas, didn't
>>> have a lot of refinement but was a blast to drive.
>>>
>>> Those cars are gone, I guess. The current crop just doens't meet my
>>> expectations.
>>>
>>> I haven't had a chance to drive too many Echos; they seem nice and are
>>> roomy and still maintain that 'cheap' quality I love so much...they kind
>>> of feel cheap (by this i mean the seat-of-the-pants ride; calm down,
>>> Nat!) The Corollas are OK, the Matrix is a nice little wagon. I only
>>> have had a chance to drive one Solara, and it was an auto. Nice, but not
>>> buzzy enough...
>>>
>>> The Camry trying to compete with the Taurus in particular has lost it's
>>> soul. Very nice car, but too plush for my liking. The Camry XLE has all
>>> the bells and whistles, leather interior only, V6, etc and has a sticker
>>> of $28,880. Not a bargain at all.
>>>
>>> We won't even talk about the Avalon. My 83YO mom loves them...
>>>
>>>[/color]
>> Hey, I'm not 83 yet!
>>
>>[color=darkred]
>>> The rest are SUV's. The RAV is a riot! I love it, as much as I hate
>>> SUV's. The Highlander surprised me; I had one in the shop parked next to
>>> a 4Runner. The 4Runner seemed bloated and out of proportion next to the
>>> sleeker Highlander. Both of these are made solely in Japan, BTW.
>>>
>>> The Sequoia? UGH! Bloat to the max. Not at all like the Land Cruiser it
>>> replaced in the US. The LC had a sportier feel, the Sequoia is just a
>>> lard-ass SUV for people who will never click 4Lo (or if they do it will
>>> be to take them to the ski lodge...)[/color]
>>
>> That bloated Sequoia had enough room for me, my climbing gear, camping
>> gear, 4 teenage girls, 1 21 YO female, plus all the crap they brought
>> camping - teddy bears, huge pillows, hair driers, curling irons, etc.
>> this
>> past weekend. I just got back from picking up 6 teens from downtown
>> Chicago, the Sequoia was just as nimble as a Chicago taxi in traffic! I
>> have not used 4Lo because it hasn't gotten stuck in 2WD yet, even in some
>> pretty out of the way camp sites.[/color]
>
> But YOU used it for what it was actually DESIGNED for! Like I said...ski
> lodge...
>[/color]

It's been to the ski lodge as well, with 6 passengers and me.
[color=blue][color=green]
>>
>>[color=darkred]
>>> The Celica; still a bit of what it was and a blast to drive; soon to be
>>> gone at least in the US; see Scion tC.
>>>
>>>[/color]
>> Isn't the MR2 still available?[/color]
>
> I haven't seen one in this area for quite a while. And I didn't like the
> current rendition; the last one was juuuust riiiiight.
>[/color]

I'm not real crazy about the style of the current rendition of the MR2
either. The last one was the best looking version so far.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 00:07:46 -0500, Ray O wrote:
[color=blue]
>
> "hachiroku" <ae86@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
> news:pan.2005.07.21.04.42.57.92573@Trueno.GTS...
>
> <snipped>
>
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>> It's been to the ski lodge as well, with 6 passengers and me.[/color]
>>
>> Well, yeah, but you actually USE the thing. You could get to the ski
>> lodge with a Sienna. But the Sequoia IS a BIG ASS vehicle! I was
>> surprised the first time I drove one, at how large it was!
>>
>>[/color]
> I had to adjust the garage door opener so that it pulls the door
> completely horizontal so that the beast would fit in the garage. Luckily,
> we have the Limited with the power fold-in mirrors. In order to fit into
> our garage, we have to retract the mirrors, lower the antenna, and creep
> up to the 4x4 wheel stop. With the front tires against the stop, we have
> 3 or 4 inches to the shelves in front of the garage and about the same in
> the back with the door closed. When I open the hood in the garage, I
> place a blanket across the front edge so it doesn't get scratched when it
> rests against the ceiling.
>
> Doing the squeegee thing on the windshield at the gas station is a PITA
> because I have to stand on the front tires, grip the windshield trim with
> my fingertips, and work the squeegee with my free hand. - That climbing
> experience pays off!
>
> Still, it's not as bad as a Crusher. I had one as a company vehicle, and
> I pulled into the gas station on the Mass Pike on a slushy day, heading to
> your place of employment. I opened the hood to add washer fluid, and
> although I wasn't very diligent at checking the oil level on my demos, for
> some reason, I pulled the dipstick out. The oil level was fine, and when
> I went to put it back in, I couldn't see the tube to re-insert the
> dipstick. There's Ray, in a suit and wool overcoat, trying to stand on the
> sluch-covered front tire so I could see far enough into the engine
> compartment to get the stupid stick back in. Never checked the oil again
> without a step stool handy! On the Sequoia, the dipstick tube comes up
> far enough to see without having to do gymnastics.[/color]

Damn, the things you see when you don't have a camera! And, i can hear
Bubba in the car whizzing past you (left to your imagination...)
[color=blue]
>
> It is nice to pull into camp on a rainy day (what other kind is there when
> camping) or when winter camping and not have to carry everything a half
> mile in, or pull our troop's trailer at highway speeds. Our Previa was a
> great van but it could barely hit 50 MPH pulling the trailer.[/color]

I don't even think I'd try it...Previa's are cool, and available w/AWD,
but pulling a trailer...
[color=blue]
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>>>>> The Celica; still a bit of what it was and a blast to drive; soon to
>>>>>> be gone at least in the US; see Scion tC.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> Isn't the MR2 still available?
>>>>
>>>> I haven't seen one in this area for quite a while. And I didn't like
>>>> the current rendition; the last one was juuuust riiiiight.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> I'm not real crazy about the style of the current rendition of the MR2
>>> either. The last one was the best looking version so far.[/color]
>>
>> Yeah. I say one 'Boy Racered' today, and it was too much. It ruined the
>> naturl, flowing lines of the car. He must have had 18 or 20" wheel with
>> bicycle tires on them and it raised the car but about 3 inches. It
>> looked dumb.[/color]
>
> Like putting catsup on a good steak.[/color]


LOL! Exactly! Except, as you should know, in New England we spell it
Ketchup...like Heinz...

I reemember when i moved from Western Mass to the Boston area, i met up
with some cool people at work. One night we were out goofing around and
driving, and I saw a sign "Salisbury 12 miles" I said, Hey, we're going to
SALSBARRY Beach? The Driver says "SALSBARRY???!!! It's "Saulsbury"! We
speak the KING'S English here!"

Coming from the Mid-West, then California, you must have had a REAL good
time here, especially when travelling from Boston to the Western part of
the state!

"hachiroku" <ae86@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
news:pan.2005.07.22.02.11.21.911194@Trueno.GTS...

<snipped>
[color=blue]
>[color=green]
>> Like putting catsup on a good steak.[/color]
>
>
> LOL! Exactly! Except, as you should know, in New England we spell it
> Ketchup...like Heinz...
>
> I reemember when i moved from Western Mass to the Boston area, i met up
> with some cool people at work. One night we were out goofing around and
> driving, and I saw a sign "Salisbury 12 miles" I said, Hey, we're going to
> SALSBARRY Beach? The Driver says "SALSBARRY???!!! It's "Saulsbury"! We
> speak the KING'S English here!"
>
> Coming from the Mid-West, then California, you must have had a REAL good
> time here, especially when travelling from Boston to the Western part of
> the state![/color]

I finally started to get the hang of things towards the end of my stay in
Mass.

During that time, I learned...

Regular coffee is what everyone else calls "coffee - Boston" and not
caffeinated coffee;

A "rack" is a 6-pack of beer in NH;

A "bubbler" is a water fountain or cooler;

A "tonic" is a soda everywhere else except for Chicago, where it is "pop;"

A "rotary" is a traffic circle and not a civic organization;

Worcester is pronounced "wuss-sta" but Dorchester is not pronounced
"duss-sta"

A "frappe" is a milkshake and not punishment from Natalie;

Hot dog buns are white with no crust on the sides;

Hot dogs in Maine are bright red;

A quahog is a giant clam;

"Sliders" and "steamers" come from the ocean and not from White Castle;

Attleboro is pronounced "attle-bra" but Marlboro is not "marl-bra;"

"Wicked" is a lot;

The universal response in Maine when you ask for directions is "ayuh, you
can't get theah from heah;

There is a stretch of highway between I-95 and Route 3 just south of Boston
with signs that read "128 South" and immediately underneath, "I-93 north" -
WTF? How can you go north and south at the same time?

They build brand new expensive large houses without central AC;

Going "Down East" in Maine means heading north up the coast;

Waltham is pronounced "wall-tham" but Raynham is "rain-hum;"

Provincetown, MA is gay-er than San Francisco;

Don't make eye contact with the other driver when both of you are trying to
fit into the same spot - whoever looks first loses!
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

hachiroku wrote:
[color=blue]
> Man, I miss the Toyotas I used to drive. I don't mean the actual cars
> themselves, but what drew me to Toyota in the first place; an inexpensive
> little car that would run all week for $5 in gas, didn't have a lot of
> refinement but was a blast to drive.
>
> Those cars are gone, I guess. The current crop just doens't meet my
> expectations.
>
> I haven't had a chance to drive too many Echos; they seem nice and are
> roomy and still maintain that 'cheap' quality I love so much...they kind
> of feel cheap (by this i mean the seat-of-the-pants ride; calm down, Nat!)
> The Corollas are OK, the Matrix is a nice little wagon. I only have had a
> chance to drive one Solara, and it was an auto. Nice, but not buzzy
> enough...[/color]

The Honda Jazz/Fit is coming. It's very much the nice little
car that doesn't feel like a tin can. Basically a more evolved
version of the Civic Hatch.

On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 00:36:49 -0500, Ray O wrote:
[color=blue]
>
> "hachiroku" <ae86@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
> news:pan.2005.07.22.02.11.21.911194@Trueno.GTS...
>
> <snipped>
>
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>> Like putting catsup on a good steak.[/color]
>>
>>
>> LOL! Exactly! Except, as you should know, in New England we spell it
>> Ketchup...like Heinz...
>>
>> I reemember when i moved from Western Mass to the Boston area, i met up
>> with some cool people at work. One night we were out goofing around and
>> driving, and I saw a sign "Salisbury 12 miles" I said, Hey, we're going
>> to SALSBARRY Beach? The Driver says "SALSBARRY???!!! It's "Saulsbury"!
>> We speak the KING'S English here!"
>>
>> Coming from the Mid-West, then California, you must have had a REAL good
>> time here, especially when travelling from Boston to the Western part of
>> the state![/color]
>
> I finally started to get the hang of things towards the end of my stay in
> Mass.
>
> During that time, I learned...
>
> Regular coffee is what everyone else calls "coffee - Boston" and not
> caffeinated coffee;[/color]

Hmm....regular coffe here is light w/sugar (and caffinated...)
[color=blue]
>
> A "rack" is a 6-pack of beer in NH;[/color]

Here too.
[color=blue]
>
> A "bubbler" is a water fountain or cooler;
>
> A "tonic" is a soda everywhere else except for Chicago, where it is "pop;"[/color]

And a Soda is what you get from the old Pharmacy soda fountains, with Ice
Cream and carbonated water.
[color=blue]
>
> A "rotary" is a traffic circle and not a civic organization;[/color]

And seem to infect this part of the country in large numbers.
[color=blue]
>
> Worcester is pronounced "wuss-sta" but Dorchester is not pronounced
> "duss-sta"[/color]

And, worse than that, and something *I* got caught on, Leicester is
"Lester" (???)
[color=blue]
>
> A "frappe" is a milkshake and not punishment from Natalie;
>
> Hot dog buns are white with no crust on the sides;[/color]

Wouldn't have it any other way!
[color=blue]
>
> Hot dogs in Maine are bright red;
>
> A quahog is a giant clam;[/color]

no, two clams that live together! (For those that don't, it's pronounced
Co-Hog)
[color=blue]
>
> "Sliders" and "steamers" come from the ocean and not from White Castle;[/color]

Mmmmmm! Steamers! Clam bake with double lobsters! God, i love New England!
And of course, you gotta have a quart of clam chow-duh!
[color=blue]
>
> Attleboro is pronounced "attle-bra" but Marlboro is not "marl-bra;"
>
> "Wicked" is a lot;[/color]

Wow, that was wicked bright of you to pick that up! When I was in NC i
said Wicked something and they guys looked at me and said, "Wicked???" The
other guy there from Mass knew...
[color=blue]
>
> The universal response in Maine when you ask for directions is "ayuh, you
> can't get theah from heah;[/color]

Or you get told to follow the road to the tree at Jim Johnson's, the count
off three and a half miles and take a left right after Bob Saunder's barn,
but before you get to the field where they have the Turkey shoot every
November, and then drive 4 miles past where Mr. Baker's gas station used
to be (of course, the station was razed about 10 years earlier, and there
are NO signs of it left...)
[color=blue]
>
> There is a stretch of highway between I-95 and Route 3 just south of
> Boston with signs that read "128 South" and immediately underneath, "I-93
> north" - WTF? How can you go north and south at the same time?[/color]

There are a few of these around...more so in NH.
[color=blue]
>
> They build brand new expensive large houses without central AC;
>
> Going "Down East" in Maine means heading north up the coast;
>
> Waltham is pronounced "wall-tham" but Raynham is "rain-hum;"
>
> Provincetown, MA is gay-er than San Francisco;[/color]

I haven't been there, but a friend of mine, about 17 years ago, was saying
he was walking down the street, and a black guy in a Corolla looked out
the window and blew him a kiss...


OK, so these two gay guys are walking out of a bar in P-Town, just as two
blondes in bikinis go walking past. One guy looks at the other and says,
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" And the other one says, "Yeah, I
sure wish I was a Lesbian..."

[color=blue]
>
> Don't make eye contact with the other driver when both of you are trying
> to fit into the same spot - whoever looks first loses![/color]

Paraphrased: Stare stright ahead and GUN it! (stolen from the Boston
Sunday Globe Magazine from about 1984...)

When were you here, and where did you live?

On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 00:36:49 -0500, Ray O wrote:
[color=blue]
>
> "hachiroku" <ae86@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
> news:pan.2005.07.22.02.11.21.911194@Trueno.GTS...
>
> <snipped>
>
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>> Like putting catsup on a good steak.[/color]
>>
>>
>> LOL! Exactly! Except, as you should know, in New England we spell it
>> Ketchup...like Heinz...
>>
>> I reemember when i moved from Western Mass to the Boston area, i met up
>> with some cool people at work. One night we were out goofing around and
>> driving, and I saw a sign "Salisbury 12 miles" I said, Hey, we're going
>> to SALSBARRY Beach? The Driver says "SALSBARRY???!!! It's "Saulsbury"!
>> We speak the KING'S English here!"
>>
>> Coming from the Mid-West, then California, you must have had a REAL good
>> time here, especially when travelling from Boston to the Western part of
>> the state![/color]
>
> I finally started to get the hang of things towards the end of my stay in
> Mass.
>
> During that time, I learned...[/color]

<SNIP!>
[color=blue]
>
> "Sliders" and "steamers" come from the ocean and not from White Castle;[/color]

WTF is White Castle?

For some reason, they never got here. Good thing, I weigh enough as it is!

"hachiroku" <ae86@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
news:pan.2005.07.22.23.59.45.146825@Trueno.GTS...[color=blue]
> On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 00:36:49 -0500, Ray O wrote:
>[color=green]
>>
>> "hachiroku" <ae86@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
>> news:pan.2005.07.22.02.11.21.911194@Trueno.GTS...
>>
>> <snipped>
>>
>>[color=darkred]
>>>> Like putting catsup on a good steak.
>>>
>>>
>>> LOL! Exactly! Except, as you should know, in New England we spell it
>>> Ketchup...like Heinz...
>>>
>>> I reemember when i moved from Western Mass to the Boston area, i met up
>>> with some cool people at work. One night we were out goofing around and
>>> driving, and I saw a sign "Salisbury 12 miles" I said, Hey, we're going
>>> to SALSBARRY Beach? The Driver says "SALSBARRY???!!! It's "Saulsbury"!
>>> We speak the KING'S English here!"
>>>
>>> Coming from the Mid-West, then California, you must have had a REAL good
>>> time here, especially when travelling from Boston to the Western part of
>>> the state![/color]
>>
>> I finally started to get the hang of things towards the end of my stay in
>> Mass.
>>
>> During that time, I learned...
>>
>> Regular coffee is what everyone else calls "coffee - Boston" and not
>> caffeinated coffee;[/color]
>
> Hmm....regular coffe here is light w/sugar (and caffinated...)[/color]

When my brother-in-law came to visit from Maine, he ordered a regular
coffee, I had to tell him to order it "Boston."

The first time I ordered coffee at a donut shop in Attleboro, the girl
behind the counter asked me if I wanted a regular. I said yes, thinking I
didn't want a decaf. I drink my coffee black so it wasn't what I was
expecting. I told the girl I wanted a regular black coffee, she looked at
me like I had 2 heads and politely told me that she gave me a regular. I
mentioned the episode to a co-worker, who was kind enough to tell me that a
regular coffee was light with sugar.
[color=blue]
>[color=green]
>>
>> A "rack" is a 6-pack of beer in NH;[/color]
>
> Here too.
>[color=green]
>>
>> A "bubbler" is a water fountain or cooler;
>>
>> A "tonic" is a soda everywhere else except for Chicago, where it is
>> "pop;"[/color]
>
> And a Soda is what you get from the old Pharmacy soda fountains, with Ice
> Cream and carbonated water.
>[color=green]
>>
>> A "rotary" is a traffic circle and not a civic organization;[/color]
>
> And seem to infect this part of the country in large numbers.
>[color=green]
>>
>> Worcester is pronounced "wuss-sta" but Dorchester is not pronounced
>> "duss-sta"[/color]
>
> And, worse than that, and something *I* got caught on, Leicester is
> "Lester" (???)
>[/color]

I learned something new today!
[color=blue][color=green]
>>
>> A "frappe" is a milkshake and not punishment from Natalie;
>>
>> Hot dog buns are white with no crust on the sides;[/color]
>
> Wouldn't have it any other way![/color]

I miss those buns.
[color=blue]
>[color=green]
>>
>> Hot dogs in Maine are bright red;
>>
>> A quahog is a giant clam;[/color]
>
> no, two clams that live together! (For those that don't, it's pronounced
> Co-Hog)
>[color=green]
>>
>> "Sliders" and "steamers" come from the ocean and not from White Castle;[/color]
>
> Mmmmmm! Steamers! Clam bake with double lobsters! God, i love New England!
> And of course, you gotta have a quart of clam chow-duh!
>[/color]

It took about a year to get over lobsters and steamers withdrawl. One of
the service managers I called on had a commercial lobsterman's license and
used to give me a dozen lobsters whenever I stopped in, and a neighbor who
was also a lobsterman used to give us 10 or 12 sleepers (lobsters that are
alive but don't flop around when you nudge them) for $10. Commercial buyers
wouldn't buy sleepers so he'd give them to us cheap. When we moved from New
England to Chicago, we went from lobster every week to once a year at
$29/lb.

[color=blue][color=green]
>> Attleboro is pronounced "attle-bra" but Marlboro is not "marl-bra;"
>>
>> "Wicked" is a lot;[/color]
>
> Wow, that was wicked bright of you to pick that up! When I was in NC i
> said Wicked something and they guys looked at me and said, "Wicked???" The
> other guy there from Mass knew...
>[color=green]
>>
>> The universal response in Maine when you ask for directions is "ayuh, you
>> can't get theah from heah;[/color]
>
> Or you get told to follow the road to the tree at Jim Johnson's, the count
> off three and a half miles and take a left right after Bob Saunder's barn,
> but before you get to the field where they have the Turkey shoot every
> November, and then drive 4 miles past where Mr. Baker's gas station used
> to be (of course, the station was razed about 10 years earlier, and there
> are NO signs of it left...)
>[/color]

LOL! That's exactly how they give directions there! The considerate ones do
help out a little by telling you to turn left at this bar, right at that
bar, then straight past the gas station/bait shop to this other bar...
[color=blue][color=green]
>> There is a stretch of highway between I-95 and Route 3 just south of
>> Boston with signs that read "128 South" and immediately underneath, "I-93
>> north" - WTF? How can you go north and south at the same time?[/color]
>
> There are a few of these around...more so in NH.
>[/color]

I spent a lot of time lost in NH
[color=blue][color=green]
>>
>> They build brand new expensive large houses without central AC;
>>
>> Going "Down East" in Maine means heading north up the coast;
>>
>> Waltham is pronounced "wall-tham" but Raynham is "rain-hum;"
>>
>> Provincetown, MA is gay-er than San Francisco;[/color]
>
> I haven't been there, but a friend of mine, about 17 years ago, was saying
> he was walking down the street, and a black guy in a Corolla looked out
> the window and blew him a kiss...
>[/color]

That guy probably wasn't as scary as the wimmen there!
[color=blue]
>
> OK, so these two gay guys are walking out of a bar in P-Town, just as two
> blondes in bikinis go walking past. One guy looks at the other and says,
> "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" And the other one says, "Yeah, I
> sure wish I was a Lesbian..."
>[/color]

After the last big quake in San Francisco, 2 guys were stuck on the Bay
Bridge when the center span collapsed. They're standing there looking down
at the water, and the first guy says "what are all those boats going back
and forth for?" The other guy says "they're ferry boats." The first guy
looks at the second guy and says "we have our own navy?"

[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
> >>[/color]
>> Don't make eye contact with the other driver when both of you are trying
>> to fit into the same spot - whoever looks first loses![/color]
>
> Paraphrased: Stare stright ahead and GUN it! (stolen from the Boston
> Sunday Globe Magazine from about 1984...)
>
> When were you here, and where did you live?[/color]

May, 1983 through June 1993. Lived in S. Attleboro 1 year, Mansfield 1
year, and then Carver 8 years.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

"hachiroku" <ae86@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
news:pan.2005.07.23.01.06.40.608861@Trueno.GTS...

<snipped>

[color=blue][color=green]
>>
>> "Sliders" and "steamers" come from the ocean and not from White Castle;[/color]
>
> WTF is White Castle?
>
> For some reason, they never got here. Good thing, I weigh enough as it is![/color]

Read about White Castle hamburgers (A.K.A. "sliders") here:
[url]http://www.answers.com/topic/white-castle-restaurant[/url]

White Castle seems to have a cult following and is a popular place to go
after a night at the pub because they're open 24 hours and you have to be
hammered to want them. The burgers are square, about 2" x 2" and steamed
and have a unique taste that some people attribute to baby food. People
normally order a half dozen at a time. You don't have to worry about
putting on weight when you have them (I only get that desperate about once a
decade) because they'll start to clean out your whole GI system in about 15
minutes. The problem is, the effect lasts all night...
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

"Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOT.com> wrote:
snip
[color=blue]
> When we moved from New
>England to Chicago, we went from lobster every week to once a year at
>$29/lb.
>
>[/color]
TWENTY NINE bucks a pound?!?...my god!...that'd be near $40 a
pound here...the commercial lobster supper places have a 1.5
pound lobster plus all the salad, mussels, seafood chowder, home
made bread, buns, and any amount and kind of dessert plus coffee
etc for about $30 Cdn.

My family and I buy maybe 20 lb, cook it ourselves in the family
lobster pot and propane burner maybe 2 or 3 times a year. It's
about 5 or 6 bucks a pound now...that's the way to handle
lobster, cook and eat it outside on the old wood picnic table on
the lawn along with a case of cold beer...hard to beat...
--


-Gord.

"I'm trying to get as old as I can,
and it must be working 'cause I'm
the oldest now that I've ever been"

On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 17:53:01 +0000, Gord Beaman wrote:
[color=blue]
> "Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOT.com> wrote: snip
>[color=green]
>> When we moved from New
>>England to Chicago, we went from lobster every week to once a year at
>>$29/lb.
>>
>>[/color]
> TWENTY NINE bucks a pound?!?...my god!...that'd be near $40 a
> pound here...the commercial lobster supper places have a 1.5 pound lobster
> plus all the salad, mussels, seafood chowder, home made bread, buns, and
> any amount and kind of dessert plus coffee etc for about $30 Cdn.
>
> My family and I buy maybe 20 lb, cook it ourselves in the family lobster
> pot and propane burner maybe 2 or 3 times a year. It's about 5 or 6 bucks
> a pound now...that's the way to handle lobster, cook and eat it outside on
> the old wood picnic table on the lawn along with a case of cold
> beer...hard to beat...[/color]


(More towards Ray O) ever go to the Nordic Lodge in Rhode Island? Back
when you were living here it was $35 for all-you-can-eat lobster. We went
with a group and one girl was sitting there picking at the legs, etc. We
looked at her and said, Girl, never mond the legs, take the claws and the
tails and go get another one!

My wife at the time, the skinny little Chinese girl, ate 7 of them, along
with frog legs and fruit (um, 2 plates. 18 years later, she STILL has her
girlish figure!)

I had 5, and roast beef, Filet Mignon, clams and clam chowder.

I hear it's now $65, but when you figure $29 for a 2LB lobster dinner in
Maine, it's still a bargain!

"Gord Beaman" <gord@islandtelecom.com> wrote in message
news:jlv4e15ph66pij3d4f2dbh6ebvucl1su42@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> "Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOT.com> wrote:
> snip
>[color=green]
>> When we moved from New
>>England to Chicago, we went from lobster every week to once a year at
>>$29/lb.
>>
>>[/color]
> TWENTY NINE bucks a pound?!?...my god!...that'd be near $40 a
> pound here...the commercial lobster supper places have a 1.5
> pound lobster plus all the salad, mussels, seafood chowder, home
> made bread, buns, and any amount and kind of dessert plus coffee
> etc for about $30 Cdn.[/color]

That kind of meal would set you back $40 to $50 around here. :-([color=blue]
>
> My family and I buy maybe 20 lb, cook it ourselves in the family
> lobster pot and propane burner maybe 2 or 3 times a year. It's
> about 5 or 6 bucks a pound now...that's the way to handle
> lobster, cook and eat it outside on the old wood picnic table on
> the lawn along with a case of cold beer...hard to beat...
> --
>
> -Gord.
>[/color]
That's how we used to do it back in Carver, MA, except we did it once or
twice a week. Free, or at the worst, $10 for 10 or 12 bugs was one of our
more inexpensive meals.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

"hachiroku" <ae86@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
news:pan.2005.07.24.03.22.07.453592@Trueno.GTS...[color=blue]
> On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 17:53:01 +0000, Gord Beaman wrote:
>[color=green]
>> "Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOT.com> wrote: snip
>>[color=darkred]
>>> When we moved from New
>>>England to Chicago, we went from lobster every week to once a year at
>>>$29/lb.
>>>
>>>[/color]
>> TWENTY NINE bucks a pound?!?...my god!...that'd be near $40 a
>> pound here...the commercial lobster supper places have a 1.5 pound
>> lobster
>> plus all the salad, mussels, seafood chowder, home made bread, buns, and
>> any amount and kind of dessert plus coffee etc for about $30 Cdn.
>>
>> My family and I buy maybe 20 lb, cook it ourselves in the family lobster
>> pot and propane burner maybe 2 or 3 times a year. It's about 5 or 6 bucks
>> a pound now...that's the way to handle lobster, cook and eat it outside
>> on
>> the old wood picnic table on the lawn along with a case of cold
>> beer...hard to beat...[/color]
>
>
> (More towards Ray O) ever go to the Nordic Lodge in Rhode Island? Back
> when you were living here it was $35 for all-you-can-eat lobster. We went
> with a group and one girl was sitting there picking at the legs, etc. We
> looked at her and said, Girl, never mond the legs, take the claws and the
> tails and go get another one![/color]

Never heard of it, wish I had.[color=blue]
>
> My wife at the time, the skinny little Chinese girl, ate 7 of them, along
> with frog legs and fruit (um, 2 plates. 18 years later, she STILL has her
> girlish figure!)
>
> I had 5, and roast beef, Filet Mignon, clams and clam chowder.
>
> I hear it's now $65, but when you figure $29 for a 2LB lobster dinner in
> Maine, it's still a bargain![/color]

If I ever get back to RI, we'll have to check it out.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply