Down On The Street

Yet another VW Doka, this one a bay window version, paired with a Karmann Ghia and found in an Oceanside neighborhood.
Lots of oil stains on the driveway and street. These old 'Dubs have certainly been marking their territory.

Down on the Street - Oceanside Harbor Edition

Riding with my buddy Graham the other week, we came across this little frog sitting in the parking lot at the Oceanside harbor.
Why it's a Citroën 2CV (aka "deux chevaux"). France's post-war economy car. It makes a VW Type 1 Beetle seem like a luxury car in comparison. Check out some of the details:

Bolt-on lighting:
3-lug wheels (appropriately wrapped with dry-rotted Michelins):
Fold-down windows:

also note the metal frame seats with rudimentary padding

Riveted-on roof panel:
A two spoke wheel that looks like it was taken off a tractor:

that's still one more spoke than you'll find on a DS steering wheel

It appears that this little Franco import has spend considerable years in the salty air. Just check out what remains of the circa-1963 front plate:
The tinworm has been chewing away at the fenders too:
Hey, it's for sale!
Not that I have any desire to own this, unless the owner is realistic about it's value (I'd pay $200, tops, for this little rustbucket deathtrap). I greatly prefer the DS, one of my all-time favorite cars.

But it's still interesting to see it out in the wild.

Fin

A Productive Day

Well, I woke up this morning feeling crummy again - stupid head cold. But since I'm going out of town for a week starting tomorrow (Sunday), I felt I had better make the best of it.

Started by giving the van a thorough cleaning. Since we've had a wet spell, the thing was wearing a grey coat of drabness.

Afterwards I checked out Celeste's baked log and rainwater tea.
Yum! Celeste also discovered a hummingbird nest in the ficus tree.
She's also been having fun with the Legos that Grandma and Grandpa sent her. I love the feminine touch she gave the Lego Technic dragster (Lego #8847) I had built as a kid.

a Lego croissant in one cylinder and a green apple in the other

Speaking of food, we had planned a trip out to the Ruby's Diner at the end of the Oceanside pier. After parking and walking the 1,942' length, we found a line out the door - a 45 min wait for a table. Since Allie had hiked this morning, she was starving, so we pointed the car south to another Ruby's. Oceanside Pier pix first:

looking north (hills are part of Camp Pendelton)

So O'side Pier didn't work out, and the Carlsbad Ruby's was slammed as well, so we settled for Islands (chain similar to Red Robin, but with surf decor). The view was not as nice as what we would have had on the pier. That seems like a nice carwash and Jippy Lube though (if you're in to those sorts of things).
Late this afternoon I went for a run down to the beach. Brought my iPhone, sorry about the poor quality of the pix...

And finally I packed for my trip. Here's the extent of my winter outerwear (fleece gloves, fleece jacket, thin beanie). I'm ready for old man winter to slap me in the face. Let's see how soft I've become...