"Little Squirt" the Smart Car has arrived

It's Sunday morning and the temperature is -2 (C) which is about 28 for all of our American friends. I have a hot cup of tea and decided to announce the arrival of "Little Squirt," our little white Smart Car.

The picture shows her just before we took her outside for her maiden trip from Regina to Winnipeg. Standing beside her is Len Halgerson of Dilawri Acura in Regina. Len has just started his new career in automobile sales and based on the great job he did for us I suspect he will enjoy a ton of success.

I drove Little Squirt, back from Regina to Winnipeg in howling winds and pouring rain. She handles much better than anticipated. The transmission takes a bit of getting used to but overall I was very impressed. With her huge 1000cc (61 cubic inch), 70 HP, three cylinder engine, :-) I didn't expect much in terms of power or performance. It surprised me, and a few other people, on the highway as we drove home. Admittedly we won't be setting any land speed records but she is competent at highway speeds with far far better handling than a couple of other small cars I have owned. Bernie has had a few experiences with it now and she's getting the hang of it quickly.

We expect to have a ton of fun with Little Squirt. She will likely see more of N. America than the average Smart Car, but most of those miles will be while she rides around on her big brothers back. Speaking of which we need a name for her big brother and your suggestions would be appreciated. So far we're just calling it The Freightliner which really doesn't cut it.

We have another appointment Tuesday with our bed builder and expect to be able to load Squirt on the Freightliner around the end of this coming week.

With nighttime temperatures now hovering around the freezing mark we may be headed South sooner than we planned. It may be old age but whatever it is I just don't like this weather. If we had the truck finished we'd be "GONE."

We picked up Squirt on our way back from Vancouver to Winnipeg. We were gone for just over two weeks and had a great trip. The family time was awesome and there is nothing, anywhere, more impressive than the drive from Vancouver to Calgary. I've driven the road a few times starting in 1964 and although the road has improved, a lot, the Rockies are unchanged and majestic as ever. If you haven't made that drive yet make sure it gets on your "bucket" list. People come from around the world to drive the Canadian Rockies and "it's worth the trip."

That's all we have for now, thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment when you can.

Neal

PS: Don't forget, and don't be shy, naming suggestions for Squirt's big brother would be appreciated.