Life in the 'Burbs

Can you see my van? No, me either. Who would have thought that you could loose a minivan in a parking lot? It's not like I'm driving a Chevette. This isn't even a good picture. My experience says that baseball families drive much bigger cars that soccer families. This is the soccer parking lot. What is with all the HUGE cars? I realize I frequent family events so should expect to see family cars. Now be honest, do you need a house if you own a Suburban? I'm surrounded by Excursions, Tahoes, Yukons and the like. I have never seen so many vehicles that cost $100 to fill with gas outside of the dealer lot. In case they don't want to be shocked, let me provide a little insight into the price of petrol today, and note that it's down about 10 cents from a few days ago.

Maybe they want to consider something that gets good gas mileage, say 12 MPG. I'm wondering if I can squeeze the family into an hybrid. Toyota makes a SUV hybrid, I think. It's flat here. It's not like I need great pickup. The next option is to get something small. I'm thinking Mustang. We'll either strap the kids to the roof or pull them in a trailer. They are pretty lax about those type of laws in Illinois. Here's the one that I have in mind. Notice, it's for sale.

A different choice seems to be to find a new mode of transportation. I saw a 6 person bike recently. You know the kind. You might see one on the boardwalk for 2 people. They are broad and high with a canopy. This one would be perfect. It has a 2X3 configuration, just like the van. And it's for sale. $999. Sort of like this one, but for 6. Sorry, my mouse is broken so I can't copy the picture.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009G0FGY/ref=nosim/102-8067433-6908934?n=3375251

Then, there is always alternative fuels. We do grow a lot of corn here. This is more an aside, but you might enjoy this NPR interview with Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5342514