Anne walked home from school one day this week. It was one of those balmy, at least for February, days. While she walked, with her iPhone, she was taking pictures of the wheel covers and hub caps of cars that were parked along the way. She had taken several photographs in a row, when a man approached her and asked her what she was doing. He had been watching TV, in his living room, and saw her taking a picture of his car and several more and he wanted to know what she was doing. Anne explained that she was researching a quilt project. She found the patterns in automobile wheel covers interesting. So to gather some data for this quilt project, she was taking pictures of them. Hearing her explanation, he asked her to email him the photo of his car. Anne emailed it on the spot. This seemed to mollify the man. I think that he just wanted to get her email address, in case there was trouble later. Anne didn’t take any more pictures, during the rest of her walk home.
This story didn’t come as news to me. For weeks now, Anne has been counting the spokes on the wheels of cars. When we walk together, she’ll call out her counts. This one has six spokes that one has ten and this one has sixteen. I found it interesting, at first. It has gone on long enough though that it is beginning to get annoying and shows some signs of OCD behavior. Don’t get me wrong. I love my wife and enjoy our walks together. I just wish that she would get her mind out of the gutter. I had to crop the three wheel photos with this post to cut out the adjoining curb and the gutter in-between. What is wrong with automotive hood ornaments?
America loves its cars. Cars are as American as mom, apple pie and dogs. One politician thinks that dogs riding on top of cars is also an American value. I must admit that I still love my new Prius. I am certainly spending a lot more time in it than before I took the job in St. Chuck. My longer highway commute does increase the MPG of my Prius, with the associated bragging rights, but with the recent rise in gas prices, it is more expensive. Some people have car fetishes that cost thousands of dollars. Anne’s interest in cars is no more costly than being featured as blog fodder. She is a good sport for putting up with my ribbing. Luv ya, Babes!
Personally, I think the wheels with the “spokes” in odd-numbers are far more attractive than the even-numbered ones… (and that includes the “14” that are in actuality 7 “closely-paired”, for example). Something about the bit of asymmetry that draws my attention favorably.
Anne agrees, but with her truncated photo selection, I had to go even with this post.
I know this is short-sighted, but is looking at car details part of being brought up in Michigan? I personnally focus on head and tail lights.
Send us your pix of car details. (From your own cars, unless you want to be considered a potential wierdo.)
Dear Pooh – how will ‘spinners’ be done on your quilt? Youth Wants To Know!
“Dear, she’s just playing you.”
“I know, but I like thinking about the idea.”
Mark says I need to get out on the highway more, but I seldom see spinners. I know how to make three-dimensional pinwheels on a quilt, but something that would actually spin would be trickier. Maybe the propeller and rubber band mechanism from a balsa wood plane?