Summer's Last Hurrah

The days are getting shorter, the air is getting colder, school has started. . . Fall is upon us once again.  Labor Day always feels like the last moment of summer to me.  I decided to make the most of it by getting out of the city and going camping at Strawberry Reservoir.  As I lay shivering in my sleeping bag the first night, I resolved any doubt that summer was definitely behind me (and, now that I think about it, ahead of me, in just a mere 172 school days).  It's time to break out the long sleeves and the serious sleeping bag.  Sigh . . .
Other than the chilly first night, the trip was perfect.  Much fun was had, many crayfish were caught. . .

Here's the part where I said, "You catch the fish, I'll take pictures."

Here's the part a couple of minutes later where I realized everyone else was having all the fun and got in on the action.  That's right. . . I caught crayfish, with my hands, and we ate them for dinner!

many geocaches were found, and much scenery was viewed (most of it made possible only by Chris's 4-wheeling Saturn).

That kind of four-wheeling comes with consequences.  Fortunately, they were minor and mostly involved a lot of dust.  Chris suggested having a car-cleaning event for Labor Day.  I thought it was a great idea as my car was in dire need of some attention and hers was covered in the dirt of many mountain paths.  As the day went on, I learned that we have very different ideas of what cleaning the car means.

Daphne's usual version of cleaning the car:
1. Drive into self-propelled car wash.  Read a book while the machines do their thing.  Remind self to remove antenna next time, if it's still there.
2. Vacuum floors and throw out trash.
3. Remind self to wipe down interior surfaces later.  Promptly forget.
Time required: 10 minutes

Daphne's rarely used, more intense version of cleaning the car:
1. Wipe off all inside surfaces unless they are hard to get to.
2. Wash all windows inside and out.  (Baloney, did you have anything to do with the shoe print on my back window?)  Hope there are no streaks.
3. Vacuum floors and throw out trash.
4.  Hose down the car.  Use soap.  Rinse.  Debate about whether to bother with wax or not.   (usually done while feeding quarters into the machine at the car washing place)
5. Completely ignore dings and scratches.
6. Smile and feel proud of self.
Time required:  35 minutes

Daphne's super-intense version of cleaning the car used only today:
1. #1-#3 above (Use Q-Tips for cleaning hard to reach places)
2.  Hose down the car.  Scrub with sponge.  Rinse.
3. Wax on, wax off.  Try not to miss too many spots.
4. Rinse dirt from floor mats.  Marvel at mud flowing off of them.
5. Clean carpets in the front, and try to remove Diet Coke stains from seats.  Decide back carpets are fine since they are covered with floor mats and nobody ever sits back there anyway.
6. Armor-All all plastic and vinyl surfaces, inside and out.  (yes, Armor-All is a verb)
7. Frown at dings and scratches.  Wonder what ever happened to that bottle of touch up paint and consider getting another one someday.
8. Smile and feel really proud of self.
9. Tell car not to get used to it.
Time required:  2 hours


Chris's version of cleaning the car:
1.  Wipe off all inside surfaces especially if they are hard to get to. 
2.  Wash all windows inside and out.  Don't leave any streaks.  I mean it!
3.  Hose down the car and scrub it a lot, until it has completely forgotten all dust it once had.  Rinse with a filtered low pressure sprayer to prevent water spots.
4. Wash all floor mats.  Spray with hose first, use carpet cleaner later.
5. Clean all carpet and upholstery.  Roll eyes at the Super-Sonic guys who didn't get it nearly as clean as they should have.  Losers.
6. Buff out all scratches caused by branches on 4-wheeling adventures.
7. Wax on, wax off.
8. Armor-All all surfaces, including tires so they shine.
9. I lost track of the rest of the steps here but I know there were a bunch more.
10. Decide it could look better but is good enough for today.
Time required: 6.5 hours 

Look at those shiny Saturns!