After 10 years of mostly faithful service it was time to say good bye to my little Z4.  I was a little sad but these past few months she has shown her age and it was definitely time to make a change.  My mechanic is a little sad as well as I was certainly "job security" for him this past year.

Please notice the attractive scarf.  That has been in the car since I brought her home from Chicago in 2004. Kind of a good luck charm if you will. Bought at a Walmart I believe somewhere in the Mid West, or Pendleton, or maybe just outside of Utah.  It's kind of a blur, just like the weather was on that particular trip.   My friend Karen R. made the infamous trip with me. We thought we would be like Thelma and Louise, (except for the ending) hair and scarfs flying in the wind, enjoying the company and traveling west in a convertible.  We left Chicago, top down on a beautiful sunny day.  Well, that was short lived.  It rained like crazy accompanied by lightening and thunder the entire way across the country.  This was in August mind you and being 2 girls from the NW, we were not prepared for the severity of a good old fashioned Mid-western storm.  The sky turned black on the horizon, looking like someone had drawn a curtain in the distance. Lightening was touching down all around us. The thunder sounded as though it was in the car with us.  The rain was so heavy that even Semi trucks were taking refuge under overpasses.  It was scary, I'm not kidding you.  But, we forged on and after a night in Indiana, a night in Nebraska and a night in Utah, we arrived back home safe and sound.  So Karen was certainly a trooper through the whole thing, and a glutton for punishment too I guess, as she and her husband Dan will be joining us in Europe shortly after we pick up my new car in Germany.  We are scheduled to pick up on the 4th of September at the BMW Welt in Munich.  The excitement grows as we pack our last few items, and head for the airport in the morning. Hopefully the weather will be more cooperative and my pretty blue scarf will actually get to fly in the wind. Next stop, Munich.