Notwithstanding the current withdrawal of Canadians from the United States of America, after having spent 6 months of the year there for the past decade, I continue – as though by irrepressible habit – to remark upon the domestic differences in the two latitudes.  As mundane as it is, one of the primary differences is that relating to my driving habits.

When we were on Hilton Head Island, Longboat Key or Key Largo, I prolonged (but confined) my routine daily outing to a visit to the local car wash. The reason for the limited scope (as opposed to the far more expansive tours I regularly conduct on home territory) is that here there are easily accessible open highways throughout Lanark County, Carleton County and Renfrew County. The intermittent adventures along the North Atlantic coast or the Florida Keys were always exhilarating but the travel was far less serene than my habitual drives throughout the local rural countryside.

Today I coincidentally passed a milestone: namely, 18,086 Kms almost exactly three months following the purchase of my automobile on February 17th last. I mention this, not for its total significance – there are many people who proclaim their much higher “mileage” – rather to observe the clockwork of 6,000 Kms per month which, when considered in the context of retail trade, heralds the dealership preference for 30,000 Kms or less.

This insight into the vulgar mechanics of swapping cars – new for old – is further recognition of the imperatives to preserve automotive serendipity. In short, I get a bang out of driving.  I blame my father.  He was the same way.  Indeed he was so enamoured by his vehicle that it was not uncommon for him to take off without prior notice to New Brunswick (where he owned 200 acres near Moncton). He would routinely drive non-stop.