rheingau again

you might call it "lack of fantasy", or maybe i'm just running out of ideas. but the rheingau region has - even when the weather isn't that good - a very special charme, a kind of strange beauty. so again, me and my automobile alter ego went for a ride, visiting johannisberg castle where once tatjana von metternich dwelled, last descendant of an old family (which even dealt with war and peace in napoleonic times), saying farewell to the summer.

the castle now belongs to the oetker holding and is renowned for its winery. but although the wine it produces is quite good, you pay much for the name... too much for my liking. nevertheless, i like coming here - it's peaceful, somewhat quiet despite all the tourists.

imaginary...

...war paint study, the second.

this time i spent more efforts on the flash - the shape and its contours are improved now, but, to be honest, it's not yet correct. and the dot pattern gradation that accompanies the colour tone is still missing. i also left out the fender decals and the flash-shaped lucky stickers.

ingredients: 1 vette photograph, photoshop 7.01, 1 rainy sunday, 2 glasses of rhenania beer (a special dark ale). again, no vettes were harmed during the procedure.

fall

temperature's down, the skies are grey, the air is damp and misty. spray-like drizzle covers all the streets and windscreens.
leaves are falling.
it's wet outside, wherever you go.
no vette weather... it's sad, but we'll have to stay indoors.

i wish i could...

vette snapshot

my baby's got standard equipment - well, it's the stuff you get when you buy european models. there's nothing changed, nothing modified.
"european" vettes also come with a three-years warranty, as long as you don't change any elementary stuff or parts. so this is the main reason that keeps me from getting some nice-to-haves i'm longing for:

• in contrast to many other spoilers or wings (most of them are just ugly or embarassing), this is a real good-looking rear spoiler...
  
  
• also, the v8's sound could be boosted little bit (even good things can be made better!),
  
  
• and, last but not least, a nice add-on for the interior:

i wish i could... *rolleyes*
but this stuff will have to wait - until the above mentioned three years are over.
the second reason is the german tüv (the german national vehicles supervisory agency for technical matters, in the case of the borla stinger exhaust). and, of course, there is a third reason. it's quite simple - money.

well... dream on, stickers.

season's end

now, the slalom season is over for this year.
i participated in three and a half slaloms altogether - dmsb-slaloms in solms-asslar, schweinfurt, wallduern, and an adac club slalom in fulda which i count as "half" a slalom. started in the beginners' (rookies) class, got one cup (second place, in solms-asslar) and one last place (in wallduern, where again my opponents were much faster and lighter cars).
well, this is a beginning... and hopefully not the end.

next year, i will try the "g" class, which is meant for standard or near-standard vehicles, but this also means that my chances for cups will diminuish - at least, i would need a special chassis system and special tyres. a lighter car would even be better, but i'm not croesus, my funds are limited.
let's see.