I wish I had my camera this weekend, but unfortunately, it's still with the Repairs department at Canon. I sent it in because they issued a recall on the casing because of the tendency for black spots to appear (which they did). I'll hopefully be getting it back within 7-10 business days.
I went to Beaver Brook on Saturday to take a look at the Fall colours that make New Hampshire so beautiful this time of year. Walking through the forest, the view wasn't as pretty as I'd hoped - most of the leaves had already fallen off due to the heavy rains from all the hurricanes. When we came to a meadow though, that's when it hit me - we saw a mountain covered in both deciduous and coniferous trees, creating a palette of striking reds and golds intermixed with luscious greens. We walked for a good couple of hours and passed the meadow again, but it wasn't late enough to see the sunset behind the trees. That would have been gorgeous. Otherwise, the hike/walk was pretty decent - the terrain was pretty flat, so it wasn't even close to my trip to Mount Monadnock, but it was peaceful. We only encountered a few other groups, all followed (or preceded) by dogs of all breeds.
On Sunday, I went to the New England International Autoshow with a couple of coworkers. It was pretty cool - with about 35 different makes on display, including Porsche, Saab, Audi, Hummer, and Mini.
One of my companions was drooling over the new BMW M5 (pictured above), which was a powerful car, but my pick (which was also one of his favourites) was the 2006 Audi A8 (pictured below). Yeah, I don't much like the grill - but the rest of the car was perfect. The driver's seat was really comfortable, and the features were insanely cool, coupled with a shiver-inducing sound system. The GPS navigation system was top-of-the-line, but its presentation was the best part - it was hidden behind one of the front panels and would slide out upon the push of a button. The rest of the interior was equally sleek and elegant, as you can well imagine.
I must say, by far, the best display went to "Camp Jeep" - they had an obstacle course that you could drive through! Well, you didn't actually get to drive, an employee drove, but the ride was awesome. First, we went through a floor clearance log-intensive patch, which tossed us around in an impressive show of no-underside-scraping. Then, we shifted against the pull of gravity when we drove onto an incline, such that the left wheels were about a foot higher than the right wheels. That was a bit freaky, especially when the back wheel on the left lifted off the ground! Next was a maneuverability stunt where they had a field of log stumps, all different heights, that we crossed as easily as if the field had been a flat road. Pretty cool, but not as inspiring as the 35-degree incline that we ascended, then clung to, while staring down a 40-degree decline! Oh yes, it was practically a roller coaster, where you get to the top of the peak and you're staring down at the drop in front of you, adrenaline pumping through your veins. Once we made it to the bottom of the hill, we forded a tiny pond before crossing the finish line. It almost made me want to get a Jeep, except for the fact that I wouldn't know what to do with so much vehicle!
Now, you knew I was going to mention Volvo, but not to worry, I'll keep it short and sweet. Ever since they came out with the smoother design, I've been raving about the newer models. This weekend was the first time I'd stepped into the S40, and as much as it pains me to say, I believe that Volvo may have compromised a bit too much in creating the smaller sedan. It felt cramped, although being pressed up against the plush leather wasn't such a bad thing. The S60 was much roomier, and the S80 (pictured above) was a thing of beauty. I love the fact that the controls are simple and not over-elaborate - everything is straight-forward and practical, yet powerful. In fact, now that I think about it, it's kind of like Google. But anyway, one other thing that kind of bugged me was the placement of the door lock in the back passenger seats. Instead of being placed near the hinge of the door (right behind the front seats), it was placed on the other side, nearer the passenger seats! Thus, when I tried to unlock the back door via the front, I had to extend my hand until my fingers could grasp the lock. I guess you could argue that there are safety features in the design, but I don't know about the inconvenience. Oh well.
I went to Beaver Brook on Saturday to take a look at the Fall colours that make New Hampshire so beautiful this time of year. Walking through the forest, the view wasn't as pretty as I'd hoped - most of the leaves had already fallen off due to the heavy rains from all the hurricanes. When we came to a meadow though, that's when it hit me - we saw a mountain covered in both deciduous and coniferous trees, creating a palette of striking reds and golds intermixed with luscious greens. We walked for a good couple of hours and passed the meadow again, but it wasn't late enough to see the sunset behind the trees. That would have been gorgeous. Otherwise, the hike/walk was pretty decent - the terrain was pretty flat, so it wasn't even close to my trip to Mount Monadnock, but it was peaceful. We only encountered a few other groups, all followed (or preceded) by dogs of all breeds.
On Sunday, I went to the New England International Autoshow with a couple of coworkers. It was pretty cool - with about 35 different makes on display, including Porsche, Saab, Audi, Hummer, and Mini.
One of my companions was drooling over the new BMW M5 (pictured above), which was a powerful car, but my pick (which was also one of his favourites) was the 2006 Audi A8 (pictured below). Yeah, I don't much like the grill - but the rest of the car was perfect. The driver's seat was really comfortable, and the features were insanely cool, coupled with a shiver-inducing sound system. The GPS navigation system was top-of-the-line, but its presentation was the best part - it was hidden behind one of the front panels and would slide out upon the push of a button. The rest of the interior was equally sleek and elegant, as you can well imagine.
I must say, by far, the best display went to "Camp Jeep" - they had an obstacle course that you could drive through! Well, you didn't actually get to drive, an employee drove, but the ride was awesome. First, we went through a floor clearance log-intensive patch, which tossed us around in an impressive show of no-underside-scraping. Then, we shifted against the pull of gravity when we drove onto an incline, such that the left wheels were about a foot higher than the right wheels. That was a bit freaky, especially when the back wheel on the left lifted off the ground! Next was a maneuverability stunt where they had a field of log stumps, all different heights, that we crossed as easily as if the field had been a flat road. Pretty cool, but not as inspiring as the 35-degree incline that we ascended, then clung to, while staring down a 40-degree decline! Oh yes, it was practically a roller coaster, where you get to the top of the peak and you're staring down at the drop in front of you, adrenaline pumping through your veins. Once we made it to the bottom of the hill, we forded a tiny pond before crossing the finish line. It almost made me want to get a Jeep, except for the fact that I wouldn't know what to do with so much vehicle!
Now, you knew I was going to mention Volvo, but not to worry, I'll keep it short and sweet. Ever since they came out with the smoother design, I've been raving about the newer models. This weekend was the first time I'd stepped into the S40, and as much as it pains me to say, I believe that Volvo may have compromised a bit too much in creating the smaller sedan. It felt cramped, although being pressed up against the plush leather wasn't such a bad thing. The S60 was much roomier, and the S80 (pictured above) was a thing of beauty. I love the fact that the controls are simple and not over-elaborate - everything is straight-forward and practical, yet powerful. In fact, now that I think about it, it's kind of like Google. But anyway, one other thing that kind of bugged me was the placement of the door lock in the back passenger seats. Instead of being placed near the hinge of the door (right behind the front seats), it was placed on the other side, nearer the passenger seats! Thus, when I tried to unlock the back door via the front, I had to extend my hand until my fingers could grasp the lock. I guess you could argue that there are safety features in the design, but I don't know about the inconvenience. Oh well.
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