welcome from south Dakota...I am in south florida...retired working part-time...

mia767ca@aol.com

john k

Hello Matt. My emphasis is on health care, as a rebel physician. My YouTube channel is https://www.youtube.com/user/brightwr... and my bookstore and movie store is brightwriter.com.

Yep, I know what you mean! We took hubby's stick to NC for a six-month stay, because it was a truck and we could put more stuff in it. In general, not a bad thing, but in traffic jams, ouwee!

When you have dealt with AI on the level of Amazon's seller platform (for example), as I have, you would NEVER consent to ride in a vehicle that was self-driving. Certainly not at the current level of AI ability. I am having to fight this fight with my husband, who SHOULD know better, but he just loves all manner of tech and wants to try everything new. I'm sympathetic, but not gonna do anything that would encourage that!

BTW I learned to drive on a standard shift and pretty much have always had one in my life. It appears that getting one nowadays is MORE expensive than having a regular automatic.

I agree with your assessment of automatics. I want ME in control of as much vehicle operation as possible. You can probably imagine how I feel about "self driving" cars!

Thank you, Commander -
Glad to be here...

Hi Abaco!

Hey Rhfinle -
My kiddos enjoy that area as well. Glad you're making a return visit. Hiking around Sylvan Lake is certainly worth the trek if you haven't yet... :)

Thank you, Allosaur!

Hey DriveTrain -
I've got good friends in the Pierre area. I'll pass on the lost parcel and see what comes up... LOL hope you've by now found a second copy... :)

As for Governor Noem, I feel fortunate that she in her position of leadership over our state. Fun fact, I have met her on a handful of occasions, and just a few years back at a private bbq she and I both attended, she actually requested my guacamole recipe. LOL
She is one of the most approachable natural leaders I've met thus far.

Thank you, Minesayn!

Thank you, Dobrien

Thank you, gharkness, -
The extreme weather is my only gripe about the state. We see about two weeks of ideal weather conditions each year, then it is on to the next extreme. It does, however, offer a full spectrum of the 4 seasons. So, in a way, we all get a little of what we prefer on a rhythm. :)

Great description! "invincibly ignorant emotional trench-warfare" LOVE IT!

Thank you, gharkness, -
The extreme weather is my only gripe about the state. We see about two weeks of ideal weather conditions each year, then it is on to the next extreme. It does, however, offer a full spectrum of the 4 seasons. So, in a way, we all get a little of what we prefer on a rhythm. :)

Yes, thank you, Thoritsu -
Freedom of thought and expression are fundamental to the 'evaluated life' I hope we are all attempting to live out. I also appreciate the clear expectations for mutual respect and dignity communicated in the code-of-conduct. The sane and thoughtful dialog is welcome in our time of invincibly ignorant emotional trench-warfare we hear across the airwaves today. I hope to glean insights and offer my ideas and discernment in return.

I always had stick until 2007 while working for DeWalt power tools. Traveling all of New England was one big traffic jam...didn't want my left leg to get bigger than my right...laughing

Oh, exclusively stick - automatics are evil - currently a 6-speed on a relatively-gutless 2.0, but it saves on gas. 8^D

What's in your Drive Train, Drive train?...4.11s, 3.50s, 4 speed. 5 speed, 3 on the column or automatic?

Just teasing...interesting handle...Welcome.

Welcome Matt. Hope you enjoy your stay here.

Welcome to the Gulch from a fellow Dakotan, Matt - in my case the North one, but many fond memories of travelling down to Pierre and the surrounding area, happily sweating and producing on a custom combine crew back in the day. Now that I think of it, it was on that jaunt that I misplaced my paperback of Atlas in some combine cab / truck cab / stubble field in the summer of '83, and since that was my first read, it was jam-packed with my scribbled "remember this" notes so I was crushed when it turned up missing. So if there's a general SD Lost & Found and you happen to see it, let me know, 'K? 8^]

And congratulations on having a sane Governor, something I regrettably could not bring with me to California. Cheers!

Welcome to The Gulch, Matt!

Welcome Matt. Hopefully your idea of "collective" is a collections of like-minded individuals participating by free choice, not forced and ambiguous common good.

Welcome, Matt! We took the kids to SD a few years back - stayed a couple of weeks, but there's enough to do around Hill City to keep them busy all summer! Love it and will be back (in the summer!)

Howdy!