A bit of an odd offering on the I-5

This was a bit odd.  Driving home from San Diego on Saturday, Sarah and I stopped off for a quick lunch and some gas in lovely Lebec, CA.  At the gas station, there was the obligatory little convenience store.  But it seemed to offer a convenience not usually seen:

Not sure if you were supposed to take this home for the barbecue, or if they were cooking it for you inside.  I decided to pass, despite that appealing price.

Bridges in Oregon

Oregon seems to be filled with nice-looking bridges.  Here are a couple we saw near Yachats:

And here is a covered bridge Karen spotted while headed up to get Sam from college:

Nothing like a nice bridge to improve the landscape.

Nice - it comes with a car

I spotted this article on CNN, about a superyacht that comes with its own supercar:

"Buy a superyacht get one supercar free!"

This could well be the sales pitch for the design of the "Strand Craft 122" -- an extravagant new superyacht that features a floating garage and matching handcrafted supercar. If built, it is likely to sell for $25 million.

Designer, Sweden-based 33-year-old Eduard Gray, told CNN that he took inspiration from the lines and curves of sports car, the Ferrari Testa Rossa.

"We have really tried to achieve a strong harmony in our design -- so that the car looks like it was literally born inside the hull of the yacht," he said.

But ultimately, he said, he wanted to design "something you want to be seen in -- the sexiest damn boat in the harbor!"

But you really have to see it to believe it:

Tickets, anyone?

This is a new slant on restaurants.  A new, called Next, is scheduled to open in Chicago later this year.  It's from the owners of Allnea, also in Chicago, and will feature quarterly menus based on different regions of the world.

Most interestingly, the restaurant will sell tickets, instead of reservations.  You pay in advance, and just like the theatre or a sporting event, if you don't go, there's no refund.  This is how they describe it:

Your tickets will be fully inclusive of all charges, including service. Ticket price will depend on which seating you buy -- Saturday at 8 PM will be more expensive than Wednesday at 9:30 PM. This will allow us to offer an amazing experience at a very reasonable price. We will also offer an annual subscription to all four menus at a discount with preferred seating.

A new concept.  Wonder how it will work.

Our new deck

Well, the main part of the deck is finished, and we are pretty happy with it.  Here's a partial view of the new steps:

And a couple of shots of the main deck:

We still have a lot of detail work to do, plus furniture to add, but it is coming along.

Satisfying.

Marty Turcios

This is so inspiring - and only slightly because it relates to golf.

I highly recommend you watch it.

Flames

CNN reported a new factory paint option for Ford Mustangs (and several other models) under the excellent headline "Ford's pimp-my-ride plan:"

Mustang buyers will soon be able to get flames on their fenders right from the dealer, no fancy artistic skills needed.  Ford Motor Co. is bringing out a line of custom vinyl graphics car buyers can order to give their car or truck the appearance of a custom paint job without the paint.  The carmaker originally launched the Web site, fordcustomgraphics.com, back in November, but it only offered graphics for the Fiesta subcompact car which goes on sale in a few weeks.  The site will soon begin offering graphics for the Ford Mustang and the F-150 truck, both popular vehicles which are commonly customized by owners, Ford announced Wednesday.

Here's a look:

The website shows a lot more options.  Nice.